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Who here has quit social media?

Mattie

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I've been thinking about getting off just because it seems like the content is just over saturated with the same information and nothing new appearing. Seems like it makes you brain dead and lowers your vibes.
 
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Art777

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I agree with everyone here, social media is cancer, HOWEVER it is amazing for business. I never understood the point of sharing everything with hundreds of people but now I see that it can be a great lead generation platform for my ads agency.

It's basically free leads on autopilot, as long as all of your "friends" are potential clients (there is 5000 limit, so remove all your "friends" and instead add your potential clients, so they see your posts). They will see all your testimonials/case studies/brag posts and PM you to do business with you, with 0 ad spend.

I see tons of people doing this and getting good results, so I will start doing the same then outsource it to someone else as soon as I get a chance.

Facebook Groups are amazing though, I think it's impossible not to use them as they are extremely valuable. I met my whitelabel business partners there that aren't actively advertising, you pretty much can't find them anywhere else, so you NEED to use Facebook Groups to watch interviews, meet people, get recommendations, etc. as otherwise you're just losing out on tons of valuable info.

I have the newsfeed eradicator installed so I don't see any crap that people post, and I don't know how people get addicted to Instagram, it's basically a place for showoffs to make everyone think their lives are better. However, it is amazing for business, as your clients are using it, same with Twitter.
 

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I only have social media accounts to run ads, nothing else.
My last timeline post on Facebook was back in 2010, so 10 years ago.
I use Facebook groups actively to prospect clients.
I don't have Instagram, Twitter, etc.
 

francevalue

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Just deleted Instagram and blocked YouTube. How do you guys stop watching videos?
 
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mikemiller

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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.
Yeah, I agree with your point. People only talk nonsense for 90% in social media. There are more abusive words and immoral talks happening there!
 

flavius

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I deleted all my social media accounts couple years ago. Haven't regretted a day. My life is more calm and it has had zero negative effect on my social life.

Taking the first step feels like a huge change, but after you've done it you can see barely nothing changes. Just more spare time and less time spent looking at peoples fake life.
 

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As a facebook marketer I need to use it, but I do have 2 accounts where I don't have friends on. All this is made for security reasons... if one ad acc. gets blocked I have backup plan etc.

+ I use Chrome plugin to block newsfeed.
+ No messenger on cellphone. (waste of time)

So I basically use it only for backend - advertising.

Do I feel better now? For sure I do, also my productivity and "freedom" increased.
 
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Ernman

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I took myself off FB after the last US election cycle. I just couldn't believe the ignorance, hate and lies being spouted by people I thought better of - not to mention those I didn't know. It also became clear that the "news" on social media was being manipulated to an even greater extent than what we see on TV and the echo chambers were/are dangerous to the truth. At least on TV I can choose to change the channel and see what others are saying. Social media algo's are designed to force feed us whatever will keep us on the channel and so the echo chamber develops.

Here I am, four years later, back on FB but for a very different reason. Social media - like it or not - is a very valuable marketing tool. Like all tools in business, we need to learn to use it. Like it or not, it's business - not personal.

I try very hard to avoid the political BS and don't comment on FB timeline posts, etc., unless it is really a friend or relative and non-political issue. I engage in targeted groups and pages to learn and build reputation. Because I'm actively developing a YouTube page, I have to watch and engage in related content. BUT, I set limits and stick to them.
 

Ernman

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I've been thinking about getting off just because it seems like the content is just over saturated with the same information and nothing new appearing. Seems like it makes you brain dead and lowers your vibes.
That's the algo's at work force feeding you what will keep you on the page. I've been experimenting with watching completely 180 degree programing just to see if I can detect how the algo's react.
 

MattR82

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I see zero political stuff on any of my social feeds, and the couple hundred friends I follow are all cool, normal people. Just gotta give the flick to those that are narcissistic. The last person I unfollowed was my 23 year old cousin posting daily duckface bikini pics. Bu-bye.

The only stuff I see is educational, motivational and a little bit of entertainment with sports I follow like MMA and Motorsports plus a few comedians.

When I flip over to my clients accounts though, and see the influencer situation, it's quite a bit sickening. Instagram is basically soft core porn now. And my business interactions with "influencers" or as I now call them "narcissistic F*cking liars" is 95% painful.
 
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I installed Facebook Newsfeed Eradicator on my laptop for FB. This allows me to see none of the stuff I don't care about, but still allows me to access groups and ad accounts etc.

I'm still addicted to IG. It's 100% pure garbage. In fact, I think I'm going to delete it today. There's just no point unless it's making you money.

I've used it for Influencer shoutouts in the past, and communication with people in other countries. But otherwise, the ROI is not there.

EDIT: Just deleted.
 

Profinity

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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?

I feel so bad whenever I go on social media, and I don't even get much messages at all, I have my notifications of which probably is not helping. You feel a compulsive urge to be constantly checking just to see if you get a message or not. I guess it just plays on the dopamine receptors in your brain - that feel good moment when someone messages you back ect. These social media companies construct their websites so perfectly to make you feel addicted to them, it's similar to slot machines at casinos, you never know what the outcome is once you open your social media app. I've even tried deleting the apps, but I end up re-installing them! yeah it's probably one of my worst addictions right now and I know it is bad which makes it even worse..
 
D

Deleted77793

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Same as many people in this thread, the more time spent, the worse feeling.
But they are useful, only for very precise purpose.

What is difficult by quiting is the fact that our relations might be very dependent with this canals (whatsapp too, etc...) one day, i met in my cinema school a girl from Greece,she was video maker like me, very kind and we were talking muchabout our projects. She asked me my instagram and facebook and i told her i hadn't these, she told me i was very weird and she never talked to me after that.

I was very suprised by the reaction. Sometimes, quiting social networks can help to filter real friends and open minded contacts.
 
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D

Deleted78083

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Quitting social media is like quitting sugar (and i have done both). Difficult at the beginning then you get used to it. I found myself thinking less about people, being less self-aware and anxious and in a better mood. You do miss a dopamine drive though, and many people replace it with another addiction. So my advice is quit everything: porn, fap, cigarette, alcohol, tea, coffee, entertainment, social media and sugar. Personally, quitting porn, fap, social media, alcohol and sugar have allowed me to be more focus and to have MUCH more energy.

The only drawback about quitting are the events: i am missing all the parties if no one tells me, but since i dont really enjoy them, i don't really care.
 
D

Deleted77793

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Personally, quitting porn, fap, social media, alcohol and sugar have allowed me to be more focus and to have MUCH more energy

Very inspiring !
Did you stop suddenly stop all this thing or did you made every change one by one ?
 
D

Deleted78083

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Very inspiring !
Did you stop suddenly stop all this thing or did you made every change one by one ?

It started when I read "your brain on porn" by Gary Wilson. I stopped porn and fap altogether. After a couple of weeks, I started feeling way more energized and focused during the day, so I looked more into what addictions do to your mind and body and essentially, they pump up your energy. So I slowly cut all of my "addictions" (let's say consumption of addictive products), one after the other, replacing them with "healthy" addictive practices. For example: replace screen entertainment by a book, coffee by tea, then by water, go to the gym to empty out your addictive frustration, replace carbs by meat, vegetables or dairy (I have a carnivore diet now, legit changed my life) etc. Replacing your addictions by healthy practices is key, otherwise, it is very difficult.
 
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Benedict

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Never really used FB or Insta. Only go there for research purposes. I never felt like I missed out. (Especially on IG... breaking down profiles into PICs seems so superficial that I could puke on it...)

BUT what I really struggle with is: WhatsApp.

I know it is not really social media. But I have so many groups in it and contacts that I have a big urge to look up my phone very often. Depends on the day, of course.

Looking for a solution on that. I don't think quitting is a good idea. So I need a solution...

Advice or experience appreciated.
 

Benedict

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It started when I read "your brain on porn" by Gary Wilson. I stopped porn and fap altogether. After a couple of weeks, I started feeling way more energized and focused during the day, so I looked more into what addictions do to your mind and body and essentially, they pump up your energy. So I slowly cut all of my "addictions" (let's say consumption of addictive products), one after the other, replacing them with "healthy" addictive practices. For example: replace screen entertainment by a book, coffee by tea, then by water, go to the gym to empty out your addictive frustration, replace carbs by meat, vegetables or dairy (I have a carnivore diet now, legit changed my life) etc. Replacing your addictions by healthy practices is key, otherwise, it is very difficult.

Awesome! Sound great! Would like to read more on that.

I am looking on my "addictions" these days too, thanks to @ChrisV s very interesting thread about Dopamine.

What I find myself to use is
  • FastFood or potatoe chips
  • Fap/Porn
  • Gaming
  • Checking my phone
  • Alcohol (at least I only drink it on weekends)
  • other short term "quits" that let me stop doing what I "should"
  • Oversleeping
I also want to share what helped me so far:
  • Celebrating after doing one task and giving me some reward
  • Going to the gym (+ being around people there)
  • Working in the Lib or in a café instead of in HomeOffice
  • Going on a hike on weekends instead of drinking with friends
  • Reading (altough I often won't read because other options seem more attractive. Like Gaming or checking the phone)
  • Sleeping
I guess that also goes for Social Media (addiction) and quitting it. You need to replace the stuff and start new ways to get your dopamine kicks.
 

gryfny

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I quit facebook and instagram a few years ago. I miss some events, especially in the beginning. But it feels good not wasting time on there. I still use whatsapp though, and spend way to much time on there. Using Freedom to block whatsapp does work for me, a little bit.
 
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Nicoknowsbest

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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?

I can confirm your findings 100%. I feel that it basically takes me away from my actual core as a human being. Although it was hard to admit, I realised I was buying things I wouldn't normally buy. I was thinking things I wouldn't normally think. I was striving for things that were not me.

It's been a few months that I quit Instagram. It's been a few days I blocked Facebook. I haven't deleted either one, simply blocked myself from using it. I feel that I am returning to myself again. Sounds maybe a bit too esoteric, but this is how I feel.

I even took it a bit further and looked at every single thing in my life. TV, books, YouTube videos, my smartphone, etc. It basically comes down to dopamine and how our brains are artificially influenced to go look for dopamine every couple of minutes.

Here are a few videos that helped me understand this better:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hMPi4IFUmk

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lyEyr0e_Ac

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLLTFy7LtRc
 
D

Deleted78083

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Awesome! Sound great! Would like to read more on that.

I am looking on my "addictions" these days too, thanks to @ChrisV s very interesting thread about Dopamine.

What I find myself to use is
  • FastFood or potatoe chips
  • Fap/Porn
  • Gaming
  • Checking my phone
  • Alcohol (at least I only drink it on weekends)
  • other short term "quits" that let me stop doing what I "should"
  • Oversleeping
I also want to share what helped me so far:
  • Celebrating after doing one task and giving me some reward
  • Going to the gym (+ being around people there)
  • Working in the Lib or in a café instead of in HomeOffice
  • Going on a hike on weekends instead of drinking with friends
  • Reading (altough I often won't read because other options seem more attractive. Like Gaming or checking the phone)
  • Sleeping
I guess that also goes for Social Media (addiction) and quitting it. You need to replace the stuff and start new ways to get your dopamine kicks.


I found what worked best for me was to read the effects that all that had on my health. You only have one body and it's important to take care of it, that's legit where "you spend the most time" lol.

I can only encourage you not only to read about the positive effects of a healthy life style (4 components: sleep, food, exercise and social life), but to also read about the negative effects of an unhealthy lifestyle. Alcohol, for example, kills the bacteria in your intestine while sugar acts on your body like rust on iron. Did you know we had neurons in our stomach? Do you know how digestion works? It's basically your body decomposing nutrients to reassemble them somewhere else later. If you feed your body craps, you'll literally become crap. People look like what they eat.

A lot has to do as well with how much you "like" yourself. People that smoke, drink and do drugs usually hate themselves, there is no other way to put it, they're making their own lives miserable. If you start seeing yourself as your best friend, how would you react? What would you say if your friend told you "I want to build a company" then end up on the couch playing video games? I could go on and on and on, but you got the gist I think
 

MTF

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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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LuckyPup

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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?
Although I haven't completely quit social media, my footprint is minimal and getting smaller. Social media is amoral, although the technocrats who have created the platforms are, imo, immoral. These creators have known very well how destructive their tech is to kids and the culture at large.

I've never been on Twitter and I only joined FB because it was necessary for a class. I have Instagram only to follow my daughter. I've been on LinkedIn for years, but rarely check it or participate.

I've found that social media is not only a time suck (as it is designed to be), but it makes me feel like sh*t. Moreover, the people who seem to use it most appear to fall into some non-exclusive categories:

1) The manipulators who seek to pollute our minds with their crap.
2) The marketers who sell crap or "teach" others how to use social media to sell crap.
3) The buyers of said crap (mea culpa).
4) The subjects who have unwittingly been conditioned to salivate every time the manipulators ring the Pavlovian bell in Twitter, FB, IG, SnapChat or whatever.

In short, social media can be a tool for good, but overall I think it's been very destructive to individuals, families and our culture. I'm trying to opt out as much as I can, and the less I participate, the better I feel.
 
Last edited:

MattR82

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As I'm not really working in social media anymore, I'm going to try and see how it goes cutting way back. Toyed with the idea of deactivating facebook for a while but I think that's a bit drastic. A bit worried what it would do to stuff I had linked up in creator studio as well.

Just removed all apps from my phone and only kept messenger as a bookmark on my laptop to check once or twice per day. Maybe log in to facebook via desktop only once a week.

I've already been logged out of IG for over a week now and just had one clients account logged in, but it was a boring account so no issue. Have had FB on desktop only for a few days which helped a tonne, but still checking it too much. It works though. But taking it off bookmarks bar and try keep it to once a week.

I was learning a lot the last few years from how I had my social accounts set up, but it feels like diminishing returns these last few months. The distraction isn't worth it.
 
D

Deleted76716

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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?
I have not completely quit because I need it to keep in touch with friends. But I have intentionally set limits to when and where I can use it. I've turned off all my notifications, so I rarely get distracted nowadays. I've been a lot more productive and feel I have a lot more self-control.
 
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Visionary96

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I recently came back from a 1 year backpacking trip and plastered my IG with perfectly edited photos of me posing with other ‘cool’ people or ‘cool’ spots during my trip. At the time, when you have finished editing that perfect picture with the perfect lighting and you see the likes and comments come in, its instant gratification at its finest. Then you want a better and more ‘out there’ pic than the day before.

Bit out there example but It honestly kinda feels like smoking as you get cravings to upload new pics in which the likes from other people act as the nicotine. I got roped in hard with insta and its only when I returned from my trip and got back to reality did I almost cringe at my profile. I was living a fake life and only cared for the photo in all the environments I was in. Got rid of it and plan to only use it to make money off in the future/gather leads.
 

sonny_1080

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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?
I have never had a Facebook. It's one of the best decisions I've ever made. I had an Instagram for the better part of 2016-2017 but I deleted that too because I started to feel exactly the way you described. I have a LinkedIn profile for networking purposes, but I never sit and scroll through my feed like I see people do with Facebook and Instagram.

I'll never forget the straight up depression that manifested itself from a 10 minute scroll through Instagram. That shit had to go. I'm scared of Facebook. Probably because I lack the discipline to moderate my usage of anything distracting.

It reminds me of smoking cigarettes. A 10-15 minute smoke break x 20 times a day = almost 3 1/2 hours lost... a very expensive habit. Same thing with social media. A 10-15 minute scroll through FB or Insta 20 times a day yields the same result.

Regardless, social media takes me away from the business at hand and lulls me completely asleep to any productivity. Not to mention how Instagram drained me of my energy when I was finished using it.

Anyway, yeah @Fox I relate.
 

MattR82

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I can confirm your findings 100%. I feel that it basically takes me away from my actual core as a human being. Although it was hard to admit, I realised I was buying things I wouldn't normally buy. I was thinking things I wouldn't normally think. I was striving for things that were not me.

It's been a few months that I quit Instagram. It's been a few days I blocked Facebook. I haven't deleted either one, simply blocked myself from using it. I feel that I am returning to myself again. Sounds maybe a bit too esoteric, but this is how I feel.

I even took it a bit further and looked at every single thing in my life. TV, books, YouTube videos, my smartphone, etc. It basically comes down to dopamine and how our brains are artificially influenced to go look for dopamine every couple of minutes.

Here are a few videos that helped me understand this better:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hMPi4IFUmk

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lyEyr0e_Ac

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLLTFy7LtRc
That's funny, I just came across his videos last night and found the dopamine one's pretty good.

I've changed my tune a lot about social media in the last month. Trying to get further and further away for some period, maybe 6 months.

Turned my phone into more of a dumbphone, no social media or messenger apps. No apps unless they are beneficial actually.

Actually did deactivate my facebook, but kept messenger. After one day though, I'm also going to get rid of messenger. I created a new fb account so I can be in about 3 groups that I'm interested in currently, and about 5 people overseas for messaging.
 
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Hows it feel?

Pros/cons?
I've not been using IG for months. It was hard in the first couple of days because I did miss watching those funny memes & animal videos. But I think i think quitting it makes me happier because I don't compare myself with those people who appear to have a "perfect life" on IG
 

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Oct 31, 2011
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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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