I Finally Quit Facebook
"Facebook makes me hate the people I know, and Reddit makes me love the people I don't." -- Alexis Ohanian, Reddit Co-Founder
Happy New Year, monkeys! I hope all of you had a safe and restful holiday season and that you recharged your batteries and are ready to take 2014 by storm. I used to get really fired up about the new year and all the promise it held. I'd start goal-setting around Thanksgiving so I'd have a running start come January. These days? Not so much. In fact, I don't have a single written goal for 2014. I need to lose weight, I need to quit boozing, I've dramatically increased my workload over the past six months so there's a bunch of stuff I need to do for the various companies I'm helping out, but I'm just getting my ass kicked by Resistance at the moment and I'm getting a whole lot of nothing accomplished. Despite all that, I did manage to do one thing last week that has dramatically improved my life:
I finally quit Facebook.
I'd been a member since May 23, 2008 so I got to witness the evolution of Facebook firsthand. And it wasn't pretty. What started out as a cool service and a way to keep in touch with folks you hadn't seen since high school quickly disintegrated into something barely recognizable to those of us who had been early adopters. For me, the wheels fell off at mass adoption. Once my generation started signing up in droves it was all over. My generation ruins everything. There really ought to be an age limit on social media. For the same reason you wouldn't give a toddler a bag of hypodermic needles to play with, folks over 40 have no business playing with tools they barely comprehend.
The reasons to quit Facebook are too numerous to list, and my decision to quit could truthfully be tied to most of them. But the real reason I quit is that I just couldn't take it anymore. My feed had become a fetid swamp of (mostly right wing Tea Party) ignorance. I suppose that says something about me that these are my friends and family. But I just couldn't bring myself to watch them wallow in their confirmation bias for even another minute. How bad did it get, you ask? How about this:
Because Obamacare = Genocide, right? Idiot.
What's worse is that it was posted by the head of a successful engineering firm, a guy I like and respect and have known for years. So that's kinda what Facebook becomes for older people - a platform to rail against progress and post pictures of themselves when they were 20 years younger and 30 pounds lighter (my generation adores #ThrowbackThursday). Mostly I think people my age see how quickly they're becoming irrelevant because of technology, and it horrifies them that none of today's generation values any of the ridiculous shit they've spent their whole lives caring about. This is especially true of the Jesus freaks.
In the last few days before I quit Facebook I really got into it with an old pal from my trading days. Back then he was almost completely amoral, and was a master of justifying some pretty heinous shit in the course of turning a buck. He has since found God and, like most of his born again brethren, he's now an insufferable prick. On this particular occasion he took it upon himself to join the chorus of fundie howler monkeys outraged that the Duck Dynasty fuckwit got suspended by A&E for shooting his mouth off about gays and blacks in an interview. He was lamenting how there's no freedom of speech in Obama's America, and I just couldn't take the ignorance any longer.
I politely (seriously, I was very civil) pointed out that it wasn't a freedom of speech issue at all, that the 1st Amendment protects citizens' speech from the government, and the government was nowhere to be found in this particular case. Furthermore, if you knowingly do something to damage your employer's brand, your employer is well within their rights to fire you. You're free to say whatever you like, as long as you're willing to bear the consequences for it. Well, he didn't like that one little bit.
Before I knew what was happening he was going on and on about how the Big Bang theory is bullshit, how millions of people were witness to Jesus's miracles (nevermind that the total population of Jerusalem at the time was 80,000), and how those who don't accept a literal interpretation of the Bible would face eternal damnation or some such nonsense. The whole time I'm reading it all I can think is:
I'm. Fucking. OUT.
So chalk one up for the morons: they ran me out of Facebook.
So far it's been great. But I ran into a problem today for the first time: I needed to get into my Udemy account and I'd signed up with my Facebook credentials. Since my Facebook account was deactivated, I couldn't get into the account and I have close to $1,000 worth of courses stored in there. Not cool. So I had to reactivate my account for a minute to log in, and I get an email saying, "Welcome back to Facebook!" which just pisses me off. So I expect to have to go through this process a great number of times before all my accounts are back to straight email log-ins. The price you pay for thinking you'd never leave Facebook, I guess.
Anyway, it's good to be back on WSO. Sorry for the rant, but I know a lot of you have either left Facebook or have at least considered it, so I thought it might interest you to know what the experience was like for me. I was never a "power user", but it's amazing to me how deftly Facebook insinuates itself into your life. You don't even realize it until you reach critical mass and walk away.
Personally I am growing weary of the endless barrage of selfies, bimbos uploading #nofilter pictures from instagram, photos of food, and other instances of vomit-inducing boasting. However being able to connect with any friend across the globe has kept me from leaving it.
If I'm reading correctly, it sounds like you've grown disillusioned with Facebook because you have a few friends who are right-wing buffoons. Which, I mean, sounds like a tad of a non sequitur. But I certainly relate to the complaint; though you'll be happy to note that, being somewhat younger, my newsfeed suffers from the opposite problem: it reads much like a Jon Stewart monologue (without the humor).
Ugh...just as bad. When did it go from a sharing mechanism to a screed engine?
I just unfollow idiots on my FB page. I did quit for all of November and really didn't miss it.
This actually reminded me of the funniest method of quitting Facebook I've read about yet. Some guy wanted to quit Facebook but he gave himself a year to do it. Every day he would log in and see whose birthday it was in the upper right corner and then he'd unfriend them on their birthday. Within a year he had nobody left. For some reason that just cracked me up.
that was me!
Mostly I think people my age see how quickly they're becoming irrelevant because of technology, and it horrifies them that none of today's generation values any of the ridiculous shit they've spent their whole lives caring about. This is especially true of the Jesus freaks.
I'd like to add to the list: * pissed off liberals who constantly post GMO and animal rights stuff, like 10x daily * insane right wing folks who post their ignorant shit constantl (markets cure cancer too!) * pretty much anything political that isn't well thought out, actual news, or at least interesting * relatives who never helped me who now think they have a say in pretty much anything * coworkers who friend me then whine about my lack of / excessive / whatever posting * people who save the conversations/arguments and hold it over my head long after it matters
Feel free to tack on your own gripes. The bright side of newsfeed is that it stops displaying people after you 'hide' enough of their posts. All in all I still get more utility than grief out of it so I'm staying on for now.
I do hear you though, I had to toss an old friend off when he kept starting political arguments with my mom. Seriously, she wanted to say hi and this ass is throwing the F-bomb at a 70 year old woman. Why you need to mess with grandma bro?
Seriously? Who does that?
Still have FB as a way to occasionally see what friends around the world are doing and chat w/ people who for some reason use it over Whatsapp/general msg/etc. But I probably just go on once a month, if at all.
What's more troubling is how is your mom 70?
Hah. There's always that one guy that posts a new article about GMOs and/or the evils of Wall Street every hour. Still don't understand why people get so worked up about GMOs.
I joined Facebook around the same time as you (summer of '08 when I was heading into my freshman year of college), and I finally got rid of it a few months ago. Great decision. And if I ever really need it to get in touch with someone, you can log back in and then deactivate again. It didn't occur to me until I deleted it how much time I wasted on it.
I swear by the birthday unfriending method. It is a great way to weed out annoying "friends" and people who you don't truly care about. I do get the occasional friend request from one of those people I deleted from time to time, but usually they don't notice
I agree, Facebook is on its way out. Had a much better fun than MySpace, but in the end it will die out or become a 3rd world friend site.
I probably unfollow about 3-5 people per day. Anyone married, with a kid, posting about a relative dying, posting buzzfeeds, posting lame ass political positions, etc etc. Just remove them. Facebook is only good for creeping.
I love love love Instagram and Linkedin. Combine that with Twitter and I will never be on FB again.
Facebook is the only place I can see TNA shirtless legally so I am not going anywhere.
I feel sensually harassed.
If I ever left Facebook the catalyst would undoubtedly be the multilevel marketing posts. I have a couple friends from high school, guys I grew up with, who are tits deep in World Ventures or some other multilevel marketing scam and they literally find their way into my feed on a nightly basis exclaiming their revelations of "residual income" and indirectly referring to anyone not currently involved in such scam as a "drone, working for the man." I guess I could easily unfollow their profiles, but that seems like a cop out (for whatever reason)... I did take the opportunity to upload Ackman's 343 slide pp on Herbalife to the lead guys profile, but unfortunately it came down within minutes. Haha
In Adblock we trust
Wait, you had a facebook?
Mine are all left-wing loons instead...hm.
never had one and never will.
The FB news feed is really hit and miss for me. I use a browser plug-in called Social Fixer, which among other things, can filter posts and images based on keywords so I have mine set-up to remove any political posts on my feed. It's also really useful in keeping your feed clean since you can mark posts as "read" so they don't keep re-appearing.
Congrats on quitting one of the most annoying social networks of the generation! I "quit" several months ago and it has been glorious. I still have a Facebook page, but 1) everything on it is set to private, 2) I never log in, and 3) I have no photos, videos, etc. The only reason I keep it is because many of my fellow Millenial friends respond faster to a Facebook message than an email, text, or phone call (which helps when you're trying to arrange dinners, events, etc.) Go figure.
I joined back when it was college-only, 2004-2005ish.
I actually quit when I graduated and was never able to recover that account - my university only kept our college emails alive for a year after graduation.
After moving several continents away, I reluctantly opened a new account, and while in b-school it's pretty much indispensable.
Plan on de-listing this summer. There are good enough ways to keep in touch via smartphone now without Facebook.
@TripleNet
Unfriended so many idiots pushing the Veema/Herbalife crap. If I see one more BMW or Lambo with that name on the side, I may just deactivate my Facebook altogether.
Got rid of it recently myself also. I may eventually have to log back in to contact someone but after that it's gone again.
I'll make sure and unfriend Zuck before I quit.
I think at the present facebook is the best tool for a single man available. I have often mused with friends though that being in a relationship and having a facebook is a nightmare. Once, I get in a serious relationship again I think it probably benefits both parties to either have a joint account or just walk away all together. Especially, if you are married.
I deleted the app off my phone and don't ever check the feed which has been a great improvement. It's still a staple for events and contacting people around the world which is hard to totally wean off it especially if you're an expat. I think you'll see the Whatsapp's take over as your global phone book/ event calendar especially with dark sharing and opting out of retarded feeds.
I deleted my FB for a year and came back after I lost touch with some friends that I usually communicated through FB. There are a lot of idiots on there but you can easily block them and interact with the people you enjoy talking to.
@ Edmundo Braverman
Eddie, what do you think of The War of Art? I read a review on it, but didn't think it would be that good. I'm always looking for new things to read.
I happen to love it, but then I'm a big Pressfield fan. If you find that you're not as creative as you'd like to be (and that's probably true for most of us) the book is indispensable. Understanding resistance will help you visualize the things that are holding you back.
Keep in mind, however, that I'm primarily a writer these days and that lends itself very readily to the philosophy of the War of Art. Other more complex disciplines might be harder to measure success against resistance.
FB is the sewer of the internet. I have also quit facebook and I am so glad to be free from the sound stage of the mindless.
Agreed. Facebook has become a disorganized clutter of crap. Added to the fact that it has lost its exclusivity, it is not far off from the Myspace it practically put an end to.
I signed up for Facebook mid-2006 and am noticing the same thing you did. Unfriending the person doesn't really solve much since I've noticed that many of my friends do all the same shit. My new years resolution was to stop posting to Facebook (including likes and commenting) and just posting albums of friends or family, and just the occasional congratulations for people's life events, but even that I'm really wary about now.
To unfollow or to unfriend? I don't really see the point of the unfollow button, or the hide posts button, anything like that. Wasn't the point of Facebook to connect friends? If I didn't want to hear a person talk, they weren't my friend, so why would I want them on my Facebook? Just to stalk me? So I can stalk him even though I don't want to see his posts?
I solely use Facebook but what I realize more and more every year is that people are not the same people I met in person, and frankly people talk too much for their own good. I only imagine this would be worse if I had Twitter or whatever else they have these days.
All in all, Eddie, I think you hit the nail on the head with your post but I don't think quitting is the right approach, but then again I don't know what the right approach really is.
Awesome man. I managed to "quit" facebook last year June and have never looked back. I thought it would have been impossible, especially being an international student going to college abroad, where FB is my main mode of contact with most people. But quitting Facebook was the most freeing and awesome thing i've done recently! I've gone back only around 3 times, where i needed to contact someone and facebook was the only way how. Other than that, i'm loving my time away from it.
I don't hate facebook or anything, I just find it completely boring nowadays.
I'll probably never completely quit just due to it becoming a default address book, but overall I agree with your points.
I'll always need a place to waste time and WSO satisfies that craving when I'm not slaying bitches on Clash of Clans
I joined in 2006.
Facebook definitely sucks now. I am currently living far away from my family, and it's a good tool to stay in touch with my relatives (obviously I call and text them too, but here I get picture updates, random conversations, etc). I basically don't use it for friends at all.
Facebook is useful as a news feed but most of my highschool fb friends are ....not impressive. posting about getting married @ 23-25, having kids, talking about the struggles of rehab..lol.
Seriously.
Lol
Agree with your laments on quitting Facebook, Eddie, but if you're implying that Obamacare is progress, you're sorely mistaken. It's more like a step backwards.
Instead of going as far as to deactivate your account, has anyone tried not logging in?
I would gladly quit if I could - managed to avoid it in high school, but registered for university as you would just seem plain weird if you didn't have one in the UK. For now it's irreplaceable, all group projects are organized there, most of the university societies' interactions happens there, etc. Checking for a new update has became a really bad & annoying habit that I don't know how to get rid off unless I can quit FB for good (don't believe in the slowly coming off things, cold turkey is the way to go, worked for smoking). Can't wait to graduate.
I hear ya. I've got mixed feelings about it. I do waste time on it...(probably would be j*rking off instead tho...), but I have also used it to contact old friends/ co workers/ or friend of friends. I believe it will be good for networking for me at least, - I've managed to friend some pretty good people in terms of networking, and I think I will be able to leverage it (already have in some instances).
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