If i deactivate my facebook can i still use messenger

Facebook feeds are just not worth it anymore

Often times when we are feeling down on ourselves, we compound the issue by comparing ourselves to others.

Social media, especially Facebook, only makes this worse. While Facebook has the benefit of keeping one in contact with family and friends, news feeds are often a waste of productivity and paint an inaccurate picture of what is actually happening in people’s lives. However, it is possible to deactivate Facebook itself, while maintaining valuable contacts through the Facebook Messenger. This is a why and how guide to doing just that.

Does Facebook have any value?

When we scroll through our Facebook news feeds, we see pictures and updates on everyone’s seemingly perfect lives. Of course, we’re happy for our friends and their successes in life. Their beautiful families, homes, their careers.

But when we’re feeling down on ourselves, we tend to start wondering why such success has passed us by. Why couldn’t I make my marriage work? Why am I still living in this rented apartment or with roommates instead of owning my own home? Why has my career sputtered? Why did I get in trouble, while they can keep clean? Why can’t I be as happy as them? What is wrong with me?

If you’re like me, you’ve been down that rabbit-hole of self-doubt many times.

But think about it: when you share or post something on social media, it is generally something positive about yourself. Most of us refrain from sharing the negative, even when we’re going through something serious. No one likes a complainer, right? This is called our self-presentation. The perception we give of ourselves on social media is one of positivity. Everything is perfect, my life is awesome. You probably do this, and if you are doing it, your friends are probably doing it too.

Now think about that for a minute.

If everyone is giving off a positive perception of themselves on social media, where is the negative stuff?

It exists for everyone. No matter how perfect their self-presentation is on social media, there is still negativity in their lives.

That said, many of us tend to forget this when we use social media. If you have trouble with this, try disconnecting from Facebook for a while and see what happens.

One great thing about Facebook is the messenger feature. However, this can be separated from Facebook itself. Users can actually deactivate Facebook, but stay active on Facebook Messenger on their mobile device.

How to deactivate Facebook but keep Facebook Messenger

1. Log into the Facebook site on your computer; go to Settings, General and then select Edit in the Manage Account section.
2. Select Deactivate Account.
3. When prompted, enter your password.
4. Next, you’ll have to give Facebook a reason; select any except for “This is temporary” as you’ll be forced to automatically reactivate your account in seven days in that case.
5. Close the pop-up guilt-trip, and then ensure that “Opt out of receiving messages on Messenger” is NOT checked.
6. Select Deactivate, and you’re done!

Note that these instructions are current at the time of this posting (updated 4/3/2018). Facebook doesn’t want you to do this, so they change the process often.

See how you feel being free from your Facebook newsfeed.

Chances are, you’ll start to feel better almost immediately. You’ll find yourself more productive, and you might start to communicate more directly with the people you care about the most. After all, when you don’t see what’s on their Facebook timeline anymore, you have to ask questions, listen and share in person to know what’s going on. Many of us are more likely to share both positive and negative in person with trusted individuals. This helps with the perception issues, showing that everyone balances with both.

Personally, I have found this to be true after deactivating Facebook and Twitter. I kept Instagram because I enjoy pictures, but even there, find myself not posting as much. Eventually, I went back to Facebook and Twitter, but found myself much less likely to even open them except to update pages and accounts related to my writing and business ventures. My personal feed? I don’t even look at it.

Give it a shot and see what happens.

Do you feel like getting rid of your Facebook account, but you don’t want to lose contacts with your friends? As it turns out, there’s a way to effectively delete Facebook but keep Messenger. While you won’t be able to stay in contact with everyone, you can avoid all of the pitfalls of social media while still being able to message other Facebook users. Here’s how it works.

Can you delete Facebook but keep Messenger?

There’s no way to completely delete a Facebook account but keep Messenger. Instead, you can deactivate your account, then keep using Messenger to stay in contact with friends. The only real catch is that you’ll probably have to add Messenger friends from your phone’s contact list.

The process can be a little complex. Facebook really, really doesn’t want you to delete your account permanently, even if you aren’t fond of the new terms of service changes. Besides, some users may feel massive regret if they delete their account and can’t get it back. Thankfully, the Facebook team has made it simple to deactivate your account, which is sort of like a safer way to delete it temporarily. Once deactivated, your profile and bio will be hidden from both friends and the public, but you won’t lose access to your past posts or friends list.

If you decide to deactivate your account, there’s one important step to remember. Near the end of the process, Facebook will ask if you want to opt out of receiving messages on Messenger. If you opt out, you won’t be able to keep using Messenger. If you stay opted in, you can effectively delete your Facebook but keep Messenger.

Here’s how to deactivate your Facebook account but keep using Messenger:

1. Open the Facebook website and log in to your account
2. Go to Settings & Privacy, then click Settings
3. Choose Your Facebook Information, then click Deactivation and Deletion
4. Select Deactivate Account, then Continue to Account Deactivation
5. Choose a reason for leaving Facebook, then click Continue
6. Close the pop-up, make sure you de-select the “Opt out of receiving messages on Messenger” option, then click Deactivate

Of course, there is a far more simple process for mobile users who aren’t ready to delete their account entirely. If you’re outright sick of Facebook, try simply deleting the mobile app. Your account will remain active, but your phone won’t be bombarded with notifications or reminders. Acquaintances and work associates will still be able to find you, and you won’t have to worry about losing all your past photos and memories.

Still, deactivating your Facebook account is always an option. You won’t lose access to past content, but it will appear as though your account has been deleted. As long you don’t opt out of messages, you’ll be able to keep using the Messenger mobile app to stay in contact with friends and family.

What does a deactivated Facebook account look like on Messenger?

What do my friends see when I deactivate Facebook?