While I do participate in social media where it makes sense, I do not use Facebook. At all. In the unlikely event you run across someone there claiming to be me, it’s fake. UPDATE. See this new posting. Keeping the previous one here for historical purposes.

Why? you ask…

  • Privacy. Facebook top brass in particular have repeatedly demonstrated disdain for the very concept of privacy. With exceptions.
  • Ethics. I utterly disagree with their approach to gatekeeping my contributions to their ecosystem. See this explanation for a humorous take on it. See here and here for more serious ethical issues.
  • Time. I have nothing against old classmates and girlfriends, but there’s only so many hours in a day.
  • Bad associations. There’s plenty of topics and people on social media that I don’t need in my life. I find Facebook in particular to be full of these.
  • Value. In any free service, you-the-consumer are actually the product being sold. Facebook in particular has demonstrated disdain for its users on an unprecedented scale. I’m not seeing the part where participating is beneficial in any way.
  • Adult supervision. I do not trust Facebook to make any decision to my benefit. Even a for-profit company can engage in an ethical sort of business, where the company and the consumer both thank each other at the end of a transaction.
  • Schadenfreude. I receive a little pulse of joy every time a headline comes across describing the most recent assault of Facebook against its users. Never having signed up is a gift that keeps on giving.

Herein I address any FAQs that arise

Q: You really don’t use Facebook at all?

A: Correct. It is actually blocked from my computer; even ‘like’ buttons on other sites don’t show up.

Q: Isn’t Facebook an integral part of an author’s marketing platform?

A: Nope. In fact, rejection of Facebook can be a component of an author’s branding.

Q: Do you reject all social media?

A: Nope. I go on a case-by-case basis, and encourage others to do the same.

Q: Do you hate Facebook?

A: No. Well, maybe a little.