After 14 years I’ve decided to deactivate my Facebook account.
For a few years now I have felt uneasy about my addiction to social media. That craving to check your phone every few minutes for new posts, or worse seeking validation from others through likes and comments.
It steals hours of potentially productive time a day with little reward; reaching for the mobile as soon as I wake up, any time I find a spare five minutes – and let’s be honest, often on the loo – and needing a final hit before I go to sleep. By any definition that’s an addiction.
I’ve also felt increasingly manipulated by Facebook – the slurping of data by stealth, the profiling and targeted ads, the fake personality quizzes and the “Bet you can’t…” bullshit clickbait articles. Facebook chooses for me what to read and see and buy, and even think. Whenever I hear the phrase “I read on Facebook …” I assume what follows will be horseshit.
It’s all horribly Big Brother and yet we embrace it in our billions in our Fear Of Missing Out. And we will never even know how big a part social media’s lies and manipulation have played in Brexit and Trump.
Well I’m done.
I’m unplugging from the Matrix. Twitter went a long time ago. I’m deactivating my Facebook account and just keeping LinkedIn for keeping in touch with recruiters.
It’s not that I don’t want to socialise at all online – feel free to email me via the Contact page or comment on any of my posts – I just refuse to dance to Zuckerberg’s tune any more.
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