Should we boycott Facebook because of Cambridge Analytica?

Encyclopedia of Opinion

Question: Should we boycott Facebook because of Cambridge Analytica?
Position1 of 3›: Stop using Facebook
Argument‹3 of 3: Slowly wean off Facebook

Encouraging users to wean off of Facebook over time rather than deleting it straight away will allow users to break away from the platform without losing the connections they have made.

The argument

While many people don't remember why they joined Facebook in the first place, they do remember why they are weaning off it now. Proponents of this position take that asymmetry as the starting point: the joining was unconsidered and the leaving is deliberate, which is what makes the departures worth paying attention to. Those who leave the platform reveal interesting trends that hint at how future relationships with smart technology and social media will play out. It allows them to discover other social media that's safe to use and less time-consuming — the exit is not a withdrawal from social technology as such but a re-selection of it, made with criteria a first-time user never applied. What changes alongside it is behavioural: they don't feel "addicted" to such applications and can go on hours without checking their phone for updates. The practice has already taken shape in recognisable forms. Digital detoxing or "Facebook vacations" are trends that encourage one to leave their phone behind during a walk or refrain from using the site for a certain period. Such trends happen because people often found themselves constantly reaching for their phones to check their Facebook for updates. The habit is what the practice is aimed at, and a deliberate interval away from the site is what makes that habit visible to the person who has it. That is why weaning is presented as a first move rather than a complete answer. Weaning off Facebook does not necessarily add to boycotting it for stealing data, since the motive is personal rather than political. But it is the first step in encouraging users to recognize its impact on their lives, and a user who has seen that impact is in a position to decide about the platform on grounds they have actually examined.

Context

Most people gradually reduce their usage an move away from Facebook. This helps people not truncate immediately their relationship.

Premises

[P1]People who wean off Facebook discover other social media that is safer and less time-consuming. [P2] Freed from feeling addicted, they can go hours without checking their phones, as trends like digital detoxing and "Facebook vacations" encourage. [P3] Weaning off is the first step toward recognizing Facebook's impact on one's life, even if it is not yet a full boycott over data theft. [C] Therefore, because slowly weaning off Facebook helps users recognize its harms, it is a way to stop using Facebook.

Counter-arguments

In our digital age, where we stay connected with friends and relatives through social media, it can lead to one feeling left out from their circle. The constant fear of missing out can lead to loneliness and emotional instability. The platform allows people to stay in touch with friends who are countries away and it also offers opportunities for users to sign for events and stay up-to-date with the seasonal festivities around them.

Rejecting the premises

Enter the technical rejections of the Premises here...