Deleting Meta: Zombie Social Media

I recently deleted my Meta apps—Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. For me, these platforms, run by Meta, have ceased to be social media in the true sense and have become marketing machines for billionaires. Engagement is at an all-time low, replaced by an overwhelming flood of random advertising, softcore pornography posing as fitness tips, and violent ‘citizens do the right thing’ videos. Facebook is perhaps the most insidious, masquerading as a platform for connecting with family and friends while bombarding users with depressing far right propaganda, particularly around Brexit, anti-immigration sentiment. This isn't engagement; it's manipulation. Zuckerberg's decision to dismantle fact-checking, framed as a positive move because, apparently, facts are anti-fun, and his apparent deference to certain political figures in the face of sanctions, raise serious concerns about its decent into Fascism.

The original premise of social media was an equal exchange: THEY provide free and convenient networking services in return YOU give them your data and usage patterns. But greed has taken over. Advertising has become increasingly pervasive, pay-for-features have multiplied, and now, with the rise of AI, they're scraping content from your photos, calls, messages, and emails. Your very creativity is being repackaged and sold back to you so that these massive corporations can continue to generate exorbitant profits.

Meta competitors Google and Microsoft are engaging in similar practices, aggressively pushing their products in ways that ultimately aim to sell you something you likely just bought. Hopefully, the DeepSeek Ai kick in the nuts will slow their ‘screw everything’ libido down a bit.

Out with the old:

• Facebook: Deactivated after accumulating 83 followers. Repeated deletions over the years (I left the platform once before after The Cambridge Analytica Scandal 2018) I have exhausted my available email addresses for future use, though that feels like a less-than-ideal solution. (Note: Since initially writing this, I have permanently deleted my Facebook account, removing any temptation to return.)
• Instagram: Deleted after reaching 1.5k followers. Instagram was my primary social media platform for a long time, but engagement has significantly declined over the years. It felt like the same 30 or so people (whom I appreciate greatly) were consistently interacting with my content. The algorithm, which seems designed for advertising analytics rather than user experience, appears to prioritise dividing users based on their responses. Despite investing considerable time and effort into curating a feed with original content, I would often receive a disproportionately low number of likes, a perplexing situation given the claims that the algorithm favours genuine, organic accounts.
• WhatsApp: Deleted with 10 contacts. I never warmed to WhatsApp. I always felt pressured to use it simply because others did. The user interface is, in my opinion, one of the worst designed in the social media landscape. I'm glad to have it off my phone.
• Twitter: Deleted a few years ago with 2.5k followers after a change in ownership. At its peak, Twitter was my primary social media outlet, even leading to illustration work. However, subsequent alterations to the timeline, the proliferation of bots, and the new owner’s interventions led to a decline in its value for me. I mention Twitter here (though it is not a Meta platform) to illustrate my willingness to abandon a platform if it no longer serves my needs.

In with the new:

• Cara (beta): I'm tentatively exploring Cara. While it positions itself as "entertainment art social media," aligning with my work, I'm slightly concerned that the site's current focus on manga-style illustration might ultimately be limiting. It needs a broader range of professional artists with diverse styles to thrive. It is currently ad-free, AI-free, and promotes organic engagement.
• Bluesky: Bluesky feels like a return to the earlier, more user-friendly version of Twitter. Also ad-free and AI-free, it's already populated with many of my former Twitter followers, and I've experienced encouraging levels of engagement. This is where I plan to focus my social media efforts going forward.
• Signal: I have a few friends in Europe, and this seems the best way to message them.

 

Footnote:

• Blogger: I've maintained a Blogger account for years and not sure if it counts as social media, and I'm unsure how many people actually read it*. I primarily use it as a personal archive, and you are probably reading this because you have paid a visit.

That's my social media detox. I feel lighter already. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go create something.

* Not totally true as I have found the Stats section for my blog.