I’ve been in a quandary because I don’t want to accept something that is blatantly true. I wouldn’t say I like it, but Facebook became essential somewhere along the way and I am not sure we can turn it off.
While I admire those who sign off of Facebook and delete their accounts, I really can’t imagine doing that myself. I have seen those who were ‘finished’ with Facebook, only to come back in a few months. I also have talked with many who are not on Facebook, but their spouse or someone close is and they share. Why has Facebook become essential?
First, a vast number of people have Facebook accounts. Facebook has 291 billion active users*. That means that most of the people you know have a Facebook account and use it. Facebook connects you not only to people you know, but people they know, and random strangers who may have similar interests. Most people use it daily, especially in mobile formats.
Another reason why Facebook has become essential is that this is how we now do relationships. It’s how we keep up with one another. How many of us are much more likely to take a glance at someone’s Facebook profile rather than give them a call or (now a rarity) send a note … on paper … through the mail? We send them an electronic inquiry on Messenger or we just @ them in a post.
Layered onto that reality is another - we have developed relationships with people across the world through Facebook connections. This is especially through groups or what is now called ‘communities’. We wouldn’t be able to call or write them, much less visit them, if we wanted to. The sheer number of them would make that impossible. Added to that is the lack of personal contact information beyond Facebook. I’m not saying that’s all bad - I feel very connected to many people that have been a constant connective presence in my life through the Facebook platform. Facebook has become entrenched in the way we relate to others and has replaced almost every kind of relationship communication in existence. That includes business relationships.
Facebook became essential to business. Facebook has over 10 million advertisers. When someone whines about there being too many ads on Facebook, they are recognizing something that most of us just overlook. 75% of Facebook users visit a local business page on Facebook at least once each week. Facebook’s revenue in quarter 4 of 2021 was $32.639 million. The business world believes in Facebook. Often we depend on ads, pages, or communities for the information we need.
Social media is here to stay. And not just Facebook. Over 96% of Facebook users use other social media platforms as well.
Facebook became essential by attempting to become the answer to the questions we didn’t ask of it. How can I share my life with others? How do I keep in touch with friends? How do I make new friends? Where do I purchase things I want and need?
Can we walk away?
Walking away from Facebook sounds tempting. It has taken up a huge part of our lives. I’ve been wanting to spend less time on the platform, but I end up there anyway. Hitting refresh. Amazed by the creativity of people. Supported and encouraged by many connections made possible by social media. Alerted to the pains of the hurting. Entertained to death. Irritated by the constant commentary of voices who feel they must be heard. It’s just all a bit … LOUD… isn’t it? Has it become truly essential?
And that is what Facebook is banking on. They want me to believe I need them to connect with my audience. They need me there (they need all of us there) to fuel their algorithms. They want me to believe there is no other way to survive as an online business. Or human. And so yes – this is terrifying. Can I really connect with my audience without Facebook? That is something I guess I will find out. - Lisa Call
It is nostalgic to think back to a time when we gathered at the church or the marketplace or the front porch, got caught up with real-life friends and neighbors, pitched in to help when we could, stayed busy with our work, and knew everyone in the community. Not any longer. It all happens on a screen.
Facebook isn’t just a social media platform. It has taken on the role of something essential. It doesn’t really matter how I feel about that, but I wish it played a lesser role in our lives. There’s something out of balance in knowing what’s happening in the lives of hundreds (?) of people I’ll never meet, but not knowing what’s happening in my neighborhood.
And while I love Substack, I’m going to share a link to this post … on Facebook and Twitter.
Do you have a love/hate relationship with Facebook (social media)? What do you think? Did Facebook help you survive the Covid-19 pandemic? Is it truly essential?
*All of the statistics in this post came from a resource called 63 Statistics You Need To Know in 2022.
Why Leaving Facebook is Good For You and How to Quit It by Leyla Abdullayeva
Why I’m Leaving Facebook by Lisa Call
"Facebook became essential by attempting to become the answer to the questions we didn’t ask of it. How can I share my life with others? How do I keep in touch with friends? How do I make new friends? Where do I purchase things I want and need?"
This quote is gold. Many of us had a void and Facebook filled it. Many years ago, my best friends moved to a small town hours away. How would we keep in touch? Am I to just miss out on life with them? How could I avoid that sorrow? Hello Facebook. Thanks for helping out!
I've tried to embrace social media. I've tried to ignore social media. I can't seem to find the right balance. It's part of my job description now, so there is no way to avoid it. Still, how can I best use it? How can I maximize the benefits and reduce the headaches? At no time was it so helpful and destructive as during the pandemic. I lost friends and I gained new ones. It was like being jumbled up and shaken only to come out the other side with a different view of family and friends. We live in interesting times.
I'm not sure if it would hurt me a lot if I left Facebook. I loved writing letters in the past. Email is so impersonal. And no one left to write to. I do try to send notes and cards as Im able to our shut ins or sick. I wonder how much tech has caused us to be more separate than bringing us together. I think on this a lot. But with so many with busy-ness in their lives it is hard to build true, deep relationships. Yes, FB keeps us connected to brothers and sisters near and far. Wouldn't it be great to really MAKE the TIME to fellowship again. Maybe because I am older, I remember. I do enjoy politics and feeling like maybe if one person hears a message that might get us back on track...it would be so worth it. Because I HAVE been thru SO MUCH in my life. I can encourage sick, hurting, loneliness of some. NO, it is not the same as sitting beside someone. All our family is gone except for a few nephews and nieces. But only close to 2. The same with sharing Christ thru a meme or a passage, or story or sharing of my own life, it too is worth it. Yes, maybe a bit of withdrawal because we have become addicted. And I'm not a preacher or businessperson...so I could go without it, for those reasons. But have no friends to interact with. We are 40 minutes away from our congregation. So because we are ON A FIXED INCOME, we are not able to go and do what many do that live in that town. I guess everyones life is different, and everyones options are different. I believe we can do ANYTHING if we set our minds to it...and IF Christ is our help. We have become global, instead of community minded. Maybe that is part of the addiction. We live in a small town, my husband is hispanic , and we are Christians. Many do not care much for us. Even the congregation here is so rigid we do not fit. I guess people don't LOVE and they should. Yes, I guess FB has filled a void.