Post by @WeirdWriter@caneandable.social

2026-08-31 22:13 UTC

I think Meta knows I do not use any of their garbage AI things so they’re asking me to send over proof of my identity because my activity is suspicious, according to them. I of course have refused and now others are wondering, yet again, how to get a hold of me if I’m not on Facebook messenger. I posted a status to friends only giving out my VOIP phone number for SMS and calls but absolutely no one over there wants to keep my phone number, they just want to use Facebook messenger. This has made me think no one actually wants to leave the walled gardens except for those of us that have already left. I tried getting everyone into signal, or better yet, Delta Chat but I honestly quit trying and now just use SMS. I couldn’t care less if SMS isn’t the most private or secure, it was like having a root canal just trying to get others to SMS me alone, and I had even less success with trying to get others to use apps like Signal and Delta Chat. I’m using #JMP as a Voip number via the fabulous #XMPP I don’t understand why everyone likes those garbage walled gardons so much because ever since finding RSS again, and chronological timelines, I don’t get the appeal. And that fucking interface. I do not understand how sighted people tolerate it. I’m sure it looks very pretty and polished, but it’s an absolute nightmare to use. #Meta #Privacy #Communication

Replies (4)

@artfloral@sfba.social 2026-08-31 22:22

@WeirdWriter@caneandable.social Yeah, you can talk yourself blue but many people just don't want to switch from the face eaters to more secure apps. Generic problem with leaving socially sanctioned platforms. I think they don't directly see or understand the harms from the ads & trackers.

Open ##5146844
@michael@westergaard.social 2026-09-01 10:55

You're being disingenuous and that is not going to change anybody's mind. Walled gardens are nice because of network effects and convenience. Back when Facebook was good, it was VERY good. I had just moved abroad and on Facebook I could follow the lives of the people I had left. I did not need to do point-to-point communication every day with everybody, but could peripherally follow their lives and get in touch via a comment or a PM. I could contact people using a simple @ without needing to keep information Facebook still have some of that convenience, but blended with AI slop and ads. For me, and obviously for you, that trade-off is no longer worth it, but for some it is. Pretending it has no value is not going to convince anybody; you are effectively calling your friends and family dumb. You are asking them to use multiple messaging apps to keep up with you instead of you keeping multiple apps to keep up with them. You are the one being difficult, not them. It's not easy switching networks; network effect is the only reason Facebook is still alive, and in a generation TikTok will have taken over that role. You can convince some to shift and grow the base, making the shift easier. Different groups use different networks. And ask yourself: are your principles more important than the people you ostensibly want to communicate with?

Open ##5146855
@Quasit@beige.party 2026-09-01 15:33

@WeirdWriter@caneandable.social I've given up begging people on Facebook to join mastodon. None of them ever have. I feel like Harriet Tubman trying to free the slaves, and being constantly ignored. Apparently slavery feels really good to most people.

Open ##5146858
@d2718@hachyderm.io 2026-09-01 21:38

@WeirdWriter@caneandable.social You often complain about things from an accessibility angle, and it's kind of funny, because often, as a fully-sighted person, I think, "Oh, yeah, I hate this thing, too."

Open ##5146859