• ReadWriteWeb, Friday, May 7, 2010 3:36 PM

What happens when you deactivate your Facebook account? Petrified by the prospect of social exile and cultural alienation, few people know. ReadWriteWeb tells the tale of one man who came pretty close after his Facebook life had an "adverse emotional impact" on his real life. The blog has even posted a screenshot of what the man saw after clicking the (gasp!) "deactivate my account" link on his account page.

The page asks, "Are you sure you want to deactivate your account?" adding, "Your 972 friends will no long be able to keep in touch with you." Aghast, ReadWriteWeb writes: "How incredibly manipulative! And what claims to make ... To say that leaving Facebook means your friends 'will no longer be able to keep in touch with you' is just wrong." Even after users' deactivate, their friends can still invite them to events, tag them in photos, and even ask them to join groups. "Amazing," adds ReadWriteWeb. "By default, even after you cancel your Facebook account, Facebook will still keep emailing you, unless you opt out."

Read the whole story at ReadWriteWeb »