USA TODAY International Edition
Delete Facebook? It’s a lot more complicated than that
Many say they’ve made peace with ‘Big Brother’
SAN FRANCISCO – Clinging to Facebook? You’re not alone.
In recent days, Facebook users have piled onto the hashtag #DeleteFacebook, threatening to desert their Facebook accounts to protest the social media giant’s mishandling of their personal information.
Despite all the talk, it’s unlikely a significant number of them will walk, even after allegations that the consulting firm Cambridge Analytica obtained and kept the data of tens of millions of users to help get Donald Trump elected, and Facebook didn’t stop it.
Instead, some people are toying with a social media sabbatical or detox — or just using Facebook less. The prospect of severing that digital lifeline to family and friends and leaving behind an extensive archive of treasured moments is unthinkable, especially when there are few good alternatives apart from Instagram, which is also owned by Facebook.
Eighty-four percent of users are somewhat or very concerned how their data may be used by Facebook, according to a new survey from investment firm Raymond James. Yet 48% indicated they would not cut back on how much they use the social network.
“We believe these user concerns could ease as the news cycle slows,” Raymond James said in a research note. The reason? Facebook has become a utility that people the world over can’t do without.
“It is part of the global Internet infrastructure now,” says Safiya Noble, a University of Southern California professor and author of Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism. “Many people no longer use the phone book to find people or Consumer Reports to evaluate products and services. They rely upon their social networks through Facebook.”
Many Facebook users say they made their peace with the Big Brother collection of their data a long time ago.
“While I don’t love what’s come out of the Cambridge Analytica findings, I can’t say that I’m surprised,” says Josh Johnson, 28, of Louisville. Johnson has no plans to delete his Facebook account.
“We’re living in a digital age where everything we do, say, and search for is tracked, recorded and logged away somewhere. If people are really beginning to delete their Facebook over these findings, they’d better go ahead and delete all their social accounts and go back to landline phones as well.”
Michele Brosius, a 49-year-old blogger from Pillow, Pa., says she’s not deleting her account, either. She knew from the moment she put her data on the Internet it was up for grabs. Facebook isn’t the only one tracking her. Anytime she uses a store rewards card, a credit card, takes surveys or picks up an electronic device, she knows someone’s watching her. “Being connected is part of my life,” Brosius says. “I have no plans to go off the grid to regain my privacy.”
Still, Facebook never in its 14-year existence has seen such a tidal wave of negative sentiment.
“I don’t think we’ve seen a meaningful number of people act on that,” Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg told CNN last week of the #DeleteFacebook chatter on Facebook and other social media. “But, you know, it’s not good.”
Elon Musk deleted the Facebook pages for his companies, Tesla and SpaceX. Facebook, he tweeted, “gives me the willies.” Playboy said Wednesday it would deactivate its Facebook accounts over concerns about the social network’s mishandling of user data.
Matthew Frankel, a 46-year-old communications strategist and father of two from Montclair, N.J., kept a digital scrapbook of special moments to share with friends. It took Cambridge Analytica to convince Frankel to spend significantly less time on Facebook.
“At the end of the day, how much information do I need to share? ... Does it really matter if I am getting a like or not?” he said. “I don’t want my day to be dependent on that.”
“Being connected is part of my life. I have no plans to go off the grid to regain my privacy.” Michele Brosius Blogger from Pillow, Pa.