---
date: 2019-02-05
modified_at: 2019-02-05
tags: [philosophy, social-media]
description: Exploring the challenges of quitting Facebook including timeline memories, contact management, event invitations, FOMO, and the addictive nature of algorithmic content bubbles.
---
# Why I can't quit Facebook

1. My Timeline
I like my timeline. It's sort of a collection of memories. Things I've done.
So I want to keep my timeline online, so I and others can look back at it.

It's already possible to download all your data from Facebook. What if there was
a way to put it online somewhere else, for example, on your own domain, or on a
website that doesn't harvest your data, where you aren't the product.

2. My contacts
A lot of my contacts live on Facebook. I don't have their contact information
elsewhere. If I need to message them, I therefore need to go to Facebook. There
needs to be a way to contact your Facebook contacts without Facebook.

3. Events
Sometimes I get invited for events only on Facebook. I will miss those when I
don't check Facebook. There should be another way to invite people for events.

4. FOMO
I fear missing out important life events happening in my friends lives. They
will probably post this on Facebook and share it with people around them. Not on
any other medium. There is a much smaller chance I hear those things if I don't
check Facebook enough. Why isn't there a way to get updated about most important
life events of your friends without all the distraction? I would love to be able
to filter on actual importance.

5. I like the bubble
Most of all, I'm actually being fed a bubble of things that confirm my beliefs
and things I like. It's heroin for the mind. I'm addicted to it. Is it good?
Probably not, unless you get more control over which bubble you're in. Unless
you are actively made more conscious over your bubble.

Conclusion
I didn't figure out a way to fight these drawbacks of quitting Facebook foregood
yet, but I'm working on it. Suggestions are welcome. In the coming years, I love
to participate in a movement for a more humane social network. I hope I can find
a way.