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Who here has quit social media?

Fox

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I have been tracking myself a lot this year I can spot a clear trend... the more time I spend during the day on social media = the worse I feel.

I get lazy, distracted, and sometimes slightly depressed. And I am very much a positive, focused person.

I shouldn't be surprised cause I know a lot of you have been talking about the dangers of social media for years.

At this stage, I am thinking about quitting Instagram and Facebook forever.
I can make a new Fb account just to run my students group and shut down everything else.

Do those people with some long term experience (quit social media for over one year etc) want to chime in?

What has been your experience?
 
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MTEE1985

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I’m currently 9 years sober from any use. I’ll hop on LinkedIn occasionally if I’m trying to track somebody down but otherwise don’t feel like I’ll ever be on my deathbed wishing I’d spent more time online.
 
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Almantas

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Sometimes I feel like in a Matrix.

Going down the street, surrounded by people who are glued to their phones. Today I saw a truck driver driving in a roundabout with a phone in his hand, another woman immediately after stopping at the stop sign pulled out her phone as well and if that is not enough, I stopped to allow a woman who almost jumped on the main road to drive on - but she was too blind to see my sign of generosity as she was also glued to her phone.

I don't know wtf is going on, but it is getting creepy, lol. Well done for considering a change.
 
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MJ DeMarco

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I am an unwilling participant in social media ... I'm only there because my readers are.

Otherwise I wish I could join the rest of ya and dump it entirely.

Unfortunately as entrepreneurs, it is a necessary part of business. You have to go where your audience is, otherwise opportunities are lost and you're not maximizing your reach.
 

G-Man

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A wise philosopher once said “Facebook is for people that aren’t smart enough for Twitter, and Twitter is for morons”

That philosopher was me.
 

broswoodwork

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To me, the people here doing cool stuff are infinitely more interesting than the people from high school pretending to do cool stuff.

Nobody even really seemed to share anything of themselves back when I quit; just quotes on pictures, links to clickbait, or selfies that hide the chipotle 3 nights a week.

I feel like Facebook peeked in 2009.
 
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Andy Black

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I don’t think I personally have an issue with “social media” per se. I’m not addicted and actually have to remember to log into LinkedIn or Facebook.

I was on Instagram for a few weeks trying to get my head round it as a consumer so I could figure out how people use it as a marketing channel. I thought it was awful. I can’t even remember my login.

I log into LinkedIn once every few months when it occurs to me to do so. It’s a spam fest.

Facebook I’ll use to see what friends and family are up to. I’ll post occasionally, but little amusing things that the kids might have done. Mostly because I know they will pop up as reminders in a few years time. Partly because I have a reasonably big network of people I used to work with and it’s cool catching up.

I deleted Facebook from my phone again when I was checking the videos for research. They’re garbage click-bait designed to get money Adsense style.

I log into FB on my computer if I need to check various Facebook groups I’m in. I do find the (well run) groups are amazing resources.

I haven’t the patience to create a big free Facebook group. Spammers would annoy me. Negative mindsets would annoy me. I’d not want to have to run a group or community and police that. I’d prefer to send out emails or publish videos.

I have that Facebook newsfeed eradicator plugin on my computer so I’m literally in and out in 5 minutes or less.

Twitter? I couldn’t get my head round it.

YouTube? I love it. There’s videos on *everything*, and I like studying them and the ads too. I don’t think YouTube is social media though, but it could be additive and there’s plenty of people who’s goal is to turn us into consumers. I’m aware of that, but occasionally I’m annoyed with myself for aimlessly watching rugby or boxing videos into the small hours. Better than TV though, which I don’t watch.

The vast majority of my time online is in this forum. I may even be on here a bit too much, but I’m fairly sure I spend more time producing than consuming.

I don’t browse threads aimlessly. I don’t get sucked into things I’m not interested in.

In my work I go deep down various rabbit-holes, and I pop in here when I come up for air. In a way, if I didn’t document what I did then my brain would get clogged up. Documenting it on a blog would be lonely so hence I do it here because I like interacting with people and having feedback.

Hmmm... bit of a ramble. Hope that helped @Fox.

TL;DR? I haven’t quit social media because I can’t get into it in the first place!
 
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Vigilante

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I love Facebook. From the businesses I follow to the friends in other states. I only have “friends” there that I know personally, and no business associates. LinkedIn is all business, Facebook for me is all personal. Local sports news, my church... everything is on Facebook. And, all my business interests have a presence on Facebook. I am a prolific Facebook user. I volunteer with the Red Cross as a first responder and many times I can tell if we are going to be dispatched based on my local newsfeed. My extended family uses Facebook to keep in touch. All my local restaurants post, as well as craft beer updates from the area. I’ve traded big brother knowing my grid points for a high level of constantly streamed information. I am not interested in removing this. It’s not a time waste, it’s a time enhancement. It’s really my main news feed, fine tuned for interest and relevancy.

Sorry to be the only cheerleader invited to the sour grapes party!
 
Last edited:

MJ DeMarco

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I remember a few years ago I was sitting by a waterfall with a friend and my daughter for several hours, just enjoying the experience. This was at a national park in Tennessee. Plenty of people came by with selfie sticks, took photos of themselves in a meditative pose in front of the falls (after ensuring their hair was perfect), and left before 5 minutes was up. Being there for a different reason, I felt a deep connection with the place and the experience. I'm sure the selfie-stickers got a thrill from their likes and moved quickly on to the next photo op. Plenty of them stared at their phones while walking. I just can't see myself making that trade, and the idea of it seems dangerous enough that I avoid the possibility.

So sad, I see that a lot too. People clamoring to catalog the 2-D facsimile while totally missing out on the real experience. Selfieing your meditation, but not really meditating. That right there is some clinical shit.
 
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amp0193

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Unfortunately I will have to install these apps again when the next marketing push starts (unless I hire a SMM)

This is where I'm at. Putting up with it until it makes sense to hire someone else to do it.

I got my first smart phone 2 years ago just so I could use the business Instagram.

I don't even like having the phone, even though I've got basically no apps on there anymore.

@Fox You will have more inner peace, guaranteed. I quit facebook 5 or 6 years ago.

Make an effort to replace all digital communication with in person, or a video call.


In Digital Minimalism, Newport suggests that all digital communication is virtually worthless as far as moving-the-needle for any personal relationships. Is actually harmful, because you are then less likely to interact with that person in a different way.

After reading the book, I now refuse to have text/chat convos with anyone anymore, and only use them for logistical purposes (i.e. where u at?)
 

Fox

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One reason I haven't already is I love to travel, take pics, and meet new people.

It has been great to connect with a lot of people all over the place but when I really dig into that belief only about 10% of the time I spend on social media is talking to people and the other 90% is total nonsense.
 

Kak

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I quit facebook for for YEARS... Went back to it recently. I feel a tiny bit more informed about what's going on now. I could take it or leave it.

I am NOT some avid user.
 

amp0193

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Along the lines of my previous post, I'm going to be backing this. It's the closest thing I've found to a non-smart phone that also doesn't suck.

 

GPM

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I don't like social media. This is as close as I get to it.

I had FB, and literally closed it after like 3 months of dating my wife (that was 8 years ago now!). I have never had twitter or IG.

I set up a new FB account maybe 4 years ago or something, this was to be able to get in touch for my first ever fastlane meetup. I have logged in to it maybe 20 times since its creation, and maybe twice in the last year.

I have about 3 close friends who live near me, and someone who is growing on me like a brother who I only get to see a few times a year. Other than that I don't really see the need to have a million contacts. Most of what anyone does at any given time is just fluff anyways. I don't care about the facade that most people put up, and I don't want to spend time thinking about it.

I want to grow my friendships through business and like minded individuals. So far I have been keeping in touch through whatsap or skype with these individuals. I send them photos as attachments when something cool comes up. I guess everyone else uses facebook for this, but it seems like too much effort and too artificial for me.

I find not having social media to be liberating. I can't think of any time anyone I know has been uplifted or liked themselves better for having it. However, I do continually see people I care about feel shitty for comparing themselves to unrealistic things they see on social media. I also see people hurt and confused by others. So that is whole lot of shit that I see, and nothing good.

Social media? Nah, I'll pass.
 

Fox

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It's not making me feel bad and I'm not addicted, so I don't have a problem with it.

Maybe you should rather question why it's making you feel bad. Maybe just deleting it will lead to some other behavior.

Good point. It is hard to know how much is something you should be able to "work on" and how much is just the inbuilt addictive nature of these apps.

I have been listening to "digital minimalism" by Carl Newport this morning and it seems there is a lot of effort got into making these apps as addictive as possible. I will finish the book and report on here with my plan.

Definitely agree with how one addiction can quickly become another without getting to the root cause.
 

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I stopped using them. It frees up a lot of time, and frees up mental resources for real life. Also all the depressing news and political crowing are horrendous... I don't miss them at all.

I've noticed that anything with a "social proof" element can detract from my presence in the moment. Should I watch my daughter play, or upload a photo to see how many great-aunts hit like? I think this is the same for most people.

I remember a few years ago I was sitting by a waterfall with a friend and my daughter for several hours, just enjoying the experience. This was at a national park in Tennessee. Plenty of people came by with selfie sticks, took photos of themselves in a meditative pose in front of the falls (after ensuring their hair was perfect), and left before 5 minutes was up. Being there for a different reason, I felt a deep connection with the place and the experience. I'm sure the selfie-stickers got a thrill from their likes and moved quickly on to the next photo op. Plenty of them stared at their phones while walking. I just can't see myself making that trade, and the idea of it seems dangerous enough that I avoid the possibility.

I'm happier in the moment than I am staring at the metric of how many people validated the moment.

Admittedly, I am even wary of the same thing here in the forum... but the difference here is that most people are not taking photos of every deposit and posting it with an instagram filter as a brag to see who will hit "like." The negative addiction potential is more limited in a space where the types of interactions are more limited.
 

Kak

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I quit facebook for for YEARS... Went back to it recently. I feel a tiny bit more informed about what's going on now. I could take it or leave it.

I am NOT some avid user.
…and I quit again probably 8 months ago. Meh. Facebook, and really all personal social medias don’t mesh with me. I just don’t care. People will send me shit and get offended that I don’t respond for 2 months. Not because I didn’t want to, but because I don’t check Facebook like I do email.

Every message I ever receive, for that matter, I check that stuff on MY OWN SCHEDULE, not someone else’s. I have turned off alerts for text messages, and email.

No one is entitled to make me quit what I am doing and type something for them. When people get mad that they texted me 3 hours ago, I tell them that they should have called if it mattered so much.

I do have Twitter and Parler for the radio show though.
 

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MTF

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I use Facebook for communication (Messenger) and for a local surfing group. I never post any personal updates on my profile (who cares?). I follow some local businesses to learn about stuff like new additions to the menu of a local restaurant or changes in a rock climbing gym. I also follow a few pages but they're all related to sports I practice and stuff like that; nothing I'd consider low-value content.

As for Instagram, I don't see a reason for a regular person to have it and am surprised when people ask me if I use it. Like for what? Posting pictures of my naked butt on a beach in Hawaii? (trust me, that wouldn't be a pleasant sight not being a hot fitness female model).

I'd delete IG and keep Facebook to keep in touch with people. I don't use anything else to communicate with people other than Facebook Messenger and text/call.
 

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However... I do utilize the F*ck out of LinkedIn! It is my own personal corporate directory for thousands of companies!
 

Juan Pimentel

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I quit all social media. No snap no instagram and no Facebook. Lets be honest we really don’t need this shit. If we want to talk to friends or family members we can text them or call them. If they live outside the country then we use WhatsApp.
For me Social media has become a bragging rights platform. “Look at my life is better than yours” Why do we need to show the world our lives? Why not just enjoy it and keep things to ourselves .
The majority of people in this platforms are scripted fools who follow trends.
 

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I've been on a trip to a tropical island for the past two weeks. Spending most of my days outdoors, enjoying the warm weather, the ocean, etc., I don't have much time for browsing the Internet. When I realized how much BS and negative fear-mongering news (particularly now) I subjected myself to daily back home, I decided to stop using social media and visiting low-value websites.

I now only visit this forum and another forum (on both I read only a few topics and ignore most), YouTube (but rarely as I follow only a few channels, mostly about surfing), and Facebook (and that's for chatting with friends as I otherwise get very few updates and follow just a few pages).

I decided to stop using Twitter (fear mongering is out of this world there) and Worldstarhiphop (which I followed as a fan of rap but which has recently turned into a BS entertainment site and Spotify suggests new tracks to me anyway without the rest of the irrelevant crap). I also stopped diligently checking articles suggested to me by Google and am opting out of low-value newsletters and blogs. In other words, I'm now paying more attention to my online behaviors and plan to cut down low-value stuff to a minimum.

I feel much better now and am really shocked how I could spend so much time on what I now see as a clear waste of time. I asked myself what value I got out of Twitter just the last few weeks and I couldn't identify a single thing. Same for many other sites.

I guess the big struggle going forward is how to maintain this new healthy habit when I'm back home in a much colder climate and less agreeable surroundings where I don't have an oceanfront house, awesome surfing and open water swimming possibilities, and where I can't spend comfortably entire days outside...
 
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Vigilante

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All right. I admit it. I was wrong. You all were right.

I deleted Facebook today.

Faced with coming to grips with the degradation of America and growing increasingly disgusted with people's reactions and ignorance over current events, I was faced with a dilemma. Continue to access, or disengage. I can't take it any more. I can't handle the inane lunacy of people. I can't handle the keyboard warriors, the uneducated sermons, the governmental fed sanctimony, the hypocrisy, and my enlightenment as to how dumb people really are.

Unfortunately, I believe we've crossed over a tipping point that may not be recoverable.

I created an alter ego to maintain my businesses, and added the alter ego as an admin to all of my business pages. I then suspended (blew up) my personal Facebook page. It may return some day, it may not. But I was surprised by the feeling of relief and weight lifted when I clicked the BLOW UP button.

My news feed now is gloriously empty, and will remain such. I was never really into any of the other platforms anyway, but was pretty constant on Facebook so this is a quantum evolution for me.

You all were right. I was wrong. I need some social distancing from social media before I lose all hope in humanity.
 

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deleted facebook in nursing school and found out no one texts or calls anymore, now I use it like a rolodex. I "block" everyone who isnt my wife or immediate family so my news feed is just groups i've joined or advertisements, no baby momma drama or kid or vacation pics or any of that.

Still check it probably too often but from a utility perspective having a website where 95% of people i'll ever meet are on it is pretty useful. Little schadenfreude hearing about the stock loss yesterday though, no love lost for FB here.
 

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Same story. No social media for years. I cannot even remember how it felt to be using those things lol.
Pros are obvious to everybody. Cons of not using it? Business features probably. When it comes to meeting people, I'm not sure. If I wanted to meet someone, I'd use a specific website like TMF .

Not thinking of using social anytime soon.

One thing I know for sure is that the founders of these platforms don't spend their time there.
 
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