Goodbye Facebook

I joined Facebook a very, very long time ago. And for a long time was a regular user. Like many, I used it to keep updated about the going ons of Family and Friends, especially of people I otherwise didn’t interact with very often (if at all). I’d post a couple times a month; sometimes bragging about trips, commenting about current events, or sharing interesting links.

In 2018 I simply got bored and frustrated with Facebook. Facebook’s algorithm was pumping more and more ads and political content at me and fewer and fewer updates from friends or family that I cared about. This combined with the many shady business practices and arguably abusive use of power slowly drove me away from Facebook. I went from checking Facebook daily, to weekly, to monthly. By the end of 2019 I had gone six months without logging into Facebook. Taking my cue from the ongoing #DeleteFacebook movement, I made it my New Years resolution to delete my Facebook account.

On the bright side, this has pushed me to be more active in communicating with friends and family that I care about. It’s meant more meaningful conversations on the phone, sharing pictures with close family over SMS, and going a little out of my way to meet up (in person!) with friends nearby. I also just feel better. No more toxic political posts, no more “keeping up with the Jones”, and no more mixed feelings about supporting a company with some questionable ethical values.

The downsides have been few. I do occasionally miss hearing about the lives of friends and family who I don’t have the opportunity to talk with very often. I’ve also missed friends who have been vacation nearby as their plans were only shared on Facebook.

Overall, I think we’d all be better off if we all left Facebook behind and other social media behind. I’d love to see a project like diaspora succeed; where social media serves the users and social circles are limited to those you know directly and those who shared common interests.