Facebook Newsfeed Eradicator

About a month ago, I decided to get rid of my Facebook newsfeed. I was inspired by a friend who had done so by "unsubscribing" to each one of his friends manually. I looked at my list of 990 "friends" and realized that it was an impossible process. Instead, I decided to google "how to get rid of facebook newsfeed" and this chrome extension came up called Facebook Newsfeed Eradicator. Not only does it wipe out the newsfeed, it also gives you a productivity quote to keep you going! It looks like this; 

Why did I decide to get rid of my Facebook newsfeed? Well, I realized that all I was doing was wasting time and experiencing a ridiculous amount of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out). Facebook is for socializing, but all I was doing was looking at other people's lives, a placebo for real connections that I could maintain through technology.

Stephen Fry once said that "Technology is a mirror." for the skills and interests you have in real life and that only the intelligent can actually use technology to enhance their lives. For the rest of us, it actually has a negative impact on our ability to develop. I see this as mostly true, and I literally don't have the ability to not scroll through my newsfeed when it is offered to me. Subconsciously, I just fall into it and waste a lot of time. Now that I don't have it, I can focus on real communication on Facebook such as messaging or wall posts - I still get notifications that pertain to me, but don't have to look at things that have nothing to do with me at all.

I feel like there is a slight tradeoff because sometimes you don't know when a friend is in town, or miss a good opportunity to join an organization, but this literally happens so infrequently that it the time I save from not mindlessly scrolling through pictures completely outweighs, at least so far.

Getting rid of Facebook Newsfeed is I guess a "radical decision" nowadays, but it one that has really worked out for me. Now when I realize something is bothering me or making me waste time, instead of curbing the habit, it is better for me to completely eradicate it instead.