this post was submitted on 19 Jan 2026
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Privacy
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Why use Facebook at all.
It is addiction just like any other. I felt like I can't quit it, I feel like I will lose connection with the friends and family that is still using it. That it keeps me informed and other BS.
After deleting it on 2nd try (after navigating the maze to delete, they gave 30 days to change mind, hoping I won't be able to resist and will log in. And of course I couldn't resist the first time and logged back in) I realized that I haven't lost anything of value and the people that I still matter I have other ways to contact.
It was just an illusion.
Edit: fixed
Text to speech?
Swipe keyboard.
I see less from old loved ones by not having it, but that's ok, it makes catching up an activity. It's fun to share the exciting things of the past year or two with my family and friends when I see them.
Same. When I stopped using it, little changed, except I had a lot more free time and peace.
I deleted my facebook account in 2022 and have essentially not been contacted by friends since, so there's that
:(
Have you tried to contact them outside of FB?
Perhaps you're just not friends.
I moved to a new town recently. People don't give out their phone numbers to connect. They give out their FB and Instagram accounts. Not having either is perceived as weird.
Hope this helps.
You're in a fucked up town., and that attachment to the platform is more fucked up.
It's all fucked up but that's just reality.
Unfortunately that's like most people outside.
Facebook is something most people have and use to connect because most people don't care about the privacy invasions or manipulative algorithms. It's a fucked up world, not a fucked up town.
That doesn’t help. Also when’s the last time you moved your life?
I already said I recently moved. I've moved 3 times in the past 10 years and it's all the same. Maybe people used Snapchat or Instagram more often than Facebook when I was younger but it's all the same privacy invasive shit.
The majority tolerate it, that's why Meta is so successful as a company.
Hope this helps.
Same happen to me and I realized that where not my friends! The question someone asked me then, was how many of them would remember your birthday?
Phone numbers + messaging apps is good way to stay connected.
To me, I dont care if my friends remember my birthday. I care if they are genuine friends and I have good conversations and laughs around them.
Someone remembering your birthday is just them putting a reminder in the calendar. Doesnt mean much, not to me at least.
So you have an actual human connection to these people? Friends could have a laugh over forgetting someones birthday, because its built on a real connection that doesnt go away over missing the small things.
Marketplace can be good for local deals and I can’t fault anyone for taking advantage of that
Yeah I use it extensively for this.
If it asked me to verify and I couldn't use someone else's face it would be a tough decision.
Surprisingly, Craigslist is rather active in my area. It's still not as active as marketplace, but it makes it possible to get by without having an FB account.
It's just not really a thing here in Australia. I just checked and in my state (about 2 million people) there's a dozen ads or so across all categories.
A distant second to facebook marketplace is gumtree. I just had a look to see how popular that is and their site just seems to be down. Shits fucked really.
I use Gumtree instead of marketplace pretty regularly and I've not had an issue. In fact, I've found the quality of the interactions to be much higher, far fewer time wasters.
Yeah.
I think gumtree is better for different types of items.
My sister is a dog breeder and lists exclusively on gumtree to avoid the idiots on facebook.
The vast majority of stuff bought and sold from our household is low value toddler gear. fb marketplace is awash with that stuff and when you list something for the right price it's gone by the end of the day. It's true that there's some time wasters but you get better at kinda managing the great unwashed.
My partner doesn't care about the privacy issues and will never delete her fb account so maybe for the time being I can just use her account.
In 12 months or so we will be well past the worst of the "toddler gear" and I'll be happy to leave fb behind for good.
how are you guys curving their invasive dark patterns? They are dead set on forcing you into their bullshit to use marketplace.
No idea. Never been asked for any verification.
You will if they don't face any competition. I haven't either yet, but everyone will, because they are maximizing revenue.
One of the only good uses of Gen AI.
That being said, it's best to avoid any Big Tech products altogether if at all possible, even if Marketplace is incredibly purvasive.
That's a generalisation.
We have twins, 2 years old.
With kids there's loads of "stuff" that just makes the whole ordeal a lot more livable. Being able to buy all that stuff on facebook and re-sell for the same price has saved us a heap of money. Like thousands.
It's easy to say "oh well you should use whatever alternative platform", but honestly there's just no other ready market for this stuff.
Remember that folks are using ‘Garry's Mod’ to circumvent UK's facial recognition requirement.
Marketplace is the one and only reason I havent deleted my account. It sucks but it is by far the best way to buy and sell.
I tried to find something on marketplace a month ago. Dozens of posts because it's a super common item, all posts were a week or less old. None were legitimate. Every one was a scam, responses all leading to bullshit websites to buy, or users that never responded.
Has to get the item on Ebay instead because apparently they actually have basic scam prevention systems in place while Facebook apparently doesn't have shit.
eBay is horrific for actually finding something. The fact that you can't search for something inside a category blows my mind. And then no one completes the forms correctly so even if you add filters you still get shown a bunch of shit that doesn't fit. Then the sorting appears to be just random. Good luck finding anything locally that way, because then eBay doesn't get paid. Better pony up the extra money for shipping.
I use Craigslist with some success.
How does it compare to nextdoor & craigslist?
In my area Craigslist is actually better for selling vehicles or say boats, but thats about it. Nobody uses nextdoor around here, so you dont get much traffic.
Craigslist is better for finding apartments and roommates as well. Also finding handymen or off the books workers of any type.
Marketplace is good for used tools, selling stuff, buying stuff.
Nextdoor is a cesspool, populated by paranoids that find each other and reinforce their delusions, calling the police on "strangers," fielding grand conspiracies, and otherwise talking trash without cause.
Perhaps it depends on the quality of moderation for your Nextdoor area. But those issues you listed are separate from the buying/selling part of it anyway. I've generally found Nextdoor & Craigslist to be sufficient.
Maybe I will give it a try again and forget the crazies guarding against roving antifa death squads in their neighborhoods. Kind of hard for me to get past that though.
Through no fault of my own, the people I talk to (family) are tied to the FB ecosystem...and they are very resilient as to leaving it.
2026 will have to be the year of "please, for the love of all that is holy, can we switch to Signal"
Marketplace has killed most other local trading stuff sites. Craigslist is still limping along, but has far less available at higher prices than FBMP. I’m happy to hear of viable alternatives, especially for used vehicles, tools and equipment. I’ve saved a lot of money on my business and hobbies that way, but would leave in a heartbeat if there’s a real competitor.
Aside from the already-mentioned marketplace, social networks like FB are fit well for localized giveaways. Where I am, the local analog of FB has groups where bakeries and cafes give out food remaining at the end of the day.
One population that this particularly pertains to are homeless people. Some folks get surprised when a homeless person has a smartphone, but it's a means for finding help and resources.
That sounds lovely!
I mean a platform that's used in my country. It's still centralized, and the practices are not much better, probably only because they haven't yet gotten around to all the same shady shit.
Eh at least they presumably pay attention, moderate it, and tailor it to your country.
One of my issues with FB is that it mind as well be run from Alpha Centauri. There’s nothing “human” or local about, its a gaping maw mixed with tons of other predatory service.
My elderly father knows how to use it and posts nature photos all the time.