An Issue for the Coming Decade
Between Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp there are over 3.5 billion active users. That’s almost half the planet’s population. The social media network has become megalithic, ever-present and seemingly irreplaceable. It’s electronic tentacles stretching around the globe and creeping into our lives.
Facebook has capitalised on this unprecedented uptake and captured the world’s personal data, most likely mining anything that will help the company better serve those paying for advertising space. I’ve written before about the internet in general and society, and I’ve delved into the inherent privacy problems and digital rights.
The thing I have a real problem with is that Facebook doesn’t exist to do good. It isn’t even there to provide its billions of users with an ever-improving, enjoyable experience. That’s a side effect of the competition. It is a company which exists purely to make it’s stakeholders ever-increasing returns. Never forget that.
My current position
My position is that I would like to be Facebook free by the end of 2020. I haven’t used the social media site Facebook itself since 2017 but I use the company’s other offerings on a daily basis. Just a month ago I even suggested more social media use in devising a content strategy…
The near shock that people express when I tell them about my plan for removal is a testament to how effective and insidious Facebook’s marketing is. Why do people think I am only reachable via WhatsApp? Is life without Instagram so unimaginable?
The answer to both of these is that people are busy and comfortable with what they know. Everyone is aware that they can still send text messages. New apps (offering similar group messaging and more privacy features) are also an option but this would require effort.
As for coming off Instagram, even typing out that sentence resonates with the same weight that coming off a harmful yet pleasurable substance does. I have built up a presence, curated a timeline of my own content and now I have a weird but sentimental attachment to this digital semblance of a self. I won’t be able to go cold turkey, the withdrawal may be unpleasant.
It’s not just Facebook…
I know that other company’s track my semi-anonymous actions across the web. Yes, I realise the value of retargeting across different sites and platforms. Also, I am well aware that Google is in the same league for data mining and selling ads.
Yet I get more fun out of my Twitter account and more utility out of Gmail and YouTube. I’ve no intention of trying to get off the grid. I guess I’m just reducing my digital footprint and have decided these are important steps. Whether I ever feel the need to get out of Google’s grasp is a question for another day.
For now, I am planning disconnection from Instagram and WhatsApp. Disconnection within 2020 which will take some doing. I will need to reassure a few concerned friends and there may be some dropped connections. Yet I have hope. I’ll spend less time distracted and spend more time present with my son. Nothing Mark Zuckerberg’s companies offer can compare to that.
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