34 / matters magazine / summer 2026 T here’s been a steady drum beat of friends declaring they are leaving Facebook. Some (Gen Zers) never joined in the first place. This may out me as un cool, but … I’m never leaving Facebook. Don’t get me wrong. I’m on other platforms that I value, but there are a lot of connections and information that I can only get on Facebook. At its base level, Facebook is where I find out what friends and family are up to, including weddings, babies, vaca tions and graduations. But it’s so much more than that. Local Facebook groups such as SOMa Lounge or my street’s Facebook group are where I get recommendations for everything from plumbers to hair stylists. They’re also where I turn when I want to know whether other neighbors’ electricity just went out, their water is brown, how a holiday af fects recycling pickup, when our annual block party is or why there are a lot of helicopters circling overhead. The SOMA New Jersey Gardening Facebook group is where I learned to love and feel more confident in gardening, thanks to the amazing advice of Joy Yagid and other experienced gardeners. It’s where you can go, share your experiences and ask questions such as the perennial favorite: “Is this PI?!” The Dogs of Soma and Cats of MapSo groups are two more reasons I’m never leaving Facebook. They’re where you go when you want to post a cute pic of your pet, need a pet sitter, when your dog ate something he shouldn’t, when you need a recommendation for a vet or when that horrifying day comes and your pet gets out. Dogs of Soma has 4.7k members. If you post a pic and say your dog is missing, that’s a lot of people who can keep an eye out to help them find their way back home. It’s also where you’ll meet some of the most amazing souls in SOMA, such as Kelly Conover and Marcia Sandford Fishkind (who I wrote about in the last issue of Matters), who help retrieve lost pets and trap and rescue strays. One of the most unexpected loves I found on Facebook was eagles! (No, sor ry, Philly friends, not the football team. Though I do love the occasional Jason Kelce reel that pops up in my feed.) Last year, I discovered the Duke Farms Eagle Cam, which keeps a constant eye on the nest, and the Facebook group Friends of the Duke Farm Eagles, where people post milestones such as eaglets hatching and the breath-taking day they fledge (fly) and everything in between, from feedings to sibling rivalries and even owl attacks. It’s also where I learn about local ce lebrities, such as Henry the orange cat who used to live down the street from me. Henry is the epitome of a tom cat, with a primal urge to go outside. No human, door or A/C unit will stop him! So his mom honored that by creating a page called, “Is It Henry? The meanderings of Maplewood’s gin ger tabby,” to keep tabs on him. People reported sightings, desired sightings and concerns when there were no sightings. Before you knew it, Henry was famous! His page has 1.5k followers, including a lot of students at Columbia High School, where Henry frequently visited. He was even the subject of an art class! When Henry’s family moved to the UK last year, he stayed here on his turf under the care of a team of guardians and the watchful eye of all his fans. Few things have brought a community closer together than all of us worried about Henry making it through the winter or getting to the vet after the inevitable cat fight. Alas, it’s also where I learned that Henry was moving to the UK with his family. It’s in his best interest, but we will sure miss him here in Maplewood. Thanks for all the memories, buddy. I have loved community ever since I sat around my grandmother’s table in Natrona Heights, PA, eating and laughing, never knowing who would walk in that door next and join the conversation. Somehow, there was always room at the table. The internet has connected us in a way that many of us never thought possible and divided us in ways more devastating than we could imagine. Facebook is that place, like my grandmother’s table, where I just want to pull up a seat and stay awhile. Cindy Perman is a freelance writer, editor and pet sitter who lives in Maplewood and is grateful to have found a place with such a strong sense of community – just like her grandmother’s table. Why I’m Never Deleting Facebook Babies, plumbers, hair stylists, gardeners, doggos, eagles – and Henry the Cat BY CINDY PERMAN finalmatters Henry's off to join his family in the UK! Photo and graphics by Cameron Dickson who did not use AI.
View this content as a flipbook by clicking here.