What It’s Like to Come Back to Facebook

This post was supposed to be about what my life was like after having cold turkey quit Facebook five months ago in February 2014, why I decided to come back, and what it’s been like being back on. The problem is that I rejoined Facebook before I wrote the piece, and now I feel so pulled back into Facebook that I can barely remember how life was different than those five months. What I do know is that it doesn’t feel as good to be on it anymore. And maybe not good at all. Here are some of my reactions from a few days back on Facebook. Where are my friends’ real names? I’ve written about this before, but I just can’t get behind the use of fake names, significantly altered names, or “not really me” photos on Facebook. I understand people have lots of reasons for doing so—to make it hard for students or snooping employers to find you, for instance—but it just seems to put an unnecessary barrier between you and your friends. I suppose the idea is that your real friends will know it’s you—from your online voice, your photos, etc., but I’ve talked to several people who have ...