If you’re jumping on the quitting-Facebook bandwagon, then have we got a website for you: QuitFacebookDay.com.
The site asks that, “if you agree that Facebook doesn’t respect you, your personal data or the future of the Web” then you may want to join in quitting Facebook on May 31, the date it has declared as the official “Quit Facebook Day”.
The site is the creation of systems designer Matthew Milan and technologist Joseph Dee, who say that for them, “it comes down to two things: fair choices and best intentions”. Milan writes that they “just can’t see Facebook’s current direction being aligned with any positive future for the web, so we’re leaving.”
Facebook has been facing yet another backlash after announcing further changes to its privacy policy during its f8 developer conference last month. Many users take issue with the social network’s now-default opt-out inclusion of its users in new features and services, and “How do I delete my Facebook account” has become a top search suggestion on Google.
But while Milan and Dee quote a number of sources (including us) on what alternatives there might be to Facebook, the reality is that few exist. We’ve all heard of Diaspora now, but do we really believe that the future of social networking lies in an alternative that requires users to have their own server and install code?
Milan has an amusing take on what he’ll do instead of continuing on with Facebook:
At this point I’d rather use 4chan to connect with my family and friends than Facebook. It might be full of pictures of prolapsed anuses and Japanese cartoon porn, but at least it has tripcodes and a healthy dialog (based in action, not words) around the evolving nature of online identity and privacy.
Milan also remains, well, realistic about Facebook’s more than 400 million users, saying that he doubts that his act will compel many others to leave, but that it will show that he cared about his data. He also writes that “when there’s a market need, it’s not long before better options appear” and “the best thing to do is to contribute to that need – and that’s what Quit Facebook Day is about.”
We asked Milan if he had anything to add about why he was quitting Facebook and he said, “I want to reiterate is that privacy is not why I’m quitting FB – Privacy is a symptom of a set of larger issues, but for most, it’s the easiest to understand.”
The site has only been up for a couple of days, but as of right now, it has nine people signed up to quit.
If you’re ready to make the jump, simply go to QuitFacebookDay.com and enter your Twitter handle, if you have one. Otherwise, you can enter your email address and, if quitting Facebook is something you’ll need a reminder about, then QuitFacebookDay.com will send you one.
Will you make the commitment? Will you contribute to that need?
While I do not agree with many of Facebook’s actions, there’s one simple reality that I look to – all of my friends are on Facebook and until that changes, that’s likely where I’ll stay.
