As my readers know, several years ago I walked away from Facebook and have never looked back. The decision was simple: I came to dislike Mark Zuckerberg and his company, his privacy practices, his politics, and his history. After all, especially in this era of #MeToo, we ought to stop and remember that Facebook was originally designed to rate girl’s looks and, well, you know, their … shall we say … bed’ability. It surprises me that more women aren’t quitting Facebook on that basis alone, but Mark does a good job throwing his money at causes.
In my doctoral dissertation I wrote about the many ways Facebook and other social media platforms could be vehicles for harm and how they might not face the test of time. I hate to say “I told you so,” but I did. Facebook is losing traction among the key demographics on whose backs Zuckerberg’s stock priced is based. Google recently announced that they are ending Google+ and we all know that Twitter has all but stopped growing.
Anyway, this news appeared in last week’s New York Times:
Walt Mossberg, of whom I’ve been a fan for going on 25 years, has summarily quit Facebook.
Remember, this is a man who has spent decades chronicling the impact of Silicon Valley’s policies; ergo, his exit from the social network speaks louder than most.
Mr. Mossberg, a veteran of The Wall Street Journal, said on Monday he would be deactivating his Facebook account, along with the Facebook-owned Messenger and Instagram apps. Stunning news, albeit something he felt compelled to post on … that’s right … Facebook.
“I am doing this — after being on Facebook for nearly 12 years — because my own values and the policies and actions of Facebook have diverged to the point where I’m no longer comfortable here,” he wrote on Facebook.
While Mr. Mossberg didn’t list any specific complaints on Monday, his history of public writing left little doubt that his ire was aimed largely at the company’s policies and actions on user privacy.
Wanna stay in contact with your loved ones around the globe? How about pen-on-paper with a stamp affixed? The Post Office needs the work. Or, even the good old telephone? Reaching out and touching someone in a personal way is far more memorable than a Facebook post, folks.
Besides, all Zuckerberg cares about is how to make money.
Remember, when a product is free, YOU are the product.
