this post was submitted on 16 Nov 2023
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I have come to realise that I can't just leave Facebook and Instagram without it influencing the stuff that I really care about. Most of my hobbies, interests, friends, clubs etc are on Facebook, and leaving the platform would affect the level of involvement that I can achieve.

So my question is: would it be an option to run Facebook and Instagram on a device that I don't use for anything else than that? I won't being it with me anywhere and I won't use it for communication, searches, browsing etc. Only Facebook and Instagram.

I still haven't accepted the terms of the meta platform and as accepting them would allow to track on any device, I have uninstalled on all devices. So I am thinking of installing the apps on a spare device and just letting them be isolated there.

I realise that they will still track my activities on the apps though, but I believe that the few weeks I've had without the app, has taught me that I dont need to browse the fees. Just check the communities that i am involved in and put again

Any thoughts or advice on this?

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[–] uzi@lemmy.ca 0 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I use Whatsapp in that exact scenario that you are describing. It's an old Android phone connected to wi-fi and the phone is never touched for anything outside of Whatsapp.

Having it setup that way, or for you with FB/IG, if there is no SIM in the phone, do not install anything else, no contacts in phone, you can effectively use it anonymously.

I suggest you use an Android phone so you can download APK files to install, disable Play Store and similar network services, and maybe once a month download the lastest APK and install to update it. I do that for Whatsapp or updating since I have all Google services disabled on the phone.

[–] EngineerGaming@feddit.nl 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

What about an Android VM then? I use it for Steam, and it's far more convenient. Not to mention doesn't require spending money on a smartphone.

[–] uzi@lemmy.ca 0 points 1 year ago

You can do that too, use an Android VM. Whichever way works best or works easiest for you.