Why I am quitting Facebook

I grew up on Facebook. In high school, I remember creating my first profile, making sure it was similar but different to my MySpace page — I appreciated that I wasn't forced to be Tom's friend anymore 👥  I was so excited to upload all my photos, and login every day to share my very important teenage status.

Everyone wanted to see their 'friend' count rise, accepting every friend request and button smashing to 'add' every person I knew and even people I didn't. Does anyone remember 'poking' on the original messenger app? 👉🏼

I would stuff my point-and-shoot digital camera into every clutch I carried to  every party so I could capture as many photos as possible to upload a full album the next day. 📸

Fast forward many many many years, now I don't even know the purpose of Facebook in my life — if anything, it's become the modern day society papers I write for people I don't even know very well, dearest readers.

How many social channels are too many?

The obsessive nature of social media is obviously not a new concept, and there are many ways to limit screen time and interactions with it, but also, at what point are we just ingesting the wrong social content?

There is so much toxicity and negativity on these platforms, why am I overdosing myself or contributing to something that I'm not getting the same in return from?

Facebook has become a selfish lover in my life, and I've had enough. 💔

Closing this chapter 📖

I am going to invest my energy into the platforms that I am receiving the most from.

• Instagram: staying connected to close friends, sharing my life and story as it unfolds.
• TikTok: pure comedy gold, lifestyle tips and tricks, honest creative expression
• Twitter: industry treads and updates from credited news sources
• Linkedin: thought leadership and career connections

I laugh more at the memes on Instagram and TikTok videos than I do from the 'this happened 10 years ago' posts.

What am I most excited to remove from my life when I close this down?

Passive aggressive narratives and misinformation. I am all here for self expression, we should all be able to safely share our thoughts and opinions, but I don't tolerate misguided negative energy. Thank you very much.

What will I miss the most?

Communities and Groups. This is a blessing and a curse. I love that I can work on building a thriving community of Women in Shopify, but Groups and Communities also tread into murky territory when what brings people together can also make them dangerous, or can lead into a rabbit hole of misinformation.

I've especially loved the Buy Nothing groups, and if you are in a neighbourhood that has one, I always highly recommend them.

✌🏼 peace out.