Here is the post I made on Facebook about leaving Facebook:

For a number of reasons, I have decided to disable my Facebook account.

 

I’ll spare you all a lengthy rant, but the short version is that Facebook has clearly become a force for bad in our country. My “so many of my friends are here” rationale for staying is no longer one I can in good conscience maintain.

 

I realize that me leaving isn’t going to bring Facebook to its knees. But at least I can stop supporting a company that is doing possibly irreparable harm to our country and society.

 

This quote applies: “No single raindrop thinks it is responsible for the flood.”

 

I’m going to try to become active on Twitter again (yes, I know, that’s not a bastion of truth and beauty either), so hopefully we can stay in touch there.

 

I’ll stick around Facebook for a few more days, so please feel free to send me your Twitter names and/or email addresses via PM.

My biggest concern and sadness is the thought of losing contact with you all!

Some further rationale and explanation. I felt this was more appropriate for my blog versus some lengthy Facebook diatribe that no one would read.

(Versus a blog post that no one will read!)  🙂

I’ve never been a fan of services for which I am the product, rather than the customer. That’s one reason I’m such an Apple fan. They don’t try to advertise to me to pay for what I get from them, I pay them for iCloud, Apple TV+, and so on.

But I could live with that because I do get a lot of social value from Facebook.

Facebook has plenty of annoying people, and annoying ads. This I dealt with by curating my friends list, and tediously telling FB to stop showing me certain ads.

But I could live with that because I do get a lot of social value from Facebook.

What became the last straw was the extent to which Facebook has profited by the ongoing destruction of our system of government and our country. It is very clear that if unchecked distribution of misinformation, conspiracy theories, and hate gets them more money, that is fine with Zuckerberg.

I cannot live with that.

As I said in my final FB post, I know that me leaving won’t fix the issue, but at least I can stop being part of the problem.

End of rant!

A sample of the endless stream of articles about Facebook’s corporate policy of encouraging hate:

Facebook’s Kenosha Guard Militia Event Was Reported 455 Times. Moderators Said It Was Fine.

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanmac/kenosha-militia-facebook-reported-455-times-moderators

Facebook algorithm found to ‘actively promote’ Holocaust denial | World news | The Guardian

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/aug/16/facebook-algorithm-found-to-actively-promote-holocaust-denial

Facebook Admits Ben Shapiro’s The Daily Wire Has Engaged in Pay-for-Engagement Scam

Working the Refs Worked: ‘How Facebook Wrote Its Rules to Accommodate Trump’