Why the temptation to abandon social media is growing by the day

As clubs and friends turn their back on Facebook, the appeal of ‘unplugging’ is clear

You know the end is nigh when the kids’ clubs decide to jump ship. Earlier this week, one longstanding community group frequented by my kids sent out a message regarding its Facebook group, a forum it has used for years to post pictures, videos, and reminders. But no more.

Even though the group is private, accessible only by its members, the club decided to cull its presence on the site. Its organisers had long been frustrated by the thankless whack-a-mole task of adjusting to Facebook’s ever-shifting privacy settings and deleting random requests from people looking to join.

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The final straw was Facebook’s contentious decision to dispense with its fact-checking programme. “The changes that Facebook is making do not fit in with the importance of maintaining the safety and privacy of the children and families that use our service,” it reasoned. “Going forward, we will be using other resources that are a better match.”

Facebook still has billions of monthly active users but it is mired in controversy. (Picture: Chris Delmas)Facebook still has billions of monthly active users but it is mired in controversy. (Picture: Chris Delmas)
Facebook still has billions of monthly active users but it is mired in controversy. (Picture: Chris Delmas) | AFP via Getty Images

Three billion monthly users

It is not the only such organisation to turn on its back on the world’s leading social media site. Another club in my community has canvassed parents for their views on whether to persist with its Facebook presence, while a local school has decided to remove extra-curricular groups from the site, and come off X entirely.

It would be foolhardy to presume this anecdotal account is indicative of any wider trend. The last rites have been administered to social media more times than I care to remember, and even amid the current controversies surrounding moderation, it would be premature to do so again given Facebook still attracts more than three billion monthly active users.

But in light of Meta’s Trump-appeasing pivot to the right, and the smouldering bin fire that is X under Elon Musk’s watch, it feels like there has been a perceptible shift in attitudes towards social media. What was once regarded as fatigue has hardened into distrust.

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As well as clubs and groups, several friends have deleted their accounts, and instead are relying on text messages and – whisper it – phone calls to stay in touch. One pal, never known for doing things by halves, has even swapped his Samsung Galaxy for a Nokia brick phone.

Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, has come under fire for the changes to Facebook Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, has come under fire for the changes to Facebook
Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, has come under fire for the changes to Facebook | Getty Images

My cat’s Garbo-esque mystique

His case is an extreme example, but the temptation to join their ranks grows by the day. In a professional capacity, I find social media to be an invaluable resource, allowing me to connect with people, corroborate information, or even pore through metadata for telling titbits.

Personally, however, I have had my fill. There was a simpler time when I meticulously curated a Facebook page for my cat, uploading near daily photographs and updates. But two years have passed since I last posted anything at all. Miraculously, my world has kept spinning, and my cat has acquired a Garbo-esque mystique.

Perhaps age is a factor in all this. Having grown up in a more innocent age of digital connectivity, many millennials I know, and several peers from generation X seem to be unplugging from the grid, mindful that social media offers only the appearance of social connection, with a few billion pornbots thrown in for good measure.

“Why would I want to be everywhere at once when I could just be here?” one pal texted when announcing his intention to go analogue. It is a compelling argument.

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