In today’s digital age, social media platforms have become an integral part of our lives. Facebook, with its massive user base, has long dominated the landscape. However, it’s time to rethink our reliance on this centralized giant and consider the numerous benefits of moving to a decentralized social platform. More and more Facebook is focused on data collection, algorithm and feed manipulation. There are days where I see less content I want to see and more content that Facebook wants me to see. Is it time to move away from Facebook?
Data Privacy: Take Back Control
One of the most pressing concerns with Facebook is its handling of user data. The platform is notorious for collecting vast amounts of personal information, which is then used for targeted advertising and sold to third parties. This raises significant privacy issues, especially when it comes to sensitive information about your interests and activities.
The amount of data that Facebook itself collects about you is absolutely stunning. I downloaded my data for last few year from Facebook and it was over 250MB. In addition to the data that Facebook collects itself is the vast amount of data that is shared with Facebook from other sites. I recently bough a new leash for Hunter from Ruffwear – and now I find out that Ruffwear shared that transaction with Facebook!
The Annoying Number of Suggestions
Scrolling through your Facebook feed often feels like navigating a minefield of pushed content. These intrusive inserts disrupt the user experience and can be particularly frustrating when you’re looking for genuine content related to your passions. It has got to the point with friend suggestion, content suggestions, reel suggestions – less than half the content on the screen is what I want to see and want Facebook thinks I want to see.
The example on right is just one that appeared in the feed. There is never an option to “Show Never”. I love to scroll through the posts about hiking – but more and more there is pushed content. If I just scroll through my current feed I get:
- Post about Backpacking (Backpacking and Hiking Enthusiasts)
- Reels
- People I may know
- Post about Backpacking (Oregon Hikers and Climbers)
- Post about Backpacking (John Muir Trail)
- Pushed Feed (Minds)
- Pushed Feed (Exercise Guide)
- Post About Backpacking (Portland Hikers)
- Pushed Feed (I Love Dogs)
- Post about Backpacking (Wonderland Trail)
Only about 50% of the content i content I want! The suggestion to follow “Minds” is a classic example of cross platform data sharing. Minds is a social media platform that I have been researching little. Never on Facebook, but suddenly it becomes part of my feed – so somehow my search history is ending up in Facebook’s algorithms (even thou I spend quite a lot of time trying to configuring apps so they don’t share information – there is never a simple option to do this).
Manipulated Likes: Authenticity Matters
Facebook’s algorithm-driven system is designed to keep you engaged, often by manipulating the content you see and the likes you receive. This can lead to a distorted sense of reality, as posts are prioritized based on what will generate the most engagement, rather than what is genuinely important or interesting to you.
Cross-Platform Data Collection: Keep Your Data Local
One of the major drawbacks of using Facebook is its ability to collect data across different platforms and applications. This cross-platform data collection enables Facebook to create detailed profiles of users, further compromising your privacy. We’ve all see the occurrence of when I search for something in one place, suddenly ads or feeds crop-up in another.
A decentralized solution
I’ve spent a good deal of the Holiday break thinking about this and looking at alternatives. All the major platforms; Facebook, Instagram, X, etc are owned by large corporation, making a profit out of your data. So I scoped out some open source platforms, some which fit into WordPress (which is used to built this site) and some which are open source and fit a decentralized model. I was looking for something that had most of the Facebook experience, that’s what we value, but left most of the control to the user.
After researching lots of solutions and installing a few, I ended up thinking that Friendica is the closest. Friendica is a decentralized social media platform – I’ll explain a little of what that means later. It seems to fit most of the requirements I had – but I’d love your feedback so I have created a short survey here.
An Introduction to Friendica
Friendica, on the other hand, is built on a decentralized model, meaning that there is no central authority controlling your data. You have the power to choose where your data is stored and who has access to it. This ensures that your personal information remains private and secure, giving you peace of mind while sharing your hiking adventures with like-minded individuals.
Friendica offers an ad-free experience, allowing you to immerse yourself in the content that truly matters to you. By moving to Friendica, you can enjoy a cleaner, more enjoyable social media experience, free from the distractions of targeted advertising. This means more time to connect with fellow hikers, discover new trails, and share your outdoor adventures.
Friendica, being decentralized, doesn’t rely on algorithms to dictate what you see. Instead, it prioritizes genuine interactions and authentic connections. This means that your hiking posts will reach people who are genuinely interested in your adventures, fostering a more meaningful and supportive community.
Friendica operates on an open-source model, and doesn’t engage in cross-platform data collection. Your data stays local, and you have full control over what you share and with whom. This is especially important for those who value their privacy and want to avoid the pervasive data tracking practices employed by Facebook.
Is it Time to Embrace a More Authentic Hiking Community
For me, the move to Friendica offers the opportunity to connect with a more authentic and dedicated community. Share your hiking experiences, exchange tips on the best trails, and discover new destinations with fellow outdoor enthusiasts who share your passion. Friendica’s decentralized nature fosters a genuine sense of community, where interactions are driven by shared interests rather than algorithmic manipulation.
There would be many challenges – change is always difficult. There is already a tremendous amount of information that has been built up on Facebook and other commercial social media platforms. Running a social media platform is no small undertaking – it takes time and as soon as it starts to take off it needs to scale – which has a cost. Facebook, of course, covers the cost by selling our data.
I’d love to get your opinion on this so I have created a short survey to gather some feedback. Please take a few minutes to add your feedback here.
