Well, I’ve left Facebook. More or less. I’ve randomly decimated my friends list and deactivated (not deleted, mind) the account. I’ve had a lot of enjoyment out of it over the five-odd years I’ve had an account, but it’s come to an end, I think. Why? Well, following are some concerns…

1) Privacy. Look, when push comes to shove, I don’t think anything that bad is going to happen. My account is locked down and doesn’t have anything more incriminating that a few photos of me looking drunk at festivals. But Facebook HQ seem intent on rejigging the arrangements once every six months and I just can’t be bothered to check every time.

2) I hate advertising 1: I hate advertising. I particularly hate focus-group-driven, data-fed advertising where some smart boys in Shoreditch have come up with a call to action designed, on the evidence provided by however many thousand test subjects, to bypass your rational thought processes and appeal directly to your primal urge to buy. When it’s done badly I find the lowest-common-denominator cynisism stomach churning, and when it’s done well it’s even worse.

3) I hate advertising 2: I hate advertising. I think we all need to realise that an internet which is free at the point of delivery and paid for through adverts will give us a dumbed-down waste of time that provides less and less for its users in favour of more and more to its sponsors. And I think to some extent you can see that with Facebook – endless appeals to make more and more connections, provide more and more data, continually add depth to that valuable profile of yours. Conversely, an environment in which small providers are able to make money through actual transactions should provide diversity, choice and richness.

4) I’m 34. It’s a kids’ toy. We all need to grow up. Fuck gameification. Intelligent adults should have the nouse to get involved with complex structures.