Yes, that’s right, I’ve quit Facebook. After being a member for over three years–since its expansion to all colleges and universities in September 2005–I decided to deactivate my account.
Why would I do such a thing? Hmph, funny you should ask. —Karissa Kilgore
When I finally got around to joining Facebook about a year ago, a message from Karissa was waiting there for me — she had invited me to join over a year before that.
I’m not a particular fan of Facebook, but I have enjoyed getting back in touch with friends from high school, and it’s a moderately useful way to stay informed about people I’ve met at conferences. But I don’t really want to put much effort into creating content that strangers (the owners of Facebook) own.
I share Karissa’s sentiments about Facebook. It has some utility for keeping up with friends, but the best communication is done face to face where possible. Your blog is situated at your institution so your writing is grounded in your pedagogical experiences. In many cases, Facebook seems to be more of a promotional tool (Goffman’s research comes to mind), than a real community of people who care about each other.