Should I Quit Facebook? Here’s How to Decide
I joined Facebook in 2008. Making connections was exciting and, in the early stages, anyone with a pulse was quickly a “friend.” That boy in my 8th grade algebra class who I vaguely remember? A friend. The woman I met at a local event? A friend. My cousin I haven’t seen in 20 years? A friend. It was an exciting time and making connections felt good.
Some 350 friends later, I often toggled between staying on Facebook and quitting the social media platform. I know I’m not alone. We weigh the pros and cons. We pledge to spend less time scrolling through the lives of other people and more time living our own life. Finally, we set resolutions to start new hobbies, learn new things, and nurture real relationships through tangible connections.
Yet, year after year, we stay. We love the good and tolerate the bad. But, maybe, just maybe, it’s time to step back and make a conscious choice to either stay or quit. Five years ago, I chose to quit this social media platform and haven’t looked back. For you, your choice may be different.
To help you decide, I designed this handy-dandy flowchart as a guide. (If you click on the chart, it will open a .pdf file for you to view or download.)
If You Stay
You’ve thought it through, and you’ve decided to stay on Facebook. At this point, build on what you enjoy about it. To make Facebook great again, you have to be part of the solution, a role model. Here are some pointers and ways to keep it healthy.
- Find the right balance by setting time limits and making sure the other aspects of your life are front and center: your relationships, work, hobbies, sports, and interests.
- Model good Facebook behavior by not ranting, posting fake news, participating in time-sucking vitriolic debates, etcetera. The timeless CNN article, The 12 Most Annoying Types of Facebookers, provides a comical read.
- Remove the app off your phone to remove the temptation to mindlessly scroll.
- Unfollow or unfriend people who continually post content that annoys you.
- Unfriend folks who you really don’t know or care to spend time with. I call it the Grocery Store Test. If you saw someone in the produce aisle and you were way over by seafood, would you go out of your way to talk with them (time permitting)?
- Do not feel obliged to “like” statuses that you really don’t like. The Facebook algorithm is set up so that what you like will appear more on your newsfeed.
- Subscribe to a high-quality online or print newspaper that ranges from the skews left to neutral to skews right range (chart here). If you’re getting your “news” from social media, you may be getting inaccurate information.
- Consider your interests and like/follow their Facebook page. Their content will then appear on your newsfeed. For example, if you enjoy travel, follow Conde Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure, and Budget Travel.
- Make sure your privacy settings are set to your liking. Here’s an informative guide from Techlicious entitled, The Complete Guide to Facebook Privacy Settings.
If You Quit
Breaking any habit takes a bit of effort, with the first few days being the hardest. Some folks find it easier to leave Facebook if they’re on another social media network like Instagram. That was the case for me. I found Instagram to be a better fit for me and having that alternative made leaving Facebook easier.
To take a trial run, you may want to deactivate your Facebook account. Deactivating is temporary and gives you the flexibility to come back and reactivate your account if you choose. While your account is deactivated, people can’t see your timeline or search for you. (How to deactivate.)
If you choose to permanently delete your Facebook account, you can’t regain access if you change your mind. Before you delete your account, it may be worth downloading your Facebook data, which will include things like birthdays and photos. (How to delete.)
Once you’ve quit Facebook, use this as an opportunity to do more of what you enjoy and discover a kazillion other things to do. Read a book, go for a walk, play a game, call someone, start a hobby, cook, lift weights, create something with your hands, have lunch with a friend… the possibilities and experiences are endless.
Let’s Have a Conversation:
How do you feel about Facebook? Have you thought about quitting Facebook, or do you love it?
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I quit more than 6 years ago — mainly due to all the scary/nasty political comments that destroyed a lot of my respect for some folks. I found that I appreciate (and like) people a lot more when I am not reading angry rants or witnessing show-off behavior. I’ve seen friendships destroyed because someone thoughtlessly posted party photos that didn’t include other good friends, political differences, jealousy and more. I also saw one too many posts that actually made me feel deeply embarrassed for the people who posted them. Enough was enough!
After quitting, I was more at peace with everyone, and my attitude toward life improved. I started making real plans with real friends, plus I was inspired to start a couple of in-person social groups. As I told another friend recently, I’m too busy to sit and look at social media. That’s a good feeling!
I don’t need social media to keep in touch with long-distance friends or relatives. I use the phone, email, text, or send snail mail. I love sending and receiving real birthday cards. Life is good!
I lasted on Twitter for 3 days, just didn’t like what I saw in terms of abuse and it scared me. I don’t think people like politicians should be allowed on it either.
I love this article. I recently have gotten off of Facebook for months at a time, then gone back, but I find that each time I go back that it’s draining and that it’s really not true life and so I decided to deactivate and to enjoy my life and build relationships with people outside of social media.
There is a way to half-quit. I stopped posting in 2019, but I still read and comment on the posts of others.
I still enjoy FB. I don’t over indulge. I have found some fun cat groups to follow & several librarian groups. I’ve got my acct. locked down & only correspond or add real friends. I think I joined around the time you did. It’s my only social media.🧎♀️
Facebook has changed with advertising and sponsored pages, so I habitually scroll with my cursor over the X in the upper right corner of posts. ALL advertising and sponsored posts get X’d immediately, so I only read posts from people or groups I know and like. I love the way FB has allowed me to stay in touch with people who live far away, as well as learn more about topics I find interesting through groups. If anyone starts posting stuff I don’t want in my life, I snooze them or unfriend them. Managing my friends list keeps me happy with what I see.