Written by Ty 2022 Cohort
I’ve been using Facebook for eight years now, and the reason I’m still using it because I’m used to it and because some of the closest people to me are only on Facebook; otherwise, there is more than a reason to quit it for good.
Apart from the fact that your account can be taken down at any moment just because a couple of users decided to report you for personal reasons, which is a frustrating experience that I have been through, and apart from the platform promoting biased political views – views that I agree with, but still find unfair, – Facebook has been criticized for doing way more than that. Including being a reason for breakups and divorces, psychological issues, and data stealing, which I’m not surprised about since users know their data is stored somewhere for them to access at any time they want; therefore, another party must easily have had access to it.
Facebook took down an account of mine in 2020 for what seemed to me like a report-based takedown. I was informed who reported it because I broke their so-called “community standards” without further explanation. So, I was asked to confirm my ID and other personal information, which I did out of desperation because I didn’t want to lose my messages with people who had passed away. Unfortunately, my account was “permanently” taken down, and I lost access to it for no apparent reason.
I will not talk about biased political views because they relate to where I come from. News and feeds that support corrupted governments and seldom show the feeds of those opposing it is something you see on Facebook.
Additionally, Facebook has been referenced in many divorce petitions based on a study done in the UK. Internet jealousy on Facebook, based on research, seems to be one of the reasons that induce conflict in relationships.
And lastly, Facebook is responsible for many mental health issues. It was advertised as a platform that brings people together, but, in reality, it only pushed them further away from one another. Many people on the platform are curating their daily life to look as perfect as possible, indirectly sending a message to their followers that having any less than this life routine leads to unhappiness. And surprisingly, people fall for that. Many users feel stressed and depressed thanks to the materialism presented on Facebook, whether it’s physical possessions or the number of likes and followers they have.
This doesn’t necessarily need to be the case for everyone, but it’s better to err on the side of caution.