Cyber Suicide

Today I officially committed cyber suicide. No longer will my name be linked to Facebook, Twitter, or Myspace. This act was freeing and complicated. Facebook and Twitter have a pretty simple deactivation process, but MySpace was a little more complicated. They require you to wait for an email from them to actually start the request for cancellation, which I didn't get at first. Then I did an email address change request and that seemed to get the ball rolling. I still have to wait up to 48 hours for the account to actually be deleted from MySpace. Facebook and Twitter allowed immediate deactivation. Another annoying part of my self inflicted cyber demise was the pictures that I had to download. So much of my life was uploaded to these sites and I wanted some of it back. This timely process took most of my morning. I also, had to remember the various logins for accounts that I haven't used in years such as the two MySpace accounts that I started. Why I needed two? A professional and personal account of course. This series of obstacles is all worth it now though. I already feel ten pounds lighter.

What I hope to accomplish is simple. I am seeking peace of mind, a little more privacy, and a higher productivity level. If I stop wasting time on the internet there is no telling what I'll accomplish. Perhaps I'll finally write that book I've been discussing, or start the businesses I've been planning. I'll be able to read more substantive materials and be less distracted overall.  I'll exercise more, pray more, enjoy my family more. I really see no downside to this decision. My cyber life post-mortem will be limited to emails and seeking out useful information. Not virtually peering into the lives of others, while exposing my own life to scrutiny. Don't get me wrong social media isn't all bad. It is definitely a useful tool. I hope to utilize it specifically as a marketing tool when the time is right. But for now... I am OUT!