AI-Generated Image. Why People Are Divesting From Facebook by Tech Is The Culture
Why People Are Divesting From Facebook (Breaking Up With The Toxic Ex You Can’t Block)
Let’s face it: Facebook is the digital equivalent of that one friend who swears they’ve changed—only to “accidentally” leak your data again. From privacy fiascos to cozying up with authoritarian regimes, Meta’s flagship platform has become less “social network” and more “social liability.” Here’s why users, nonprofits, and even advertisers are finally ghosting Zuck’s empire.
Facebook’s Business Model (Monetizing Your Trauma Since 2004)
The Algorithm That Ate Your Feed
Remember when Facebook was about cat memes and passive-aggressive birthday posts? Now, it’s a dopamine slot machine rigged to prioritize outrage over sanity. Meta’s 2013 algorithm shift forced nonprofits to pay to reach their own followers—a move Media Cause CEO Eric Facas likened to “charging rent for a community garden.” When Media Cause dared to petition for free nonprofit ads, Facebook suspended their clients’ accounts for a week, claiming it was “an accident.”
Zuck’s Motto: “Move fast and break things”—especially trust.
Ad Revenue (The 99% Problem)
Meta makes 99% of its revenue from ads, which means every click funds a machine that profits from misinformation and data harvesting. Brands like Tides, a progressive philanthropy group, pulled their ads in 2020, declaring Facebook “complicit in undermining democracy.” Even Meta’s own engineers built censorship tools for China while drafting hypothetical PR spin like “Chinese Gov’t Uses Facebook to Spy on Citizens.”
Takeaway: Facebook isn’t a platform—it’s a pay-to-pollute scheme.
The Misinformation Playground (Where Facts Go To Die)
Fact-Checkers? Never Heard Of ‘Em
In 2025, Meta scrapped third-party fact-checkers for a “Community Notes” system, letting users crowdsource truth like it’s a Yelp review. Spoiler: It backfired. Searches for “how to delete Facebook” spiked 5,000% as users fled what critics called a “post-fact AI slop factory.”
Zuck’s Defense: “Free speech!” (Translation: “Engagement metrics go brrr.”)
Myanmar, Rohingya, And The “Growth Market” Excuse
Facebook’s expansion into Myanmar in 2012 turned the platform into a genocide megaphone. Employees begged leadership to act, only to be told, “We’re a tech company, not a government.” By 2018, even Meta admitted it fueled violence.
Meta’s Motto: “Connecting the world”—one humanitarian crisis at a time.
Antitrust Trials & Zuckerberg’s Monopoly Man Cosplay
The FTC’s $20 Billion Divorce Papers
Meta is currently battling the FTC in court over allegations it monopolized social media by buying Instagram and WhatsApp. The FTC argues these acquisitions “harmed competition”—a claim Meta dismisses as “defying reality.” Meanwhile, Zuckerberg’s lawyers insist TikTok and iMessage are rivals, which is like McDonald’s claiming it competes with kale.
Fun Fact: If Meta loses, it might have to spin off Instagram and WhatsApp—a breakup juicier than Bennifer 2.0.
Zuck’s Trumpian Flirtation
Zuckerberg’s recent courtship of the Trump administration (three meetings since January 2025!) has critics side-eyeing his antitrust defense. Former FTC Chair Lina Khan warned against a “sweetheart deal” post-Zuck’s D.C. schmoozing.
Translation: When in doubt, lobby harder.
The Aging User Base (Facebook Is The New “Boomer Paradise”)
Gen Z: “Facebook? Never Met Her”
Only 32% of teens use Facebook today—down from 71% in 2015. Gen Z prefers TikTok and Instagram (which Meta also owns, because irony is dead.) Meanwhile, 74% of rural U.S. adults still cling to Facebook like a flip phone.
Demographic Reality: Facebook’s core audience is now moms arguing in groups and uncles sharing Minion memes.
Engagement? More Like Disengagement
The average Facebook post gets a dismal 0.063% engagement rate—lower than X (Twitter) and roughly equivalent to shouting into a black hole. Even Meta’s own data shows users spend just 30.8 minutes daily on Facebook vs. 53 minutes on TikTok.
Zuck’s Copium: “But… but we have Reels!”
How To Strart Divesting (Without Losing Your Mind)
Nonprofits: Go Dark Or Go Home
Media Cause’s 2020 boycott blueprint included going dark on Facebook/Instagram for July, reallocating ad budgets to email and LinkedIn, and pinning a “We’re Out” post to their dormant page. Tides’ exit statement read like a breakup letter: “We cannot condone Facebook’s undemocratic policies.”
Pro Tip: Divesting is like quitting caffeine—painful at first, but oh-so-liberating.
How Users Can Delete, Detox, And Not Look Back
– Step 1: Download your data (nostalgia is free, but your duck-face selfies aren’t).
– Step 2: Delete your account, ignoring Meta’s 30-day “Take me back!” guilt trip.
– Step 3: Replace Facebook Login with literally anything else.
Bonus: Enjoy the sweet silence of not being microtargeted by Russian troll farms.
Is Facebook Having A Midlife Crisis?
At 21, Facebook is old enough to drink—and boy, does it need a stiff one. With antitrust lawsuits, fleeing users, and a reputation as the internet’s “boomer basement,” Meta’s golden child is showing its age. As one FTC commissioner put it, “Facebook’s idea of ‘community’ is a farm, and we’re the cows.”
The Final Straw? It’s Personal
Let’s not forget the you factor. After years of data breaches, creepy ads, and Zuckerberg’s metaverse delusions, users are realizing Facebook’s greatest sin: it’s just not cool anymore. The platform that once defined social interaction now feels like a digital nursing home where everyone argues about politics and shares fake news. No wonder people are divesting.
As comedian John Oliver said, “Facebook is where misinformation goes to retire—and then gets a second career.” Divesting isn’t just a protest—it’s a survival tactic. Because if history teaches us anything, it’s that empires fall fastest when they’re too busy counting ad dollars to notice the revolt outside.
So, pour one out for Facebook. Or better yet, pour one into a glass, delete your account, and toast to freedom.
Let us know your thoughts on the subject at techistheculture.bsky.social. Keep ahead of the game with our newsletter & the latest tech news.
Disclaimer: This article contains some AI-generated content that may include inaccuracies. Learn more [here].
