I don't do facebook. Never did and probably never will. I say "probably" because they might find new ways to get to the few of us "who can see it".
The following is a recollection of experiences gathered from friends and colleagues who use facebook, because, remember, I don't use facebook, read on.
Research has found, that facebook users aren't the happiest people. This is mainly because everyone else's life is better than theirs, at least that's what it's meant to look like on facebook. People have a tendency to just post the good and often untrue things to make them feel better knowing others will feel jealous and inferior.
In my view, facebook got too big, and because of that the many evil forces behind it won't let it do good. They are intoxicated by the vast amounts of data people submit and they can use that data to invade your privacy and that of others while making truckloads of money every single minute, meanwhile you waste your time and get depressed in the process. If you use facebook, it's best to quit now before you bury yourself any further, this is my honest advice.
The system is like a runaway diesel [2], it feeds itself, you can't escape the frenzy, everyone is on it, the pressure is on, and its meant to be on relentlessly until those not using the platform, concede, perhaps in a moment of weakness, clouded judgement or momentarily numbness of the brain.
It's impossible to stay private, have a look at the privacy settings. How many of you have gone through each one of them? They knew what they were doing. It's designed like that so you give up, and remember, it's impossible to stay private on facebook. The best way is to stop and never go back.
And then there's the ads, ads, and more ads. Too much, too often, it's just a money making strategy for the company at your expense, remember, facebook is one of the largest advertising firms in the world and you are feeding it your data, your life details and what's worse, you are also giving away data that's not yours, your friends, your family, your connections, simply by mentioning their names or posting a picture of you with them.
Facebook tracks you, they track everything. What you say, what you don't say, to whom you say it to, when, how, why, they even do face recognition. So, that picture of you in the background can now easily be linked to people at the front. That link, will then be noted and used sooner or later by facebook's evil code.
What you write can never be erased, this is true not only for facebook but it's worse in facebook (and I know what I'm talking about), so that misjudged and/or misguided post you deleted some time ago and though was gone, still lives on somewhere, might not be publicly available right now, but it was noted down and will resurface when you least expect, perhaps when you become the Mayor of your town, a government Minister or even the President of your country.
To facebook you are cannon fodder, yes, you are mince meat, a lab rat, and worse of all, expendable. They conduct unlawful experiments on you that are negligent to the extreme. Quit now.
When people ask me, how come you don't use facebook? My answer is simple; "I worked for facebook!" I don't say a word after that. I can see their eyes glazing up for a few seconds as they process what it means and how deep trouble they are in. I often hear back; "that bad?" to which I say; "it's worse, stop now". It's as if people expect me to be on facebook, after all, I'm a tech guy, and not using facebook defies logic, that's how pervasive the platform has become.
I truly feel I'm not missing out by not using facebook. In fact, it's the opposite. I feel happy. I don't have to endure a barrage of unwanted announcements designed to make me feel I'm missing out and how good others are, also my life is not out there. It's a good thing.
And then there's the alleged connection of facebook with the mafia, governments, corporations, it's just a very bad mix. I struggle to understand why so many people fall into this trap, maybe people have been brain washed not to see, too much fluoride in the water, something is going on and it's just plain sad to observe from the outside.
Remember, this platform was created by a guy in university who wanted to see pictures of girls. This is the place millions of people now expose their lives, get depression, addiction, anxiety and unhappiness while doing it, good job Mark.
My advice to you; stop using facebook. Tell everyone you know, to stop. There are other less intrusive and happier/healthier ways to keep in touch, maybe simple private messaging, or, through personal websites as it used to be. These social networks all start small and well-intended, but as soon as they break a certain milestone, and the money from certain bad players start to flow in, all the good intentions and constrains go out of the window.
So it's definitely a big thumbs down from me and I hope this post can help you regain your happiness and privacy. Stop now. Please.