I deleted my Facebook account this morning. It feels good. These are the reasons why:
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- Facebook told me one my recent posts about a handgun violated their community standards (it’s the blog immediately below this one). What a patronizing, insulting, idiotic thing to do. Folks, “Facebook community standards” is an oxymoronic expression.
- I didn’t like the constant stream of moronic comments and arguments.
- I’d post a link to one of our blog articles and I’d get questions on Facebook that were answered in the blog. Facebook members were too lazy or too stupid to realize the link would provide the information.
- Too many people add comments to Facebook that are just plain wrong.
- There are persistent Facebook comments that are racist. I realize there are a lot of racists out there. I don’t need to see it.
- Facebook’s so-called “fact checkers” routinely post “This statement is partially false” when it wasn’t. In fact, that ridiculous comment essentially agreed that it was true. Who are these “fact checkers,” anyway? My inference is that they are 22-year-old Bernie-Sanders-supporting Silicon-Valley software types making $200K/year who routinely confuse their income with their intelligence.
- I grew tired of the anti-gun crowd on Facebook. If you don’t like guns, don’t own one. Do you really think your views are going to alter mine? Do you really think your insipid comments on Facebook are going to change my views?
- What is Facebook, really? It’s not a product. It adds nothing of value to the human experience. It’s nothing, really.
- I don’t like Mark Zuckerberg. I know someone who knows him, and the feedback isn’t good.
- I was spending too much time on Facebook. Life is short. I’m not wasting another second of it glued to my laptop or my cell phone reading stupid stuff on Facebook.
Old Zuckerhead doesn’t make quitting Facebook easy. It took me about half an hour to finally find a way to do it. I’m pretty sure that’s not accidental. If it was such a good thing, you’d think they’d make it difficult to join, not difficult to quit.
It’s Sunday. I think I’m either going to the gym, or a motorcycle ride, or the range. Maybe I’ll do all three. I feel good.
I’ll miss you on FB Mr. Berk. I’ll have to keep my snarky comments and shameless Yoo-Hoo promotions to Exhaust Notes….
Reason number 11: your friends will now have to post a comment on the blog instead of Facebook.
I agree Joe, waste of time and I have been thinking the same thing. I’ve been hanging on just to “keep in touch ” with the people I worked with..
Your good buddy
Duane
Wow. And you’re not the only one. I have several friends who quit. But it’s way too valuable a tool for me. I have found several people that I lost contact with and picked back up where we left off. And I belong to several FB groups that keep me up on all the latest. I also have had to weather a stream of stupid and downright hurtful comments when the B-17 I used to crew on crashed a few years back. Unbelievable the kind of stupid crap people will say. Just stunning. But that is free speech in action and like a lot of things in life its a two way street- good and bad. That being said, I hope Exhaust Notes will still be posted on FB because that is where I most often find it. But I respect your feelings and I get it.
Bob, your comment about reconnecting with people from years past is a good one and I have done the same. I think at this time I have reconnected with just about everybody I want to. Don’t forget that you can sign up on the blog to receive an email notification each time we post. Thanks for being a loyal friend and fan.
The problem is FB _ISN’T_ free speech. It’s one-sided leftist speech mostly. Speech FB doesn’t agree with politically is censored to varying degrees. There are alternatives to FB that actually support free speech. Vote with your feet.
I did.
I am not an American but agree totally. It is a leftist, woke platform for the wealthy socialists
in our society. But, I still use it, for now.
I think is it a woke platform for a lot of freeloaders, too.
Facebook is potentially useful, but the potential is dwarfed by BS, some of which comes from the fact that you are talking to a faceless mob and a lot of it comes from the ‘top’. And as you say; life is far too short to waste on something that demands compliance with a new priesthood of ‘right-think’. I gave it up four years ago and I don’t miss it.
You are quicker on the uptake than me, Eric. It took me longer to make the same decision.
Reason number 11: your friends will now have to post a comment on the blog instead of Facebook.
You know I like this… in the old days we went to see people we liked or visited with them. phone them or went to local watering hole that suited you and talked. In the early days of the in internet, we had bulletin boards or forums online where you could share and see people you had common views and interests. (we have Blogs today) Now when you say anything that some snowflake doesn’t agree with or like, he or a Karen gets their underwear in knot and turns you in to the fact checkers or community standards people and the next thing you know you are wearing an orange suit, or you are ghosted so no one can see anything your write or interested in… The thing that may be needed is a FACEBOOK page that has the links to all the cool blogs where liked mined people can hang out. I guess we all will have to send people to your Blog to get an email notification and put the link on our favorite list and dropdown bar.
Harrumph!
That will work!
Daphne and Betty must have some continuing way to connect with us.
I support your right to follow your values and principles…. But …. Don’t mess with the joy and fulfillment brought by the exposure to really neat hounds.
Figure something out …. Or else!
Eri will still post photos on Facebook.
I find taking breaks, about a week, when the idiots get to me is a big help.
Probably not a bad suggestion. Not for me, though. A clean break is a good thing.
Good job, Joe. I totally understand. You and I will still be in touch and I can comment here, like you said.
You bet, Brother!
Betty White summed it up nicely, once she learned what Facebook was she said” it sounds like a huge waste of time. Myself I don’t do Facebook, I’m just not that important
Betty White was a very smart person.
The Zuckerbergs have become kings of the cyber world, controlling life and death of your cyber ID & account.
China, I think, I has the right idea about Facebook.
Riding and shooting is more fun than FB,I’ll follow your Exhaustnotes.
I will never quit Facebook mainly because I never joined. I am an adult who tries to do good in the world and have people who actually like me. (As a straight talker who believes lying to someone is a sign that you fear them, there are many who don’t like me. I’m not sure of the percentage.) And who cares if anybody knows what I’m up to, or not up to. Not me. But I’m an efficient MF. If I were you, I’d ride the motorcycle to the gym whilst shooting road signs along the way. Three birds with one stone. Efficient.
Ride the motorcycle to the gym while shooting road signs along the way…let me know when…I haven’t quit Youtube!
How is such a thing possible with a SLR camera? Anyway, it’s highly irresponsible and dangerous if precautions aren’t taken but great fun, erm, ah, or so I’m told.
It is tricky and I don’t do it a lot. I pull the clutch in, and hold the camera in my right hand. Nikon’s VR lenses make it possible to get a good shot.
I also don’t like it anymore, the only reason I keep the account is because of having family and friends overseas. I stopped posting over a couple of years ago and communicate with them through inbox messages if I want to share something or send a birthday greeting. Some of my family doesn’t know how to use any other way of video/call communication but via Facebook only which is free. U R right in the past years has become so negative that the amount of energy and time I spent trying to be positive and post the beautiful things of life, at the end of the day wasn’t worth it. I hear you, and understand what you mean, We lost some of our freedoms already many years ago! I’ll follow you through this blog which I love to read, learn & enjoyed very much and is helping me have a bucket list when I retired. Thank you.
Thank you, Annie. Like always, good to hear from you.
I applaud your move to quit Fakebook. I am trimming back my personal pages, much for the same reasons you have. I feel I have to keep my m/c blog page and my membership in numerous groups as they are the best way for now to promote my blog, YouTube (another crown of the Left attitude), and my books. (yes, shameless self-promotion is included in this message, so read hiwayflyer.com; and buy my book…please? “The Long Road Home”)
I’ll visit your website, Bryan.
Joe, what took you so long? Two or three years ago I was on Facebook and was disturbed by some of the things that popped on my pages. I talked to you about my disappointment with Facebook and you said, “Facebook is a gigantic waste of time!” I took those words to heart and immediately exited Facebook and never looked back. People who want to talk to me know how to find me and I’m pleased to say that they do it with consideration and humor. I’m happy. You could be too, just step on Facebook like a bug.
Sometimes, I am a slow learner, Marty.