[stealthefocus]

The one thing I really miss since leaving fb in March, are the groups. Things like playing in local sports pickup games are easier because everyone has fb so the groups were more active. I now use my wife's account for this, but I really wish another option had some traction, then I could leave fb forever.

[mlthoughts2018]

Even if a feature like this adds limited value, it's good to think about whether you can just live without it completely in order to leave Facebook.

For example, consider how the groups feature was abused to prey on people seeking addiction support -- and how even in the midst of such abuse, Facebook lauded some of the organizations in attempts to improve its reputation by highlighting what good it can do.

< https://www.theverge.com/2018/5/21/17370066/facebook-addicti... >

Basically every feature of Facebook that adds a tiny bit of value to a random person's life is actually just some deeply engineered data-harvesting dark pattern that opens up huge other groups to targeted harm.

I see a lot of comments of the spirit, "I would leave Facebook except ..." with some reason like it's the only way to see family photos, it's the only way to participate in online groups, etc.

Just delete it and leave. Share photos some other way. Find groups some other way. The population-scale downsides are just so serious and severe in the case of Facebook that people shouldn't be making the choice to stay on the platform anymore based on narrow-scope, small scale upsides that it offers for them in limited settings.

The huge, up-front, unlimited scale harms it facilitates are reaching a point where they need to be a daily civic concern for everybody.

[mkirklions]

I dont think there is anything wrong with using FB for things you want.

I dont scroll anymore. I check it for events and messages.

Thats it.

Do that 1-2 times a month, all my facebook needs are met.

[oprah2018]

I don't even read anyone else's posts. I just post pictures of my amazing life. I use it like a diary. Or a time-series multimedia database.

[456hdsaq234g]

Yes, but by having a facebook account, all their needs (your entire life) are met too. 1-2 times a month to read random junk from your friends for a lifetime of surveillance capitalism. Good trade off, no?