Swear Off Social Media, for Good or Just for Now

[Commentary] Social media can be a harmless and easy way to keep track of friends, family and news. It can also be addictive and invasive and produce an archive of bad behavior that can damage relationships or make it hard to get a new job.

And, of course, there are privacy worries compounded by a controversial Facebook experiment unearthed recently that turned unwitting users into emotionally manipulated guinea pigs. That last one might prompt some people to leave Facebook permanently. Or not -- it wasn’t exactly the first time Facebook has done something that made some users swear off the service.

So is quitting social media the new thing in social media? That’s hard to say. For many users, the distractions, manipulations and targeted ads of social media are still worth it for keeping up with friends and family. But it’s still wise to exercise control over your social media history, even if quitting is too radical a step in this connected world.