Online interactions have become increasingly rude and combative. Particularly during this presidential election cycle. Now that the election is decided, I don’t see that condition improving. This style of dealing with differing opinions by name calling, lying, and fabricating stories to stoke fear about an opponent has paid off handsomely and will continue to be the model for the foreseeable future. And I don’t wish to participate.
Politics in America has not only largely replaced religion, it has become a religion. Facebook, X/Twitter, Threads, and other platforms are the churches, mosques, and synagogues for the faithful. The dogma and symbols are being erected and the pantheon of deities is being populated. And there is no tolerance for those who wish to question the sacred beliefs of the party. Politicians occupy the pulpit, eager to cast stones at others while engaging in immoral behaviors and making deals for personal gain, all in the name of a deceptive righteousness and while enjoying the blind allegiance of likeminded worshipers.
Trying to avoid these interactions while using any of these platforms is as difficult as trying to function without them. So while I don’t see that it will be possible to delete my Facebook account because of it’s integration with other apps and hardware, I have deleted all social media apps from all of my devices. I have not visited X/Twitter in over a year, although I did not actually delete the account. My goal is to someday say the same about Facebook, but for now I’ll likely need to keep access in order to be able to login and approve a sign-in to a connected website or app from time to time.
I know I will miss out on seeing pictures and updates from people important to me, but hopefully this move will strengthen connections in the real world. Because that’s the world, the one where people look each other in the eyes when talking to them, that matters.