Quitting Facebook made me happy

I gave a lot thought on the consequences of leaving Facebook. Way more than I should. I have been thinking about it for a couple of years. And then, one day I was on my way to become the weirdo who’s not on Facebook. And I did it. I deleted my ten year account and never looked back.

I could write about some things that normally should make me mad, but I was very aware of, like the fact that I had to search through Google to find the permanent removal button for my account. I still don’t know how to find it through their menus. Or the awe I felt scanning through the “official” data that Facebook had gathered on me. Of course there is more data, especially from the time I had their sneaky app installed on my phone. The funny thing is that I was aware of this facts and still, it took me some years to make the decision. It was all an addiction.

I smile secretly when I watch people on the streets, waiting in lines, getting their dopamine fix scrolling through their feeds. I can almost feel their anxiety, waiting for the next like, or the super funny meme that will make their day. Facebook is so big in my country that it became a synonym of the internet for the majority of people. You can find many who don’t know how to use a search engine or the email. But they use Facebook. It’s so annoying. I will not judge them. I just don’t want to be a part of this anymore. If it wasn’t for Richard Stallman’s article, I would still be in the process of thinking about it.

In case you need more data, Salim Virani wrote this excellent piece which is still relevant today.