Finally.
I used it for over ten years, I saw it grow into the monster it has become and finally, I’ve decided I couldn’t face myself, using it as a (bad) promotional platform while at the same time tolerating the toxicity it spreads.
I’ve given contacts two weeks notice, and then I’m off.
I can’t wait.
I honestly do not miss it. I’m longer flooded with stuff from people I’m not really friends with, and get to be more intentional with real friends. I’ve been off of it for years and haven’t looked back.
I did it one year ago, Twitter too, not a single regret. Sadly this week I had to deal with a community problem that stemmed from the cess pool that the neighborhood FB group has become. Your post actually cheered me up some. 
I repeat what I said to Killer Whale. You actually cheered me up today on this topic. I also think that the algorithms and structure does, in some way I don’t understand, amplify toxic behavior in a way users are unaware of. The whole thing is frightening. As I said in my case though I am off it I still have to deal with its effects.
Your example was actually among several who inspired me – thank you for that, and for sharing that you were perfectly fine without it. It encouraged me to cut Facebook from my life, and I’m sure I’ll be so much better without it. Thank you for showing the way! 
Happy I could cheer you up, @TudorEynon !
Hmm. I’m still on there but haven’t logged in in an age.
I do use Messenger occasionally because people try to reach me there. Do you think you’ll miss Messenger?
For folks who have been off for a while—do you ever have issues accessing content only on FB? I’m thinking of businesses who only exist on there, or compelling posts from e.g. politicians who aren’t on other platforms. Am I only imagining that this is an issue?
I still find it useful. I pretty much ignore my news feed and just participate in a few groups of like minded people. I still find it is good for that, especially when the groups are limited in membership.
I quit FB a couple/three years ago and have not looked back. I take an annual “Facation” (vacation to Facebook) to catch up with folks and it’s worked really well to catch up with people, have super positive interactions while I’m there, and retain sanity the rest of the year.
At times, for sure, but in my experience it’s far more costly to participate than to lose out on whatever I’m missing and it’s increasingly the case that there are others not on FB so events/content has more of an excuse to provide a surrogate.
Do you think you’ll miss Messenger?
I hate it and always had since it was force fed on us.
But - I have friends and business contacts who are only there. If you deactivate your profile and pages (which is what I will do, to delete all public presence), you retain access to Messenger. Which I will have to do. And try to move everything off platform person by person.
Read your subject line and my heart skipped a beat as I thought you’d managed to delete the entire platform. 
Welcome to life without it. No FOMO for me, only JOMO.
Just to add, your post reminded me of this article from a couple of years back. It’s not short but interesting in relation to the “walled gardens” of the digital world:
useful and interesting article. Thanks for posting.
Never had a Facebook account. Never will. Never watched sports on TV. Never will. My life feels longer and richer for not having either distraction.
I use Twitter only for contacting developers who insist on only taking support requests via Twitter.
I totally agree and love reading this.
But.
I’m in not an entirely comfortable position: I’m a fiction writer and social media – for a long time – allowed me to keep in touch with my community and, honestly, it also was a way to promote myself. If I wasn’t in that position, I never would have signed up on Facebook in the first place and even less on Twitter. To be honest… I didn’t see the point.
Books are long things to put out and it’s important to keep my name alive even inside my community. However, I’m increasingly looking into smarter ways to do promotion. I’m keeping Twitter so far, which I have come to tentatively enjoy, but I would delete all social media in a heartbeat if I didn’t need it professionally (… or so I think?)
Anyway, this forums has been the most fun I’ve had on the Internet in a good while, so thanks, MPU. 
(Also, thanks for the article, @skiptime.)
I was off FB for a couple of years, then COVID. We were no longer able to have game nights once a month to see friends. A couple of my friends got sick, so I got back on just to monitor friends and have some interaction. If not for that, I wouldn’t be on.
I have Twitter and the rare science bit I get from it makes tolerating the rest worth while so far.
Surprisingly, I think reddit is the best platform for interacting with people on a subject-specific basis. On Twitter, for instance, you get the science person you follow going off on a tare about some political something or other, and there’s no way to separate the wheat from the chaff. This doesn’t seem to happen as much on reddit, as people are in a group for a specific reason. Now granted, there is a good deal of 12-year-old mentality on reddit, but unlike Facebook, most of the people with that mentality are actually 12 
I’m pretty much off of all SM. A few caveats:
Social media is by-in-large a cesspool. It is also a “reality distortion field” of gigantic proportions. Here is an interesting read on the negative impact of not just SM, but news in general:
As a result of this article, I also deleted the News app from my devices. I now read selected newspapers and journals, and only watch the local news, no cable news — mostly for sports and weather. I’m perfectly up to date on relevant, important news.
Well, there is something to be said for the shear beauty of being able to watch a well trained athlete in any sport “up close and personal”.
—
JJW
I quit facebook, twitter, and the other socials more than 12 years ago…
And I think, no I’m sure I am better for it.
It took a while for the world to catch up, but we are getting there.
As I understand it, to put it simply, FB gets financially rewarded by increasing attention, and attention is increased by emotion and outrage so its algorithms are designed to promote emotion and outrage.
Randomized reinforcement, like a slot machine.
And nothing holds our attention better than the unknown. The things that captivate, engross, and entertain us, all have an element of surprise. Our brains can’t get enough of trying to predict what’s next and our dopamine system kicks into high-gear when we’re waiting to know if our team will make the field goal, how the dice will land, or how the movie plot ends. Like a loose slot machine, the infinite scroll gives users fast access to variable rewards.