How To Quit Facebook Gracefully and Be Free

Is it time to quit Facebook? Everyday there’s a new report of how Facebook is doing harm to the world. Among the most recent headlines include:

• Leaks just exposed how toxic Facebook and Instagram are to teen girls and, well, everyone
  
• Apple reportedly threatened to boot Facebook from the App Store over human trafficking concerns
  
• Wall Street Journal’s Facebook Files series prompts comparisons to Big Tobacco

With every new bad headline, #DeleteFacebook starts trending on Twitter. Conservatives have been angry about the Trump ban and Liberals are angry about the misinformation. If you’re wondering how to delete your account, and thus quit your Facebook for good, the simplest answer is the following steps:

1. Click the downward arrow button in the top right corner
2. Choose settings and privacy, and click settings.
3. Select Your Facebook Information located in the left column
4. Choose Deactivation and Deletion
5. Select Permanently Delete Account, and Click Continue to Account Deletion
6. Select Delete Account, enter your account password, and click Continue.

If you just wanted to take a break from the platform, you could just deactivate your account. The thing is, I did it a number of times, so leaving Facebook isn’t the hard part.

It’s how to quit Facebook and stay off for good that’s the real challenge. For so long, I always eventually typed in my log-in information and re-activated my profile again.

The reason why we do that is something deeper that involves people not really feeling connected to others much, or real life much, just like I wasn’t. The way to permanently quit Facebook is to find something else to replace those deeper human needs you’re using social network to fulfill. Maybe your reasons for being on there are the same ones as mine.

My Facebook journey

Whether it’s Facebook selling people’s personal data, or just getting sick of seeing all the drama, people don’t want to deal with the social media platform in 2024. Back in high school was when I first heard of Facebook.

It was right around when it was just starting and back when people were still actively on Myspace. When I first got on it, I thought it was boring. I didn’t want to start a Facebook because I didn’t get it.

I didn’t like the plain blue and white layout just showing a list of what everybody was saying that day. But I got more into it once most people had begun leaving Myspace.

People’s thoughts

I got interested in just seeing the random thoughts people would post as their statuses. I was also into posting my own thoughts.

Some people were very candid about what they thought and felt, much more than they would be in real life. And then there was those statuses you knew they were talking about somebody, they just didn’t say their name.

But that person usually knew it was them. I say that confidently because someone did that to me once before. A few other things made it hard for me to stop using Facebook for more than a day.

Likes

Ah, the like system. When I posted my own statuses, people who liked my posts made me feel popular. Something that I didn’t always have much of in high school.

It was also a pretty good ego boost whenever you posted pictures of yourself and people you found attractive liked it. Seeing how much people liked other people’s statuses built up a competitiveness in me. I wanted to say the most interesting, funny, or profound thing to get more likes.

Facebook friends

Another thing that got me hooked was the amount of “friends” I could easily get on there. All you had to do was click the friend request button, and most of the time people would add you.

People I didn’t know in person or never really talked to in real life became my Facebook friends. My future college girlfriend even added me despite us not knowing each other. I didn’t have a whole lot of close friends in high school or college, so this helped to supplement for what I was lacking in real life.

Relationship status

Lastly, the relationship status. Seeing people change their status from single to in a relationship with so and so felt like the coolest thing you could do on Facebook.

Like back in your high school days whenever people would get talked about because they were dating. It was entertaining to see how often people would change their relationship status.

I wanted to be able to change my relationship status whenever I finally got into one and get to have my cool Facebook moment. Of course I made sure I got into a relationship with the girl for the right reasons.

Though I wouldn’t be surprised if someone got in one just to show off for Facebook. But those were all the reasons I got hooked, and also probably all the reasons why I quit Facebook. Let me show you how I found a good replacement for each of my reasons for being on Facebook.

Knowing people’s thoughts got annoying

Most people quit Facebook because they get sick of seeing people’s random thoughts on their lives. I got sick all of everyone’s drama too.

There were maybe only one or two people I still wanted to know what was going on in their lives. Though nowadays I’ve been pretty much out of the loop on everyone’s life.

I didn’t know one of my cousins had a second kid until months after the baby was born and that they moved to a different city again. I find it kind of funny to randomly learn these things.

But if you want to give up Facebook and still stay updated on the lives of your close friends, there’s a simple way to do that. You can get numbers and e-mails from all the people you want to stay in touch with, and then regularly check in with them.

So what about sharing your own thoughts? Have you ever considered blogging? I find it to be a great way to share what’s going on in my mind.

I’ve had numerous ones where I shared my thoughts on current events, random topics, and life in general. You can let all the people you keep in contact with know about your blog and get them to subscribe.

Not Really Friends

About midway through my college years, I realized all the people I randomly added weren’t really friends at all. Some I met only a few times, others I never met before. Out of all of my Facebook friends, I probably only ever messaged 10 to 15% of them.

And probably that much were the only ones that ever interacted with any of my statuses or pictures. Also interesting, these people had tons of friends, so I kind of wonder if these people only add us to add to their friend list count and look more popular.

But some of you may be less worried about popularity. You may be more concerned about having connections. You’ll be happy to know there are many options in the world for connecting with people outside of Facebook.

You can find community groups based on your interests to meet new people. That can help make up for those Facebook groups you’ll no longer see.

You could visit a local church or whatever religious group you feel comfortable with to find others to interact with and form close friendships. There are so many community events you can go to, classes that you can take, or just going to a book store and finding someone to start a chat with.

I realized Facebook just gave me the illusion that I was connected with people when I really wasn’t. So I got off and found people that I really connected with in other places.

I enjoyed regular meetings and phone or video-call conversations with those people. And that fulfilled the friendship desires that I thought I’d miss not being on Facebook.

Post-relationship status

It was fun letting people know I was in relationship. My college girlfriend was attractive, and she was also a bit popular herself, so by association it made me feel more attractive and popular.

Everybody liked our relationship status change and congratulated us. Getting likes on our loving statuses and pictures together throughout our relationship was fun.

But whenever you break-up, it’s not quite as fun anymore. Changing your status back to single or hiding it, and all your Facebook friends knowing you’re no longer together.

But if you still find it nice to let people know of your happiness with someone new, that’s where your contact list comes in. You can let those people know about the new person in your life whenever you want to. Those are the only people that need to know about your happy new relationship, not the random people you never talk to.

Curing boredom

If you get bored not being on Facebook, perhaps that indicates you haven’t discovered enough interests in life you’re passionate about. Those are the things that should excite us and get our attention more.

For myself, I really like writing. I can get sucked into writing these in depth posts for hours. I’m happy when I finally finish putting all my thoughts together to share with my readers.

Let getting off of Facebook be the time you re-discover one of your passions. Maybe you can pick up that guitar again and start making music.

Or maybe you can pick up that paint brush and start creating some art again. Ending your Facebook account could potentially lead you to more excitement in your life than you may have ever had before.

Don’t pressure yourself

It’s almost like a time honored tradition that whenever someone decides to leave Facebook, they have to announce it to everybody in one final status. I myself even did an hour by hour status update the last few hours leading up to my quitting Facebook one time before.

Of course I stayed off for a few days, and then I was right back on like nothing happened. I put unnecessary pressure on myself to stay off of Facebook.

When I finally did quit my personal Facebook for good, I didn’t even give a warning about it. I just decided I was ready to get off and left without really letting anybody know.

I haven’t been on it since. So whenever you decide to quit Facebook, don’t put pressure on yourself with any major announcement that you’re leaving. Plus an announcement you’re leaving comes off pretty self-centered, and you don’t want to leave a bad impression of yourself.

Block the website

This might be a drastic step to take, and one that I never really thought to do myself, but it’s worth throwing out there. You remember how your parents or school set the internet to block certain sites on your computer?

You can do the same for Facebook. Set up your internet settings to block Facebook from opening on your browser.

That way if you’re tempted to go back and you end up typing in the domain and hitting enter, it won’t immediately pop up on your screen. This puts an extra step you have to take in order to go ahead and access Facebook. Having that extra step you have to take could help discourage you from going ahead and getting back on.

Change the password

Before you leave, you can also change the password to something you won’t easily guess, which can be the extra barrier for if you end up unblocking Facebook. Write down a random set of letters and numbers, then change your password to that before you decide to deactivate.

Once you’ve done that, rip up the paper and throw it way. Think about the time it’ll take to request a forgot your password e-mail notification.

And then to go through the steps of changing your password. All that might be enough for you to change your mind and just keep staying off.

Accountability

For some people who use Facebook, it feels like a real addiction for them. As I discussed in an article on social media minimalism, there’s a reason for that involves dopamine. You can check it out here to learn more.

If it feels like you’re really struggling, then you can tackle quitting Facebook like you would if you were addicted to something more serious. Have a close friend or family member help hold you accountable whenever you feel like going back on.

You can call them or text them during those times you feel your most intense urges. The person can help you focus on other things, and encourage you to keep going by reminding you of how well you’ve been doing staying off.

Facebook studies you should know

Since the social media platform has existed, researchers have looked into the effects of excessively using it. The results show some intriguing information you might want to know about.

1. The more you use Facebook, the less happy you are

It’s said that the average person is on Facebook 50 minutes a day. Unfortunately, the longer you’re on the platform, the worse you end up feeling. Researchers found there was a connection between Facebook use and a decrease in overall physical well-being, mental well-being, and life satisfaction.

2. The less you use Facebook, the happier you are.

Research from Stanford university found that people who drop Facebook for a period of time experienced significant improvements in overall life satisfaction.

Other interesting things they discovered were that people spent more time doing offline activities, knew less about current events, and were less politically polarized.

3. Decreasing Facebook use can improve grades

University of Technology Sydney researchers found that students with low grades were able to boost their exam results by quitting their Facebook. It’s believed that lower achieving students already struggle with focus, and Facebook use ends up being an added distraction from studying.

The benefits of quitting Facebook

1. Less negativity

For me, one of the biggest benefits of quitting Facebook was getting away from all the negativity. People don’t spread much positive vibes on social media these days.

Most of the time people are just constantly whining about somebody or something in their life not being that good. That has a way of bringing you down if you allow yourself to constantly read through those statuses.

2. Less of comparing myself to others

What also doesn’t get me down anymore is seeing all the people bragging about their lives all the time. I don’t feel like competing with anyone, and I’m not seeing fake snapshots of someone else’s life that would make me feel like my life isn’t going that well.

Everybody mostly shares the good sides, and rarely ever shares the bad sides. Additionally, most of the time people are only seeking social validation by showing off on social media. And it perhaps tells us they might not be as happy as they’re trying to show others.

Because if we feel good with what we’re doing, then we probably don’t need to tell a bunch of “friends” we never talk to. But of course with real friends and close family members, sharing good news with them is fine.

They actually want to see us happy. Those other people, probably not so much.

3. More time saved

I’m also saving a ton of time not being on Facebook. You can look no further for proof than this article I’ve devoted my time to writing.

If I had Facebook, I’d be constantly checking if my status got any likes. Reading the latest ridiculous thing somebody said.

And I’d be trying to think of the next witty or deep status update to type and get some likes and feel good about myself. You’d be surprised how good it feels to know you don’t have to get likes to validate your thoughts or decisions you make in life. Being self-assured is a valuable trait to have.

Are you ready to quit Facebook for good?

To sum all the benefits up, getting off of Facebook allows you the opportunity to have a happier, more productive, real life. You’re no longer distracted by the petty things discussed on there that aren’t important.

You get to experience things more beyond just what you see staring at a screen all day. You know what’s better than getting likes?

Hearing a person’s voice over the phone that tells you congratulations or good job on something. Getting a hug from somebody you care about.

Spending time with friends and family where you get to see real smiles and hear real laughter. That’s better and louder than any “lol” you could ever see on one of your statuses.

No longer using my personal Facebook account has been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. If you’re ready for it to be one of your best decisions, then you’re ready to quit Facebook for good. But if you decide someday you still find the platform useful, you can learn how to use social media wisely and mindfully.

New stories about Facebook

Is Facebook Bad for You? – In documents that were reviewed by the Wall Street Journal, Facebook researchers found that 1 in 8 Facebook users report they engage in compulsive use of social media. The compulsive use negatively impacted people’s relationships, work, and sleep. 1 in 8 users adds up to about 360 million people.

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