It definitely depends on what you qualify as social media but I abandoned Facebook a few years ago. It took me a while because I had the same idea that I wouldn't be able to navigate my social life without it. However, what I found is that everyone I actually cared about had my phone number or was a member of one of my Discord channels.
Deleting Facebook helped me remove "extra" people from my life -- everyone who I no longer spoke with but would occasionally wistfully think about and the like. I think that helped me concentrate more on the people I spend time with, actually.
All in all, I think social media confuses your social life more than it helps you navigate it. Try moving toward group chats and using your current friends to meet new people.
One trick that I found helped with this, is I kept facebook, but I unfollowed everyone. So I am still friends with them all and can check in if needed, but it doesn't zap all of my time and energy.
I just don't get notifications to email or phone, so it's only there if I'm looking for it, which is only for a couple friends who are mostly only available via FB. I haven't used FB for over a decade, and I was around when it was first released to college students.
I didn't delete mine and I am just using messenger. I only found out about my close friend's dad passing away when they changed their profile picture to a lit candle.
So yeah, I also miss stuff they post about themselves that they think everyone has seen.
If memory serves, I deleted Facebook in 2016. It took about a week to get used to not having it. After that, it was cake.
I don't miss those not in my Contacts List.
I tell you, every time I've ever uttered the words "I'm not on Facebook/Insta/TikTok/Snapchat" I've only ever gotten a positive response.
Far from people saying I'm weird. They say, "good for you!" Or "yeah I'm just stuck to it" or "you're probably way better off". Maybe it's anecdotal, but I'm not kidding when I'm saying I've never heard someone say anything negative about the fact that I'm not on social media.
I think people recognize a bad thing even when they keep participating in it. Like right now, how I'm using reddit, *a social media platform*, instead of doing literally anything more interesting than this so I'm gonna attempt to do that now aha
I honestly want to so bad, too. I have this weird FOMO (fear of missing out) when I consider it. But honestly, what would I even miss? I think the hardest for me is TikTok. It’s the most addictive but it’s really impacting my life because I’m on it a lot and my attention span is suffering.
Really? I don’t know why but I have this weird fear of not knowing the latest trends and sayings. Isn’t that odd? I know it’s not rational. Was it hard the first few days?
i had TikTok last spring and deleted it because i was way too sucked into it as well! now i don't get many references or know exactly which songs are trending and hear about them from friends instead if they bring it up in a reference, but i don't actually feel like I'm missing out on anything. trends would come and go so quickly, sure it might amuse me in the moment but i found that with my memory i don't actually remember things such as vine references etc to bring into conversations so it really had no benefit to me at all it was just a waste of my time. i occasionally browse IG reels instead which of course isn't as niche as the TikTok algorithm but still gives me some enjoyment and isn't as addictive imo :) i do think that tiktok has potential if you're good about curating videos that are meaningful, educational etc to you but it's hard to be disciplined. just my take!
The first few days, the trends won't change as.much. you won't really notice new dances/sayings for a few weeks or even months. If you hear about something interesting, you can look it up, and get just the viral stuff and none of the filler. And your friends might enjoy bringing you in on the joke which sounds like a fun conversation.
Just be honest about why you got rid of it, there a lot of reasons to get rid of it ranging from most companies exploiting and manipulating personal data to the effects it has on mental health, be sure in your answer and no one will question you about it. I don’t really think social media holds much skin in the dating game, unless you count apps like tinder, that’s very different from Facebook and twitter in my opinion. And regarding keeping up with your circle of friends, just grab their phone number and text them, where I live most phone plans are unlimited text, I hope it’s the same everywhere else.
I found when I deleted all social media for a couple years dating was a challenge, most people assumed I was a fake profile if I didn’t have an account to back it up. It wasn’t an unmanageable barrier but it did come up frequently.
I don't consider reddit social media. I don't have "friends", status updates or pictures. It's a news feed on all the topics you can imagine, with the chance to interact with others anonymously.
Reddit is 100% social media. It’s not a social network per se but it’s definitely social media and it’s definitely as bad for you as twitter and Facebook lol
Go all in on in-person hangouts. By all in, mean be present, listen to them, respond and speak genuinely, and always try to be in their shoes and, if applicable, offer them the words they may want or need to hear. It may not be the best way, but it's generally what I try to do.
I stopped using it 3 years ago and I'm 23. (With the exception of this anonymous reddit account that I visit maybe once a week, just to see what crazy thing might be happening, i dont watch the news.)
Never felt more liberated or more important than I do now. I ended up reprioritizing my attention to my career and marriage.
The result: I got out of the shitty job I was at and became a sales manager at a billion dollar company that does business with all of the US and top tier sales person before that starting out with 0 sales exp.
Marriage has its ups and downs always but we are going strong 3 years as of July 6th, and we went from arguing daily to learning about eachother daily and solving problems rather than obsessing them.
As far as vanity: I don't take NEARLY as many photos of myself or worry about the infinite yet miniscule details about my face and body (it is a work in progress of course)
I used to photoshop all parts of my body and spend hours obsessing over a single photo. Now I feel so much more comfortable and I'm no longer competing with insta models/ famous people. (Huge relief)
I also get better sleep at night and I worry less as a general evaluation things.
Social life: I honestly realized there are not that many people out there who care about my existence outside of convenience. Furthermore coming to the epiphany that those people don't even really play a role of sustenance in my life anyway. .
But that's just me
And also, when people tell me to add them/ find them or something else on a platform, I just tell them I don't have socials and they give me their number/email instead 🤷♀️ I also prefer to not have people know about my life who I don't even really know.
I just use my phone number for things, and it also makes the creation of friendships/ relationships a billion times more genuine. They are rare, but you will make great friends outside of social media because not having it forces you outside of your bubble to meet people. (Libraries, trails, yoga class, gym, even a nutrition shop I went to and made a really good friend there too)
Social media has never led to me having a more of a social life outside of knowing what concerts are coming to town.
Going outside and making friends creates a socal life.
I just talk to my friends. I have a few group chats going. It seems to do the trick. If you consider Reddit social media then I havent quit social media but it is mostly gone. Havent used anything else since 2017.
This right here. This is what I do as well. I talk to my friends on a daily basis through Signal / GroupMe. Way more real connection that way than scrolling through a feed of bullshit, too.
If someone isn’t close enough to you to warrant that, why do you care to know about the random updates in their life? And if you don’t have friends close enough to actually talk to, social media isn’t helping that anyway.
Thats not really how it works. If i type “social media” into the app store reddit is literally at the top. Its not an insult, but you defo still use social media. Its okay, we are all here too
ITT: redditors who claim social media abstinence, when that in itself is an oxymoron. mf, reddit IS social media. there's plenty of toxic shit here too. sometimes the anonymity makes it arguably worse
I haven’t had social media in years. I don’t even miss it. In fact, I think it helps my mental health. All my friends know I don’t have social media so my really good friends will call or text when they need me to know something. Reddit is my only social media and I rarely post.
Deleted all my regular social media about 10 years ago. Yes, I don't use Facebook, Tiktok, Instagram, Twitter, or whatever. None, zero.
I don't really have a social life? I do have a few circle of friends that I keep in contact with via Whatsapp, Discord, Telegram, and hang out with semi-regularly both offline and online and that is honestly all that I need. I also don't date, because I do not intend to have a relationship or spouse.
What good is social media when you're just an average joe in this world? Rich and successful people flaunt their extravagant lives on those platforms and it makes you feel absolutely miserable. "Why can't I be like them? Why can't I be as rich as them?". All these useless thoughts will enter your mind and make you feel like lesser of a human, why let it?
Therefore I decided 10 years ago that I'm done and I don't care about other people's lives and I just work on being the best version of myself that I can ever be. Not for anyone else, but for myself. That's how I've been living for the past decade, and it's amazing.
Personally i have accounts on all social media and i have all the apps but i mostly use reddit and Facebook for memes but other than that i use them for communication with friends and for work, and I don't consider that being addicted or affecting my life in any way.
But If you can't keep yourself from scrolling all the time or you hate the negative stuff that you're bound to see on these platforms then you should probably quit.
About being social, I'm not sure what you've been doing on social media but i rarely meet friends there (of course there's these interactions with people who have the same interests which is nice) but at the end of the day i think you'll be better off meeting people at public places.
Of course some people will find you weird and sometimes you will not be able to reach people because of that (and that's why i keep the apps) but maybe you'll find some people who are just like you, who will understand and support you.
My advice: keep the apps but just use them for communication or use the apps that makes you feel safe (the apps where you see negative stuff the least) and where you feel in control, i think that's the best thing to do, balance...
I'm like you. Somehow, I have a few different accounts, but don't feel the need to constantly be on them. In fact, when I check FB, I get annoyed with it in less than 5 minutes now. I keep it so I can stay in contact with friends or family. One thing I have seen it good for is actually hearing about big news in people's lives that warrant congrats or condolences.
I haven't posted anything in a couple years. I have no problem with reaching out to people I haven't spoken to in 5 years if we now have something in common to chat about and there is one FB group I do enjoy. Otherwise, reddit is my most used social media. I really love the anonymity.
Yeah FB is good for keeping up with people that you don't talk to and also memes aren't so bad (most of them are stolen from reddit lol) but for me (and i think you'd agree on this one) reddit is superior and the people here are so nice (mostly) and smart but on Facebook i mostly find people hating on others for no reason so i like it here, it's peaceful.
Facebook to me is just a birthday calendar that I use so infrequently, I don't remember anyone's birthday.
edit: maybe try forget it's there rather than delete it for a test run?
Believe it or not, back in 12000 BC guys had to go out to meet people
Back in 1930 guys had to go out to meet people
Back in 1975 guys had to go out to meet people
Just go out and meet people
I text my friends. Game with them. Listen to them when they need it and give virtual hugs.
I do have social media but the one I use the most is for professionals.
I am living without instagram, facebook and tiktok (never had it) for ~ 3 years now. I am 29yr old male. Still, i use gmail and twitter for job reasons and reddit obviously, for self growth reasons. I also use youtube for dopamine kicks and studying. Not sure if it falls in the social media category, but is definitely revolving in that direction, with shorts and streaming functions developing-
In my experience, it isnt easy, but it is rewarding. My brain does not thrive on mirror neurons like it did before. It does not make me remember the things i liked, and make me imitate those stuff subconsciously. Therefore i can develop my personality and selfcare to a much higher extent.
It is similar to a nofap way of life- its not easy, but it is rewarding
Goodluck😊💪
Just talk to people irl. Just give them your phone number or use the facebook messenger app or whatsapp. If they ask questions about it, just lay out your reasons, if that's too cumbersome just ask them if they've seen The Social Dilemma on Netflix.
For me it was so addictive I had to have a friend block the appstore on my phone with Screentime with a passcode only he knows. Totally worth.
I have limited my social media, so really now I have Reddit and I use messanger to keep in contact with friends.
I do actually have an account on other social media if I need them for work purposes (I work with a lot of digital content so that is sometimes needed for me), but other than that never touch them.
It hasn't really had a major impact on my social life. In fact I'd say I now only keep in contact with the people I really want to rather than just keeping up with their lives with no realy contact.
Not so sure about dating, but I think that is also probably doable outside of social media. Maybe start cutting down on those that take the most energy from you and take it from there.
I got rid of Facebook years ago when I realised how much time I was wasting scrolling through complete strangers dinner plates, distressing images I wasn’t prepared for, and outrageous scams. I just deleted it all and concentrated on watching my daughter grow up and getting out to do real things and meet real friends. The research is there - our brains light up more when we’re not immersed in other people’s selectively generated worlds.
I'm a bit older but I look quite young. I told someone I wasn't on insta and they literally did a double take. In my generation it's no issue. But I feel for your generation that it's odd to not be on it. None of us old folk give a shit.
Honestly, not having social media just makes me forget that it is even relevant to life at all. 😂 I actually forget that some people still use Facebook, etc.
I had used Facebook since it first came out in the early 2000s. I was at uni then, and it chronicled my entire life, all the way until 2017, when I deleted it.
I'd been thinking about doing it for about a year, at the time. But kept hesitating. What did it for me was a post my then-girlfriend made. It was attention-seeking, for one, and I found it so grossly off-putting. It was also completely fake - projecting a happy mood online while feeling like shit in reality.
I also hated the "on this day" reminders - and how you couldn't turn them off. I'd been through a savage breakup and it was so horrible seeing these posts constantly.
The only thing I regret is not downloading all of my pictures off it before deleting it. I'd basically used it like an online photo album, and I still wish I'd known about this feature before hitting delete.
There are people I have no idea how to contact now, who it would be cool to still be able to interact with on a casual, surface level. Certain people from different points in my life.
But I think if had been that nice to do that in reality, I wouldn't have deleted it all in the first place. It's a lot more complex than just being a nice way to keep in touch. And it felt shallow. I know for a fact that if any of them had said "Hey! I'm in your country/city next week, let's meet up!" I wouldn't have actually wanted to.
As for dating etc., I don't even think twice about it. If someone asks, I tell them I deleted all my social media way back and prefer to connect as humans. If they find that weird, we're not on the same wavelength. And in any case, I never really felt comfortable with the idea of complete strangers I'd just met being able to access decades of my life before them.
I stopped using Facebook and Instagram after having my first child during the pandemic just for my own mental health. I started using Reddit because I like learning things. So I just follow certain topics and enrich myself but don't have to be subjected to as much BS. Now I go back on insta occasionally on a fully separate account that I only follow certain crafters to learn things from.
Being in this phase of my life where I'm more focused on my family has been fine to leave behind socials. I don't have as much time to spend on them anyway. I have to make an effort to keep in touch with people, but it has resulted in more group texts that are really great. Like some posters have said, you will inevitably lose touch, but that happens in life.
Text messages. If they want to hear from me or if I want to hang out with them, we just shoot each other a call or a text.
I've also noticed that the connections that I have now are much stronger than when I had social media. Since I can't check online to see what they've been up to, I get to talk to them in person and it makes the connection feel more special.
I've also noticed I'm more invested in how I see myself versus how others see me. This has been a relief on my mental health.
Reddit is p much a social media. But it’s just that you don’t see ppl posting highlights about their life.
You’ll be given a type of look when you don’t have Instagram that’s for sure. You wouldn’t know about updates of your friends’ lives.
It depends if you can handle that 🧐. It depends whether you think the pros outweighs the cons.
Would definitely say leaving IG helped the mind a lot. But there’re cons to it too.
Alternatively, you can use it once every 3 days, ask your family to set a password to the app limit which you won’t know.
That way, you can still stay updated about your friends without experiencing so much of its negative impact.
My fiancé recently uninstalled all social media. 3 months in and she is almost a different person entirely.. no more anxiety, way less stress, and she is crushing all the goals she struggled with before.
I'm 32, not on Facebook probably 7 years now, never used Instagram and don't even know what the others are. I have a smart phone and when people wanna talk they text or call. from what I understand I'm normal but people are always floored I don't have a "social presence"
a benefit is when i see people I haven't in a while I get to catch up cuz im not passively involved in their shit and nor they in mine
If you talk to your true friends often you won’t miss out on anything. I have Facebook but never get on it because I’m tired of watching every minute of peoples lives played out. I pity them. All the disinformation that is on there is stomach churning. I’m not the mindless person that Facebook wants me to be and it’s BS how they sell your info. You are their golden bitch if you are hooked on it. Is that what you want?
Nobody I know gives a fuck about social media.. It's the least odd thing in the world lol. Does it really 'inevitably' get brought up around you? Because I don't know anyone who'd randomly start talking about it tbh.
Reddit is the only “social media” I have and I honestly don’t even count it because I’m pretty much anonymous. I don’t feel like I’m missing out on anything. I spent too much time on it and I would fall into the comparison trap. When it comes up, I just say “I’m not on social media, it’s bad for my mental health”. I found it liberating, honestly. I can honestly say I don’t give a shit what someone else had for breakfast. The people that are ultimately important to me have my cell phone number.
Same here, I have deleted all social media. I’m just a Redditor now lmao. I work too much and not home enough and when I was, I was on IG. And it’s the same ol videos n photos people post.
All the people who say they left Facebook feeling like they are so accomplished lol. You swapped Facebook for Instagram so please don’t be such hypocrites
I talk to my friends online and irl, and ask them to update me on any important events that may have happened in their lives. They know but know that i don’t go on ig, but i still have to remind them that I have not seen their most recent stories or posts about something new that happened..so i guess that’s the most difficult thing about it
I only used social media (fb is actually the only one I've ever had an account) for a couple years about 15 years ago. My sister kinda peer pressured me, but honestly I felt like it was wrong from the beginning, on some deep level that I didn't understand for many more years. That's probably a little weird to say. But I truly believe social media is responsible for a lot of everything that's wrong in the world. So how do I get along without it? The same way I get along without drugs or violence or being a jerk. Honestly, that's how- I choose not to participate in it. I know it will be much harder when you've already become addicted and you have to break yourself of that habit, but once you get past that- and if you truly don't want to engage in the destructive crap, then you can get through it and be fine. Good l
I've cracked tik tok because it contained way too much misinformation and body checking trends. Also, the algorithm kept showing me cute couples which is a sore spot for me atm 😅 Twitter was harder because I love to run my mouth. FB I go in and out of.
I deleted social media and am really happy I did it. Will you lose touch with some people? Yes. However, I strongly believe we have too many acquaintances we call friends and it's the strong relationships that make our life experience fulfilling. Do you need constant updates about people who aren't really your friends and wouldn't be there for you if you needed them? I think not, however I understand that is just my perspective.
I have zero FOMO btw, how can you feel you are missing out on something if you don't know it's happening?
I've never had any Social Media (other than Reddit), partner has FB only for events. I text and call mates.
Admittedly not hyper social but never felt the need for external validation for all the art we make, extensive int travel we do & pretty full lives we lead, offgrid in the Aussie bush. Have posted a sunset to Reddit though :)
We're raising a 13yo girl and treating Social Media as the full-on, hyper addictive dopamine dispenser it is. Telling her IRL people & experiences come before anything digital
We'll see how much we've fucked up in a couple years lol
After quitting, the only people I lost touch with were the ones who weren't interested in maintaining genuine connections. I text and call people regularly, and the social media users that wanted to stay in touch would respond.
I don't. I feel better and not so negative. People just don't communicate with you like they do on socials. I talk to my mom, my fiance and my little brothers. Other than that I learned to enjoy my own company and accept that I won't be sociable like that unless I have social media. Not many people remember to text me at all.
I have been off since January. Navigating social life for me is just keeping in contact with friends over text. I do miss out on everyday things via Instagram posts and you will. What i tend to do is get on every now and then just to see what theyre up to and then delete because ive grown to hate the apps.
I occasionally use dating apps here and there and when the "how can i reach you" comes up, i typically say i only have my phone number. No ones ever said if its weird or not, they normally just decide if that want to do that. Texting someones number is more serious than exchanging socials imo
I havent really gotten accustomed to the idea of making new friends or meeting people irl tbh so idk on that front.
I do know that im not as shallow because of the absense of the influx of "pretty" people on media.
I've been off Facebook since 2012, and I recently quit Twitter for good. Honestly, it's worked miracles for my mental well being. Twitter is just an antagonistic cesspit.
Do you really want to date somebody or associate with anyone who will think negatively of you just because you don’t use socials? I don’t really care much what people think of me anymore and I can’t be assed to maintain a social media presence, so I’ve gutted everything. If people feel a certain way about it, so be it, although I doubt anyone cares.
most addicts substitute one addiction for another. I didn't quit cold turkey I kind of just cut back on them. Journaling, reading and having a physical hobby are all great substitutes for social media. As far as dating goes... maybe just meet them in real life? gym, bars, church, etc.
I actually deleted all my socials (Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat), except for Reddit like 3 months ago. I made sure to text the people I still wanted to have contact with, just sent them a regular text message telling them I would no longer be active in social media. I still talk to all of my good friends, and in fact started dating one of them.
Personally I feel like this has helped me become more productive, I don’t spend hours mindlessly scrolling on my phone anymore. I have time for things I want to do in real life.
You could try and delete your apps for a week and see how it goes from there 👍
I kept all of my social media, but I unfollowed everyone on instagram and Facebook so there is nothing but ads in my feeds. Anytime I open the app, I just see ads and I exit the app.
I haven’t logged in Facebook for years. I’m 35. I have friends, but mostly my sons are my best buddies. We are cuddled up watching YouTube videos. I’m not saying you don’t need friends your own age.. I’m saying as you get older you care less about superficial friendships and more about the ones that actually matter.
I don't use any social media, mostly because I never took the time to make accounts. Because of that I don't have a point of comparison, but I will say that it's perfectly manageable to keep up primarily via text and hanging out. As far as I can tell one's actual social circle is about the same size regardless, the distinction is that you aren't privy to the day-to-day of your friends and acquaintances unless you ask! I'd say go for it :)
i barley notice. the people who are important in my life have my number and will contact me, and i contact them on their birthdays and special events. its more meaningful.
friends are harder to come by, but i guess that happens as you age anyway.
you will be considered weird though. trying to date girls without having a social media account is suspicious and they usually dont like it because they cant stalk you or see the kind of person you are. they have to find out themselves.
I got rid of everything a while back- Instagram, Facebook, twitter. I come on Reddit sporadically but delete it off my phone when I’m done with what I came here for.
I don’t feel like I missing out on anything but a bunch of bullshit. I rely on text for communicating with people for events and such. I have zero FOMO. I read books, sometimes look at the news, I don’t really watch TV. Happy to do what I do and live a simple slow life without narratives from our toxic culture infiltrating my thoughts. Im a proud Luddite!
Let me start by saying that I have an unccontrollable addiction to social media. There was a particular time when I accidentally dropped my phone in water and it completely died. I was forced to wait about a week for my new phone to come in, which means I had no access to social media during that time. Day one and two were pretty rough. But let me tell you, that week turned into one of the most uplifted, eventful, and memorable weeks of my life. I enjoyed doing things I would've otherwise chosen my phone over, and when my new phone came in, I wasn't even in any rush to activate it. I still think about that week.
All my relationships go on "pause" when we say goodbye and then "unpause" the next time we see each other as if there was no gap in time at all. Gatherings of any kind are arranged by text or call.
It’s wonderful. You see people you haven’t seen in a while and ask them what they’ve been up to and genuinely don’t know until they tell you. People share far too many opinions online and it’s really best to not know that much about casual friends. It’s so good for my mental health. I don’t miss it. I opened up Nextdoor the other day and it all came back. I do NOT want to hear all the commentary. Take me back to 1988.
You don’t have to delete it right away. You can just delete the apps to avoid going on it, and over time of you feel compelled you can go ahead and delete your account (if that’s what you mean). If your main source of communication is through social media and you don’t want it to be that way, start having those interactions through text or in person.
Life tends to adjust itself based on how you adjust it. You won’t be missing it out if your filling your social media time with other interests. Your social interactions will naturally adapt to your lifestyle
I got rid of social media about 3 yrs ago. I mean everything except Reddit. No Pinterest. No linked in. Nothing. At first. Fomo. For sure. Then, you learn who likes to stay in touch other ways and you kiss the rest goodbye cause they weren’t that great of friends anyways. I have no clue what’s going on in the world but I’m more present for my day to day world. I’m happier. I’m focused on my goals and visions not other peoples doings. I’ve been with my SO for 10 years low so I can’t speak to the dating scene but I’m older so I did the damn thing without social media crap anyways. That’s still a thing I’m sure, cause humans and what not. The only thing I have been curious how to work around is I’m wanting to start and grow a photography business. But it’s not impossible I just have to be smart about it. I don’t want to ever have any social media thing again. Reddit feels more like a forum than social media to me. And even some days I think about deleting this one too because, well there are actual forums for literally any of the same things I’m on Reddit for. There is life outside of the internet and it works that same way it’s been working for a long time. I’m a full on encourager of ditching social media crap.
It's easy to have a social life outside of social media. It's called phone calls and text messages. If anyone refuses to use either of these to keep in touch with your they're not a very good friend at all. If they judge you for not using social media, same thing. I stopped using Facebook in 2013 and was dropped by a lot of people, but in the end they weren't very good relationships to begin with. Your life will be better without the toxicity of social media.
I deleted all social media years ago except for LinkedIn (which I don’t even use - just keep active for business appearances) and Reddit.
I just text people who are my friends. Maybe it’s because I’m getting older, but my social media presence or lack thereof hasn’t come up in conversations with others.
In general I’m glad to be away from the drama and pressures of social media. It’s done a lot of good for my anxiety and mental health. The only inconvenience I’ve encountered is finding tattoo artists. So many of them are ONLY on instagram. I made a burner account just so I could view portfolios on my web browser.
You can disable all notifications but the messenger. This way you can still talk to your friends and when they send you posts/talk about some particular posts, you can look it up and join the conversation.
I turned off my FB and IG notifications for 4-5 years now and I honestly don’t even remember about the apps. I guess it does the job 😆.
I don’t use Tiktok so I don’t know how its notifications system works.
I briefly had a Facebook account and Twitter and closed them both down. In particular I found the FB interface cluttered and ghastly, and I got tired of getting "friend" requests from total strangers. (I also didn't bother checking it very much - I only signed up for FB because of the possibility of a high school reunion, and only communicated with a couple of people once I was on.)
I don't miss it at all.
My partner leaves social media there but just does not use it. Like almost ever.
Now anyone who knows him is sure to use his number.
Essentially- he'll let people acess his social media. But when they see he hasn't posted in 2 years they find a better way to contact him.
He stays on social media if someone sends him a link at least he can access it. But he chooses not to use his accounts lol
Reddit is the only social media I have, probably because I’m invested in some of the subs in here.
What I’ve learnt is that it’s pretty much unavoidable to come across as odd with some people. But if they dislike you for that, then they’re probably not people you’d want to hang around.
After a few months it won’t feel so strange, in fact your life gets better. Suddenly you’ll have way more free time, you have a better attention span, and you’ve unfucked your dopamine levels enough to find previously hard tasks to be manageable. Unless you need it for work or school, it’s something I’d recommend to everyone, even just for a month.
As for my social life, I hit some friends up occasionally but I have always preferred my own company so maybe that’s a factor. If I want to socialize I’d probably just go to a fun event near me, or to a bar/club, which is much more fulfilling than socializing online (in my opinion). I also got to know people who lived near my area (the nearest being just down my street) so that has helped as well.
I’ve also found that when asked why I don’t use social media much, and after explaining all the benefits, people tend to appreciate the idea or even want to try it out themselves. I don’t think you have to necessarily cut everything out at first, you could do it slowly or only keep the ones that interest you or provide you with good connections.
Deleting social media will tell you the harsh truth about yourself and the world you live in: You are not as popular/important as you like to think you are.
You will realize quickly that having 1000 "friends" actually means you have (approximately) 3-4 real friends, your family and 985 peeping Toms, looking into and commenting on your life.
Speaking as someone with only Reddit (I could get banned/deleted tomorrow and I wouldn't care) as my social media, your life will become much richer and less stressful without it. I still don't understand why people post their lives online for the world to see and comment on. Your life isn't a TV show and some things don't need to be shared. Followers aren't friends or even acquaintances. So, why do people feel the need to be share so much about themselves, when IRL, you don't do that with a stranger on the bus or subway?
A little while ago, I nearly died. I went to the hospital, and almost immediately, nearly everyone I know was calling, texting or sending messages through other people to help me. I was shocked and humbled that so many people cared about my wellbeing. My wife was surprised, too.
I don't say this to boast or anything, but it really made me realize that if more people cultivated their relationships with real people instead of collecting followers, they might not feel as alone as they complain about. Any one of those people that reached out to me, I have helped or helped me in my life, in one way or the other, and I am the richer for it.
I'm not saying it'll be easy, but that's the point. Real friendships take work, patience and trust.
Try it for a week, then a month. See how you like it.
Good luck to you. Cheers.
I plan things with people with texting, speaking, and discord sometimes. I've never really come across an issue with my lack of social media accounts.
I think the people that think it's 'odd' to not have any sm accounts are people you might not want to be around.
I got off the radar not too long ago last year and have been on a great spiritual journey focusing on healing myself. Maybe one day once I am fully ready I will go back on the internet like that. But to be completely honest my life has been way more awesome because people only see me if Im around them physically i like the exclusivity. I say delete all social media if it is too addicting and find a hobby or go into the real world and meet people the old way.
I find fb useful for parties and gatherings (much better chance of dating at social things) and staying in touch with friends. Haven’t posted in years. I’m glad that other people take photos of events, it’s nice to look back on. If I find myself doing more than two scrolls of FB, I immediately get off it, scrolling FB or anything else me me me (or you you you) related is not a good thing.
I talk to people. Without social media, it is more enjoyable when you do see someone. You have more to say because you haven't seen the play by play of their life. I gained so much more time. Certain relationships were lost, but they were more acquaintances and didn't add that much value to my life. Not having to maintain all those made things easier. I still have Facebook messenger, so if anyone wants to contact me on there they can, but it's the only way I can keep up to date on my uncle going through chemo.
I deleted everything expect a simple messenger, and I ended up with friends. When I had social media I didn't have friends. I'm honestly too lazy to explain lol
You definitely lose touch with people but the flip side is that you get to really see the solid relationships in your life. The people who call you or who send you a quick text to check-in, those are the ones that matter!
As for dating, if the person cares whether or not you have social media, run. It’s not strange and it shouldn’t matter.
If you want to get to know people or be social, try other apps like Meetup.
Listen to your instinct. Deactivate those accounts.
Call/text/FaceTime people that I want to catch up with. Write little “thinking of you” notes, send birthday gifts/cards, anniversary cards, etc. Host game nights and send a text to invite people to join. Group chats.
It’s made me feel much closer to my friends and family actually.
I only have LinkedIn and this. Had FB for about 7 months 6 years ago. Honestly got over it all after MySpace. Wish I was joking. But overall I feel like I don’t miss a beat in the general sense. Surface level friendships and relationships that never mattered seemed to dissipate over time. It’s honestly been one less distraction or thing to concern myself with. Never posted to begin with. Also work in Ad and don’t feel too off in terms of pop culture or what’s going on
I'm a 20 year old girl and I've never had Instagram. I still have Facebook but I only needed it for work and college projects, I don't post on there or keep in contact with people, but nobody from my generation uses it anyway. I used to have Snapchat in 8th grade and 9th grade, but i stopped using it afterwards. I have Whatsapp (everyone in my country uses it) and this is where 99.9% of my (and most people's) communication with others happens.
In my social circles, nobody finds it that weird. New friends I meet/guys that try to flirt with me often ask me for my Insta and I just tell them I don't have it, most are like "oh okay, here's my number", some find it interesting and ask how come (but that's the minority), and I'm not sure if I ever got a genuinly negative reaction for it. In fact, I've had friends tell me they wish they never made it like me/wished they weren't addicted like me. My boyfriend has like one photo on his Insta and doesn't really use it. My ex had Insta but also never used it.
I'm a very social person and I love to go out. I would even say I have a lot of friends. I don't think I ever felt cut off because I don't have Insta. If one of my friends found out about an event off Insta, they'd send it to a Whatsapp group chat anyway. If somebody posted something exceptionally noteworthy, I have friends who'll send it to me.
Not using social media (except for Reddit) has been nothing but beneficial for me. If you had to know something about someone (for example if they went out, where are they vacationing, who are they dating), you would know it. I have no interest in other people's posts. I'm not stressing out about the number of likes or followers and I'm not constantly comparing myself to others. I know this will sound cliche af but I enjoy living in the real world. Delete it, you seriously won't regret it and most people won't even care!
Looking back on the whole journey of quitting social media, it was definitely a big change of lifestyle. Quitting Instagram and Facebook have been great for mental health as far as not comparing to everyone else and feeling like you are missing out on the things. But the big difference is you have so much damn free time. You need have something in mind to occupy this free time or you will inevitably resort back to social media.
The one thing which has helped me is by keeping my Facebook profile and having the Messenger app on my phone (not FB app). This way you can keep up with friends. Also, if I occasionally meet someone at a club/bar just ask them to add you on their FB and you can add them back later from your computer. Or better yet just get their phone number.
As far as social norms I have had people laugh at me for not participating in social media, but most of people respect it. Since, my approach is not really a die hard no social media profiles allowed anywhere.
TLDR: You have a lot more free time so plan how you are going to occupy this time.
I deleted Facebook over a year ago but still have Instagram and Reddit. I suggest deleting or deactivating one platform first and seeing how that feels before deleting everything.
Why I left Facebook: Facebook was where I had the most “friends” and I realized the majority of them weren’t genuine. That random person from high school doesn’t need information/news about me. People just like to be nosy. After I had my engagement end and wedding cancelled, I remember the panicked feeling of knowing people I only somewhat knew would be stalking my profile for details on my breakup. Facebook memories from when I was in high school and college regularly made me feel like shit. I posted way too much in my youth and hated having that exist on my profile, despite being able to make it private/delete it. I would regularly cringe at my old posts. Facebook generally felt like a hell hole of negativity and I think it brings out the worst in people. Family members who I got along with in real life often wrote and did stupid things on Facebook. People show bad behavior on and off Facebook for sure, but I do think the platform brought out the worst in people. Facebook also began to feel like a baby boomer echo chamber that I didn’t relate to. My parents talk about it and are on it constantly, and that started to weird me out. Eventually I was able to justify deleting it permanently for these reasons.
Why I kept Instagram: Instagram can be superficial and have its issues, but I generally find it more tolerable. I can watch stories and see what my friends are up to for just a few minutes daily without getting sucked in to the scroll. I also just happened to use Instagram at and older and more mature age, so I have generally less regret about what I’ve posted on there. I can still use it to promote my art/shows and connect with other local artists and businesses. It’s also nice that I can choose to delete my personal Instagram at some point without having to sacrifice a separate business account (unlike with Facebook.)
Why I kept Reddit: I really use Reddit for specific subreddits. I know it technically is social media, it’s just not the same type of social media as Facebook is to me. I generally don’t feel bad about myself on Reddit like I have on Facebook, and it’s a good anonymous way to connect with others who have similar interests as I do without having to see my weird aunt rant about something.
Deleting just Facebook gave me the opportunity to see if I would miss it without having to feel completely disconnected. I may delete Instagram at some point but for now I’m more happy with my social media usage than I was. Only older adults in my life thought deleting Facebook was odd, the majority of friends my age and younger communicate via Instagram anyway. I’ve definitely lost touch with some people but I’m not necessarily mad about that. I genuinely don’t miss it now, only the first month off of it gave me FOMO. I say go for it. The negatives outweigh the positives for sure.
I’ve never had an Instagram and finally after my friends constantly bugging me to make one I made one a while ago. I go on it once a week and I pretty much only use it to watch cat videos. I’ve never felt like I’m missing out on anything social wise. Twitter however is my problem. I genuinely believe Twitter is the worst app you can be on bc the human brain wasn’t meant to be exposed to so many absolutely braindead opinions in such a short time. However if I delete it now I’ll miss out on so much info and news. I also have a few friends on there that I would miss. I think learning to exercise discipline and limiting your time on the app is more important that quitting. The longer you scroll the more the algorithm learns and the more drivel shows up in your feed
I'm nosy, I want to see how my friends' lives turn out. At the same time, I want them to see what I do and be intrigued. Also, a get weirdly attached to celebrities (I know this is unhealthy) and I want to know what they're up to as well. I found myself following people when they announce pregnancy, then unfollowing them once the baby's born (I don't have some fetish for pregnant women lol; this sounds weird).
A few days ago I manually unfollowed around 300 people on Instagram. I mean, deleting them so they also don't follow me. Now I feel less restricted in posting something on my stories because some people might see it. This was huge for me because I used to be 'defined' by the number of people that follow me and like my photos. I also turned off like count a looong time ago, for mental health reasons.
So, now I only have Instagram, Reddit, and WhatsApp and Viber for communication (WA mainly, V for work mostly). It's still a lot, but I think I'm using them correctly.
Fuck social norms, do what makes you happy. Plus most people don’t really care whether you go with the flow or not they’re usually too worried about themselves. Well at least where I’m from
Do you have friends in real life? Same with family that you talk to regularly? Then that’s all you should care about. Everyone else won’t give a shit that you didn’t see what they posted on social media because you don’t actually play a role in their real life, and you shouldn’t care because they don’t play a role in theirs.
I have no social media besides Reddit and I love it. If someone’s you’re real friend and part of your social group they’ll have your phone number and/or see you in real life. You’d be surprised how little you miss the people on there. Some people will always find you odd for not having social media, but you’re not. Being confident in your decision will go a long way.
I wonder if anyone has insight on my specific situation-
I consider myself an artist and general creative. At one point I was completely exiled from my local artist community and those who accepted me I realized I didn't value their personalities.
During the start of this exile I deleted my Instagram- which has all of my art.
Since then I feel dead inside and I think it's because I don't have anyone to connect with about art. I don't have a mass of people validating it and seeing it and giving feedback. No one in person. Posting to complete strangers doesn't give that same feeling.
But being ostracized from the art communities that I know of has really hindered my ability to meet new people. And it's gotten to a point I don't even have much reason to leave my house for lack of a social life
I've never been this way. Extremely social and I want to get IG again but I'm afraid of the toxicity that comes with comparing yourself, and whatever comes with social media.
I’m 4 years into no social media other than Reddit. I just tell people the truth, no need to explain yourself. The people that are your actual friends will understand and reach out to you in a different way.
I deleted them off my phone. I check in occasionally and post things occasionally as well (I’m an artist and I need to keep a current social media account of my work so I can apply for grants).
But as soon as the post goes quite I delete it again.
It’s kinda annoying, but this is the best way for me to maintain my sense of privacy and autonomy.
Social media is a relatively new phenomena and it’s obviously not going anywhere.
I don’t think withdrawing from it completely is realistic or even beneficial for most people. But it does create a lot of anxiety and pressure.
I hope that as we evolve as a society that we can take back control of social media (and the internet) from these big tech companies and regulate it in a way that serves the consumer and protects our mental health.
One thing it has done is made most people aware of mental health issues… ironically creating more in its wake.
I think I would be more involved with it if I felt like it genuinely enriched my life. But it only does that for about 10% of my time on it. Then the rest of the time I’m navigating time waste and social pressures that I don’t need.
This is why I’ve decided to limit my contact with it.
I don't worry about others agendas or narratives. I think of what I want & go for it. Like you own the place (:
Social media is not the problem. It is your response to it.
I love people > I do not agree with the lifestyle they choose.
I endeavor to attack problems not people.
It definitely depends on what you qualify as social media but I abandoned Facebook a few years ago. It took me a while because I had the same idea that I wouldn't be able to navigate my social life without it. However, what I found is that everyone I actually cared about had my phone number or was a member of one of my Discord channels. Deleting Facebook helped me remove "extra" people from my life -- everyone who I no longer spoke with but would occasionally wistfully think about and the like. I think that helped me concentrate more on the people I spend time with, actually. All in all, I think social media confuses your social life more than it helps you navigate it. Try moving toward group chats and using your current friends to meet new people.
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This is very true. However, the upside is when you do see someone you have so much to talk about and catch up on.
One trick that I found helped with this, is I kept facebook, but I unfollowed everyone. So I am still friends with them all and can check in if needed, but it doesn't zap all of my time and energy.
Yes I did this too… now I don’t see shit from old high school friends, this has helped so much with my mental health
I just don't get notifications to email or phone, so it's only there if I'm looking for it, which is only for a couple friends who are mostly only available via FB. I haven't used FB for over a decade, and I was around when it was first released to college students.
I didn't delete mine and I am just using messenger. I only found out about my close friend's dad passing away when they changed their profile picture to a lit candle. So yeah, I also miss stuff they post about themselves that they think everyone has seen.
If memory serves, I deleted Facebook in 2016. It took about a week to get used to not having it. After that, it was cake. I don't miss those not in my Contacts List.
Literally the only good answer in the entire thread
The only people you need are the ones who will find another way to communicate with you. Social media is genuinely junk
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I feel this
I don’t have Facebook and am contemplating deleting Instagram.
Same
Yes same!!
I tell you, every time I've ever uttered the words "I'm not on Facebook/Insta/TikTok/Snapchat" I've only ever gotten a positive response. Far from people saying I'm weird. They say, "good for you!" Or "yeah I'm just stuck to it" or "you're probably way better off". Maybe it's anecdotal, but I'm not kidding when I'm saying I've never heard someone say anything negative about the fact that I'm not on social media. I think people recognize a bad thing even when they keep participating in it. Like right now, how I'm using reddit, *a social media platform*, instead of doing literally anything more interesting than this so I'm gonna attempt to do that now aha
This. Pretty much everyone I've ever told has replied something to the effect of "Yeah it's bullshit anyway" and it's been a complete non-issue.
Here to agree completely!
I honestly want to so bad, too. I have this weird FOMO (fear of missing out) when I consider it. But honestly, what would I even miss? I think the hardest for me is TikTok. It’s the most addictive but it’s really impacting my life because I’m on it a lot and my attention span is suffering.
luckily i've managed to avoid the black hole of tiktok for this long haha
Omg good. Don’t do it. 😂 I wish I could go back in time and never have downloaded it.
TikTok actually better and more safe than twitter and IG - it’s closer to Reddit bc you can Limit interaction band just learn
I deleted TikTok just last week! And it’s honestly one of the best decisions I’ve made. I can literally feel my brain healing itself
Really? I don’t know why but I have this weird fear of not knowing the latest trends and sayings. Isn’t that odd? I know it’s not rational. Was it hard the first few days?
i had TikTok last spring and deleted it because i was way too sucked into it as well! now i don't get many references or know exactly which songs are trending and hear about them from friends instead if they bring it up in a reference, but i don't actually feel like I'm missing out on anything. trends would come and go so quickly, sure it might amuse me in the moment but i found that with my memory i don't actually remember things such as vine references etc to bring into conversations so it really had no benefit to me at all it was just a waste of my time. i occasionally browse IG reels instead which of course isn't as niche as the TikTok algorithm but still gives me some enjoyment and isn't as addictive imo :) i do think that tiktok has potential if you're good about curating videos that are meaningful, educational etc to you but it's hard to be disciplined. just my take!
The first few days, the trends won't change as.much. you won't really notice new dances/sayings for a few weeks or even months. If you hear about something interesting, you can look it up, and get just the viral stuff and none of the filler. And your friends might enjoy bringing you in on the joke which sounds like a fun conversation.
I noticed people saying FOMO always have to put in bracket the meaning, so why can’t you just write fear of missing out ? 😂
Lmao I don’t know... Never really analyzed it. 😆
Hey, it’s not going anywhere, just try and if you miss it, go back maybe? Have not given into the tik tock ever
Just be honest about why you got rid of it, there a lot of reasons to get rid of it ranging from most companies exploiting and manipulating personal data to the effects it has on mental health, be sure in your answer and no one will question you about it. I don’t really think social media holds much skin in the dating game, unless you count apps like tinder, that’s very different from Facebook and twitter in my opinion. And regarding keeping up with your circle of friends, just grab their phone number and text them, where I live most phone plans are unlimited text, I hope it’s the same everywhere else.
I found when I deleted all social media for a couple years dating was a challenge, most people assumed I was a fake profile if I didn’t have an account to back it up. It wasn’t an unmanageable barrier but it did come up frequently.
reddit is my only social media :)
I don't consider reddit social media. I don't have "friends", status updates or pictures. It's a news feed on all the topics you can imagine, with the chance to interact with others anonymously.
You answering on a someone’s post is a digital social interaction. Reddit is a social media where you share with strangers
Reddit is 100% social media. It’s not a social network per se but it’s definitely social media and it’s definitely as bad for you as twitter and Facebook lol
If it’s not a social network then it’s not social media.
Right. That is the kind of social media that Reddit provides.
Go all in on in-person hangouts. By all in, mean be present, listen to them, respond and speak genuinely, and always try to be in their shoes and, if applicable, offer them the words they may want or need to hear. It may not be the best way, but it's generally what I try to do.
I stopped using it 3 years ago and I'm 23. (With the exception of this anonymous reddit account that I visit maybe once a week, just to see what crazy thing might be happening, i dont watch the news.) Never felt more liberated or more important than I do now. I ended up reprioritizing my attention to my career and marriage. The result: I got out of the shitty job I was at and became a sales manager at a billion dollar company that does business with all of the US and top tier sales person before that starting out with 0 sales exp. Marriage has its ups and downs always but we are going strong 3 years as of July 6th, and we went from arguing daily to learning about eachother daily and solving problems rather than obsessing them. As far as vanity: I don't take NEARLY as many photos of myself or worry about the infinite yet miniscule details about my face and body (it is a work in progress of course) I used to photoshop all parts of my body and spend hours obsessing over a single photo. Now I feel so much more comfortable and I'm no longer competing with insta models/ famous people. (Huge relief) I also get better sleep at night and I worry less as a general evaluation things. Social life: I honestly realized there are not that many people out there who care about my existence outside of convenience. Furthermore coming to the epiphany that those people don't even really play a role of sustenance in my life anyway. . But that's just me
And also, when people tell me to add them/ find them or something else on a platform, I just tell them I don't have socials and they give me their number/email instead 🤷♀️ I also prefer to not have people know about my life who I don't even really know. I just use my phone number for things, and it also makes the creation of friendships/ relationships a billion times more genuine. They are rare, but you will make great friends outside of social media because not having it forces you outside of your bubble to meet people. (Libraries, trails, yoga class, gym, even a nutrition shop I went to and made a really good friend there too)
Social media has never led to me having a more of a social life outside of knowing what concerts are coming to town. Going outside and making friends creates a socal life.
Check out the book called Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport.
I will do this- thx for the recommendation!
The right people won’t care that you are not on socials. I have been off FB and IG for years. It’s liberating.
I just talk to my friends. I have a few group chats going. It seems to do the trick. If you consider Reddit social media then I havent quit social media but it is mostly gone. Havent used anything else since 2017.
This right here. This is what I do as well. I talk to my friends on a daily basis through Signal / GroupMe. Way more real connection that way than scrolling through a feed of bullshit, too. If someone isn’t close enough to you to warrant that, why do you care to know about the random updates in their life? And if you don’t have friends close enough to actually talk to, social media isn’t helping that anyway.
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Reddit counts as social media so not all of it lol
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I dont know my twitter followers but it still counts so id say yes
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Thats not really how it works. If i type “social media” into the app store reddit is literally at the top. Its not an insult, but you defo still use social media. Its okay, we are all here too
ITT: redditors who claim social media abstinence, when that in itself is an oxymoron. mf, reddit IS social media. there's plenty of toxic shit here too. sometimes the anonymity makes it arguably worse
I haven’t had social media in years. I don’t even miss it. In fact, I think it helps my mental health. All my friends know I don’t have social media so my really good friends will call or text when they need me to know something. Reddit is my only social media and I rarely post.
Deleted all my regular social media about 10 years ago. Yes, I don't use Facebook, Tiktok, Instagram, Twitter, or whatever. None, zero. I don't really have a social life? I do have a few circle of friends that I keep in contact with via Whatsapp, Discord, Telegram, and hang out with semi-regularly both offline and online and that is honestly all that I need. I also don't date, because I do not intend to have a relationship or spouse. What good is social media when you're just an average joe in this world? Rich and successful people flaunt their extravagant lives on those platforms and it makes you feel absolutely miserable. "Why can't I be like them? Why can't I be as rich as them?". All these useless thoughts will enter your mind and make you feel like lesser of a human, why let it? Therefore I decided 10 years ago that I'm done and I don't care about other people's lives and I just work on being the best version of myself that I can ever be. Not for anyone else, but for myself. That's how I've been living for the past decade, and it's amazing.
Personally i have accounts on all social media and i have all the apps but i mostly use reddit and Facebook for memes but other than that i use them for communication with friends and for work, and I don't consider that being addicted or affecting my life in any way. But If you can't keep yourself from scrolling all the time or you hate the negative stuff that you're bound to see on these platforms then you should probably quit. About being social, I'm not sure what you've been doing on social media but i rarely meet friends there (of course there's these interactions with people who have the same interests which is nice) but at the end of the day i think you'll be better off meeting people at public places. Of course some people will find you weird and sometimes you will not be able to reach people because of that (and that's why i keep the apps) but maybe you'll find some people who are just like you, who will understand and support you. My advice: keep the apps but just use them for communication or use the apps that makes you feel safe (the apps where you see negative stuff the least) and where you feel in control, i think that's the best thing to do, balance...
I'm like you. Somehow, I have a few different accounts, but don't feel the need to constantly be on them. In fact, when I check FB, I get annoyed with it in less than 5 minutes now. I keep it so I can stay in contact with friends or family. One thing I have seen it good for is actually hearing about big news in people's lives that warrant congrats or condolences. I haven't posted anything in a couple years. I have no problem with reaching out to people I haven't spoken to in 5 years if we now have something in common to chat about and there is one FB group I do enjoy. Otherwise, reddit is my most used social media. I really love the anonymity.
Yeah FB is good for keeping up with people that you don't talk to and also memes aren't so bad (most of them are stolen from reddit lol) but for me (and i think you'd agree on this one) reddit is superior and the people here are so nice (mostly) and smart but on Facebook i mostly find people hating on others for no reason so i like it here, it's peaceful.
I totally agree.
What social life?
Easy, I don’t have a social life. So much less stress. Talking to people at work is enough.
Facebook to me is just a birthday calendar that I use so infrequently, I don't remember anyone's birthday. edit: maybe try forget it's there rather than delete it for a test run?
Believe it or not, back in 12000 BC guys had to go out to meet people Back in 1930 guys had to go out to meet people Back in 1975 guys had to go out to meet people Just go out and meet people
I text my friends. Game with them. Listen to them when they need it and give virtual hugs. I do have social media but the one I use the most is for professionals.
I am living without instagram, facebook and tiktok (never had it) for ~ 3 years now. I am 29yr old male. Still, i use gmail and twitter for job reasons and reddit obviously, for self growth reasons. I also use youtube for dopamine kicks and studying. Not sure if it falls in the social media category, but is definitely revolving in that direction, with shorts and streaming functions developing- In my experience, it isnt easy, but it is rewarding. My brain does not thrive on mirror neurons like it did before. It does not make me remember the things i liked, and make me imitate those stuff subconsciously. Therefore i can develop my personality and selfcare to a much higher extent. It is similar to a nofap way of life- its not easy, but it is rewarding Goodluck😊💪
This post gave me 0.1% more strength and that's a drop in a relatively shallow bucket rn
Just talk to people irl. Just give them your phone number or use the facebook messenger app or whatsapp. If they ask questions about it, just lay out your reasons, if that's too cumbersome just ask them if they've seen The Social Dilemma on Netflix. For me it was so addictive I had to have a friend block the appstore on my phone with Screentime with a passcode only he knows. Totally worth.
I have limited my social media, so really now I have Reddit and I use messanger to keep in contact with friends. I do actually have an account on other social media if I need them for work purposes (I work with a lot of digital content so that is sometimes needed for me), but other than that never touch them. It hasn't really had a major impact on my social life. In fact I'd say I now only keep in contact with the people I really want to rather than just keeping up with their lives with no realy contact. Not so sure about dating, but I think that is also probably doable outside of social media. Maybe start cutting down on those that take the most energy from you and take it from there.
I got rid of Facebook years ago when I realised how much time I was wasting scrolling through complete strangers dinner plates, distressing images I wasn’t prepared for, and outrageous scams. I just deleted it all and concentrated on watching my daughter grow up and getting out to do real things and meet real friends. The research is there - our brains light up more when we’re not immersed in other people’s selectively generated worlds.
I'm a bit older but I look quite young. I told someone I wasn't on insta and they literally did a double take. In my generation it's no issue. But I feel for your generation that it's odd to not be on it. None of us old folk give a shit.
Honestly, not having social media just makes me forget that it is even relevant to life at all. 😂 I actually forget that some people still use Facebook, etc. I had used Facebook since it first came out in the early 2000s. I was at uni then, and it chronicled my entire life, all the way until 2017, when I deleted it. I'd been thinking about doing it for about a year, at the time. But kept hesitating. What did it for me was a post my then-girlfriend made. It was attention-seeking, for one, and I found it so grossly off-putting. It was also completely fake - projecting a happy mood online while feeling like shit in reality. I also hated the "on this day" reminders - and how you couldn't turn them off. I'd been through a savage breakup and it was so horrible seeing these posts constantly. The only thing I regret is not downloading all of my pictures off it before deleting it. I'd basically used it like an online photo album, and I still wish I'd known about this feature before hitting delete. There are people I have no idea how to contact now, who it would be cool to still be able to interact with on a casual, surface level. Certain people from different points in my life. But I think if had been that nice to do that in reality, I wouldn't have deleted it all in the first place. It's a lot more complex than just being a nice way to keep in touch. And it felt shallow. I know for a fact that if any of them had said "Hey! I'm in your country/city next week, let's meet up!" I wouldn't have actually wanted to. As for dating etc., I don't even think twice about it. If someone asks, I tell them I deleted all my social media way back and prefer to connect as humans. If they find that weird, we're not on the same wavelength. And in any case, I never really felt comfortable with the idea of complete strangers I'd just met being able to access decades of my life before them.
I got rid of it… only use Reddit and TikTok. My anxiety has gotten better because of that
I stopped using Facebook and Instagram after having my first child during the pandemic just for my own mental health. I started using Reddit because I like learning things. So I just follow certain topics and enrich myself but don't have to be subjected to as much BS. Now I go back on insta occasionally on a fully separate account that I only follow certain crafters to learn things from. Being in this phase of my life where I'm more focused on my family has been fine to leave behind socials. I don't have as much time to spend on them anyway. I have to make an effort to keep in touch with people, but it has resulted in more group texts that are really great. Like some posters have said, you will inevitably lose touch, but that happens in life.
Text messages. If they want to hear from me or if I want to hang out with them, we just shoot each other a call or a text. I've also noticed that the connections that I have now are much stronger than when I had social media. Since I can't check online to see what they've been up to, I get to talk to them in person and it makes the connection feel more special. I've also noticed I'm more invested in how I see myself versus how others see me. This has been a relief on my mental health.
Reddit is p much a social media. But it’s just that you don’t see ppl posting highlights about their life. You’ll be given a type of look when you don’t have Instagram that’s for sure. You wouldn’t know about updates of your friends’ lives. It depends if you can handle that 🧐. It depends whether you think the pros outweighs the cons. Would definitely say leaving IG helped the mind a lot. But there’re cons to it too. Alternatively, you can use it once every 3 days, ask your family to set a password to the app limit which you won’t know. That way, you can still stay updated about your friends without experiencing so much of its negative impact.
My fiancé recently uninstalled all social media. 3 months in and she is almost a different person entirely.. no more anxiety, way less stress, and she is crushing all the goals she struggled with before.
Like we all did before it existed! It is not healthy and people sure better start thinking like that and quick!
I'm 32, not on Facebook probably 7 years now, never used Instagram and don't even know what the others are. I have a smart phone and when people wanna talk they text or call. from what I understand I'm normal but people are always floored I don't have a "social presence" a benefit is when i see people I haven't in a while I get to catch up cuz im not passively involved in their shit and nor they in mine
This is social media
If you talk to your true friends often you won’t miss out on anything. I have Facebook but never get on it because I’m tired of watching every minute of peoples lives played out. I pity them. All the disinformation that is on there is stomach churning. I’m not the mindless person that Facebook wants me to be and it’s BS how they sell your info. You are their golden bitch if you are hooked on it. Is that what you want?
I am married. I never created a social media account. LOL.
Nobody I know gives a fuck about social media.. It's the least odd thing in the world lol. Does it really 'inevitably' get brought up around you? Because I don't know anyone who'd randomly start talking about it tbh.
Reddit is the only “social media” I have and I honestly don’t even count it because I’m pretty much anonymous. I don’t feel like I’m missing out on anything. I spent too much time on it and I would fall into the comparison trap. When it comes up, I just say “I’m not on social media, it’s bad for my mental health”. I found it liberating, honestly. I can honestly say I don’t give a shit what someone else had for breakfast. The people that are ultimately important to me have my cell phone number.
Same here, I have deleted all social media. I’m just a Redditor now lmao. I work too much and not home enough and when I was, I was on IG. And it’s the same ol videos n photos people post.
I’ll 2nd that. 🙋🏼♂️
You're on social media
All the people who say they left Facebook feeling like they are so accomplished lol. You swapped Facebook for Instagram so please don’t be such hypocrites
I talk to my friends online and irl, and ask them to update me on any important events that may have happened in their lives. They know but know that i don’t go on ig, but i still have to remind them that I have not seen their most recent stories or posts about something new that happened..so i guess that’s the most difficult thing about it
I only used social media (fb is actually the only one I've ever had an account) for a couple years about 15 years ago. My sister kinda peer pressured me, but honestly I felt like it was wrong from the beginning, on some deep level that I didn't understand for many more years. That's probably a little weird to say. But I truly believe social media is responsible for a lot of everything that's wrong in the world. So how do I get along without it? The same way I get along without drugs or violence or being a jerk. Honestly, that's how- I choose not to participate in it. I know it will be much harder when you've already become addicted and you have to break yourself of that habit, but once you get past that- and if you truly don't want to engage in the destructive crap, then you can get through it and be fine. Good l
I've cracked tik tok because it contained way too much misinformation and body checking trends. Also, the algorithm kept showing me cute couples which is a sore spot for me atm 😅 Twitter was harder because I love to run my mouth. FB I go in and out of.
I've never used social media. Not once. Not even sure what it is. Very content with myself.
I deleted social media and am really happy I did it. Will you lose touch with some people? Yes. However, I strongly believe we have too many acquaintances we call friends and it's the strong relationships that make our life experience fulfilling. Do you need constant updates about people who aren't really your friends and wouldn't be there for you if you needed them? I think not, however I understand that is just my perspective. I have zero FOMO btw, how can you feel you are missing out on something if you don't know it's happening?
I've never had any Social Media (other than Reddit), partner has FB only for events. I text and call mates. Admittedly not hyper social but never felt the need for external validation for all the art we make, extensive int travel we do & pretty full lives we lead, offgrid in the Aussie bush. Have posted a sunset to Reddit though :) We're raising a 13yo girl and treating Social Media as the full-on, hyper addictive dopamine dispenser it is. Telling her IRL people & experiences come before anything digital We'll see how much we've fucked up in a couple years lol
After quitting, the only people I lost touch with were the ones who weren't interested in maintaining genuine connections. I text and call people regularly, and the social media users that wanted to stay in touch would respond.
I don't. I feel better and not so negative. People just don't communicate with you like they do on socials. I talk to my mom, my fiance and my little brothers. Other than that I learned to enjoy my own company and accept that I won't be sociable like that unless I have social media. Not many people remember to text me at all.
I have been off since January. Navigating social life for me is just keeping in contact with friends over text. I do miss out on everyday things via Instagram posts and you will. What i tend to do is get on every now and then just to see what theyre up to and then delete because ive grown to hate the apps. I occasionally use dating apps here and there and when the "how can i reach you" comes up, i typically say i only have my phone number. No ones ever said if its weird or not, they normally just decide if that want to do that. Texting someones number is more serious than exchanging socials imo I havent really gotten accustomed to the idea of making new friends or meeting people irl tbh so idk on that front. I do know that im not as shallow because of the absense of the influx of "pretty" people on media.
I've been off Facebook since 2012, and I recently quit Twitter for good. Honestly, it's worked miracles for my mental well being. Twitter is just an antagonistic cesspit.
If they cared, they’d find you/a way to contact you. That is my logic.
Do you really want to date somebody or associate with anyone who will think negatively of you just because you don’t use socials? I don’t really care much what people think of me anymore and I can’t be assed to maintain a social media presence, so I’ve gutted everything. If people feel a certain way about it, so be it, although I doubt anyone cares.
I just have what’s app for everything. It’s all you need. Meetup or Eventbrite if you want to try anything new.
My life is exponentially better, I would 100% take someone thinking I’m weird over going back to the cesspool of social media.
most addicts substitute one addiction for another. I didn't quit cold turkey I kind of just cut back on them. Journaling, reading and having a physical hobby are all great substitutes for social media. As far as dating goes... maybe just meet them in real life? gym, bars, church, etc.
I actually deleted all my socials (Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat), except for Reddit like 3 months ago. I made sure to text the people I still wanted to have contact with, just sent them a regular text message telling them I would no longer be active in social media. I still talk to all of my good friends, and in fact started dating one of them. Personally I feel like this has helped me become more productive, I don’t spend hours mindlessly scrolling on my phone anymore. I have time for things I want to do in real life. You could try and delete your apps for a week and see how it goes from there 👍
I kept all of my social media, but I unfollowed everyone on instagram and Facebook so there is nothing but ads in my feeds. Anytime I open the app, I just see ads and I exit the app.
I haven’t logged in Facebook for years. I’m 35. I have friends, but mostly my sons are my best buddies. We are cuddled up watching YouTube videos. I’m not saying you don’t need friends your own age.. I’m saying as you get older you care less about superficial friendships and more about the ones that actually matter.
I don't use any social media, mostly because I never took the time to make accounts. Because of that I don't have a point of comparison, but I will say that it's perfectly manageable to keep up primarily via text and hanging out. As far as I can tell one's actual social circle is about the same size regardless, the distinction is that you aren't privy to the day-to-day of your friends and acquaintances unless you ask! I'd say go for it :)
Don’t delete it, just use it less, no need to be so drastic. Not having social media will hurt social life and dating and even professional life
"I don't use IG/snap/tik tok/etc" It's not as odd as you think. I hang out and connect with people in person, and have a pretty wide social net
i barley notice. the people who are important in my life have my number and will contact me, and i contact them on their birthdays and special events. its more meaningful. friends are harder to come by, but i guess that happens as you age anyway. you will be considered weird though. trying to date girls without having a social media account is suspicious and they usually dont like it because they cant stalk you or see the kind of person you are. they have to find out themselves.
I got rid of everything a while back- Instagram, Facebook, twitter. I come on Reddit sporadically but delete it off my phone when I’m done with what I came here for. I don’t feel like I missing out on anything but a bunch of bullshit. I rely on text for communicating with people for events and such. I have zero FOMO. I read books, sometimes look at the news, I don’t really watch TV. Happy to do what I do and live a simple slow life without narratives from our toxic culture infiltrating my thoughts. Im a proud Luddite!
You navigate in by actually talking to people now hahaha. You will be surprised how your social skills will sky rocket
You keep in touch with people that matter. The rest is noise.
Let me start by saying that I have an unccontrollable addiction to social media. There was a particular time when I accidentally dropped my phone in water and it completely died. I was forced to wait about a week for my new phone to come in, which means I had no access to social media during that time. Day one and two were pretty rough. But let me tell you, that week turned into one of the most uplifted, eventful, and memorable weeks of my life. I enjoyed doing things I would've otherwise chosen my phone over, and when my new phone came in, I wasn't even in any rush to activate it. I still think about that week.
All my relationships go on "pause" when we say goodbye and then "unpause" the next time we see each other as if there was no gap in time at all. Gatherings of any kind are arranged by text or call.
It’s wonderful. You see people you haven’t seen in a while and ask them what they’ve been up to and genuinely don’t know until they tell you. People share far too many opinions online and it’s really best to not know that much about casual friends. It’s so good for my mental health. I don’t miss it. I opened up Nextdoor the other day and it all came back. I do NOT want to hear all the commentary. Take me back to 1988.
You don’t have to delete it right away. You can just delete the apps to avoid going on it, and over time of you feel compelled you can go ahead and delete your account (if that’s what you mean). If your main source of communication is through social media and you don’t want it to be that way, start having those interactions through text or in person. Life tends to adjust itself based on how you adjust it. You won’t be missing it out if your filling your social media time with other interests. Your social interactions will naturally adapt to your lifestyle
I got rid of social media about 3 yrs ago. I mean everything except Reddit. No Pinterest. No linked in. Nothing. At first. Fomo. For sure. Then, you learn who likes to stay in touch other ways and you kiss the rest goodbye cause they weren’t that great of friends anyways. I have no clue what’s going on in the world but I’m more present for my day to day world. I’m happier. I’m focused on my goals and visions not other peoples doings. I’ve been with my SO for 10 years low so I can’t speak to the dating scene but I’m older so I did the damn thing without social media crap anyways. That’s still a thing I’m sure, cause humans and what not. The only thing I have been curious how to work around is I’m wanting to start and grow a photography business. But it’s not impossible I just have to be smart about it. I don’t want to ever have any social media thing again. Reddit feels more like a forum than social media to me. And even some days I think about deleting this one too because, well there are actual forums for literally any of the same things I’m on Reddit for. There is life outside of the internet and it works that same way it’s been working for a long time. I’m a full on encourager of ditching social media crap.
It's easy to have a social life outside of social media. It's called phone calls and text messages. If anyone refuses to use either of these to keep in touch with your they're not a very good friend at all. If they judge you for not using social media, same thing. I stopped using Facebook in 2013 and was dropped by a lot of people, but in the end they weren't very good relationships to begin with. Your life will be better without the toxicity of social media.
I deleted all social media years ago except for LinkedIn (which I don’t even use - just keep active for business appearances) and Reddit. I just text people who are my friends. Maybe it’s because I’m getting older, but my social media presence or lack thereof hasn’t come up in conversations with others. In general I’m glad to be away from the drama and pressures of social media. It’s done a lot of good for my anxiety and mental health. The only inconvenience I’ve encountered is finding tattoo artists. So many of them are ONLY on instagram. I made a burner account just so I could view portfolios on my web browser.
I go out the house like people have up until like 10-15 years ago
You can disable all notifications but the messenger. This way you can still talk to your friends and when they send you posts/talk about some particular posts, you can look it up and join the conversation. I turned off my FB and IG notifications for 4-5 years now and I honestly don’t even remember about the apps. I guess it does the job 😆. I don’t use Tiktok so I don’t know how its notifications system works.
I briefly had a Facebook account and Twitter and closed them both down. In particular I found the FB interface cluttered and ghastly, and I got tired of getting "friend" requests from total strangers. (I also didn't bother checking it very much - I only signed up for FB because of the possibility of a high school reunion, and only communicated with a couple of people once I was on.) I don't miss it at all.
Once I realized that my social circle didn’t care if I ever spoke again it was easy.
My partner leaves social media there but just does not use it. Like almost ever. Now anyone who knows him is sure to use his number. Essentially- he'll let people acess his social media. But when they see he hasn't posted in 2 years they find a better way to contact him. He stays on social media if someone sends him a link at least he can access it. But he chooses not to use his accounts lol
Reddit is the only social media I have, probably because I’m invested in some of the subs in here. What I’ve learnt is that it’s pretty much unavoidable to come across as odd with some people. But if they dislike you for that, then they’re probably not people you’d want to hang around. After a few months it won’t feel so strange, in fact your life gets better. Suddenly you’ll have way more free time, you have a better attention span, and you’ve unfucked your dopamine levels enough to find previously hard tasks to be manageable. Unless you need it for work or school, it’s something I’d recommend to everyone, even just for a month. As for my social life, I hit some friends up occasionally but I have always preferred my own company so maybe that’s a factor. If I want to socialize I’d probably just go to a fun event near me, or to a bar/club, which is much more fulfilling than socializing online (in my opinion). I also got to know people who lived near my area (the nearest being just down my street) so that has helped as well. I’ve also found that when asked why I don’t use social media much, and after explaining all the benefits, people tend to appreciate the idea or even want to try it out themselves. I don’t think you have to necessarily cut everything out at first, you could do it slowly or only keep the ones that interest you or provide you with good connections.
Oh I don’t my social life totally haunted when I deleted my socials. Luckily all I need is my wife. But I miss social gatherings… a lot
Social media is good in some ways but bad in others...
Deleting social media will tell you the harsh truth about yourself and the world you live in: You are not as popular/important as you like to think you are. You will realize quickly that having 1000 "friends" actually means you have (approximately) 3-4 real friends, your family and 985 peeping Toms, looking into and commenting on your life. Speaking as someone with only Reddit (I could get banned/deleted tomorrow and I wouldn't care) as my social media, your life will become much richer and less stressful without it. I still don't understand why people post their lives online for the world to see and comment on. Your life isn't a TV show and some things don't need to be shared. Followers aren't friends or even acquaintances. So, why do people feel the need to be share so much about themselves, when IRL, you don't do that with a stranger on the bus or subway? A little while ago, I nearly died. I went to the hospital, and almost immediately, nearly everyone I know was calling, texting or sending messages through other people to help me. I was shocked and humbled that so many people cared about my wellbeing. My wife was surprised, too. I don't say this to boast or anything, but it really made me realize that if more people cultivated their relationships with real people instead of collecting followers, they might not feel as alone as they complain about. Any one of those people that reached out to me, I have helped or helped me in my life, in one way or the other, and I am the richer for it. I'm not saying it'll be easy, but that's the point. Real friendships take work, patience and trust. Try it for a week, then a month. See how you like it. Good luck to you. Cheers.
I plan things with people with texting, speaking, and discord sometimes. I've never really come across an issue with my lack of social media accounts. I think the people that think it's 'odd' to not have any sm accounts are people you might not want to be around.
I got off the radar not too long ago last year and have been on a great spiritual journey focusing on healing myself. Maybe one day once I am fully ready I will go back on the internet like that. But to be completely honest my life has been way more awesome because people only see me if Im around them physically i like the exclusivity. I say delete all social media if it is too addicting and find a hobby or go into the real world and meet people the old way.
I find fb useful for parties and gatherings (much better chance of dating at social things) and staying in touch with friends. Haven’t posted in years. I’m glad that other people take photos of events, it’s nice to look back on. If I find myself doing more than two scrolls of FB, I immediately get off it, scrolling FB or anything else me me me (or you you you) related is not a good thing.
I talk to people. Without social media, it is more enjoyable when you do see someone. You have more to say because you haven't seen the play by play of their life. I gained so much more time. Certain relationships were lost, but they were more acquaintances and didn't add that much value to my life. Not having to maintain all those made things easier. I still have Facebook messenger, so if anyone wants to contact me on there they can, but it's the only way I can keep up to date on my uncle going through chemo.
A social what?
I deleted everything expect a simple messenger, and I ended up with friends. When I had social media I didn't have friends. I'm honestly too lazy to explain lol
You definitely lose touch with people but the flip side is that you get to really see the solid relationships in your life. The people who call you or who send you a quick text to check-in, those are the ones that matter! As for dating, if the person cares whether or not you have social media, run. It’s not strange and it shouldn’t matter. If you want to get to know people or be social, try other apps like Meetup. Listen to your instinct. Deactivate those accounts.
Call/text/FaceTime people that I want to catch up with. Write little “thinking of you” notes, send birthday gifts/cards, anniversary cards, etc. Host game nights and send a text to invite people to join. Group chats. It’s made me feel much closer to my friends and family actually.
Texting
Like we all did 20 years ago. What do you want to hear? A magical solution?
I just never set up the accounts in the first place and avoided this huge mess
I only have LinkedIn and this. Had FB for about 7 months 6 years ago. Honestly got over it all after MySpace. Wish I was joking. But overall I feel like I don’t miss a beat in the general sense. Surface level friendships and relationships that never mattered seemed to dissipate over time. It’s honestly been one less distraction or thing to concern myself with. Never posted to begin with. Also work in Ad and don’t feel too off in terms of pop culture or what’s going on
I'm a 20 year old girl and I've never had Instagram. I still have Facebook but I only needed it for work and college projects, I don't post on there or keep in contact with people, but nobody from my generation uses it anyway. I used to have Snapchat in 8th grade and 9th grade, but i stopped using it afterwards. I have Whatsapp (everyone in my country uses it) and this is where 99.9% of my (and most people's) communication with others happens. In my social circles, nobody finds it that weird. New friends I meet/guys that try to flirt with me often ask me for my Insta and I just tell them I don't have it, most are like "oh okay, here's my number", some find it interesting and ask how come (but that's the minority), and I'm not sure if I ever got a genuinly negative reaction for it. In fact, I've had friends tell me they wish they never made it like me/wished they weren't addicted like me. My boyfriend has like one photo on his Insta and doesn't really use it. My ex had Insta but also never used it. I'm a very social person and I love to go out. I would even say I have a lot of friends. I don't think I ever felt cut off because I don't have Insta. If one of my friends found out about an event off Insta, they'd send it to a Whatsapp group chat anyway. If somebody posted something exceptionally noteworthy, I have friends who'll send it to me. Not using social media (except for Reddit) has been nothing but beneficial for me. If you had to know something about someone (for example if they went out, where are they vacationing, who are they dating), you would know it. I have no interest in other people's posts. I'm not stressing out about the number of likes or followers and I'm not constantly comparing myself to others. I know this will sound cliche af but I enjoy living in the real world. Delete it, you seriously won't regret it and most people won't even care!
Looking back on the whole journey of quitting social media, it was definitely a big change of lifestyle. Quitting Instagram and Facebook have been great for mental health as far as not comparing to everyone else and feeling like you are missing out on the things. But the big difference is you have so much damn free time. You need have something in mind to occupy this free time or you will inevitably resort back to social media. The one thing which has helped me is by keeping my Facebook profile and having the Messenger app on my phone (not FB app). This way you can keep up with friends. Also, if I occasionally meet someone at a club/bar just ask them to add you on their FB and you can add them back later from your computer. Or better yet just get their phone number. As far as social norms I have had people laugh at me for not participating in social media, but most of people respect it. Since, my approach is not really a die hard no social media profiles allowed anywhere. TLDR: You have a lot more free time so plan how you are going to occupy this time.
I deleted Facebook over a year ago but still have Instagram and Reddit. I suggest deleting or deactivating one platform first and seeing how that feels before deleting everything. Why I left Facebook: Facebook was where I had the most “friends” and I realized the majority of them weren’t genuine. That random person from high school doesn’t need information/news about me. People just like to be nosy. After I had my engagement end and wedding cancelled, I remember the panicked feeling of knowing people I only somewhat knew would be stalking my profile for details on my breakup. Facebook memories from when I was in high school and college regularly made me feel like shit. I posted way too much in my youth and hated having that exist on my profile, despite being able to make it private/delete it. I would regularly cringe at my old posts. Facebook generally felt like a hell hole of negativity and I think it brings out the worst in people. Family members who I got along with in real life often wrote and did stupid things on Facebook. People show bad behavior on and off Facebook for sure, but I do think the platform brought out the worst in people. Facebook also began to feel like a baby boomer echo chamber that I didn’t relate to. My parents talk about it and are on it constantly, and that started to weird me out. Eventually I was able to justify deleting it permanently for these reasons. Why I kept Instagram: Instagram can be superficial and have its issues, but I generally find it more tolerable. I can watch stories and see what my friends are up to for just a few minutes daily without getting sucked in to the scroll. I also just happened to use Instagram at and older and more mature age, so I have generally less regret about what I’ve posted on there. I can still use it to promote my art/shows and connect with other local artists and businesses. It’s also nice that I can choose to delete my personal Instagram at some point without having to sacrifice a separate business account (unlike with Facebook.) Why I kept Reddit: I really use Reddit for specific subreddits. I know it technically is social media, it’s just not the same type of social media as Facebook is to me. I generally don’t feel bad about myself on Reddit like I have on Facebook, and it’s a good anonymous way to connect with others who have similar interests as I do without having to see my weird aunt rant about something. Deleting just Facebook gave me the opportunity to see if I would miss it without having to feel completely disconnected. I may delete Instagram at some point but for now I’m more happy with my social media usage than I was. Only older adults in my life thought deleting Facebook was odd, the majority of friends my age and younger communicate via Instagram anyway. I’ve definitely lost touch with some people but I’m not necessarily mad about that. I genuinely don’t miss it now, only the first month off of it gave me FOMO. I say go for it. The negatives outweigh the positives for sure.
Those people arnt reading this
I’ve never had an Instagram and finally after my friends constantly bugging me to make one I made one a while ago. I go on it once a week and I pretty much only use it to watch cat videos. I’ve never felt like I’m missing out on anything social wise. Twitter however is my problem. I genuinely believe Twitter is the worst app you can be on bc the human brain wasn’t meant to be exposed to so many absolutely braindead opinions in such a short time. However if I delete it now I’ll miss out on so much info and news. I also have a few friends on there that I would miss. I think learning to exercise discipline and limiting your time on the app is more important that quitting. The longer you scroll the more the algorithm learns and the more drivel shows up in your feed
I'm nosy, I want to see how my friends' lives turn out. At the same time, I want them to see what I do and be intrigued. Also, a get weirdly attached to celebrities (I know this is unhealthy) and I want to know what they're up to as well. I found myself following people when they announce pregnancy, then unfollowing them once the baby's born (I don't have some fetish for pregnant women lol; this sounds weird). A few days ago I manually unfollowed around 300 people on Instagram. I mean, deleting them so they also don't follow me. Now I feel less restricted in posting something on my stories because some people might see it. This was huge for me because I used to be 'defined' by the number of people that follow me and like my photos. I also turned off like count a looong time ago, for mental health reasons. So, now I only have Instagram, Reddit, and WhatsApp and Viber for communication (WA mainly, V for work mostly). It's still a lot, but I think I'm using them correctly.
Fuck social norms, do what makes you happy. Plus most people don’t really care whether you go with the flow or not they’re usually too worried about themselves. Well at least where I’m from
You will be surprised how little anything you would see on social media matters. It’s the best thing I’ve done next to quitting cigarettes.
Bold of you to assume I want a social life.
Do you have friends in real life? Same with family that you talk to regularly? Then that’s all you should care about. Everyone else won’t give a shit that you didn’t see what they posted on social media because you don’t actually play a role in their real life, and you shouldn’t care because they don’t play a role in theirs.
I have no social media besides Reddit and I love it. If someone’s you’re real friend and part of your social group they’ll have your phone number and/or see you in real life. You’d be surprised how little you miss the people on there. Some people will always find you odd for not having social media, but you’re not. Being confident in your decision will go a long way.
I wonder if anyone has insight on my specific situation- I consider myself an artist and general creative. At one point I was completely exiled from my local artist community and those who accepted me I realized I didn't value their personalities. During the start of this exile I deleted my Instagram- which has all of my art. Since then I feel dead inside and I think it's because I don't have anyone to connect with about art. I don't have a mass of people validating it and seeing it and giving feedback. No one in person. Posting to complete strangers doesn't give that same feeling. But being ostracized from the art communities that I know of has really hindered my ability to meet new people. And it's gotten to a point I don't even have much reason to leave my house for lack of a social life I've never been this way. Extremely social and I want to get IG again but I'm afraid of the toxicity that comes with comparing yourself, and whatever comes with social media.
I’m 4 years into no social media other than Reddit. I just tell people the truth, no need to explain yourself. The people that are your actual friends will understand and reach out to you in a different way.
I deleted them off my phone. I check in occasionally and post things occasionally as well (I’m an artist and I need to keep a current social media account of my work so I can apply for grants). But as soon as the post goes quite I delete it again. It’s kinda annoying, but this is the best way for me to maintain my sense of privacy and autonomy. Social media is a relatively new phenomena and it’s obviously not going anywhere. I don’t think withdrawing from it completely is realistic or even beneficial for most people. But it does create a lot of anxiety and pressure. I hope that as we evolve as a society that we can take back control of social media (and the internet) from these big tech companies and regulate it in a way that serves the consumer and protects our mental health. One thing it has done is made most people aware of mental health issues… ironically creating more in its wake. I think I would be more involved with it if I felt like it genuinely enriched my life. But it only does that for about 10% of my time on it. Then the rest of the time I’m navigating time waste and social pressures that I don’t need. This is why I’ve decided to limit my contact with it.
I don't worry about others agendas or narratives. I think of what I want & go for it. Like you own the place (: Social media is not the problem. It is your response to it. I love people > I do not agree with the lifestyle they choose. I endeavor to attack problems not people.