#DeleteFacebook is trending right now… on Twitter. And that’s part of the problem, says Abby Ohlheiser. She reports on digital culture for the Washington Post, and says that while we wish we could kick our social network habits, the reality is much more complicated than it seems.
“Facebook didn’t get two billion users by not providing anything of value,” she points out. It might be memories of relatives who have passed away. Or it might be its program in some formerly colonized countries, where Facebook is the internet.
Whatever the case, people don’t tend to switch to a rival network. They tend to just quit. Returning to our lives pre-Facebook is perhaps the most complicated part of all.
"There are lots and lots and lots of reasons why the people I've talked to have found it hard to quit, even if they want to."
— KUOW Public Radio (@KUOW) April 5, 2018
We're talking to @abbyohlheiser on #KUOWRecord right now about quitting Facebook.
Find her reportage here: https://t.co/aGo3jnOW12
Facebook as a place of belonging, not just a respite from the FOMO:
— KUOW Public Radio (@KUOW) April 5, 2018
"It's also important to remember that Facebook is really really good at showing you at things you are going to want to interact with, connect with, and share." #KUOWRecord
Should we be paying Facebook, or should Facebook be paying us, or should we be paying for Facebook...?https://t.co/bnwo7BkcNz
— KUOW Public Radio (@KUOW) April 5, 2018
.@abbyohlheiser: For many people around the world, Facebook is the gateway for the rest of the internet.#KUOWRecord
— KUOW Public Radio (@KUOW) April 5, 2018
