I just deleted Facebook.
It felt so scary, so permanent. Even though I backed up all of my data, and even though there's a 30-day "change your mind", it seems like such a big deal.
And that led me to examine why it was such a big deal. Why in spite of how shitty Facebook behaves as a company and what a massive time-sink it is, that it took me so long to do it.
Why so many people have told me that they want to delete Facebook, but just "can't", because there are too many people on there with whom they want to stay in touch. How many private groups they just can't do without.
When you stop to think about it, it's incredible how much Facebook has managed to integrate itself so wholly in our lives. To many people, deleting Facebook feels like cutting off a limb.
Even the most introverted of us crave human connection. We embrace connection. And Facebook has used that desire to prey on us. Facebook knows us better than we know ourselves. It knows what we will read, and click on, and whose posts matter most to us. It continues to track our web browsing long after we've left the site, so that it can get more information on us and sell us more crap and polarize our views even further.
I've known all of this for a long time, but I still couldn't pull the trigger on deletion. Why?
Facebook has designed a system where you think you can't do without it. People don't text or e-mail any more, they use Messenger. Instead of message boards, BBS, or Reddit, they use Facebook Groups. Facebook Marketplace is quickly replacing Craigslist. And of course, Facebook and Instagram are by far the most convenient way for people to share photos and media to friends and family.
(A side note on the comments - yes, i know that you can't comment on this blog without a Facebook account. I'll fix that. In the meantime, there's Twitter and e-mail...)
It felt so scary, so permanent. Even though I backed up all of my data, and even though there's a 30-day "change your mind", it seems like such a big deal.
And that led me to examine why it was such a big deal. Why in spite of how shitty Facebook behaves as a company and what a massive time-sink it is, that it took me so long to do it.
Why so many people have told me that they want to delete Facebook, but just "can't", because there are too many people on there with whom they want to stay in touch. How many private groups they just can't do without.
When you stop to think about it, it's incredible how much Facebook has managed to integrate itself so wholly in our lives. To many people, deleting Facebook feels like cutting off a limb.
Even the most introverted of us crave human connection. We embrace connection. And Facebook has used that desire to prey on us. Facebook knows us better than we know ourselves. It knows what we will read, and click on, and whose posts matter most to us. It continues to track our web browsing long after we've left the site, so that it can get more information on us and sell us more crap and polarize our views even further.
I've known all of this for a long time, but I still couldn't pull the trigger on deletion. Why?
Facebook has designed a system where you think you can't do without it. People don't text or e-mail any more, they use Messenger. Instead of message boards, BBS, or Reddit, they use Facebook Groups. Facebook Marketplace is quickly replacing Craigslist. And of course, Facebook and Instagram are by far the most convenient way for people to share photos and media to friends and family.
Deleting Facebook feels like severing connections to many people you think you have no other way to contact.
And yet it’s worth trying to break the cycle. There are so many platforms on which you can connect to people. But if you don't use them, you yield that control (and the control over your own brain) to Facebook.
Oh, but you say, "I like Facebook. I like seeing my friends' baby photos and cat videos and their athletic accomplishments and life successes." You can still get those things without Facebook. You just have to work a little harder at it. Yeah, that might mean helping Grandma figure out Skype or e-mail. Rough.
I’m sure I'm going to miss some stuff from deleting Facebook. I’ll be slow to get certain news about my social groups, and connecting with some people will be a bit less convenient. But I think I’ll gain a lot more time and sanity, and I’ll also be doing my own small part to shift power away from a corporation that I think behaves in a pretty shitty way. I’ll do my best to reach out to those people I usually communicate with through Facebook and send them emails and texts instead.
An aside: what pushed me over the edge
It's incredibly ironic, but the thing that finally pushed me over the edge to delete Facebook was an Instagram post, specifically this one.
The Backyard Meat Rabbits group was a wonderful group of truly helpful rabbit-lovers. And yes, most of them raised rabbits for meat, but they were truly interested in rabbit health, happiness, and well-being. They slapped the "Meat" label on it to gate-keep those who were offended by discussion of animal slaughter. They understood that even people who eat meat often didn't want the nitty-gritty details of how meat actually gets to the dinner table.
The Backyard Meat Rabbits group was such a good group that I remained part of the group even after I gave up my own rabbitry.
Yet Facebook deleted this group due to "community standards". Really? Less than 1% of the world is vegan, yet the community has decided that a meat group fails to conform to community standards? How does this happen? (Rodgers has a theory that has something to do with PETA becoming a major shareholder in Facebook.)
So yeah, while it sucks to lose access to private groups, if Facebook can arbitrarily remove those groups, then what the fuck are we all doing using them for our private groups??
So in summary:
They collected my data and sold it. I complained, but ultimately did nothing.
They manipulated me and hijacked my brain. I complained, but ultimately did nothing.
I realized that I was wasting way too much of my time on the site, but ultimately did very little.
They decided what content I should see. I complained, but ultimately did nothing.
It took the removal of a group of helpful, selfless people brought together by a shared interest for me to finally act.
It shouldn't have taken me this long, but late is better than never. The internet's best features are that it brings people together and that it allows for diverse points of view. If we hand it over to those who want to break people apart and heavily control the discourse, then what is it good for?
The Backyard Meat Rabbits group was such a good group that I remained part of the group even after I gave up my own rabbitry.
Yet Facebook deleted this group due to "community standards". Really? Less than 1% of the world is vegan, yet the community has decided that a meat group fails to conform to community standards? How does this happen? (Rodgers has a theory that has something to do with PETA becoming a major shareholder in Facebook.)
So yeah, while it sucks to lose access to private groups, if Facebook can arbitrarily remove those groups, then what the fuck are we all doing using them for our private groups??
So in summary:
They collected my data and sold it. I complained, but ultimately did nothing.
They manipulated me and hijacked my brain. I complained, but ultimately did nothing.
I realized that I was wasting way too much of my time on the site, but ultimately did very little.
They decided what content I should see. I complained, but ultimately did nothing.
It took the removal of a group of helpful, selfless people brought together by a shared interest for me to finally act.
It shouldn't have taken me this long, but late is better than never. The internet's best features are that it brings people together and that it allows for diverse points of view. If we hand it over to those who want to break people apart and heavily control the discourse, then what is it good for?
(A side note on the comments - yes, i know that you can't comment on this blog without a Facebook account. I'll fix that. In the meantime, there's Twitter and e-mail...)
