Deactivating Facebook for just a few weeks reduces belief in fake news
Deactivating Facebook for just a few weeks reduces belief in fake news
The largest study ever carried out on social media deactivation has found that disconnecting lowers users political participation and also their propensity to believe misinformation
Platforms like Facebook have an incredible hold on some people. I remember a few years ago when the "Momo" hoax happened, an older coworker arrived at the office and started warning us about the danger of "Momo" they'd seen on Facebook. I'd already heard about the hoax (and was aware of the original creepyasta origins), and brought up a few news articles explaining it, including an official statement from the police. Everyone seemed satisfied by the truth, except for the Facebook addict. They just gave me a blank stare, and a few hours later I heard them telling another group of colleagues to beware of "Momo" getting to their children.
I have family members and longstanding family friends who have succumbed to this. Interestingly almost all of them were decrying the internet as something that couldn't be trusted before the age of social media.
One of the best decisions I made was deleting my Facebook. I really mean that, one of the best decisions in my entire life. Not getting sucked into the absolute bullshit fest that greedy shit fuckers like Mark Zuckerberg set up for humanity is extremely relieving. Don't compare yourself to other people, you be you, just try to be your best self, it's worth it. Don't let the billionaire leeches of society take everything from you, fuck Facebook.
I'm convinced those who want to be fearful of things will immediately latch onto a new source of misinformation.
This isn't to say Facebook is good, or that we shouldn't try to have stronger punishment for misinformation that leads to public harm, just that "people are dumb, panicky dangerous animals"
The last time I logged on to Facebook was this past fall because there was a death in our fairly tight knit group of high school classmates. It had been three or four years since I'd been in there.
So I went on and said my words.
While I was there, I didn't really notice what was in my feed.
What I noticed was suddenly I was getting notification after notification that my posts from years and years ago were getting deleted because they didn't fit whatever the current terms and conditions of use were.
This amused me.
So I left my words of dead classmate up for a week then sent my account silent again.
I can't see Facebook or any social media being a place I ever hang out again, which is a little bit of a bummer because without any social media, IRL social activities all but come to an immediate and total halt.
Oh well. I'll live.
Don't turn off Facebook! Mark has a Yacht to feed!
No shit? Why didn’t anybody tell us?
Given how FB's algorithm stacks their feed and hides real information, that's not surprising.
I disabled my account four years ago when I realized how much plague stupidity and election stupidity on there was harming my mental health.
I doubt I will ever formally delete my account, as it’s the only source for pictures of some now-deceased family members. If hell freezes over and there’s a legit unavoidable need for me to be on there, I’m using desktop+web browser only, and probably in a browser that only gets used for the monthly visit to FB.
Facebook is 100% shitposts. Most of my friends on it have aged out of posting every little thing and so it’s mostly shitposts and soft core porn disguised as short form videos on the Facebook feed and not any of my friends that I actually wanted to follow when I made my account in the 00s.
I really want to delete my account but I still have to use it to organize class reunions and alumni events for my old high school. I’m going to try to float the idea that we move to a mailing list instead. I’d rather buy a domain and maintain a website for that than continue using Facebook for free
Deactivated my Facebook for 2 years now. Zero regrets.
Deleting Facebook forever reduces stress and desinformation long-term.
That is not surprising at all. That’s like saying laying off the conspiracy theory conventions for a while reduces your belief in conspiracy theories.
I still have Facebook but pretty much just for messaging.. and honestly I don't even check it.
I had 6 unread messages and 30 plus notifications when I checked a moment ago.
Pretty happy with the results.
I just 'deactivate' people that share news on facebook. I use FB to give my family (who don't live near me) and friends a small slice of what's going on in my world. I don't post daily/weekly but I only post stuff I create. I also use it for groups/market place since most forums went to FB groups.
I expect the same from my connections, and unfollow anyone that just forwards things (news, memes, other posts). This little bit of management has made my FB feed 'ok'
See, I'm not real big on facebook, but I have an account because I live a considerable distance from when I am from. (Also because marketplace is nice.)
Lately those cockballs have been refollowing people I have unfollowed and it is a clusterfuck on there now. I just have to ignore the feed because it's full of trump shit and religious shit yet again.
Can confirm giving up popular social media has made my life a lot better. You don't need to know half the shit your friends are up to. It's just going to hurt you. Go outside. Take part in trivia night. Make new friends. Feel the grass beneath your feet.
Meh. I have facebook but don't really use it much. my condo has a page so its like a semi public chat and sometimes have communication with folks. Certainly never use the feed though and I hate checking it every few weeks. I certainly don't want anyone im connected to to think they will get a faster response if they hit me up there. I bet other things besides facebook spreads bs though. I see it with youtube users. I use youtube but I don't really chase my feed.
I left FB back in 2020 among other social media accounts.
The problem with people, just in general.. regardless of who they are, what they believe in, what part of the world they live in... they just read headlines and quickly post it for attention. They don't take the time to read it, ingest it, question it, find other sources to provide more details or to counter the story. People don't care to have a holistic view of an issue and that's sad. At the same time I also blame the chitty producers of said news and the titles they decide to go with and how they love to bury the more important information 4-5-6-7 paragraphs or more down the page.. you have to read all this bs fluff to finally get to the meat and potatoes of the issue.
I'm hoping that some how, some way, an unbiased AI is created just for internet search purposes, where it can gather all the data, analyze it, then present its findings into a summary with all the sources listed.
Never had a facebook, still won't have a facebook
This title is ambiguous: reduces belief in the fake news topics themselves, vs. that fake news exists.
Anyway, yes, it does wonders for mental health and sanity to unplug from that cesspit of human "alternative knowledge"!:-P
It'll make you feel infinitely better all around. I got rid of mine almost a year ago.
For me social media in general is best at a minimum.
So I was right when I thought social media is propelling us to collapse and that it is analogous to cigarettes on a collective scale.
Small solace though, it already permeated every corner of civilization changing us in mostly bad ways.
I think we really need to choose our social media carefully knowing that every type has their own mental illness flavour risks from body dysmorphia to groupthink. We need to be self aware of our shortcomings and tricks employed by corps for harvesting engagement.
Nowadays you turn off your brain and browse social media to relax but you should rather do the opposite. Focus the brain knowing the site was purposefully made to trick you to spend as much time on it as possible and invest as much emotions as possible. This isn’t some harmless casual leisure activity, you become a cog in a corporation war for information when you open the site. On unfriendly territory, a battlefield of digital war, you ought to wear a helmet at least.
Left it long ago in 2017. Never looked back.
It's a mental addiction itself. those who may try to detox themselves obviously will have to go through the withdrawal symptoms.
Deleted my account in 2017. Cambridge analytica scandal was what got me to go. An account on FB is a liability.
Permanently Deleted
For my relatives Facebook's not the problem, it's all the far right wing propaganda on YouTube that makes claims without backing them up with any sort of evidence. The more they watch, the more they believe it, and the less they believe evidence to the contrary.
Deleting it all together is better.