Thanks for the recommendation! I downloaded the app and am using it. FYI they unfortunately they do also have an AI. Oh well. But it’s not Google and I’m good with that.
That's right. It's created/supported by a non-profit called Signal. They are quite privacy focused and their funding is donations. So I don't think they have much (if any) incentive to be attempting to monetize their users' activity & information.
Not on anything but FB & haven't spent time there on years. I only load it to see specific tweets. Not interested in supporting anyone who supports dictators.
Since I’ve always treated FB as my private People magazine and NEVER, EVER used it for national news, I’m loath to walk away. I forking hate Zuck for trying to turn FB into a cesspool. Today FB tried to impose a Trump post on my feed🤢. I HATE HIM. Sorry for the rant😆
I’m hoping that more celebs to start migrating here in protest. I’m also hoping for @bsky.app to add some sort of visible verified account icon and verified account search feature.
I cancelled Insta yesterday, threads last month, weaning off FB now. It has been the best way to keep in touch with my family as so live abroad. Need to get all
My photos off and make alternative ways to keep in touch with loved ones.
Genuine qn: why do you need to get your photos off? Is that the only place you've saved them? If we delete our account, I know they're still in cyberspace & we can't access them, but can anyone else?
Honestly, I think there are more in there then I have saved. Over 15 years and countless phones and laptops. I just want to make sure I save them somewhere all together and make sure I can contact for all the people I use messenger for.
I know but I'm still going to drop everything but Bluesky. I just have to get my friends of many years over here first. And although a lot of them are on TikTok (&I have it too), it's just fucking annoying.
I don't have Instagram because some random guy in Vietnam used my e-mail address 10 years ago to make one for himself, and there is literally no process for me getting it back.
Note that he doesn't have access to the e-mail account. He just used the address and got an account.
I never did figure out the use of Instagram. I've had an account for 20 years & had a load of photos uploaded. Everytime I added an image, it'd be like throwing a penny off a cliff into a mile-deep hole in the ground.
Exactly this. It's much harder to bleed Musk dry simply because the shit he's part of makes tangible things but Cuck has nothing of value except attending meetings in the fucking metaverse.
This is an imperfect solution, but you can create a list in Bluesky of people you want to see pictures from, and then use https://skyfeed.app (requires an app password). The settings you want are input = list and remove = if picture count is 0. It will generate a feed of only pictures from ppl on your list.
I SO want one to exist- simply a place to post family pics so I can keep in rich with friends and family- I was SO pissed when FB bought IG- I like Bluesky but it doesn’t serve that purpose of pure visual connections d inspiration - pl someone who is ethical create one!!
I’m not entirely sure how blue sky is much different. Less pictures more words but I feel like there’s still plenty of pictures for people who prefer just that.
I am red boxed constantly. It occurs in clusters. It’s my baby boomer generation on it
Never used it for advocacy etc but still now I am censored past 2 months
Whatsapp doesn't generate any revenue for Meta. Also, I encourage people to deactivate rather than delete Facebook and IG because doing so denies them any revenue and requires them to pay for the server space your data occupies.
Majorly, yes, but you cannot deny the power they’ve had in creating and fueling social movements. Not advocating for them, but am pointing out the possibility that this was a strategic move to impair. And that is chilling.
I understand what you’re saying. I think this is the case with TikTok. It’s one place where I feel I’m getting an unbiased algorithm. But is it worth the possible security risk?
I had this thought too, especially considering TikTok is likely shutting down next week. It's like Zuck sees himself truly having a monopoly on social media so he's doing whatever he wants.
I deleted FB about a month ago and I didn’t realize how seeing the negativity, the ads, & all of my acquaintances having access to a slice of my life was so mentally draining. It was like 5% a good time; wish I would have deleted sooner. Contemplating deleting instagram now that Meta is total 🗑️.
I KNOW! I was shocked how difficult it was to find. I use to deactivate all the time and it was easy. I don’t remember the exact spot I had found it though. 😖
I got rid of Insta and Threads, but I get all my information about local events and events for a few groups I belong to from FB (yes, in Albuquerque NM business and entertainment is still using FB for marketing). What is the alternative?
yep. ppl have far more agency than they exercise. these apps are structured so that one can put minimal energy into human relationships. it counts on ppl complaining but not changing their behaviour bc it takes effort. email, text & phones still exist & are more work. ppl often choose ease
It makes a huge difference if you consistently crosspost information to better places. It allows other people to leave if they can get the same stuff from you elsewhere as they do on Meta.
Agree all the rest of the world has been on what’s app for a very long time (before owned by meta) while it’s rather new for US and not likely to change.
I’m the COO of a global organization. I understand international business. Whatsapp has wide adoption outside of the US, largely due to cost of SMS. Even considering security, asking people to switch a primary way they communicate because of socio-political views is the most American thing to do.
Fine, keep giving money to the worst people in the world because you are too stupid to figure out how to use another app. That's just shitty human behavior.
This is not about my personal choice. Whatsapp is a primary communication tool outside of the US. Telegram has much better adoption than Signal. Things change over time, but to simply think the world will switch because of my preference/views would be shortsighted of me.
I came to say this. WhatsApp is embedded in many businesses. Some don't even have websites, they use a combo of all Meta products, especially WhatsApp.
I can inform people, but I work with people from 50+ countries where Whatsapp is more common than iMessage, etc. It’s not as simple as asking my one friend in London I met in spring break in 1997 to change how we communicate.
no need can get rid of all of them and replace with other things, as someone said me earlier it is inertia that prevents this, I deleted the last of meta an hour after the changes - FB and do I miss it, nope ... people get conditioned and donlt think, do I really need this ..
WhatsApp provides great service for free calls with friends and family around the world… and for that reason, that’s the only Meta app I will maintain.
But note that all your Meta history was sold to Cambridge Analytica (Steve Bannon, Mercers…) over a decade ago, and has been updated continuously, including recent actual vote data (remember the “election integrity audits”? That’s gold). So, psychographicly, you’re nailed.
Depends on your needs for IG but there was a huge migration of artists from IG and Twitter to https://cara.app last year, if you haven't explored it already.
Was just talking to a client about this & we realized neither of us actually got clients from Instagram. We get them through word of mouth. She does an email newsletter that she's had success with. Insta is so cluttered & the algorithm is so weird it's hard to get much exposure there for most of us.
I am just starting to gain traction with my business. I have a very small email list. And Facebook is where I get people to sign up.
Ot just seems as though the oligarchy is strangling our options.
I am SO sorry my dude (gender neutral). I’ve been in this for 9.5 years but got severely interrupted by an aggressive leukemia, and now I’m entirely cooked.
On quitting Meta products. If you plan on downloading your Facebook, IG, and Threads data do not wait for the 20th. It's taken me four days for them to prep the downloads.
And it takes 30 days to actually delete your accounts.
I left all Meta properties back when the Cambridge Anylitica scandal broke. My mental health improved dramatically. And Twitter, I kept a presence there until Musk->Rat removed the block function.
My social media footprint is limited to here, and Reddit (Mostly gaming subs)
I did all of that. Ditched FB in 2016, Insta even earlier than that and Xwitter right after the last election. I wish that everyone knew how satisfying and sane it is to be rid of all of that nonsense. #Blackout2025
Oh yeah, dropped Amazon and Disney as well as the others due to their self abasement at his feet. Apparently Netflix did not contribute anything to Drumpf. I'll be reviving my Netflix account - broadcast/Cable tv is garbage.
If getting off Facebook entirely doesn’t work for you ( I kept it due to groups), you can make sure you spend no money there and limit your clicks ( they make money because of the advertisers interest in data). You will be making a difference and still have your account. 🔥💙
Deleted Facecrack, WhatsApp, Instagram and Threads in November. Haven’t missed any of them. Signal works exactly like WhatsApp except it’s not affiliated with Fuckerberg.
Yeah, and it sucks that they're a part of it, but unfortunately, unless WhatsApp screws up in such a way that it triggers a Twitter style exodus, no one will want to leave it.
I have a sister that lives in Europe. It’s how we keep in touch. She and her husband use it for all of their messaging and calls,too.
Is there a good alternative?
Thanks 👍🏿 At first I thought it was going to be so hard to do bc Facebook n IG was the only social media I had. I didn't have a Twitter account until I left FB then I left Twitter two years ago to Threads n now I left Threads to BlueSky a month ago it wasn't hard at all 😊
If Bluesky could get groups going I think that would go a long way toward being a Facebook replacement. I'm not sure what the secret would be with IG since you can post images and vids here too. Maybe just formatting stuff...filters and whatnot.
Simply turn your life back to yourself. Call people, write letters, meet in coffee, tea shops. Begin new clubs of books, art, language, etc. give it all up and receive a great gift of life. Find out who you are and all your new talents. Volunteer, find hobbies and learn to live again. 💙
My sister, rest her soul was still alive when fb etc was just getting started. Her favorite thing to say was write a letter. Sure do miss her ❤️ Thank you for reminding me of that. Such a beautiful memory.
Oh, I'm always finding ways to distract myself, absolutely no shame in that. But I can't just*stay* distracted forever, you have to take the blinders off eventually.
Maybe set up a zoom meeting one or two days a month at the same time, same day. We do that for our book clubs. It is fun to see people's faces and creative work. Good luck.
A local fiber arts group I used to attend in person did that during the pandemic when we were all shut in, but it didn't last long. I need to continue to think on it, and maybe I'll just have to go back to the platform that was my introduction to social media. Thanks for the suggestion!
They've failed spectacularly to monetise WhatsApp, so using it (as long as you don't use any of the "message this business!" features) is a net drain on the company.
So you cancel them too! There are so many BETTER options available, Ones not owned by billionaire man babies pushing their own agenda and who want to corrupt truth and democracy! Fuklberg and Musk can be brought down easily
Can't delete FB as it's the only way I stay in touch with 90% of my family and friends, who don't use other apps. Hoping an alternative comes along, like bluesky did for Twitter.
A few things I learned in life first each their own so no judgement. Second if family and friends care they call or come around. I don’t use Social media to stay in touch with people anymore. Text call use teamspeak to talk no need for the crap.
There's something comforting in general about social media and having your family on there. I can't explain it. Let people experience things in a manner which is most comforting or convenient to them. 🤷🏻♀️
It’s pretty easy to explain actually. Facebook ET al spent a lot of money and time building an addictive computer program and trapped your family inside of it. No mystery, it was designed to go just that
Got rid of FB a few years ago & absolutely do NOT regret it. Forced to keep FB messenger b/c that’s how family insists on group messaging. It’s a compromise I can live with. I don’t see garbage posts frm idiotic people or ads. When people say they miss seeing me on FB I tell them exactly why I left.
Really? You literally "can't"? Use BlueSky, telephones or actual MAIL. If your so-called friends and family can't adjust, you mean nothing to them anyway.
My family all has my phone number I delete FB first. They need me they can text me or call me. Same from me to them. I have several large Text message groups with friends and family for that very reason.
Me three. And...even with there was an alternative, you would then have to persuade all your friends and family to leave FB. Not just friends and family...local FB groups provide services.
Honestly, I think this reflex to up and leave really only works for people who hardly use it.
Disagree with respect. I was on fb for years and for hrs a day and I quit it when zuckerbutt had his meeting with the raciest dictator on so called free speech crap. Facebook is toxic in so many ways. Family, friends can call fb is the death of Social contact. I’m not going back.
I used to use FB heavily. Kept in touch with family and friends who are not local. Highly opinionated, sharing info, social commentary. I left a few years ago and never looked back. Do I miss the groups? Nah, I found others.
Partially; but, honestly, the inability to up and leave comes from becoming dependent on a service, thing, etc., which is what people in power often push for and love because it gives them leverage to wield.
I disagree. I am not dependent on it, I am a willing participant. I’ve always been aware that some of the things I don’t like about it (e.g ads) are there because they pay for what is a free service.
To each his own. I feel anyone using it as an expressly willing participant wouldn't even be concerned enough to say that only the people who don't use it can pop up and leave it. Anybody can leave it, even on reflex. The one constant in life is change, but people often forget that.
Me four. I kept fb to keep my sister's friends informed about her cancer fight. Also made some great environmental warrior friends. I had enough bs on fb yesterday and deleted it. I'll use the phone.
I agree with this. But just because someone doesn’t leave FB doesn’t mean they aren’t standing on principle and fighting the good fight in some other arena.
Not sure why it's a problem - I see my family and REAL friends in real life often enough. I have their phone numbers, and have encouraged some here, so I can message them. I still have WhatsApp for work, and they can also contact me there for now. No need for Facebook, Insta or Threads.
All my family live on a different continent and in any case I’m not a phone chatter Facebook has also facilitated most of my close childhood friends to reconnect. I get to see pictures of their children and grandchildren and they don’t have to send them to everyone, they just upload them once.
There's also the option to set up private subreddits for friends and family, if you need a centralised place to post photos and video. Hey, I'm not gonna shame though, convenience is a strong motivator.
Not always, sometimes you just have to bite the bullet, and bin it. Give people an alternate way to contact you. If they don't use it, then you're better off without them.
Am stuck with WhatsApp though, courtesy of work.
But…I don’t want to bin it. I enjoy facebook and get a lot out of it.
I am reminded of a doctor friend back in the day of Apartheid announcing that he was taking a stand and not going to a conference in SA. I said “Oh, will you be sorry to miss it?”
Just FYI. I didn't delete my Facebook account. I inactivated it. When you choose inactivate vs deletion, you can still use FB Messenger to stay in contact with family and friends. If you choose to keep your FB account active, be sure not to click on ads because that is a payday for Zuckerberg.
That wouldn't be the same. People tend to forget other people who are not using the same platform. Maybe I would invite them to events, but they will forget to reciprocate.
Eventually, you fall out.
Yep, that's my deal. But I am spending WAY less time on FB and am not posting anything as it may be used against me. Well, probably previously posted stuff will also be used against me by the Brusque thought police..
Yeah. IG is useless and I haven’t been there in years, but FB is my contacts list. I use WhatsApp only for people in other countries I can’t reach any other way, and then it’s not often.
I sent them invites to the Signal app, saying that's where they can find me if they still want to keep in touch. FB, insta, threads, whatsapp, all gone.
A couple of weeks ago I shared bsky, if people want to follow me here. I got a rant from a friend that he hates that everybody moves to different platforms and it is difficult to follow up with every one of those.
I also have a phone number that can receive calls, texts, and video chats if friends and family want to go old school. For some reason if it's not an app owned by a bigoted racist fascist, it's not good enough for them. 🤷🏼♀️
As an introverted person, I hate calls.
It is not about who owns these apps, that is not rooted in our lives. It's about the fear of missing out. It is easer to create an event and pick friends from a list to invite than to remember all the people that might be interested and call all 20+ of them.
I notify people where they can find me, once I've left a platform. Both phone & the new platform. If they are actual friends, they make the effort. If they don't, then they don't care enough about me to put in the effort. They aren't the kind of "friend" I want in my life.
If you don’t talk to your friends in real life (also texting) are they really friends? I deleted Facebook years ago, made me realize I really didn’t care what most of the people I was “friends” with were doing and actually helped establish more meaningful relationships with those I did care about
Same. What I have done is unliked FB pages and left FB groups, downloaded and deleted years of FB albums, deleted any personal info on my profile, and, on my computer, installed the FB purity extension on my computer browser to block all ads, reels, and suggested posts.
I'm a daily FB user, and I've felt the same way for years when people say they're leaving the platform, but I've decided if people want to stay in touch with me, they have a dozen other avenues. We maintained relationships pre-Meta. We can do it again.
What I did in FB - and we can spread the word - is tell my FB friends to not click on ads and not click on useless information (but potentially entertaining) click bait. I agree FB is great to keep in touch with others, but that has become 10% of the experience now. 90% is pure junk.
I’m aware. I’ll miss some of the content creators I’ve come to love, but if they stay there for the money, they are no less complicit or different than a person who stays in a toxic relationship for the financial security. Social media created voyeurs. It never made us better friends or people.
Telegram not particularly secure, which is kinda the same problem with many of them. Signal is a common option people like these days, it’s good but requires a phone number. SimpleX, Matrix Element, and Session are all really good messaging options if you want real privacy (no phone number needed).
Comments
Freedom of Speech is not Absolute, it comes with Responsibility!
#SanctionZuckerberg
#ZuckerbergSoldOut
More here: https://signal.org
My photos off and make alternative ways to keep in touch with loved ones.
What’s the instagram alternative?
Note that he doesn't have access to the e-mail account. He just used the address and got an account.
Never used it for advocacy etc but still now I am censored past 2 months
Lived without social media before & can do again.
My family use whatsapp.
Not so much lately:(
Deleted fakebook yrs ago would never do threads
J/k I know vaguely who they are, but I don't actually care.
It was set up like that to keep you. It totally controls people so they can’t quit it.
This isn't something that just became evident in year 2025. The problems have been known about for years now, more people should be aware.
Facebook won't disappear in one year either. But eventually it will. That's why Z is so desperate.
And Instagram is pretty well liked if we’re all being honest…
Just the beginning dear
Gotta love when Karma hits instantly.
Although I can’t quite decide if I want to get off Facebook and Instagram. I was never on Threads.
Ot just seems as though the oligarchy is strangling our options.
And it takes 30 days to actually delete your accounts.
My social media footprint is limited to here, and Reddit (Mostly gaming subs)
They want your children straight, white, armed and angry.
MAGA must Lie, Cheat and Steal! Abortion. Guns. Equality. End Christian nationalism!Maga is the CONFEDERACY!! https://www.au.org/donate/
They want your children straight, white, armed and angry.
MAGA must Lie, Cheat and Steal! Abortion. Guns. Equality. End Christian nationalism!Maga is the CONFEDERACY!! https://www.au.org/donate/
They want your children straight, white, armed and angry.
MAGA must Lie, Cheat and Steal! Abortion. Guns. Equality. End Christian nationalism!Maga is the CONFEDERACY!! https://www.au.org/donate/
Was it the ultimate contributor? It will never be known what the almost 38% couch potato no-shows could have chipped into the frying pan.
Santa Ana wind in Hollywood, CA
Screen cap from photography
by https://onscene.tv Jan 9, 2025
Is there a good alternative?
Friction is a thing, and people want to use the thing that has the least amount of friction possible.
Signal is a possibility.
Zuckerberg can fuck off.
I don't begrudge anyone a "lose yourself" day or two (myself included), but we are in a fight for our very lives.
We’ll do better if we stick together.
P.S. charging me to get back in.
Really? You literally "can't"? Use BlueSky, telephones or actual MAIL. If your so-called friends and family can't adjust, you mean nothing to them anyway.
Let’s face it, you’re saying can’t but you mean you’re just not going to
Honestly, I think this reflex to up and leave really only works for people who hardly use it.
I deleted anyway. coming on 2 weeks now.
Get your family's phone numbers and text them. We existed before FB and we can do it again.
Please don't tell me what to do, or how to resist what's happening in the world.
Leaving wasn't easy. But to pretend it's impossible is silly.
I have this fear that I would miss out so much. And I would, I know how these things work.
Am stuck with WhatsApp though, courtesy of work.
I am reminded of a doctor friend back in the day of Apartheid announcing that he was taking a stand and not going to a conference in SA. I said “Oh, will you be sorry to miss it?”
Sorry, that kind of “stand” doesn’t really count imo.
(And I’m not saying that all of you who are leaving FB won’t find it hard and a loss, just that I was reminded of that.)
Eventually, you fall out.
Have a group chat via Messenger.
Meta is 🚮
One could use Signal as well.
I hear Telegram is useful, but it’s associated with a lot of unsavory characters.
I kinda understand it.
It is not about who owns these apps, that is not rooted in our lives. It's about the fear of missing out. It is easer to create an event and pick friends from a list to invite than to remember all the people that might be interested and call all 20+ of them.
I'm certain your friends and family on Facebook have phones.
Phone call?
I'm very ignorant about Telegram, sorry.😅
What would you recommend?
Start using only cash too.