Can we really delete Facebook?

Last week WhatsApp co-founder Brian Acton advised the online community that, according to him, it’s time to delete Facebook. Acton suggested on his Twitter that “It is time” for Facebook users to quit the network along with the hashtag #deletefacebook.

The reason behind his tweet was unknown, but many have actually supported this “movement” after the recent data privacy scandal. Soon after, Elon Musk joined the discussion and responded to Acton’s tweet with a question – “What’s Facebook?” , suggesting that he has already forgotten about the popular social network. Although Musk’s relationship with Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg was always a bit rocky, his “unawareness” of this social network got people talking.

After the news broke that our personal data isn’t safe with Facebook, users started wondering if they should still keep their profiles active. Dealing with any type of data security breach is never easy, especially when sensitive and personal information is at risk, so it is understandable that the world wondering whether to delete Facebook.

So, while major tech critics and long-time Facebook users are considering leaving one of the most popular social networks, the real question is – can we actually delete Facebook? To some, life without Facebook might seem impossible, but deleting our accounts might come to us more naturally than we could ever imagine.

Life without Facebook

Let’s take a moment and imagine the world without Facebook. Now, we are not talking about just deactivating your account. There are a lot of users who’ve decided to leave Facebook community years ago, explaining they simply did not find it attractive anymore.

On the other hand, there are people who never joined Facebook, so they don’t even have to think about saying goodbye. But, is deleting Facebook from the face of the Earth actually possible? And if it is, how do we simply forget about it?

Deciding to delete Facebook would mean much more than just getting rid of Candy Crush invitations. As one of the most popular social network, Facebook is the place to connect with your friends and family. It’s where you go to share your dearest memories and connect with people who live on the other side of the world; at least, that’s what it used to be.

When you really think about it, these days chilling on Facebook comes down to messaging, photo and video sharing and ads. Lots and lots of ads, in different shapes and formats. Videos, sponsored posts, free e-book and webinar sign-ups. Facebook became the main social media channel where you can monetise your business and advertise your products and services. Over the years, paid content replaced fun and creative content, which users used to share with their close circle of friends.

Is the world ready for Facebook to end?

Although a large number of small businesses, entrepreneurs and brands heavily depend on social media advertising and Facebook marketing campaigns, the recent scandals have most of them second-guessing their profiles. In addition, being the most popular social network among advertisers, Facebook’s popularity among users started to decline over the time. This was mostly due to the fact that the Timeline is crowded with sponsored posts, ads and sign-up forms.

If we take out the sponsored content, all we have left are different motivation and inspiration videos, along with one or two funny Memes to tag your bestie. It seems that people don’t “socialise” and share memories on Facebook as much as they did in the past. So, maybe we are already over Facebook and all that keeps us coming back is the strange habit of endlessly scrolling down our feed on our way to work.

However, if you are thinking of deleting Facebook for good, don’t simply replace it with another addictive app. As easy as it is to simply start using Instagram, Twitter or any other social network, stop and think for a moment. Maybe we needed these leaks and data breaches to happen in order to realise that our social time can actually be spent socialising – in the real world.

 

Tatjana Milcic
Tatjana Milcic
Originally from Belgrade, Serbia but now based in Sydney, she is a writer and a digital marketer but also a true Star Wars fan, who lives and breathes everything digital. Contact: [email protected]
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