In addition to demonetising my Meta data, I’ve decided to take a break from Meta platforms this week. It turns out that it’s surprisingly difficult to log out of Facebook Messenger on your phone, to the extent that I had to dig up a Wikihow article to show me how. Even after I managed to log out of Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, and Threads, they kept showing me a single-click “log back in” option due to some saved profile, which I then had to delete. The fact that they make it so damn difficult kinda reinforces my decision, to be honest.
The only one I haven’t signed out of is WhatsApp. This is solely because my main friend group uses it to communicate, and I haven’t yet figured out how to convince them all to move to an alternative.
Why just a break? Why don’t I delete my accounts? The temptation is definitely there. Sadly, FB remains my main channel to keep up with my family and friends in the US. It’s where I see what my brother and sister-in-law are doing with their cafe this week; it’s where I see whatever dodgy Jeep memes my Dad is laughing at; it’s where I see whatever quilt show in the Midwest my Mom is supporting; it’s where I find out if my college friends in LA are still safe. Instagram is literally the only way I know what’s happening with my young nieces and nephews, who would never be so crass as to text me or talk on the phone. It’s hard. I suspect the way forward will just be to cut my usage way, way back, and to move towards a read-only method of interaction there.