A Potentially Permanent Pause from Meta

Taking a break from the metaverse for the rest of the year and maybe forever

Well, you probably figured this was coming after I finally dropped X and left my Facebook page a few months ago. Starting today, November 1, 2024, I will be taking a temporary to permanent pause from all things Meta: Threads, Instagram, and Facebook. I truly believe that there is a season for everything, and I’ve been feeling the nudge more and more lately that my Meta season may be coming to an end.

While I will miss the personal connections and updates I receive via these platforms, I give up. The algorithms have accomplished what they intend to do to those of us who attempt to create our own and amplify others’ content: lessen the spread of information that the algorithms deem unworthy of being seen by those who have chosen to follow. We have seen this around politics, Palestine, and other resources that live outside the Metaverse.

With multiple manuscripts being worked on, a love of writing here on Substack, and a community that stays in touch via a mailing list, it is becoming clear that I will find more joy by focusing my energy on platforms that build and nurture relationships based on mutuality and agency rather than manipulation and algorithms.

Meta has felt particularly sinister lately, so part of this break will be to see if focusing on fewer communication platforms increases my interaction and impact. I have no idea that it will play out as planned, but I am not sure I have ever really tried, so I’m giving it a try. I will focus on the following if you want to stay connected over the next few months and possibly beyond.

Considering that I may not return to Meta platforms, if you want to ensure that we do not lose touch permanently, the bare minimum connection point would be to Subscribe to my Email List.

If you want to stay connected on the regular, here is where I’ll be:

• Follow me on Substack (Substack Notes is kinda like X, Threads, etc.)

• Subscribe to my Substack (Fuller updates, thinking pieces, and hot takes)

• Connect on Be.Real (If we have an actual connection, feel free)

I am not sure if this pause will be temporary or permanent. I am not deactivating my accounts, but I am deleting them from my devices. I’ll check back on January 1, 2025, to see if it makes sense to come back.

There you have it—the next interation of my social media life. I hope to see many of you in these new spaces. If not, thanks for being part of my social media world for all these years!