I left Facebook to preserve my mental health. I am never going back.
100% fair! Not everyone can muster the will to wander into that hellhole. Some brave few might try :)
Here’s my problem: I don’t want the general user base of Facebook to move here.
I may have used Facebook as a bit of a provocative example here... But even on Facebook, there are certain groups that could enjoy the fediverse.
The fediverse should be for everyone.
Even trolls, Nazis and other actively malicious people?
Unfortunately, I say yes. And hear me out first please.
The Fediverse in my eyes should be free. Free to have instances for everyone, including those we disagree with. Because in my opinion, the right to say and think what we want is very important (absolute free speech). And unfortunately, i think that means everyone should be allowed to say what they want. HOWEVER, free speech does not mean free of consequences. The option of federating with those groups or not is up to each community and fortunately I think many would not be okay with including them.
I'm always open to hearing input as these are personal thoughts so by all means add to or let me know the errors in my thinking. Thanks!
Current platforms like Lemmy are NOT ready for massive amounts of users. They have very poor moderation controls, no effective strategy to combat bots, and no money to pay people for it.
The only reason Lemmy is usable right now is because it has nerdy people using it in good faith. If it were to gain critical mass it would collapse under the deluge of trolls and bots.
It's a quaint little place, and I like it for being that.
And it has enthusiasts running and moderating things that are just about able to keep up with the userbase.
It wouldn't take much more to be overwhelming.
My first thought was, how the hell are people still on Facebook?! 🤣
I see your point, but the most repeated reason/excuse for not leaving Meta (or other big tech platforms) is "I can't, all my contacts are on there". So the longer anybody stays on that dumpster fire, the more they add to the network effect.
My suggestion would be, announce that you're leaving, posting links to where people can find you going forward, and log off for a couple of weeks' grace period. Then login only to download your data and delete the account.
That way, you've given your contacts time to find your new profiles (and maybe their first glimpse of the fediverse), and you're off the treadmill — the contacts who will miss you enough to follow you off FB are probably the ones worth keeping 😉
Edit: added a comma and closed a quotation for clarity.
Is there any real benefit to deleting the account? I don't see what harm a dead account could do. I have a instagram account that has my real name on it, and I'd hate to have someone potentially impersonate me. I instead posted a link to my personal website and also linked my Bluesky account in the bio, stating that I will no longer be using instagram or regularly checking it.
Is there any real benefit to deleting the account?
I will no longer be using Instagram or regularly checking it.
I think you answered part of the question there: An inactive account is just bait for you to return and be sucked back in by the network effect. That's basically what "not regular checking" implies — that you may check less often but still log in occasionally.
On the other hand, deleting the account sends a message to Meta (who don't care about you individually, but mass exodus will be noticeable on their bottom line) and more importantly spur your contacts to move as well. Also, you make up your mind instead of keeping the abusive relationship with Meta an option.
Edited to add: Orphaned, unmonitored accounts are often the source of pwned passwords, which makes them an attack vector especially if you're not using strong, individual passwords for different sites. /end edit.
Impersonation is a tiny but possible risk, I guess — depending on how valuable you would be as a mark for scammers. Most people probably wouldn't even be on their radar. It's not something I would take into account, especially as Facebook and Instagram become less trustworthy or secure platforms in and of themselves.
So yes, there are benefits, per OP's point about first movers motivating others — and showing decisive action rather than leaving a door ajar (i.e. a dormant account) in case Zuckerberg shows slightly less oligarchic tendencies next week.
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