[foobarchu]

I made a personal policy to not use it a few months ago. I still have the account, because of some messenger threads, but the app is gone from my phone and I have a policy of only logging into FB itself in a private browsing window. This at least reduces their tracking, and makes it a little harder for me to give in, so I only use it if I'm actively using it for something (e.g. looking for hours on a restaurant that doesn't have a real website, checking event information, finding somebodys birthday). I don't allow passive browsing anymore.

My reason is that it was just becoming too big of an echo chamber. Everyone on it was spouting their opinions and getting waves of agreement, making their opinions stronger, in an endless cycle. I just don't want to be part of it.

The biggest effect it's had on my life is that I get seriously bothered when someone asks me if I "saw their post". I immediately respond with something like "i'm not really on facebook anymore, what are you talking about?". The amount that it's dug itself into everyone's lives in pretty baffling. It's nice to not find myself absently staring at an endless "news feed" of the same soundbites and photos over and over again.

My wife will often be using it and get upset at the stupidity of something she sees, and I can't always resist a told-you-so.