Why (and how) I am quitting Facebook
Inspired by Jenny Blake’s interview with Cal Newport, I decided to do a in-depth review of my current social media profiles. I started with Facebook, trying to decide what exactly the network was doing for me (in exchange for my life).
Thanks to GDPR, you can now actually check what you are doing on Facebook, instead of relying on that fuzzy feel-good feeling that arises after 23 kitten videos. Your personal information page (direct link) gives you the exact breakdown: Your publications, your comments, whom you interacted with in comments or likes, and whom you talked to.
I wanted to check whom I interact with most on Facebook, mostly to assess the damage in case I left the network for good. I focussed on Comments, Likes and reactions, Messages and Groups. This is what I found out:
My comments are sparse and mostly reactive
I average about 10 comments per months - half of which are mentions (usually questions) I then respond to. They are usually comments of appreciation, and rarely any in-depth discussions, with one notable exception. There is one Facebook group I seem to be particularly drawn to (more on that later).
I “like” a lot - what does that say about my surfing pattern?
While I scarcely ever comment, I am quite liberal with my likes - and I often use it as an “I have seen this” - indicator. There are two or three people that I check out quite frequently because I love their style. Two of them have a blog, and the other one is a friend on Telegram, so as long as I engage meaningfully, I will still be able to get those on-point analyses of real life. It will require more outreach, and less scrolling.
Messenger
This was the easiest list to review. I already had most people on that list in my Telegram or Whatsapp list - so we are simply going to continue our conversations there. I know that technically Whatsapp is also part of the Facebook group, but at least I am not spammed with advertisements (yet).
Can Slack be an alternative for my favourite group(s)?
There are two groups I really enjoy. One group is for an event in June, so friends will keep me in the loop. The other group, a discussion forum on Relationship Anarchy, is the one reason I still log into Facebook almost every day. Discussions there are open, honest, and authentic. I want to keep this channel open - and yet I don’t want it to happen on a network that’s data-mining and pushing advertisement at any cost.
What’s the alternative? For now, it’s an experiment. I have created a Slack instance for the group and invited people to join. Maybe we’ll end up being 3 people, maybe 300 or 3,000. There will be no advertisement, though, and message threading for easier communication ;)
Why are you on Facebook? What is your goal?
I am sure that you have (had?) a reason to be on Facebook. Maybe you wanted to connect with your former school colleagues, with your extended family, or hear about activities in your neighbourhood. Check your activities - is this really what you are using it for? Track your time - how much time are you investing into likes and comments? Are there alternatives to reach your goal without Facebook?
I’ve decided to delete Facebook, after downloading my entire history (dating back to 2008) onto my hard drive. I will probably never look at it again - but who knows ;)
The time that I am not mindlessly scrolling through an advertisement-ridden timeline I am going to invest into connecting with real people on my terms, via my newsletter, Slack, Telegram or even in person. See you ad-free ;)