Connections...disconnected
Today I'm home with a sick kiddo.
She is stretched out on the couch alternately dozing and binge watching "The Loud House."
I'm clackering away here on the computer.
My plan for being on the computer was to enroll in an EventBrite "ad boost" free trial in hopes of promoting my January 7th "SoulCollage®: A New Year Adventure" workshop on EventBrite (first time facilitating an extended 6-hour event. I'm pretty geeked.)
But, alas, no ad boost program for me.
Why?
Because the program is for boosting Facebook ads and, just in case you haven't noticed recently...I'm not on Facebook.
What??
That's right.
Haven't been on Facebook since November 22nd when the folks at Meta Technology Company (parent company of Facebook) rather unceremoniously booted me off of the platform.
Permanently.
"Wait, what?" you ask. "WTH???"
Yeah.
My feelings exactly
I receive a message on November 22 at 6:45AM that my account has been suspended because apparently "[my] account, or activity on it, doesn't follow [Facebook's] Community Standards." Said message ends with "If you think we suspended your account by mistake, you have 30 days to disagree with our decision. If you miss this deadline your account will be permanently disabled."
There is no description of how or why my account is in violation of Community Standards.
There is, however, a button embedded in the email that reads "Disagree with decision" so I press it. Not much happens after that.
At 7:18AM I receive the following email from The Facebook Team:
"Thanks for your report. We'll review the information you provided and get back to you when we have an update on your report. In the meantime, you can review our Community Standards to learn more about what is and isn't allowed on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/communitystandards?ref=cr We appreciate your patience."
What "information that [ I ] provided"??...there was no option for me to actually provide information - just to to press the button.
And at 12:41PM the same day the last message I am to receive from The Facebook Team: "We’ve determined that you are ineligible to use Facebook. To learn more about Facebook’s policies, please review the Facebook Statement of Rights and Responsibilities: https://www.facebook.com/legal/terms?ref=cr. Unfortunately, for safety and security reasons, we can't provide additional information as to why your account was disabled. We appreciate your understanding, as this decision is final."
WTH???
No explanation.
And no way to reach a human being at Meta Technology Company (I tried.)
Zero recourse.
The only thing I can think of is that maybe Facebook is responding to two photos of my daughter in her pajamas (fully covered up!) that I shared years ago and then re-shared because Facebook itself recommended it as a memory.
But I don't know because they give me no option to even see whatever post it is that supposedly broke their Community Standards.
Years and years of building a community and connecting with others on Facebook: friends, family, three mom groups, two political groups, two ADHD support groups, my local Buy Nothing group, multiple SoulCollage® groups, and multiple professional groups...not to mention my business page, Soul Unfolding...
All gone.
Disabled.
Disconnected.
Just like that.
My Inner Referee is definitely calling FOUL on this play.
Ten yard penalty!
It's SO not fair. Not when I've been a member of the Facebook community in good standing for FIFTEEN YEARS.
Boom. Gone.
I feel weirdly adrift. Not able to connect daily with the people and groups I have interacted with for so long.
I miss it.
I miss you.
I miss the humor, the birthday messages, your goofy pet posts, the posts about the things that you are passionate about, seeing what my professional friends are up to with their small business, sharing my news, sending consoling messages to friends who are struggling, celebrating with friends who are celebrating, etc.
All of it.
As much as I hate to say it...Facebook is an integral part of the fabric of my daily life.
And my business.
Everyday since this all went down I check my e-mail multiple times a day just hoping for a message from the Facebook Team that says, "Whoops! Sorry! It was a glitch. You've been reinstated."
No such luck.
Hasn't happened.
And my hopes of it happening are dwindling daily.
I'm starting to rebuild connections on Instagram (which is, very ironically, also owned by Meta) for which I am extremely grateful.
However...I want and need to get back on Facebook. To re-connect. To continue with my long-distance online friendships. To share my news and to read all of your news. To hear about your events and your passions. To promote my business and my events.
To not feel adrift.
Not feel disconnected.
So, how to accomplish this?
Going up "against" Facebook, I feel like a tiny speck of sand battling the entirety of the Atlantic Ocean.
Like I don't have a chance in h*ll of success.
But I have to try.
To that end, I have filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and, believe it or not, am seeking legal representation.
Wish me luck.
In the meantime, if we were ever connected on Facebook and you want to reconnect with me - please catch me on Instagram. My "Insta" name is @soulunfolding
Hope to see you on Instagram...and hopefully again on Facebook sometime in the near future.