Could you go 99 days without Facebook? It is a question that is worth asking yourself, especially if you are someone who checks into Facebook several times a day. A group called Just wants to encourage people to give up Facebook for 99 days. They are calling this effort 99 Days of Freedom.
What would your life be like without Facebook? Would you feel uncomfortable about not visiting the popular social media website every day? Would you miss it? Maybe your life is so busy that you wouldn’t really notice the absence of Facebook. That might be true for those who use Facebook infrequently.
There is a bigger question to consider. Would you be happier without Facebook? That is the question that Just is focused on. Just launched this experiment in response to Facebook’s controversial mood experiment. Unlike Facebook, Just is not interested in manipulating your mood. Instead, they are interested in determining how life without Facebook impacts user’s happiness.
Joining the “99 Days of Freedom” experiment is easy. Change your profile picture on Facebook to the icon you see at the top of this blog. Share your last link. Don’t use Facebook for 99 days. That means no logging in, no messenger, and no sharing.
Just will contact you after day 33, 66, and 99 to see how you are doing. Give Just your email address if you would like to join their happiness survey. You can put a countdown on your Facebook page to let your friends know when you will return (as well as why you are taking a break).
The selection of 99 days was intentional. Just feels that participants would lose interest in the experiment if it ran longer than 99 days. They also felt that a smaller number of days would make it harder to assess behavioral change.
To be clear, this experiment is not a protest against Facebook. Instead, it is viewed by Just as a way for people to experience the emotional benefits of moderation. Those who take part will help Just discover if people truly are happier without having Facebook in their lives.