Thanks FaceBook, Bye
In 2007 I joined FaceBook, in 2020 I am leaving Facebook. It’s been a fun run, but the time has come to say goodbye.
Why leave Facebook?
My reasoning is simple, I fail to see the value. It’s not enriching my life, in many ways it is degrading it. This feeling has only been amplified over the past 12 months amidst the pandemic and political state in the United States.
This coupled with my personal beliefs about the open web, and the actions closed platforms are taking make it a relatively simple decision.
What about social contacts?
It’s been a long time since I have had any real meaningful engagements on Facebook. For some reason, however, it definitely has this ability to consume my time. I want to regain that time focusing on all my projects and those things immediately in front of me.
Friends have other means of contacting me directly if they like. Besides, who really has 100’s, 1,000’s of “friends”? Many are acquaintance, partners, colleagues, and let’s face it, with time we are all quickly realizing we have less in common than we think. :)
I will maintain a few Facebook properties where you can engage me directly:
DDOS Racing Team – Will use this for my racing adventures.
Tony Perez (Professional Page) – Will use this to share my professional opinions, write-ups and other musings. Things I share will fall into these categories: business, technology, industry trends.
Other Ways to Stay In Touch
The easiest ways to stay in touch is as follows:
| Platform | Context |
|---|---|
| Encourage professional contacts to engage me here. Will work to be more active. I hope to keep this for business related engagements. @perezbox | |
| This is already my preferred social platform. I enjoy the pictures and videos. You can find me at @perezbox and a number of other handles, mostly found in the bio. | |
| CleanBrowsing | If you want to learn more about DNS based content filtering: tony@cleanbrowsing.org |
| NOC.org | If you want to learn more about network and security tools: tony@noc.org |
| NOC.social | I will be putting more effort into engaging here, and will likely be my replacement to Twitter in the not so distant future. Handle is noc.social/@perezbox |
| For now, will continue to engage here under @perezbox. | |
| PerezBox | This site will continue to be my main platform for content and sharing ideas. |
Interested in Deleting Facebook?
The most common comment I read, or hear, is “Man, I’m done, I want to delete Facebook..” and yet they stay on. I myself have fallen victim to this. But if you’re serious about the process, here are some steps to help:
Step 1: Navigate to Settings
Find the section that reads – “Your Facebook Information”
Step 2: Download Data
Click on “Download Your Information“. This will take you to a page that allows you to download every thing. It includes posts, pictures, videos, etc.. I was actually pleasantly surprised with the amount of content it gives you access to.
Step 3: Create File
After selecting what you want, Create File. Depending on how much you post it might take a while. Once it is done, it will notify you.
Now, Download the data.
Step 5. Delete Account
Now, proceed with deleting the account. Navigate back to settings and select the Deactivation and Deletion option.
It will prompt you with the following and you can follow the prompts from there:
They have built a number of failsafes to account for potential regrets. For example, it will hold your account in limbo for 30 days and if you log back in it will reactivate the account (so there is that if you’re nervous). They even have a deactivation option which is kind of nifty as well if you just need a break.
Facebook Provides Little Value, To Me
Over the past few years Facebook has evolved into something I no longer relate with. It has brought out a side of people I never realized existed, and honestly prefer to just move on from. I also don’t need hollow atta-boy’s, congratulations, or a platform to humble-brag about anything.
What I will miss, however, are the meme’s and funny videos. Really did enjoy watching the 5 minute comedy clips. What I won’t miss is the hatred, toxic attitudes and filtered content.
Even with all that, my reason was actually a lot simpler – there was no value in the platform for me, as a person. I encourage you to consider the same question. What value does it bring to your life?
Side Note: The biggest value I did find was to my ventures, not me personally. So I created a separate account to manage those ventures, while deleting my main one.