Why I Left Facebook and Removed Myself from Social Media
For years, I was active on Facebook. I shared moments from my life and connected with people from different stages of my journey. Thought I was building meaningful relationships. But over time, I began to feel something shifting. What I once considered a community of friends started to feel more like a place of shallow connections and constant comparison. It took me a while to realize this, but when I did, I knew it was time to walk away.
One of the hardest truths I’ve come to terms with is that Facebook “friends” often aren’t real friends. The platform, designed to keep us connected, ended up creating a façade of relationships. People liked my posts and commented on my pictures. But when it came to truly connecting on a deeper level, many of those interactions were empty. I found myself seeking validation through likes and comments from people I rarely spoke to in real life. It started to feel like a performance rather than an authentic experience.
The Illusion of Connection
Facebook “friends” are not always true friends. On the surface, it seems like we’re staying in touch, but these interactions are often shallow. Liking someone’s post or commenting on their photo feels like a connection, but it’s not. It’s surface-level engagement that lacks depth. Over time, I began to feel more disconnected from the people I once thought I was staying close to.
The Dangers of Social Media
Social media platforms like Facebook thrive on attention and addiction. Every like, every comment, every share gives us a small hit of dopamine, but it’s fleeting. Instead of enhancing our relationships, social media creates competition. I found myself comparing my life to others, feeling inadequate because I wasn’t living the “perfect” life portrayed on my feed. While many people are suffering mental illness, depression and are truly struggling with life!
Moreover, the constant exposure to this digital world drains our energy. It steals our attention from the present moment and pulls us into a virtual space where genuine connection is often lost. But mostly, Social Media Platforms promotes fake news, people believe everything they read on social media. As for X formerly known as Twitter. Absolute tripe!
The Disconnection from Real Conversations
In a world dominated by digital interaction, real-life conversations are suffering. I realized that while I had hundreds of “friends” on Facebook, I wasn’t really talking to anyone in a meaningful way. I missed genuine conversations, eye contact, and the warmth of a phone call. Social media often replaces those intimate moments with quick, hollow exchanges that don’t fulfill our need for connection.
Choosing Peace Over Likes
When I decided to leave Facebook, it felt like I was cutting ties. But in truth, I was freeing myself from a space that wasn’t bringing me joy. Leaving gave me peace. It allowed me to focus on real relationships, the kind that exist beyond a screen. It opened up time for face-to-face conversations, for meaningful connection, and for finding happiness offline.
I do have a Facebook page and an Instagram page for Pure Photography. As I share my blogging, experiences, and travels. And my photography. I am very grateful to belong to a group of bloggers from all over the world, where we can share experiences and learn new things daily! I have found this to be much more interesting. Than reams of people living thier “best” life on Social Media.
Real Life is Offline
In the end, social media is a tool, not a necessity. True friends will stay, and the ones that disappear are never really there. Real life, with its conversations, connections, and moments, is happening offline. That’s where I want to be.
I have real-life connections, that I talk to and spend time with. My friends see me at my worst and my best. The older I am, the more I have realized that quality is better than quantity. I am blessed to have a handful of incredible real connections.
4 Comments
I have always said that social media (SA) is not a real place. This is especially true for people like myself who grew up without social media and had strong face-to-face social interactions with people. Facebook and other social media platforms are used as a marketing tool to drive people to my blog site. I agree that our followers’ interactions are shallow and transactional, especially if they are also Bloggers. But SA is a business. I do not take it personally. I started blogging during the pandemic for fun. I hope you reconsider staying on Facebook. I love your content and I believe you have a lot to share with the world. You are having a greater impact on people’s lives than you know.
I have Social Media for my Blogging and Photography. But don’t have any personal pages. I have found that the older I get the more I want more personal connection, and less “screen time”
I have my social media for my blog, but I rarely check out my personal page. I actually have found more connection with my fellow bloggers than my “true friends” I have known for years. Sad, I know. However, I find there to be so much more beauty in my blogging community without drama.
I only have FB that is my personal one, the other are for my writing, and I left Twitter. I still have FB as I live abroad and so it’s good to know sometimes what people are up to and keep in touch or organise events. So, really it depends what we use them for, but yes, I agree they can be addictive. But then through social media I connected with some lovely people and created some great connections.