I did it. I sacked up did the Ole’ Facebook Swan Dive to Digital Oblivion. And I’m delighted I did.
It’s a move I have been contemplating for years—but avoided making because I was in the “social media business,” and I didn’t want to disappoint any clients who might need help with Facebook down the road. But then—in anticipation of the new year, and in concert with a host of changes to our business strategy—I finally decided that Facebook wasn’t worth my time, frustration, or fear any longer. I axed it.
One of my good friends, Bruce Shaw at Harvard Common Press in Boston, asked me (on Google+) why I made the move.
Bruce Shaw - Why did you deep six Facebook?
Jesse McDougall - Privacy concerns. General un-usefulness. Discomfort with the company ethos. Large preference for Twitter. And momentary boredom.
My reply was Twitter-esque in nature, and so I’ll expand on my reasons here.
Privacy Concerns
I’m a web developer. I know the privacy risks inherent in running a social web site. I also know the benefits from knowing everything about your web visitors. I advocate to my clients all the time that they watch who is on their web site, find out what they’re reading, where in the world they live, who they slept with last night, and what they had for breakfast. Privacy does not exist online, so—as anyone who follows me on Twitter knows—I whole-heartedly embrace the idea that anyone in the world can know where I am at any given time. What’s more…I kinda like it. And therefore I am a willing participant.
What I can’t accept is being an unwilling participant in surveillance—and Facebook has crossed that line. On Twitter, I choose when and how to tell people where I am, what I’m doing, and what I’m reading. Facebook is so deeply integrated into the web’s sites, advertising programs, and social platforms, that it is inescapable. It’s cookies and crawlers monitor your every move online, whether you are logged into the site or not. Then—and this is not news—they sell that data to advertisers, research firms, and who-knows-who-else. It’s all hush hush, of course. But the outcome is that people you’ve never consented to divulge your personal details to know exactly who you are and which color pullover you want for Christmas.
I’m not naive. I realize other platforms I use do the same thing. But Facebook does it so smugly. I had had enough.
General Un-usefulness
I reached a point with Facebook where I did very little more than RSVP in the negative to vague acquaintances who would invite me to parties in states 1,200 miles away. Sometimes, an actual friend of mine would post an unflattering photo of me that I would begrudgingly allow to remain tagged. Most often, I would post professional news about a new site from Catalyst Webworks or a new book from O’Reilly Media, and my family would clap and cheer—which was nice, but far less gratifying than spreading the news in person or over the phone.
Professionally, Facebook was a flop. I can’t attribute a single client, project, book, or consulting gig to Facebook. I am happy to admit that this may be entirely my own failure. I know many people who work wonders with Facebook for impressive marketing campaigns. But I found Facebook’s Pages vs Profiles vs Groups vs Organizations vs Community Pages vs Wiki-like Pages to be so infuriating that I would fume and sputter everytime I wanted to create something seemingly simple. And so I didn’t use it.
Discomfort with the Company Ethos
I’ve worked in large and small companies. I worked in the food, travel, publishing, entertainment, recreation, and service industries. I’ve had great bosses and lousy bosses. And the one thing that united all of them was that the management-style in each always flowed from the top-down. Company culture starts at the top. And Mark Zuckerberg has—to quote a friend—a lot of growing up to do. And I hope he does. But until then, I don’t feel safe swimming in his pool.
I could rant on this topic for a while, but since it has all been covered in the news, and since I’m sure it would be unfair to the thousands hard-working good people (and soon-to-be-millionaires) at Facebook, I’ll move on.
Large Preference for Twitter
When Jack Dorsey, one of the creators of Twitter, left Twitter to start a new venture, he created Square—a credit card payment service which business and indiviuals can use to transfer money for a reasonable percentage and no monthly fee—thereby avoiding the abuse and gouging of the traditional routes. Jack wanted to create something disruptive that would improve people’s lives. And so it is with Twitter as well.
Personally, I prefer Twitter’s mode of communication. It strips away all the manufactured noise of Walls and Photo Galleries and Games (OH THE FRAKKING GAMES!!) and Poking and Events and Apps and simply allows people to interact. Like humans.
Twitter, as a service, also evolved along with the needs of its users. Hashtags, Retweets, photo sharing are all now standard Twitter features which were not in the original design. They were added in as part of Twitter’s responsive design process which builds the system to serve the needs of the users—not the other way around.
Both Facebook and Twitter are free to use. The news media wonders at the amount of money Facebook is making, and wonders how Twitter is making any money at all. I prefer to align myself with the person whose primary goal is to create great tools and improve the world—not to be the richest douchbag in the cemetery. Apparently, Steve Jobs felt the same way.
Momentary Boredom
After years of building a business, I finally found a free hour over the holidays.
Where Have I Gone?
As a digital strategist, consultant, web developer, and generally geeky guy, I pride myself on being an early-adopter. Where others are scared to poke and prod, I go in guns-blazing—fully expecting to break everything. My father used to call me a “dial-twister”—a talent I’ve turned into a career. People pay me to break and explore new technologies so that they don’t have to. And in that vein, I reserve the right to be an early-disowner as well. When I see a technology going awry, or doing more damage than good, it’s my duty—even if only as the guy who people ask how to fix their printer—to say so.
I am now back in the saddle with Twitter—after my schedule forced me to take a hiatus. I am experimenting with Google+—with mixed results and feelings. I have put up this new web site to share thoughts and photos. And I am diving into Instagram and Tumblr. All of these platforms I find more satisfying and easier to use than Facebook. Perhaps because they’re better designed. Perhaps because they each focus on one task and do it well. And perhaps because I believe that each of them was built by someone in love with technology who wanted to build something “really cool”—not “really profitable.”
And finally, I have found that I’m enjoying my interactions on these separate and smaller social platforms far more than in the crowd of everybody on Facebook. I no longer put my content up for everyone I ever met to see. I can share more easily with the people who will actually care.
If you have questions or comments, please send me a message on Twitter or Google+. I’d love to hear your thoughts.
