> Actually, if we could snap our fingers and wish social media out of existence tomorrow nothing really bad would happen, besides some influencers becoming poorer.
I disagree. I would lose the ability to contact many good friends.
Why are you dependent on Facebook for these things? If you suddenly lost your account, you would lose those friends or would you find another way to communicate?
believe me, I would really prefer not to rely on social media for this kind of thing. unfortunately a simple list of names and numbers tends to decay over time. plus, some people in my life just prefer to be contacted over facebook messenger.
a surprising number of people don't realize that a) carriers are obligated to port their number and b) it is possible to transfer contacts when they buy a new phone. instead of fixing the original problem, they post "hey new number (xxx)-xxx-xxxx, add me!" or "new phone, send your numbers!" to facebook or instagram. I can't explain how this is supposed to work to every single person I want to stay in contact with, and I don't check social media much so I tend to miss these posts.
if I lost my facebook account, it wouldn't be a huge issue. I'd be able to track everyone down on other platforms. if all social media were shut down, there are at least a couple people I'd never be able to contact again.
I disagree. I would lose the ability to contact many good friends.