Fexit: The effect of political and promotional communication from friends and family on Facebook exiting intentions

•Facebook users’ exiting intentions in the platform’s post-trust era is severely underexplored.•Users more freely express themselves and exhibit fewer exiting behaviors with non-family.•Too much unwanted brand and political content may drive Facebook users away.•Exiting behavior differences depend on whether content is aligned with one’s political views.•Facebook users’ changing behaviors may force brands to alter their marketing strategies. Facebook enjoys worldwide popularity, but public trust in the site is waning. Some users are exiting Facebook while others are decreasing the intensity and frequency in which they engage with the site. Many brands rely on social media, but consumers’ changing behaviors, coupled with Facebook’s algorithm changes, may force brands to switch social media marketing strategies. This research uses exiting behavior, social capital, and closeness as theoretical lenses to explore why Facebook users decrease or eliminate their use of the site in the “post-trust era” of Facebook. A mixed-methods approach is used across three studies. Findings suggest that Facebook users feel freer to express themselves and are less likely to leave Facebook over their interactions with non-family than with family. While brand-focused and political posts negatively affect future Facebook use, there are important differences regarding aligned versus opposing political content from family and non-family. Theoretical and managerial implications are offered.