I am done with Instagram and Facebook as of February 28 – that’s tomorrow!
I realize how tangled up I got with these apps when I consider a) this is how people find out about Not Ladylike Community events, and b) I need these accounts to fulfill my volunteering duties with Ritchie Community League and Waste Free Edmonton.
I know I’ve been chatting a lot about this on here (and everywhere) lately, but it’s a big deal! Instagram was often the first thing I looked at when I got up and the last thing I did before going to bed. (I know I’m not alone in this).
As of this writing, I have over 7200 posts and my top following count was 1070. Those numbers don’t account for all of the pals and meaningful connections I’ve made over the years.
Instagram and Facebook have been a huge part of my life over the past 10+ years.
And they also have made me really angry.
BACK STORY
I am just shy of 1000 followers (this is not a brag), but my posts are regularly seen by only 200 to 300 of them.
I love posting videos, but Reels glitches on me more often than not, and it takes me 30 to 40 minutes to create a one minute compilation. If the whole app doesn’t crash on me first.
And why did they have to change the images from squares to rectangles?! 😩
These seem like wee inconveniences compared to what Instagram’s parent company has been up to.
At the end of 2024, Meta announced that they would be filling their platforms with AI-generated users, that could share content and interact with real human users. You might remember the story that broke in October about a mother who is suing the makers of an AI chatbot because of the role it played in her son’s suicide.
Meta has since started pulling back on its decision due to backlash, but I won’t soon forget this. Or Mark Zuckerberg’s “interview” with Joe Rogan, the systemic censorship of pro-Palestine accounts, and Meta’s role in perpetuating mass violence against the Rohingya people in Myanmar.
The metrics and the glitches make the app ridiculous to use. The bots and the toxicity go against my values. But I am still searching for community.
“We want to be loved and heard and believed. We want to wrap our arms around each other as tightly as possible and never let go. Whatever we do with our Facebook and Instagram accounts, let us never forget why they exist in the first place. Yes, they bring out the worst in us. But we never logged on for that, nor for them. We were always searching for each other.”
Garrett Bucks, The White Pages
Do y’all think I’m loo loo for saying buh-bye to social media? Somedays me too! It’s an experiment, but I’ve committed–and TBH I’m excited too. I can’t wait to really dig into building my community in real life.
I’ll let you know how it goes!
TO LEARN MORE AND TAKE ACTION
Do you want to disentangle yourself from social media, but aren’t ready to say goodbye forever just yet? Here are some resources you might enjoy!
1. Open up your favourite podcast app, and find Tech Won’t Save Us.
“Tech Won’t Save Us challenges the notion that tech alone can drive our world forward by showing that tech is inherently political and ignoring that has serious consequences. It encourages listeners to think beyond the confines of the capitalist tech industry, to consider how we can dismantle oppressive technologies, and how technology can be developed for the public good.”
They’ve got a four part series on Elon Musk that I can’t wait to download.
2. Here are some tips (and here are some more tips) to take back control over your online data. I am deleting my accounts, and securing my information as best as I can.
3. If you still enjoy social media, but are sick of all the bad news I like to recommend the account 📷itsthegarbagequeen. She shares good climate news in a very digestible and relatable way. If you have other favourite political accounts that share some positive news, please leave them in the comments.
4. This podcast episode offers a deep dive into the history of the internet, and the guests explore why there’s an urgent need to democratize and demarketize the internet.
This Machine Kills, episode 166 “Slumlords of the Internet”, featuring Ben Tarnoff
5. And finally, YK Hong offers a lot of resources on protecting ourselves from tech that steals our data. They have a great Instagram, but are moving away from that platform so I recommend subscribing to their You Tube and/or Patreon accounts.
If you have other resources on this theme, please drop them in the comments! Let’s share and learn together.
Not Ladylike Community 
I just wrote you a very long comment, which I lost when I was prompted to sign into WordPress – as it turns out, someone used my email address to set up a fake WordPress account. Delightful days on the internet.
Moving on and returning to the point – I admire this decision very much and I am struggling to align my own social media use with my values right now. I want to leave, but have all the excuses not to. The main one: my small village has no other form of information sharing beyond our community Facebook group. The less compelling, but still real, one: I love the community I have built on Instagram and I genuinely enjoy sharing with and connecting with those folks.
But I don’t want to give my time and attention to Meta and I see where these platforms are headed and I am fearful for all of us.
I have been searching, but have not yet found an alternative that feels right. Your resolve to severe your ties and find a new way forward is inspiring to me. You’ve definitely got me analyzing myself and thinking about how I can make the leap.
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