After a 4-year hiatus from Facebook, and writing it off so many times (here, here, and here), what really made me come back? Three precise reasons to start with.
Reason 1: The hidden profile isn’t hidden anymore
Facebook has this weird habit of changing privacy settings and default behaviors. It was always possible to have a profile that others could not search for. I used that kind of profile to run the PMC Lounge Facebook page. But one fine day, Facebook decided to show my profile to everyone. All of a sudden, I started getting friend requests. People who know me personally began asking if it was a fake profile.
Reason 2: Limit political posts in your feed
Facebook introduced a new setting that lets you limit political posts you see. I learned about it from an article and really wanted to try it out. Based on my experience so far, it partially works. More importantly, I do not feel like scrolling through my feed to begin with.
Reason 3: Instagram feels like influencer media now
My main Instagram profile is private. I do not follow celebs or influencers because it is strictly for friends and acquaintances. But Instagram has started to feel more like influencer media than social media. The suggested reels, the sharing of reels, and the cookie-based ads make everything feel like an opportunity to influence and sell rather than stay in touch. I thought Facebook might be better at that. It is in some ways but definitely not enough. Partly because so many of my friends do not post there anymore. Also, Facebook too pushes a lot of sponsored and influencer posts, just like Instagram.
But having said that, I must admit, Facebook feels more like social media compared to the influencer media vibe on Instagram. Many people might have abandoned it. Some even took the extreme step of inactivating their accounts, like I did. Others continue to stay dormant. Younger people (read: Gen Z) never created Facebook accounts, perhaps because the people they want to socialize with are not there either. Still there’s a flip side. Many millennials never switched to Instagram. They stay on Facebook, posting status updates and uploading photo albums. They keep it as their main social platform. That honestly surprises me.
Where do we go from here?
Frankly, nowhere big. I was an active user during Facebook’s peak, but that ship has sailed. I saw firsthand how it turned vitriol into a business model. The comments sections became battlegrounds for keyboard warriors arguing politics and religion endlessly. That boosts app opens and ad opportunities. I do not want any of it. So while I stay on Facebook, the focus will be on the PMC Lounge page and perhaps sharing stories and life updates from my Instagram for a wider net.
How about you? Do you use Facebook?
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