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Unfriend Facebook, Instagram, etc.

Meta profits from keeping you angry, scrolling, and profiled. Here's how to actually leave.

Alternatives by Purpose

Here's How - Step By Step

01

Turn off the algorithms! And turn off the ads!

On Facebook, adjust your feed to Friends, On Instagram, select Following. Both settings default to the algorithm every time you close and reopen the app, so remember to reset them every time you log in.
And turn off the advertising with an ad blocker like Ghostery: How to Stop Ads on Facebook.

02

Create your own pod and Start Crossposting

Are you on Facebook to find out what your friends are doing? Invite them to join a group chat on Signal or Bluesky. And ask them to post regularly for at least a month. Every time you post on Facebook or Instagram, start crossposting to a decentralized open-source platform like Bluesky or Mastodon as well. Commit to following your friends and checking their posts for at least a month, and encourage them to do the same.

03

Get your news straight from the sources

Do you get your news from Facebook, served up by its algorithm? Following organizations directly through email newsletters or an RSS reader skips the feed entirely and shows you everything, in order. Or sign up to follow the news organizations you trust on Bluesky.

  • Privacy and Data Concerns: Users are often alarmed by Meta’s practices of sharing private user data with third-party advertisers and partners without explicit consent, viewing the platform as a data-harvesting tool rather than a social network. 
  • Mental Health and Well-being: Studies and personal anecdotes highlight that Facebook can exacerbate anxiety, depression, and FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out), as users compare their lives to the curated, often unrealistic highlights of others. 
  • Algorithmic Manipulation: The platform’s algorithms are designed to keep users engaged for longer periods by promoting divisive content, misinformation, and sensationalist posts, which can warp one’s perception of social reality and political discourse.
  • Decline in Authentic Connection: Many users report that interactions have become boring or superficial, with friends acting more like celebrities posting professional photos rather than sharing candid, genuine moments, leading to a sense of isolation rather than community. 
  • Political and Ethical Stances: Some individuals quit as a political statement against election interference, the spread of hate speech, and the platform’s role in enabling ethnic clashes or propaganda, feeling that their presence inadvertently supports these harmful outcomes. 
  • All the Ways Amazon Tracks You—and How to Stop It


Getting Started

Four Steps to Actually Do This

1

Download your data

Facebook's own settings let you export photos and posts before you leave.

2

Tell people where you're going

One post with your new contact info covers most of your network at once.

3

Deactivate before you delete.

Try deactivating (reversible) before deleting (permanent) to make sure you don't miss anything critical.

4

Actually delete it

Deactivation alone still lets Meta profile you in the background. Deletion is the real exit.

Ready to actually leave?

Pick one thing you use Facebook for, and find its replacement this week.

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