Today was the day I finally deleted my Facebook, Facebook Messenger, and Instagram accounts. I also deleted all three apps from my iPhone and iPad. In addition, I removed the Facebook and Instagram social media buttons from the left-hand-side panel of my blog.
I have mixed feelings about this, of course. I know that there are certain people that I will no longer be in touch with because of my leaving. But I made sure that everybody knew how to get ahold of me in other ways. I still feel strongly that it was the right time to take this step. Facebook tells me it won’t delete my data for 30 days, in case I change my mind, but I won’t be coming back. My sense of trust in Facebook has been completely betrayed.
This also means I am leaving Facebook Spaces, which is really no great loss.
If I feel anything right now, it’s anger. Angry that I wasted so much time on Facebook in the past. Angry that I was an active promoter of Facebook to my family, friends and acquaintances in past years, urging people to get accounts. Thinking that Facebook was going to change things.
Well, Facebook certainly changed things, all right. And not for the better. The Cambridge Analytica scandal showed how Facebook was misused to tilt the most recent American federal election in Trump’s favour. And look at the mess we’re in now, just from that one event. Not to mention the overall negative effect that Facebook, Instagram, and other social media are having on society as a whole.
From now on, I’ll be watching Facebook (the company) and Facebook (the social network) evolve from an outsider’s perspective. Goodbye, Facebook.
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