On Trump and My Decision to Leave Facebook

Today Facebook’s advisory council decided to kick the can on banning the former President permanently or not six months down the road.

Last night I cynically predicted (on my Facebook) that they would vote to allow him back on. Many of my friends pointed out that this was unlikely, for legal liability reasons and more.

I have been a Facebook user for…15 years or so now. It’s my primary social media platform. I have over a thousand curated followers and I don’t really try to attract people. Facebook to me has been a source of joy and frustration, of good advice and horrible arguments with real-world fallout. It’s also been a centerpiece of my day, especially since the pandemic. The lack of real-life social interactions made my “virtual” interactions even more important to me, and arguably contributed to my mental health (and maybe also detracted from it from time-to-time).

Still. I think my time on that platform is done. As one of my extremely-followed friends points out regularly, of the top ten posts on any given day, 7–9 of them are Ben Shapiro, or some conservative “news” site that he runs, usually an established disinformation platform of some kind.

And many of us have seen firsthand how content moderation plays out on that platform. It is arbitrary and capricious. The “Community Standards” are basically a joke that no one on either side of the aisle has any trust or faith in.

My (arguably superficial) take is that Zuckerberg believes deep down in his bones that striking a balance is an ethical and moral stance, and “balance” means giving equal opportunity to “both sides,” even if one side advocates cheating, violence, bigotry and lies. And that side is the Republican / conservative / QAnon side. I don’t really much differentiate between them anymore. I used to think the distinctions were important.

But for years and years, Trump used Facebook (and other platforms of course, most notably Twitter) to lie and lie and lie some more, and Zuck did. Not. Care. Twitter took the remarkable step of banning Trump permanently — and that was arguably a step against their own best interests, though it served the interests of the country. I don’t hold Twitter in particularly high regard, but I do in this specific situation.

It wasn’t until the events of 1/6/21 that things came to a head and the political winds demanded change.

Yeah, but that was a few months ago. It’s *May* now, and the guy who brought them “engagement” is gone. Facebook likes those ad dollars they get from every fourth post on your news feed.

So yeah. That’s why I think they’re gonna do it. It wasn’t today. Six months from now though? I’m not willing to say decisively that they will refuse to let Trump back on Facebook.

I really like the network effect. I like being in touch with my friends from college, my old work buddies, the friends I made in the community and business I built, and the “random” people I’ve met through interacting with my friends; I love the real relationships I’ve made there.

But I think enough is enough. Up until now it’s been the lack of a viable alternative that’s kept me from jumping ship entirely. I no longer feel that way. Twitter isn’t exactly great in comparison, but it’s still better. And something better WILL come along in time. But I’m not going to wait any longer when it comes to leaving Facebook.

And really, that’s even if Zuck and company decide against bringing Trump back. I still think I’m gonna move along permanently. This platform has done real damage to this country, and even to the world.

And the main reason they can is because we all decide to stay here, every single day.

So the sacrifice is…well…the friendships and close contact that I get on Facebook.

I don’t like that. I don’t have much else to offer for a Patreon or whatever else. I value the actual real connections more than transactions. I’ve always valued community over clout.

Anyway, I’ll let you know when the exit is happening, whether it’s tomorrow or a bit later.

And if you decide to join me, I hope we can make #exeunt trend for a while…somwhere.

Share your thoughts below. I’m curious to hear what you think.