When you do something through repetition, almost daily, and for years (such as type in the url: facebook.com – and log in) naturally, it can be somewhat of a challenge to break yourself out of that routine. Interestingly enough, a few hours after I deactivated my account, I recall going to the facebook website out of sheer habit and wondering why my username and password were not filling up automatically, until I came to the realization that I already deactivated my account.

Even today, I was thinking to myself: “I wonder what some of my fellow Marine buddies are up to.” I even had some witty banter come to mind at one point in my day, and I almost immediately thought about posting it on a social network. But why? Have we become so dependent on social media that we use it as a means of documenting and streaming every moment’s egotistical thought? Where’s the substance? And is there really much value in one simple sentence or statement that your friends “like”, but doesn’t remotely reflect or pertain to the day you really had or experienced?

I guess when push comes to shove, writing can be therapeutic, so even if it’s only limited to a sentence a day, I guess I can see the benefits. Unfortunately, I feel that people create status updates for the sake of seeking approval/agreements (or “likes”) more-so than for the sake of venting. Of course, this is only my opinion, however.

I feel like writing on my blog allows me to write about things without a desire, connection or need for approval from others. Instead, it’s just time I can devote to reflection of my own life and thoughts. I think everyone should keep a journal of some sort. This actually reminds me that I should go back to some of my old journal entries on livejournal.com. I’m now curious about what I wrote about all those years ago… If I find anything interesting, I’ll be sure to share.