Ask Lemmy

Absolutely not. I have to use it for two communities I am part of, and every time I open it I can't believe how much promoted content I see. I also notice that whenever I post links to off-fb content very few people engage with it, likely because FB is deprioritizing those posts.

One thing I've noticed is that if I hide all the junk I see, it will clear my feed out and make it suck a lot less, but only for a few hours or a day, then it goes back to being inundated with promoted content.

Fuck shorts, fuck Instagram stories, fuck fb marketplace ads.

Nice try Mark.

No. Meta is a terrible company in my opinion and I refuse to give them a view or a cent. Same reason I really want to get into VR, but won't buy their headsets.

Facebook has never been like, bad. The main problem is having to use your real identity for everything, the privacy concerns over Meta's aggressive targeted advertising based on info that's set to "you only", and the fact that most people ended up with their whole extended family on there.

But it's still got the critical mass of people, and damn near everyone has Messenger and Marketplace has taken over the spot of craigslist and kijiji.

Nope.

Deleted everything anyway, couldn’t go back if I tried.

No 👎

I completely deleted my Facebook account nearly 6 years ago now and it was one of the best decisions I've ever made in my life. From what I've read online it's only gotten worse with age, so I'd say it's a safe bet I'm never going back to it.

I got rid of Twitter and Reddit as each site was basically destroyed by megalomaniacal money-grubbing CEOs

They're all shit, why would I ever want to start using any of them again?

No. I actually just deleted the app from my phone. Not only was Facebook my personal doomscrolling hell, but any time I touched my phone, I would muscle memory my way to Facebook and burn 10 more minutes. I'm realizing how much I would do it after deleting the app: reaching for it with my thumb only to find it's not there.

I haven't used Facebook in almost 10 years. Have no intention of doing so.

I deleted my Facebook over 10 years ago and I haven't regretted it for one second.

Nope. I think I deleted by Facebook in 2010 or 2011.

Life is better without Facebook.

Nah, I'm not 40 yet...

Nope. I blocked it on DNS level as well (also Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok).

I miss what Facebook used to offer in the earlier days. I miss being able to keep up friends and family and having a central place for everybody to just share things. It was nice for a while. It was also just nice having an account where I felt comfortable putting my face and name out there; I know that may seem kinda weird to most people, but there was something weirdly relieving about having one place where I could just say "This is me" without using a screen name and feel right about it. Facebook used to be that place for me.

Then once Facebook started to monetize every pixel on my screen and every post on my feed was just a link to something I couldn't care less about or trying to sell me something or infect me with something else, it became unbearable. The last time I logged into Facebook, I scrolled for probably five whole minutes before I was able to find a single, actual post written by somebody I actually cared about. Everything else was just links, freebooted videos, or algorithmically-boosted content designed to suck my attention away from the thing I actually wanted to look for.

I'd honestly love it if there was a better Facebook-like platform on the Fediverse. Or even not on the Fediverse, just a place where I can actually keep in touch with the people I know instead of just internet strangers. Since ditching Facebook, the internet has definitely felt like a much lonelier place for me.

What? God, no.

I have, but only because my reddit ban left me with a void--a void I should fill with something more productive, tbh, but it's still not taking nearly as much of my time. I've always used it, never left, but at this point just use it for some private chats I have with people. Since reddit, I've scrolled a bit and been slightly more active

After I finish selling some things I'm deleting facebook permanently. They know too much, and I don't want them to get to know me as I continue to age. The advertising, the misinformation, the hate, and the sheer weight of knowing they are profiting off all of us sickens me

I very much miss the Facebook groups of 2018, but there's so much recommended content, I barely even see my wanted content. When I do see something, it's only once before it's buried, even if there's an evolving discussion in the thread which there rarely is anymore due to the glut of sponsered content.

Left it years ago and never going back.

You couldn't pay me enough to go back to that cesspool. Three years free of it, and have only experienced positives. As another user also stated, I've got social media blocked on the DNS level, as well as no longer using reddit.

Kbin and Lemmy are pretty good, but I still limit my usage.

Unfortunately, I do have to get on there to find information on people. When I do, I immediately forget why I did and end up scrolling for several minutes until I catch myself. I really hate it. It's like a drug.

No, I only use Messenger now along with WhatsApp. Wish I could drop them as well, but nobody will follow me to signal. It's the unfortunate truth.

there's an incredible depth of content, hobby groups, local interests, etc

You're right. I've tried to go back a few times, but I find that the ads and the posts that Fb throws into my feed drown out the good stuff. I enjoy seeing posts from a couple of community groups around town, and the few people I know who still post, but there is so much crap interspersed with it that I get turned off.

Only to see local news/events.

I host a weekly community catchup for a group that is based on Facebook, and that is the only interaction I have with Facebook. Every time I'm there for the event I'm reminded how awful it is. The moment I step down from these events, I'll be deleting my account just as I did with reddit and Twitter

God no. It's full of advertising, cringe, and conspiracy theorist boomers (and the kind of gen x etc that grew up to somehow be boomers as well).

Also it's Zucc and it has been implicated in the spread of several genocides so it gives me a bad feeling.

No. I do still use Messenger because friends and family are on it, though.

Nope

Just to sell or buy stuff..

I'll bite a bit and say yes, however - I quickly realized I wasn't gravitating. It was sucking me in. Their algorithm has gotten much better at putting stuff you care about front and center, in a dangerous way. I felt compelled to comment, to join in and argue with people. I felt myself growing angry again being there. So I stopped.

Really analyze why you're feeling drawn to it. Is it actually fun, or is it a dopamine drip they are getting you hooked on