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The Definitive Tactical Guide to Quitting Facebook
How to cover all your bases before leaving the site for good
Even more than Big Dick Energy or binge watching Queer Eye, this year’s hottest trend may be threatening to quit Facebook. In March, following the news that political data group Cambridge Analytica had gained access to private user information to create targeted ads ahead of the 2016 election, the hashtag #DeleteFacebook circulated widely on Twitter. In September, people once again took up the rallying cry when Facebook suffered another massive security breach affecting 50 million users.
According to a recent Pew Research Center survey, 54 percent of Facebook users ages 18 and older have adjusted their privacy settings in the past year, 42 percent have curbed their Facebook usage, and 26 percent have deleted the app from their phone. But the simplest security fix — just leaving the network altogether — may also be the hardest to execute successfully.
“A lot of people go cold turkey and end up coming back on because they’re not ready for all the connections they’re going to lose.”
For all its flaws, Facebook is still be an integral part of many people’s lives, acting as a lifeline to faraway relatives, a trove of professional opportunities, a connection to the neighborhood, or a digital map of experiences lived. Plus, with all the ancillary apps that require (or provide the convenience of) Facebook logins, like Spotify, Tinder, and Airbnb, quitting can feel like fighting your way out of an impossibly tangled web.
If you truly want to leave the platform without a trace, you’ll need to put in some effort. Here’s how to do it.
Make a Timeline
A specific post, reaction to a news event, or cumulation of cringey online behavior from friends and family may be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. But as tempting as it may be to swear off Facebook then and there, don’t let yourself be fueled by emotion — without plotting out a solid course of action, you’re more likely to log back in, says Nithin Coca, a freelance journalist who took two months to plan his own Facebook exit. “I know a lot of people…
