We are being used by Facebook. It is giving out our personal information freely. It is establishing a dangerous precedent under the guise of helping us connect. It facilitates divisive attitudes and runs contrary to the true reason we started using social networks in the beginning -- human interaction.
It's a disease, so #deletefacebook today.
I have started the gradual process of using the platform less and less, by systemically operating a script which will remove my content. And there is much to remove. There are shares and likes. There are lengthy posts I posted to impress people. There are countless WordPress notifications which inform people what I am doing. Actually, I would bet that I use Facebook to stroke my ego more than engage with other people. I would hazard a guess that this also applies to many other users.
There's method behind my madness. I appreciate Facebook Messenger and the fact that Facebook now works in a similar way to OAuth. It is a helpful tool, once it's purged of its power. Nonetheless, once it's loaded with my personal data, it's a liability and a weapon.
Consider this: Posts made more than a week ago are material for bad actors and bots. Posts from 2017? 2016? Why keep these? Nobody will look at them, because they are yesterday's news. Those "Joe and I have been friends for seven years" automatic posts are fine and dandy, but no one really cares. In the end, you have published the biggest dossier about yourself for free, which reveals your politics, preferences and inner emotions.
USA: Some New Yorkers consider deleting their FB accounts after data-breach scandal