Why I left Facebook

It’s ironic that we call Facebook and the like, ‘social’ media when it’s not social at all. Social media is anything BUT social.

I’ve been thinking these things for many months but now I’ve taken the bull by the horns and did something about it. Besides, I’m not young anymore and none of us know how long we will live. I don’t want to waste anymore of my precious life on a platform where people are non-engaging and could care less about me. Where my time scrolls and clicks away and not a thing is accomplished.

I’m among the people who have used the reason for why I joined in the first place and why I say I stayed: that reason/excuse is that it was supposed to be a way to keep in touch with friends and family. To me “keeping in touch with” someone means some sort of dialogue, some sort of engagement or conversation. Not a series of meaningless ‘likes.’ There is no dialogue.

My reasons for pulling away from Facebook

• I don’t feel that social media is good for me, most especially Facebook.
• A scary thing seems to have happened (just like all the studies say happens) — I’ve lost my capacity for lengthy concentration, particularly when reading.
• I want to reclaim my worth by what I actually do and not by a series of meaningless “likes.”
• All the time I spent checking in, scrolling, reading mostly nonsense, is a huge time waster.
• Contending with the spreading of false news, memes, childish gifs, and celebrity updates – each of which I have no interest in.
• Facebook is really just entertainment. I prefer to choose my entertainment.
• I found nothing meaningful on Facebook plus it does nothing to enrich my life.
• Liking things on Facebook isn’t a matter of actually liking the post. It’s an obligatory action everyone uses to indicate they’ve seen the post and acknowledge its existence. Most people don’t even read the contents.
• I’m annoyed and tired of people simply clicking “like” or leaving a thumbs-up or smiley emoji, rather than actually making a thoughtful comment or perhaps engaging in a bit of conversation.
• In short, there is not one single benefit of being on Facebook and Facebook does not do one single thing to benefit me.

What I gain from pulling away from Facebook

• Spending more time doing what nourishes my soul and fills me with contentment. In other words, creating more, spending more time outside and in nature, reading more, and simply living a real life.
• Reclaiming all the energy I had been spending on Facebook and using that energy for what and who really does matter in my life.
• More time for the community in which I reside.
• Being more productive (that’s bigger than you realize).
• Surprises are out there waiting for me to discover them.
• Engaging with people in a more meaningful way, whether in an email or within blog comments, and when the pandemic is over, more in-person conversations again.
• Which leads me to something important – I will be finding out who my real friends are.

It’s really quite refreshing. I now do things on my own terms. I’ve instantly regained a noticeable amount of time so I may focus on people and things in the real world – that which really matters. And I’m looking forward to connections with people who are willing to engage.

“We need to start feeding ourselves with things that actually give us something back.” — Jordan Hawkins