Mangiaracina: How I broke the Internet addiction

Friday, September 12, 2008

Hi, my name is Nick. I’m a Facebook-aholic. Thanks for letting me share my story. I just wanted to say that I can no longer cheat on my real life and replace it with a digital alternative. A long list of friends is not superior to a few breathing ones. I have seen the writing on the Wall — particularly the poor grammar, the hacked-out comments, the bizarre abbreviations and the excess of inside jokes from my “friends.”

The great web of relationships that I’ve woven means nothing without content to go with them. I know these people in name only. I now know more about people I don’t care about, but less about those I care the most about.

While under the influence, I looked for meaning where none existed and wasted too much time on relationships that never were. In between I wrote too many words that meant nothing.

The pervasive ugliness of Facebook has ruined me. The rampant narcissism, gossip and triviality did me in.

No, actually I’m less than a man. I’ve reduced myself to a profile page. I am a picture with a description — a photo exhibit at an art museum. The authorship is clear, but the photographer is unknown. The intent is lost without the context. I am whatever I think you want me to be and so are you. We are both fake. It should be called Fakebook. Let me start at the beginning though.

Three years ago I created a Facebook account to remedy the horrible loneliness that plagued my life. What I discovered was something I thought I already knew — that there is no one-size-fits-all solution to anything.

Facebook is the ultimate drug and founder Mark Zuckerberg the ultimate chemist for creating it. Depressed? Bored? Lonely? We have the cure for you, and you don’t have to ask your doctor if Facebook is right for you. Facebook is available over the desk. Side effects include insomnia, eye irritation and an inability to connect with people.

Since quitting, I’ve discovered that the maxim “nothing in life worth doing is easy” is true. To do something that means anything you have to struggle. Likewise, Facebook doesn’t mean anything because it requires no struggle. It is fast and convenient, which makes it something that’s quintessentially American.

About two weeks ago, a friend noticed I’d left Facebook. She sent me a text message about this and a compliment about a piece I wrote — one long before I even knew what Facebook was. This connection was real because she chose a less convenient way to connect instead of not connecting at all.

Mangiaracina is a Lenexa senior in journalism.

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