Loss of the fb timeline historical data is psychologically very hard to accept even for people wanting to close their accounts.

I've talked about this with friends, relatives and co-workers and while most of them have considered closing their accounts at some point, almost all of them feel like they would be erasing an irreplaceable documented view into their past self.

For me personally I don't post or read since a few years ago, and while I wouldn't mind seeing my timeline erased, what has kept me from deleting y account is simply that i "need" facebook as a contacts /messaging app. Although I would prefer to handle my communication needs exclusively on email, I have people in my life that simply do not reply to email, the only way to reach them is via a facebook message.