Cameron Summerson
Sometimes, social media can be overwhelming. That’s probably never truer than it is right now—it’s like a relentless buzz in the back of your mind. Between COVID-19 news, the political landscape, and everyone seemingly yelling about their own issues and opinions, it’s just a lot. Facebook wants to help you step away from that with a new feature called Quiet Mode.
There’s been a heavy focus on “digital wellbeing” lately. Both Google and Apple have built features into their respective operating systems to make you more aware of how much you use your phone. You can also use these features to “force” yourself to take some time away. The upcoming Quiet Mode feature for Facebook is a lot like that but specifically for Facebook instead of your entire phone.
The idea is pretty straightforward: you tell the app when you need some time away. It will mute “most” notifications and give you a gentle reminder that you’re supposed to be taking a break if you do open the app. Quiet Mode also broadens the available usage statistics, so you can see how much you actually use the network. (Spoiler: it’s probably more than you realize.)
It’s nice to see Facebook taking proactive steps to allow users to step away from its network. We know how toxic it can be, especially right now. Taking a break is a good thing.
Quiet Mode is rolling out now to iOS users and should be fully available by the end of April. Android users have to wait a bit longer, with a full rollout expected “by June.” Woof.
