Leaving Facebook: Breaking the Social Media Monopoly

As you might be aware, I’m thinking of leaving Facebook for a variety of reasons, striking off into a better place to interact with readers but also find peace. I’m not heading off into the bush like a hermit, but I’m just not willing to play by the rules Facebook is enacting. I recognize it’s easy to be there and we’re used to it. Facebook has trained us to think we ‘need’ it to connect. But it’s also tightening a noose around social media and making us follow rules that benefit a company and in particular, white entitled males (don’t get me started on the double standard that women users face everyday – it’s too long a story).

It’s the frog in the pot analogy. At first, the frog doesn’t notice anything’s wrong. Then you turn up the heat just a little. The frog gets used to it and doesn’t hop out. So you turn up the heat a little more. You keep doing this until the frog slowly boils to death because it was a slow burn (see what I did there? 😀 )

Facebook’s upcoming Terms of Service (TOS) has some alarming changes for me. Some folks will surely tell me, “Eh it’s not that bad and the benefits outweigh the drawbacks.” Right, for them, they’re still the frog – it’s not that bad. But for me, I’m ready to hop out of the pot.

A sister author and friend asked me where I’d be if not on Facebook, and that got me thinking. We have a lot of social media sites, but Facebook has us stuck with them as long as we play by their rules. It’s time to break the monopoly on our time. So where else can you find me?

Patreon is a great way to keep up with me and get some great exclusives, including the live streaming cooking videos. There are four tiers to fit any budget and I’d love to share with you.

MeWe for Facebook-esque posts and images, and the #flashfiction groups. Yes, #ThursThreads has a group there where you can get the announcements about the weekly challenge.

YouTube – I have a channel, but I can only do live cooking videos there if I have 1000 followers or more, so please follow me there. Let’s make this a regular thing!

Instagram – I’m not a pro, but you still get images from me, usually of wildlife, my writing partner (Hobbes), and my yard. And now I can do live posts there too.

Edenbooks.com has a place for purchases like ARe and social media side like MeWe and Facebook. I only have 18 friends there at the moment, but I post just like on Facebook.

Sign up for my newsletter. It’s weekly so you can find out the latest pretty quick, but I don’t spam you and I only send to those who want to be there.

The new rules coming as of Oct 1 for Facebook – I got another warning today – make it harder for me to be on Facebook – so I’m not willing to stay.

So leave a comment here to let me know you saw it and where you’ll look for me. Heck you can even just come here each day. 🙂

12 Replies to “Leaving Facebook: Breaking the Social Media Monopoly”

  1. I have your blog on my RSS feed so I see your posts, and that’s usually how I get notice of #ThursdayThreads. I seldom post on my personal page and only post on my author page so I can touch base with the few readers who care. Instagram is owned and controlled by FB and it’s all about influencers. I’m not one of those. Twitter is a hell-hole of trolls. I remember the days before social media and we managed to get by. Sadly, people are spoiled by the instant gratification of social media platforms. Ah well. What do I know. I’m a dinosaur obviously out of touch with the hip and insiders. And that doesn’t bother me much. Since backing away from FB and Twitter for the most part, my mental health is much better and my blood pressure has come down.

    I wish you luck on your quest, m’friend. I’ll look for you here.

    1. yeah, I know that Instagram is Facebook’s younger cousin but I figure if I can get folks there, I might as well try. I’m not great at it but I’m learning to be more active. And I think I need the same thing with the posts. I don’t have the time or energy to devote to the anger and fear Facebook now supplies. I haven’t deleted my account, but I don’t think I’ll be there as much. I’m glad you find me here, Silver. And I’m still on Messenger even without Facebook.

  2. I agree 100%. Those of us old enough to remember the days before the internet, cellphones, etc. shake our heads at those who say “I couldn’t live without _____”. We lived just fine, if not, better before. And people actually used that grey matter in their heads back then to think with and were a lot healthier as, if you wanted to know what books an author had out, you left your house and went to a bookstore/library and looked or asked. If you wanted to know what time a store was open, you either took your chances phoning, or, you went to the store and checked the hours. If you wanted to know how your friend’s trip was, you visited them or called them and actually talked to them. If they lived far away and didn’t have a phone, you sat down, wrote a letter, then got up and mailed it.
    I keep in touch with all my author friends through email and messages mostly, with the odd YouTube video added to the mix.

    1. Yeah, things have shifted with the electronic age, and some I wouldn’t go back to, but while I like keeping up with friends and colleagues on Facebook, I just can’t agree to the terms of service they’re shoving down our throats and that’s where they say, “Don’t like it? Then leave.” So I’m taking them up on the “leave” part. It’s definitely an adjustment for me and I will miss parts of it. But I just can’t play their game anymore.

  3. I got to the same conclusion months ago, but so wrapped up in getting one manuscript ready to send to beta reader and then launching straight into another one, I didn’t get time to post my reasons for leaving Facebook. Then they decided to ban men for 30 days for having the audacity to say Americans were being extraordinarily selfish, etc. during this pandemic. Their news TOS merely confirms my initial decision to leave. Facebook is no longer an open social media site. We’re inundated with ads and pitches to spend money for them to promote our books. It’s nothing but a money making operation and burgeoning playground for the ultra right (of which I personally believe Zuck is a member). My alter ego is already on MeWe and hope to see more authors join there. Hadn’t thought about Eden books. Will sign up there and follow you. Think this is for the best. Time for us to spread our wings beyond the safety net of Facebook. Hope Patreon works out well for you. ❤️❤️???

    1. Yeah, Cheryl, you might be right about Zuck and I don’t like his whole demeanor and responses to stuff. And yeah, they’ve banned me for 30 days for violating “community standards” on old images I’d never post these days but the minute I got back onto Facebook after that 30 days was a mostly naked woman with a plastic light saber across her breasts and the man who posted never got tagged for violating standards. I was furious. The double standard is alive and well. There’s some relief in walking away.

    1. That’s fantastic, Delaine. Also, I’m thinking I need to be more active here on my blog. So you can definitely find me here, too.

    2. I gradually stopped posting on social media in the last 18 months and I don’t miss it at all. The double standard is one of many reasons that I jumped out of the pot.
      I receive your newsletter and will have to check out Edenbooks. I am sure your fans will find you!

      1. I think it’s wise to step back for sure, Angie, and I hate that double standard. But I do know a lot of people subscribe to my RSS feed so they know about my posts. I think I’ll be increasing my posts here – use it more like I used Facebook and see if I can build a bigger following.

  4. I haven’t deleted my page or profile but I’ve scaled down my FB posts and stopped using it for any kind of social interaction. I have been exploring GoodReads which is reader/author friendly with advertising options available.

    Good luck, Siobhan. I have your blog on my RSS feed so I will continue enjoying your posts.

    1. I think you’re really wise to take those steps back from Facebook, Gem. I hadn’t thought of Goodreads for advertising. I might have the check that out. I also think I need to make my blog a lot more active now and get news to people here.

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