The Rational Decision to Deactivate my Facebook account

During the pandemic I deactivated my FB account for years because it felt so toxic as an environment. I reactivated it when Musk bought Twitter. At the time it felt like a “least worst” option, rather than a pleasant site. In the process I used FB extensively, and I found communities but I also found a lot of noise.

Political Bias

Recently I have noticed that when a post is written about something positive, there are a lot of angry smileys, and if something negative is written there are a lot of positive smileys. It feels as if Facebook is a Right Wing site. It has felt that way for a while. Yesterday things reached a peak.

Helmets and Dangerous Car Driving

There is a conversation that I originally heard being discussed in a podcast, and then saw being discussed on FB. It is about whether drivers behave more dangerously around cyclists wearing helmets, and as a result if helmets should not be worn.

I find the premise that we should not wear helmets because drivers will endanger our lives if we do, as deeply troubling. Can you imagine if someone said “We shouldn’t wear seat belts because by wearing seat belts we encourage dangerous driving.” Everyone today, knows how absurd this statement is.

Years ago, when I had a foot scooter, that I powered myself, I never wore a helmet, but, when I bought an electric scooter I couldn’t imagine driving without a helmet, due to the change in speed, but also the risk of falling.

A Fall and a Nurse

Years ago, when my front brake locked up, and I was thrown over the handle bars I came to lying flat on the road, with my bike on top of me. When I went to the hospital a nurse was worried and asked a series of questions. When she asked “were you wearing a helmet?” and I answered “yes” the line of questions suddenly stopped. That single answer put her mind at rest.

In light of this it makes absolute sense always to wear a helmet, because a helmet is worn as a precaution. When you go rock climbing, you wear a helmet. When you do via ferrata, you wear a helmet. When you ride an e-scooter it is strongly recommended that you wear a helmet, given the mounting number of related injuries.

Standard Kit on Group Rides

With cycling you wear the helmet as part of your kit, without thinking about it. In Bike Club Switzerland, Tête de Course and LeCercle Rides it is required that everyone wear a helmet. People are not given the choice.

Car Drivers and Helmet Response

There is a prejudice, I don’t know whether in the Uk, Australia or the US, that by wearing a helmet you paint a target on your bike when you’re cycling. I find this deeply disturbing for two reasons. The first reason is that a movement has started to justify drivers attacking cyclists for wearing a helmet. Facebook is allowing a discussion to normalise the targeting of cyclists for wearing a helmet. Facebook should block these conversations as they will get people injured as a result.

The second aspect to this conversation is that wearing a helmet isn’t why drivers get frustrated with cyclists. It’s that cyclists don’t aknowledge that they know that cars are behind them. When I ride I have a radar that warns me when cars are behind. In theory if I am warned, that’s enough. In practice, when I see that a car is behind me, I make sure to turn around, and allow drivers to see that I know they’re there.

Courtesy on the Road

I have found that by visibly noticing that cars are behind me, it immediately encourages them to be more patient, or at least to overtake with a greater distance than if I had ignored them.

As part of the same discussion, I noticed that some riders, in group rides, indicate for cars to overtake when the group is ready for them to do so. It has bled into my solo cycling. When I am cycling alone, if, and when I know a car is behind me, I will often stop pedaling, and signal for a car to overtake me.

The reason for deactivating Facebook

In the end, my decision to deactivate Facebook once again is that it has not been fun for a long time. You visit the site. You see politically biased article aimed at spreading bias or hate, and when you comment, those that agree, just like the post, and those that disagree want to bully and harass you into changing your mind. This is neither fun, nor pleasant.

To add icing to the cake Facebook sent “Your profile didn’t follow the rules, so it isn’t being suggested to other people at the moment.” I am being bullied and harassed, and I am being sanctioned.

For years I have found Facebook to be toxic, and this toxicity leaked into my behaviour, especially on FB. I am not toxic, I am filled with empathy and compassion but FB algorithms have a toxic influence. I dream of the day when we go back to social networks that are not fed by toxic algorithms. Blogging is healthy. Bluesky, Threads and Mastodon are okay, for now.