_posts/2018-12-18-walt-mossberg-ive-decided-to-quit-facebook.markdown
---
title: 'Walt Mossberg: ‘I’ve Decided to Quit Facebook’'
date: 2018-12-18 10:09:00 -06:00
tags:
- tech
custom_type: post
---
[Walt Mossberg on Twitter](https://twitter.com/waltmossberg/status/1074689946571685888):
> I've decided to quit Facebook around the end of the year. I am doing this - after being on Facebook for nearly 12 years - because my own values and the policies and actions of Facebook have diverged to the point where I’m no longer comfortable there.
Walt has long been a respected member of the tech community, and his decision is big news. [He's not just leaving Facebook](https://twitter.com/waltmossberg/status/1074689947242848257):
> I am also quitting Facebook-owned Instagram and Messenger. I will remain on Twitter, and will continue to communicate via iMessage, email and SMS text with those who have my email address and/or phone number. Obviously, people who follow me here can also reach me via DM.
Makes sense. You can't just leave Facebook—they have their tentacles attached to these other services too.
I think an interesting movement is happening here. All of us whom call the internet home have always been early adopters. <mark>I was on Facebook and Instagram <em>years before</em> any of my offline friends were.</mark>
In a similar vein, we're now the early adopters who understand the moral bankruptcy of the people running social media. Just as I had to explain to IRL friends what Instagram was, they give me the same confusing look when I tell them I've deleted my account.
The mass exodus is on the horizon.