With finals slowly starting to absorb our lives, Marquette students are doing anything they can to successfully get through these next two weeks. Rather than pulling all-nighters at the library, or waiting in line to pet the therapy dogs, many students are taking a bolder approach to finals week by saying goodbye to their number one social network, Facebook.

After seeing how much time was being wasted (6 hours and 38 minutes a week to be exact), I myself joined the trend and decided to deactivate my account and break up with Facebook.

Facebook and I met online and have had a long lasting, strong relationship.  I truthfully didn’t know how she would react to my change of heart. Would she be mad at me? Would she use all the information and secrets that I’ve trusted her with against me? Would I lose her forever?

I started to think of the best way to approach it; “It’s not you, it’s me”, “I just need to focus on my education right now”, or “I see us better as friends.” Who was I kidding? If I was going to break it off I needed to do it quick and painless. She probably won’t even be mad. I’ll do it as easy as a click of a mouse.

I was wrong. It wasn’t easy. Through one single button I would lose 678 friends, 124 pictures, and countless useless information about other peoples lives. I suddenly became nervous. For a second I hesitated moving my shaky finger toward the mouse. But one simple click and the job would be done. My palms started to sweat, breathing became a struggle, my already too small of a room started closing in on me, and then there was a bitter moment of fearful hesitation.

*CLICK*

The job was done. I could hear Mark Zuckerberg gasping all the way from my dorm. I sat in silence for a moment, waiting for her to react. In that silence I started to reflect on all the memories we had together. All the times we laughed at ridiculous statuses, how she would alert me if someone tagged me in a terrible looking photo, and all the nights we stayed up late together talking about absolutely nothing.

To my surprise, my Facebook didn’t react. She didn’t say goodbye, didn’t cry, and didn’t even beg me to stay. It just simple said, “Are you sure you want to deactivate your account?” After clicking “Yes,” I knew it was over. Facebook was gone, and I sadly closed the screen.

I’m not going to lie. This last week has not been easy. I sometimes think about her and consider going back, but I know it’s for the best. Like most Marquette students, I need to concentrate on my finals and just don’t have time for a relationship. But I’m not saying it’s goodbye forever, Facebook. I am simply saying “I’ll see you later.”