>That being said, I limit my facebook usage to messanger and wishing people happy birthday, so I guess it could be worse.
You don't need a platform, you need a messaging tool and, if you don't mind the lack of encryption, you could just use email.
As for email, to me it just doesn't serve the same purpose that IM does. It's analogous to sending letters back and forth as opposed to having a face-to-face conversation -- the increased time lag between replies encouraged by the medium has a huge influence on the nature of conversations that occur through it.
I still use email, for example when I want to send something more in-depth to someone and I don't expect a quick reply. But it's not the right tool if I want a real-time, informal conversation with someone, which is most of my conversations.
I have a group chat with 2/3 other friends I've know for 20+ years. Then I usually text others individually.
Facebook is an awful medium to conduct intimate conversations over. After two failed attempts to ditch it in the past, I've been off Facebook for a year. I can attest that you won't miss it. Just use SMS.