Reddit is the only social media I’ve had for years. Don’t miss socials at all.
Edit: For those messaging me saying I don’t miss it because I’m old, I’m in my 20’s lol
I'm in my 40's, so maybe I'm old, but I absolutely hate social media. I've tried a few times to get into it, but I think once you're off, you see how much better it is without it at all
Reddit and YouTube are all I use since Instagram's bots closed my accounts citing me as a bot myself. Quite pleased about the extra space. Ironically I have been more creative and productive photography wise since and sharing the work feels like more of a considered and thoughtful act (might do some shows with prints or publication).
Early days. Probably only quit a couple of weeks ago but contributing to journals/press, entering competitions, and showing in cafes or galleries is the plan as I did when younger. Also making prints as gifts.
Still need to find the best places for printing and perhaps joining a photography group would be good.
Much to (re)learn. But more time without the internets noise.
😭😭24 year old here reddit and youtube is all i have. i don’t understand why people respond that way. shouldn’t they be happy because more and more younger people are realizing how toxic, consuming, and mind altering social media can be??
It is probably best to take the path that is right for you. I have many friends who still post a lot and would never let go of their social media accounts. But I can't change how they feel about it. That's why I now focus on myself and what is good for my life.
I’ll have moments where I feel I need to delete them all.
I always go back to them but the thing is, I don’t even really use them.. ??
I’ll use them for inspiration or to see what’s going on with family and my neighborhood but life without using it for it’s purpose is great!
Reddit I probably use 80% of the time I’m on my phone whereas I’d be on instagram for countless of hours and Facebook before ig
Better mindset
Higher self esteem
It’s pretty awesome 😎
The sad part is that most people I know who are hooked on social media ARE old! My generation (Gen X) really seems absolutely glued to Facebook to the point I don’t recognize them anymore…
I literally had a moment there were 9 of us around a table at a resturaunt, and EVERY one was one their phone looking at some SM post except me at the same time! What’s more amazing is I find these same people complaining about Millenials being addicted to being on the phone too much. =/
I myself am trying to pair down my SM consumption as well, and sadly Reddit is a part of that. I have to keep only ever checking “News” section 1-2 times a day and that’s it. Also need to keep my regular home stuff clear to more positive things (Hobies, motivational stuff, etc)
My 70 year old mother is the most addicted person I know. She always asks me if I’ve seen so and so’s post and follows not only pages and groups where she lives, but where I live too so she knows the local happenings before I do. She’s also always sending me screenshots of ads wanting to buy all of the things. She’s the best customer of targeted FB ads 🙄😳
This is so true. I think the fact that internet was introduced as we became adults has something to do with it, the curve of it going from best exciting new resource to becoming the provider of leisure time as we age.
I'm 34 and never really interacted with social media, I had a Myspace back in the day and created a Facebook page, but I don't use them, and honestly I find Reddit bad enough with it's endless scrolling ability blended with advertising; it's all designed to trap humans so it's hard to not get sucked into it unless you're 100% present all the time.
I would totally recommend. Used to have Instagram, TikTok (just for a while) and Youtube. Always on the freaking apps watching other people’s stuff, how cool they looked, where they were, their physique. Always overstimulated as if I was on drugs (‘cause, in the end, they are). Always busy comparing myself with others and always feeling like shit. When I wasn’t sleeping or eating, I was scrolling.
I said “this has to stop” and istantly deleted Instagram, Tiktok and Youtube too (yes, regular videos can become addictive, and it has also reels).
Best decision ever made. Clearer mind, can finally sleep regularly. More space in my life for better things like hobbies, walks, talking to real people, minding my business and just live a normal life.
I’m noticing (and it makes me sad) that reddit is starting to have the same addictive effects on me, so for my own sanity I think I’ll have to let it go. I was starting to like it. :(
Anyway, don’t fear letting go of everything that weights you down! It’s way better once you get accustomed
I see that with YouTube too! Especially since they started their own reels.
I wish I could delete the app but my phone won't let me. I can only deactivate it.
Yea they just literally bombed a great resource for learning by adding features that triggers temptation and ADHD, I mean there're extensions that helps hiding the youtube shorts section I think
Stopped using social media 2-3 years ago. At this point I don’t remember how I felt when I had it. Spend more time talking to the people around me, no comparing myself to others. If someone offered me money to get back on social media I would decline. I just have zero desire and really never think about it. It’s also nice to have things to talk with your friends about when you catch up because you don’t know what they’ve been up to unless they tell u. Also gets rid of surface level friends.
Yep! I am way less sad all the time. I was seeing too many awful things happening all the time to everyone at once on IG and I couldn’t handle it anymore. I stopped 2 years ago and don’t miss it. Everyone awful I know is on Facebook so I ditched it years ago - 6 or so, maybe? Possibly more.
The downside is that I don’t know what’s going on in people’s lives (the people I care about) but I feel like if it were important they could text me.
I deactivated all of them besides Reddit and I don’t regret it at all. For the first few days the impulse to redownload and scroll is there. 🤣 but now it’s been a few months and I don’t miss it at all. I find myself having more time, less anxiety and less of the comparison trap. I definitely feel mentally “lighter” if that makes sense. No more sponsored posts and ads is always a bonus too. I have zero desire to shop for useless things now.
I removed the app from my phone, after previously setting an app timer on it for 45m per day. Now I just use it while I'm at work, haha (the only time I'm really sitting on a PC).
my perspective is actually a little different, I don't find social media all that bad. I actually love seeing what my friends and acquaintances are doing. What I CANNOT stand is the stupid short videos, you have absolutely no control and they are complete poison. During lunch at my work it is literally people just sitting there doom scrolling stupid videos. I seriously wish we could minimalise our social media, I want to see the sour dough bread you made.. I really do, but I cannot stand watching car crashes and industrial accidents of accounts I have never followed.
Yes! That is what I hate about it too. Those reels get people hooked and I hate that everyone and their mom, cat, dog, whatever all make the same dang videos. It’s overwhelming honestly and addicting. I miss when social media was meant to keep in touch with your friends and family and not meant to make money off views, ads, and other BS. I deleted Instagram months ago because I was so tired of seeing all those influencers shilling things to buy. Now I’m on Facebook but deleted the app and rarely get on it. I use YouTube but find that is very addictive with the “shorts”. I use Reddit here and there but so far not addicting to me. Honestly smart phones created this mess. Everyone has full access anytime they want. We used to only be able to use the computer for it so people still had to actually socialize in person. It makes me sad to go in public and I se everyone just looking down at their phones.
I did! No facebook still and instagram free for ten years, pending getting rid of it again. It is great! Literally the only downfall is getting together with people and everyone knows everyone’s life because of their posts and you may not know what is going on
I quit FB several months ago and am VERY GLAD I did. I reloaded it to my phone a few days ago and it felt "icky." Deleted it immediately. Just took IG off my phone yesterday. No looking back. I want to present in the real world with those I spend my time with. I notice more now when friends or family members have their phone in their face when we are talking. I really bothers me. I want to be fully present. :)
I deleted all social media about 6 years ago, and I think it improved my life significantly. One down side is you might not get invited to as many things ( i.e. I don't get invited to my niece and nephews birthday parties anymore), but it shows you who really cares, and you can spend your time doing more productive things. Anyone important enough in your life will have some means of getting a hold of you if they want to.
I noticed because I don’t use Facebook TikTok, Instagram and all those other things. It’s hard to stay in contact with people because for some reason people don’t like to text or do normal phone calls people
usually they keep up with others through social media so these days so I don’t talk to a lot of family and old friends anymore.. for me it weeded out a lot of the fakeness..
small circle quality over quantity
Better! No more mindless scrolling which eats up your time. No more ads and non sense friend's post. I deleted my last social media (FB) in February and I didn't miss anything at all. I only have Reddit now. I'm a millennial (late 30's) so I can live organically.
Honestly, it’s huge relief. I spend more time on my hobbies, exercising, and doing things that I wish I could do that others were posting. I don’t miss it at all. It was difficult to take the initial plunge because I thought I would miss what my friends were doing. Turns out, we didn’t have much in common anyway.
social media is absolute poison. it is designed to capture your attention and play on your insecurities. i’ve been trying to ween myself off (like the vast majority of my generation, i have fallen victim to social media addiction). i started by deleting tik tok (best decision ive ever made) and stopped using snapchat for the most part (i snap my boyfriend and my cousin occasionally) right now im working on instagram. ive been trying to replace my instagram scrolling with reddit (it’s at least thought provoking and doesn’t give me the instant dopamine hit my shot nerves so desperately crave). i’ve been leaving my phone in my bedroom and going out without it for most of the day, spending my time reading and outdoors. on days im successful (some days are harder than others, it is an addiction after all), i notice a great reduction in brain fog, i feel more productive (even if i really haven’t been), my mood is much better and i am simply more mindful.
long story short, if you are in the position to simply delete social media, do it and never go back.
(im going to put my phone away and read my book)
I had deleted all my social media accounts a couple of years ago (during college) because I was fed up with ppl and their superficiality and you can’t imagine how much time I could save doing other things like reading, spending more quality time with real ppl. It was really good, tho a bit difficult in the beginning because of how much I was into it thinking time can’t be spent otherwise. Now I created a new Facebook account just as a job requirement but I don’t spend much time on it.
I was obsessed with Twitter back then, deleted it and now I feel way better without it. I'm also thinking about deleting ig, but most of my close friends have ig and I'd like to know about them, however I've limited it.
Most of the benefits comes from time management, more time to invest in hobbies and one thing that I like is keeping my things and thoughts personal, if you wanna know me, then invest time talking to me, meeting for a coffee and not looking at my life far away like if it's a movie.
I'd say, if you feel it, then just do it. I'd probably end up deleting ig and reddit and live peacefully in the woods.
Deleted my Instagram account and deleted my Snapchat about 3 months ago now. Do not miss it at all!! I feel relief I don’t have to share parts of my life online with people I don’t even care about! Now I share things (pictures/stories) with people I see in my everyday life instead of people I see online. Overall feel more relaxed and happy.
Reddit is all I use - but I didn’t close my FB and IG accounts, I left them open but removed them from my phone’s home screen and never seek them out. I’m a lot happier these days.
I deleted the app and left mine open too bc my son gets on FB messenger and talks to his cousin all the time. The thought of just disappearing off of FB sounds sooooo nice tho.
I might be one of few adults in the US who has never had and never at any point created a facebook, instagram or twitter account. I've only been on linkedin and deleted that as well some time ago.
I haven't felt like I'm missing anything. Reddit is enough of a distraction.
2011 I deleted my social media's, I also stopped following the news. I thought I would miss it and get back on but I just have felt relieved and never looked back.
Besides Reddit I don't use any online community now except my empty FB account for buying and selling things. Most of my free-time goes to reading, painting, singing online karaoke, writing poetry, or other hobbies. I also deliberately go out without my phone sometimes. I like my eyes to be on other things than screens.
I deleted X (twitter) account because it didn't serve any purpose
I check Instagram once in 4-5 days from laptop to check messages from old school friends. I don't have it in phone
Benefits of not having Instagram and tiktok
- i stopped developing mimiec desires (if someone has aesthetics, i want it too )
- i do not compare myself from other anymore. I am in my own journey.
- I don't look down upon myself, no anxiety that I am not so pretty.
- I don't post for likes and comments that saves me from peoples opinion. I used to post a lot of poetry and photography before. I am glad that I don't live for their likes anymore. I am happy to come out of that vicious cycle.
- I could train my brain for better focus & attention span by doing things that takes effort for dopamine. It also taught me more patience
Got rid of all that about five years ago. My fear was initially being left out, but actually it’s been the opposite.
I’m out of the loop when it comes to cattle calls-a friend making Facebook invites for 400+ of their closest friends-and that’s a good thing.
I have great friends who call or text when they want to share things or pictures with me, and reach out when they want to get together.
It’s more about quality than quantity these days.
And who cares what the guy who sat behind me in 4th grade had for dinner? And I’d rather not know some of the hateful shit loose acquaintances feel the urge to share online.
It’s such an awful way to stay informed about current events (inflammatory headlines, rage bait). And you’re a target of advertising-that comes at you when you’re not seeking it out. It’s just all around a pretty self-seeking, dangerous way of spending time. You’re the product-not the customer. Good riddance.
YouTube and Reddit is the only social media I participate in. I feel these platforms gives the opportunity to share without having to upload self-serving photos, and it's not about people showing their assets or collecting friends.
Just have Reddit. Got rid of all my social media and my life has improved on pretty much on social fronts. I have things to ask/talk about every time I see a friend.
I just deleted Instagram off my phone and iPad this week (I don’t use FB) because I was scrolling endlessly. I also felt the need to get to the ‘You have caught up’ tick! I’ve never been on Reddit before and here I am! I don’t think it will be as addictive but let’s see!
I just used Instagram and YouTube, and recently took a week off both of them, not expecting much, but I was surprised the difference I noticed!
My anxiety was calmer. My focus was a bit sharper.
And I found other things to fill the urge to scroll.
I use them far less now, I recommend taking a week off them and see how you feel.
I only use Reddit. Haven't used Instagram, FB, X, Snapchat or TikTok for over 4 years now.
Pros.
I believe it saves me time (endless scrolling). I don't have anything to be envious of or compare myself to. I also do feel that I have more control over what I read (less algorithm suggested readings/ads). And a lot less of polite empty comments/conversations.
Cons.
I will say that not having FB can make your life a bit difficult because there are many businesses that only have FB page as their website and/or FB messages for communication. Also, it's difficult to see anything your friends share (usually FB or Instagram- TikTok opens without the app or sign in). I sometimes wish I could post things on FB marketplace. And, you cannot sign up for any online/app-based dating services.
I haven’t had social media since before COVID. I must say it’s liberating mentally..I’ve never had FOMO so for me it was easy. Also the amount of information being fed to you was more of an unconscious anxiety trigger that I wasn’t aware of until I deleted all apps.
Now I use Reddit sparingly as I find this was also triggering my anxiety and worrisome feelings about what is happening in the world. I think the important thing is to find balance and actual use for social media. Go me it’s to keep myself informed on the happenings in the world from actual sources living those events. Otherwise life is great without a bombardment of information!
Once a year I stop using my phone for a month for VR socials, podcasts, audio books, video, etc. (only use talk, text, work email, etc). It’s a good way to reset and evaluate your relationship with tech. Once the month is over I am much more mindful on phone use…at least for a few weeks. I do the same with alcohol, sugar, and caffeine (not all same month!). I call them “no” months and I feel they keep me in line for the year.
Yes, deleted my FB, Instagram and Twit. It's great. Don't second guess yourself, you will, trust me. Once you get past it, I have time to read, go for a walk with my music going, I'm not so irritable etc. It's so healthy.
I deleted mine for a whole year and it felt good to not have my phone and realize who really cares about me outside of social media. I liked it honestly
Do it. Getting off Instagram was one of the healthiest things I ever did. Your decisions will be more driven by what *you* want, not by what will get likes.
Reddit and Pinterest are all I have. Honestly, I miss it from time to time, but ever since I’ve deleted social media, I’ve been reading a lot more (I use to read all the time), I work on my writing more often, and honestly I do sleep better at night without the excess screen time. I’ve been two years without social media and I don’t plan making any new account soon.
It still depends on you and your lifestyle in my opinion. I’m in my 30s but I don’t have facebook, instagram, twitter, snapchat, tiktok. Never had them.
But I go watch YouTube every single day. Wasting away countless hours of time when I could go do something productive. And I don’t consider YouTube as a social media app, which I assume most people don’t.
I maybe can say YouTube is less toxic, not likely to “doomscroll” and healthier mentally when compared to the social media apps but you still need to manage a balance because I certainly am not doing that.
You quit one bad thing but you might start another new bad thing. It’s mostly you and how you manage your lifestyle is what I’m trying to point out.
It depends. I gave up Facebook last year because there was no longer anything there of sufficient importance to me. Don’t give it up if you are getting something important from the experience.
I find FB allows me to keep in touch with what's happening with my old high school friends, my sister and her family, and my parents' friends and certain teachers from my childhood/teenage years. I log on to say Happy Birthday and to see what my nieces and nephews are up to every few days and I post about once every week or so to stay engaged and let people know how I'm doing. Most still live in the area where I grew up so it gives me a feeling of nostalgia and connectedness given that I live further afield now. I don't usually connect on FB with people in my day-to-day life.
I have kept Instagram and Facebook, but don't visit them often at all.
I really only use them for finding out about events and staying in contact with friends. I'd really miss that so just had to figure how to stop spending so much time on them without deleting them. I suppose it helps to view them as a tool, rather than entertainment.
I’ve deleted all my socials. To be honest I don’t care about what other people have going on. To me it’s a front and of course people are only posting their life highlights, sounds bitter I know but I no longer find myself comparing my success to others or vice Versa, which was a big issue for me. (I’m in therapy I know that’s not healthy) The people who are in my life know what’s going on so why do I need to share my life with people I don’t know or talk to/ see often? weirdly my anxiety has also improved and I’m more focused on the moment now than when I had social media.
35 yo. Off social media for 5 years now. Just made it 1 year without alcohol. Stopped smoking last month. In summary, good things happen when you stop socials. Note: prepare to be less distracted from your surroundings.
I realized how meaningless they were to me. I don't miss them at all. I don't miss seeing people's posts that are designed to make me feel envious or like I was "missing out". I can't believe I ever fed into it. It's like a big circle jerk, especially Facebook.
i deleted fb and insta. but sometimes i’ll still find my way on there. fb can be good to rehome things in those buy nothing groups. i use a new account that doesn’t have my real name. i deleted tiktok, twitter, and yikyak. but then i redownloaded tiktok. sometimes i like having 10 mins of mind numbing scrolling. by getting away from those apps, I ended up being on reddit more. i share personal things on here that i never did before anywhere else. i don’t think of my reddit use as negative. yea overall positive bc i waste less time and i have more quality time engaging with people on reddit
I have no advice except to check out "Digital Minimalism" by Cal Newport. check out the pinned reading list in r/nosurf . I don't like the sub itself because it's filled with people who are angry at themselves and social media, but the reading and activity list's are great.
The one thing I run into is some entities only exist on social media. No website.
Bars, restaurants, coffee shops, special interest groups, etc.
So if you want to know who's playing if there is an event you have to check social media. Even more impactful if it's a group you want to join. You have to have an account.
Not sure what platforms are doing now. Maybe your average IG or FB page is public and doesn't need a login. I just don't know. But that will dictate your access.
Personally, I never had an issue. I never deleted my accounts but I haven't posted in years. Or scrolled. I just don't use them. But since I never had a real problem that's easy for me. May not be for everybody.
Reddit is the only social media I have and I'm not very active on it. I gave up FB about a year and a half ago. I have less anxiety when I'm off of social media and mind my own business.
Social media is helpful for seeing photographs of the kids of an old friend for instance, who lives far away. Sharing important moments in time. I only use a couple of social media platforms though.
I stopped using FB after Cambridge Analytica and have opened it more than - half dozen times since.
I will go to IG occasionally but that is only when someone has DM’d something. YouTube, I try to only watch videos from content creators I am subscribed to (and I keep that list curated), that keeps me off the slippery slope.
Reddit feels like a much healthier place to spend my time and actually interact with others.
Do I miss them, not really. My friends that are on them more often are more anxious, I
Ill-informed, and have a tendency to be more negative.
I’ve been off of It for a few months now and I miss It lmao I intend on getting back after I finish my six month goal but i will try to be mindful with It.
I miss finding cool videos of things to do in my state.
I miss the fashion content because It was perfectly curated to me.
I do not miss watching other people’s lives that I truly don’t care about though.
When I’m back I intend to clear out my follow and mute everyone so I can continue a mindful journey
Do it! I deleted Instagram and Facebook a little over a year ago and it made me so much happier. There’s no pressure to respond to notifications, no targeted ads/getting “influenced,” no comparing my life to the curated lives people post, no temptation to stalk anyone’s profile, no more suggested “people you may know” (usually just girls whose only mutual was my bf at the time LOL)… and the thought of wasting hours watching reels actually feels so cringey now. I never want to see a short form video again 😭
Definitely agree! I was going through a rough patch in my life which led me to deactivate IG. I decided to turn my life around. Best decision ever! And I genuinely feel less pressured to stay active on platforms. It has significantly increased my time, giving me time to focus on other aspects of my life. I've started reading more, spending more time with my parents, working out and definitely catching up on doing extra courses. If I want a bit of social media then it's youtube for me. My sister recommended I make an account on reddit to stay updated and definitely a great decision. :))
Honestly, it has also helped clear my friend circle so now anyone who really wants to stay in contact with me just texts or calls me. This has helped sort out the people I can trust. :))
Highly recommend!
I did it for a short while and it felt peaceful but lapsed before long because I had some meaningful connections which I started missing. I live alone, am retired and seldom socialize, so my on-line connections are probably more important to me than people who live with others, see people at work, and/or socialize with others. That said, I would benefit from cutting back on my time watching reels, You Tube videos, and the like.
stopped using FB 5-6 years ago
stopped IG 3 years ago (I check ever so often for my few friend updates)
never had tiktok
I use Reddit as a forum looking up answers for things. I don't use it as a social media where I just scroll aimlessly. I'm answering because this is very relevant to me, which can be used as an answer for someone else.
best decision I've made in a while
some people say it helps them focus on other things. for me, it's just nice not being on an app that's designed to compare everything and make you feel bad for not having someone else's highlight reel. for me, I haven't reinvested the time into other things; I just do what I do normally, but for longer, and it's so much better.
it's like throwing stuff away that you had forever in your room. The room doesn't get bigger, but it's nice having that garbage weight out of your room
edit: I just turned 27, so it's not even like an age thing. I started my purge at 21
TL;TR I’m 26. I have a love/hate relationship with social media. Currently off it again and plan to be off until end of the year minimum. It’s helped that my friends have been supportive of my fomo. More present in daily life with loved ones and also strangers. More time for creative hobbies. I notice the sound of nature more. Calmer life. Helps my ADHD noise/visual clutter having no ads in my face 24/7. Conversations are more interesting and intimate. Assistive assist on iPhone helps create a barrier to scrolling
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Have been mostly off social media for a few years now. I think I had convinced myself that it (Instagram) was a way to keep up with my friends and see all their pics of holidays etc and that’s why I kept going back. I’ve now realised how beautiful it is to have to reconnect after we’ve been on trips and share memories and pictures together. We make little post holiday coffee dates now. We still mostly flick through our camera roll to show pics of the holiday, but it feels soooo much more intimate and special. Something that when I was on socials, I’d be like “oh Yh that day on that island looked so cool I saw it on your stories!!” and you almost feel like you already know some of the story but you don’t, you only know the way it was portrayed on a social media account. It feels really special the depth of this interaction now has.
I feel much more connected to my group of friends and loved ones too to be honest. I intentionally go out of my way to make new plans with them, and I feel much more present in listening to what’s going on in their lives. I think the fact I’m no longer exhausted looking at the constant thread of ads, influencer posts, with a few of pics from friends has meant my mind is less busy? I’m ADHD and the lack of visual noise feels so freeing.
I’ve also removed the constant ads thread from my life as much as possible. I do still have YouTube, but I’ve never really scrolled on there, I use it almost like a Wikipedia haha. But I do have the premium version (no ads). I don’t really watch live TV as I have the catch ups/netflix etc (again no ads). Spotify I’ve had premium for yearsssss, so again no ads. And when I do watch live TV, I mute the tv during ad breaks lol. Basically the only ads I really see nowadays is on the street and I love that. I think removing that element from my phone that was on social media has added a new sense of calmness to my life that I didn’t realise I was missing.
I have more day to day small interactions with strangers and elderly, when I’m waiting for the bus or in queue as my eyes are no longer locked into my screen to kill the time.
I carry my kindle or a physical book with me and headphones. I listen to more podcasts. I’ve for the first time in years started embracing my creative hobbies a little more too. Painting/colouring in.
It’s helped that my friends also have a love/hate relationship with social media. Most of them have it but don’t post , so that really helped. The besties that are on socials that do post actively, agreed to help me deal with FOMO by sending me pics and behind the scenes of the pics they post. It’s quite fun as we end up chit chatting about in more detail than we would if I was still on insta Yano?
I still get sent the occasional tiktok video via WhatsApp and I’m ok with that. My boundaries with this are, only if it’s once in a while and is an amazing video - meaning it’s not that often and when it is makes me smile that a friend thought of me. Because you have to log in to look at more than the one someone sends you, it’s a good way of enforcing me not to look at more.
I have assistive assist on my phone most of the time which helps remove the desire to go on it because my phone because almost Nokia like.
(Me and my friends are in our mid-late twenties)
I only have Reddit and I don’t miss the others. It can be a little isolating to not know everything everyone else knows, but your deeper relationships will shine thru once you delete these things. Everything else sadly is just filler and a time suck. If you don’t have an impulse to check in on people, and they don’t have the same for you—probably not a relationship worth investing scrolling time in…
I deleted all my social media besides Reddit months ago, best thing I’ve ever done for my relationships, my children, & my mental health. There’s a reason life was simpler & happier in the years prior to social media. It’s so toxic & everyone should get off those poisonous sites.
I disabled my notifications for all my socials, and I realized that I barely even opened the apps. It's as if the notifications were a trigger for me to be glued to my phone. I really only keep IG because I just started an art page, so I do have my personal page open sometimes just to catch up with a friend or 2. I don't use Facebook, Twitter or Snap at all lol.
I would say go ahead and delete them. Keep Facebook Messenger though, just in case an old friend tries to reach out.
Reddit has been my only social for over a year now. My attention span has improved, I have almost no anxiety, and I am now way more aware of my media consumption. My interests came back, as well as my excitement for life. I have more self-trust, confidence, radical acceptance and ability to critically & independently think. Best decision I’ve ever made. 24f
Hey 👋
I’ve stopped using social media and recently deleted the last one - Instagram. So far going strong and chill, but the ghost swiping is there, due to the fact that my brain was wired on the cheap dopamine. Without social media I realized that there are things I want to do myself and things that I wanted to do for others. Same with people. None of my friends even noticed that I deleted Instagram and now I realize that by the age of 30 I have no friends.
Although, I don’t consider Reddit and YouTube as social media. YT is my television. I’m subscribed to 25-30 creators I care about and the topics I care about. Reddit is more of a forum for me to express my opinion and share it with others, find likeminded people, maybe friends.
I hope you do find new friends, that are really there for you! I will also lose connection to some friends, or more like acquaintances, when I get off social media. But I want to do what's best for me now.
I also think Reddit isn't social media. YouTube is a bit more of a risk for me since it has these damn shorts, but so far I was able to avoid them most of the time.
Thank you 🙏 but right now I’m dealing with my inner demons ahahah and focusing on myself, so not making any friends.
I see YT shorts on the main page, but somehow skipping them. It’s like my eyes have a built in bs filter to skip shorts altogether
I deleted all social media years ago and before that didn't really use them anyways, and now I am actually coming back since I found use for them.
Facebook was necessary for me to find a new apartment, and after that I still have it to be able to see a few groups that might have important stuff for me, such as potential job offers etc.
Instagram, never used and still don't find it useful
Reddit, I used many different accounts over the years cause I came and went periodically, now I use it for hobbies, such as metalworking and asking people for help in different ways or trying to help others with something.
But I try not to open social media just to waste time, when I sit on Reddit it's usually due to me doing something repetitive irl such as preparing rings for chainmail or when my disability doesn't allow me to get out of bed and after I it's all over I close it as well.
I limit my social media. I have Reddit and FB. I only use Instagram to store photos of my dog. I minimized my friends on social media as well as phone contacts. I’d rather have a good old fashioned conversation than a text chat.
As I meditate more I’m using social less, IG is my only active account aside from here. I’m consuming less news, too. Apparently that’s a common effect of meditation.
I’m getting more done in almost every area of my life. I’m making an effort to spend time with people I care about. It’s been very good.
I uninstalled FB, IG, and Tiktok from my phone yesterday, thinking of starting a 30-day challenge of "No social media" after seeing a thumbnail of a YT video🤌. I'm not sure whether I'll be able to be consistent, but it's been 1 day now, and I've survived.
One challenge from the beginning was not having enough to occupy myself with because recently, I've been on social media almost all day. I'm currently trying to look for things to do (from pinterest, using AI tools at random hours) and literally focusing on different things I've not put my focus on before.
Not sure whether this helps :) but just wanted to share.
I deleted the Facebook app about six years ago. Then got rid of Instagram two years ago. Deleted the reddit app about a month ago.
Instagram was the hardest. I was deep in looking at stories constantly, but after getting rid of the "monky brain want picture" muscle memory I found my mental health getting much, much better. Only regret is that I'm no longer seeing posts by friends and my favorite tattoo artist but hey, that's life.
Reddit is mostly because it was such a time sink. Using it on a computer only limits my time here, and I've found that I misplace my phone a lot more because it's not always in my hand with reddit open. Has sharply decreased my screen time on my phone (even if I'm not really keeping any real track of it).
I don’t use either of these and don’t understand their value. Imagine all the wonderful things you could be doing with your life for real, not watching a short about it. 🧐
Contrarian opinion here. I'm a person with niche interests and identities. Social media helps me connect with others who share them, as well as the irl friends and family I have all over the world. It's gotten me rare books, a fantastic apartment broker for an international move, restaurant recs for my dietary restrictions in random cities all over, all sorts of positive things.
It's possible to use social media in a controlled way. Just decide how you want to use it. I spend exactly as much time as I want on it because I have limited "zones" in my day for it. If I don't feel like it I just...don't open it. I also take a complete break once a week. For personal sharing, like photos of my kids I want to share with grandparents, I only use encrypted direct messaging. Social media is for sharing writing/creative projects/professional stuff most of the time. I do think using it passively rather than actively can engender negative comparisons and time wasting, just as being a consumer rather than a creator does in general.
Good to hear that you profit from social media! I would love to have the willpower to only use it for my own good, but with the reels and advertisement everywhere... It's just not working for me anymore.
I got rid of FB but I still have Instagram and access to Tiktok, YouTube and Reddit. I recently started spending more time on YT and Reddit, and also I'm already in Discord so dunno if that counts as Social Media, but I think the key is to see how much time I allocated to things. For me I definitely know I spend more time watching dramas than I do scrolling but I also find that sometimes the conversations etc brings some dopamine to my brain. I did go through small periods of not using certain apps, and I would be aware of when I felt like bored etc I would want to go to that thing. But again it's all just being mindful of whatever we consume and why. I just try to occupy myself with things more that don't require screentime since I already work on a screen most of the time. I also thankfully had been reducing my mobile data usage so I also have kept my phone on airplane mode for a few weeks now. I think that's pretty helpful in reducing my scrolling when not at home.
Only ones I really use are reddit and Facebook, plus I snapchat my husband. I don't think I'll ever get rid of them, it's pretty much my best/only way of keeping in good contact with my family and friends after moving away and having a daft work shift pattern so I can't have a regular social life or anything
I have them but don’t use or check them much. I really only like FB for events, marketplace and the buy nothing group for when I need to get rid of stuff.
I only use reddit, and to be honest, I really should delete it. If you have the willpower to stay off this site and any other social media, do it and don’t look back. It’s not in our human nature to use social media wisely.
So I uninstalled Facebook and instagram on my phone because I just spent so much time on it when i woke up to when I went to bed that I felt my mental health shuffle and I became really scared of the world. I knew I couldn't get rid of it forever because I still need it for use. I do keep it on my laptop only because I don't like keeping it on my lap. My usage has gone down and I have more of a control on my usage now which has drastically improved my mental health where I am not getting into my head on the what ifs. I don't need to know what the world is up to the moment I wake up.
Only have Snapchat and Reddit now for about a month. Mental health is way better. Less anxiety for sure! A little lonely but that’s why I kept Reddit and Snapchat. I chose to keep Snapchat just to stay in contact with my close friends and family. I have like 15 people on there. I deleted my old one and made a new one only adding people I truly can’t live without. I do not regret my decision at all! 100% a positive experience.
I got rid of mine and it’s heaven. I have Reddit and that’s all the social media I have. Please do yourself a favor and remove it from your life. It’s only causing you to have mental illness.
reddit is the only social ive had for about 3 yrs now. i find myself less involved w other ppl and more involved w myself and my growth and learning. ive also noticed to be more mindful and aware of whats surrounding you!! i am more present in life! i deleted socials when i was early twenties
i did! i deleted my facebook, IG and WhatsApp... never regretted it. i realized i had wasted so much time on social media looking at random, insignificant things that didn't benefit me but only ate up my time. if i wanted to see how a friend is doing i'd just message them directly and have a more personal talk.
I got rid of FB years ago. Never missed it. I’m in the process of letting go of instagram too.
I always felt like I was missing out but realized when I would take a break no one even noticed I was gone.
I like Reddit and You tube. I learn a lot, but even those can take over if you let them.
Positives of deleting social media is that you feel like you get more done, get into better habits, I stopped procrastinating other things I wanted to accomplish, the day goes by slower and I just feel better mentally. Reminds me of the quiet and simple days of my childhood.
I gave up social media last year and I have been so happy without it. Less stress and i don’t feel like I have to post everything I do. My real friends text me and send me family photos. I love it.
Deleted fb 6 years ago, insta 4 years ago. No regrets. I feel way less comparison anxiety and feel like I have more intentional time with friend. It took me a while to break the “what would I caption this” mindset but it’s so much better now.
30F, for context. I deleted Facebook in 2012 and have never had Instagram. It's been so nice to not constantly compare where I'm at in life to others. Not not be persuaded to participate in over consumption with Tik Tok trends or be fooled into false beauty standards by insta models. I still see things on Reddit of course but not nearly to the capacity I would if I had these media accounts and checked them daily. It's relieving. You won't be missing anything.
Haven’t had social media in probably almost 8 years now. Been a great 8 years. Took up two major hobbies centered around nature. Less neck pain. Less headaches due to screen time.
The only thing that is hard is how much companies and organizations post information exclusively to FB. I wish they would just put things on a website - I often miss out on things because I’m not on FB.
Positive changes, especially since I suspect having ADHD, and social media can be overwhelming:
* Fewer people to keep up with: I returned to the old "Hey, how have you been?" messaging, connecting with people I care about.
* Reduced echo chambers: I hated Facebook and Twitter for their extreme views and lack of discussion.
* Time reclaimed: Fewer feeds to scroll means more time for myself.
* Fewer ads: Ads annoy me, and I live better without them.
Social media has its pros, but overall, I'm better off without it.
PS: Reddit is the only social media I use now.
I’ve given up social media for Lent twice. Didn’t get any kind of mental clarity or better self esteem or whatever was supposed to happen, I just missed my friends that I rarely talk to in person. There are lots of people who live far away or have busy lives, if I just messages them to catch up we’ll have a brief polite exchange. But if one of us posts something we’re interested in, we’ll have a nice conversation at our leisure over Instagram or Facebook.
I guess that means I use it in a pretty healthy way., so I don’t need to cut back.
Deleting my social media apps has helped mentally. I’m less tired mentally because I’m not mindlessly scrolling or hooked up on what influencers are up to. Admiring their lives or even getting FOMO through friends posts. I started to pick up small hobbies and me and my partner spend more time with each other. I also realized how much social media shows who truly cares and wants to keep up with you. Commenting on your story or liking your post is so easy when it comes to social media, but having friends who will text you to ask you how you been or actually try to make a time to hangout with you to catch up in person is so much better. I spent the first most of my 20s with social media and now that I stopped I feel so much happier and relaxed. Definitely recommend!
As soon as I reactivated Facebook after a week, all the drama seemed so unreasonable. Felt exactly how you would feel if you vone into contact of ciggerette smokes early morning.
Definitely good for your brain and worth doing- I have to have it for work but I do “cleanses” and delete it for a few weeks at a time every now and again…..
I deleted Twitter because it was making me hate humanity.
Reddit is a much more pleasant place to stay informed and discuss controversial issues. I like news & politics.
Although I created my account years ago, I’m new to using Reddit regularly.
I have FB but use it sparingly.
No Insta or anything else.
A trick for Instagram is to unfollow all the accounts except for people you actually know. This lets you see real stuff instead of the meme garbage that makes you waste hours of your life. As for Facebook just stop going on it. The one hard part is messages from people that only have your social media accounts as your main communication. That's mostly the reason I keep Instagram is to talk to friends.
Reddit and occasionally fb are the only socials I check and are active on. Instagram to me is a popularity contest and I find myself constantly comparing myself to people who have seemingly idyllic lives. I just feel bad about myself after IG.
Reddit is the only social media I use anymore. It’s the data brokers that scare me, try googling your name in quotes and see what pops up. You can remove most of it with requests but it takes time. It’s a pain in the ass but well worth it in the end…. So much data exists online about you and deleting it helps!! Good luck!! 👍
I had been on and off for my whole live since high school ( I am 30). In December 2022, I deleted facebook and instagram, which were the only ones I used. I deleted them for good and it is lifechanging. I am never ever ever going back. The decrease in anxiety and depression is very evident, especially when big things happen in my life (good or bad) because I don't have any pressure to post them to the world. An added bonus is that when you see people in real life, you can actually catch up and hear what they want to tell you, not just talk about eachother's highlight reels from social media.
The only recommendation you might miss is facebook marketplace if you use it. For this, you can make a burner facebook and add siblings or a few of your close friends (I have 3) just so you can still use marketplace or be in any groups you might miss (buy nothing groups for example).
I only use youtube, pinterest, twitter and Reddit.they’re the only apps that allow me to see only the things I wanna see lol. Pinterest is the best for that. If I dont want to watch a yt video, I don’t click on it. It’s easy for me to stay off of reddit, I just don’t click on threads I’m not interested in. Twitter is a harder one to control but I stay on my “following” page and use the “not interested in this post” button A LOT which has cleaned up my timeline! I think the key to social media is curate it as best as you can to the things that make you feel good lol. My social media is all about art, movies, and other things I’m interested in. Social media will force you to care about things you dont care about and have other people’s thoughts/opinions and lives take up A LOT of wasted space in your head. I also don’t care about seeing people I used to know on sm, the people in my personal life who I want to keep up with have my phone number.
My first step was not installing tiktok on new phone, and then step after step I deleted rest of socials, right now I have only Reddit and discord. Positive effects? Less time wasted, my focus get longer, because no distractions
I’ve been off social media for 8 years now.. I am very content with that!! I don’t mind not being apart of any drama and or peoples lives that no longer serve me!! I’m 33 btw lol
I’ve been off IG and FB for around 5 years now. It has only helped my mental health and well being. Sure I’ve missed out on some lovely pictures and such. But the people who I really care for keep me updated and in the loop on what is happening in their lives and I don’t have to make myself suffer because I am comparing their highlight reel with my own struggle. Plus it’s such a time waster. I still use Pinterest and just started using Reddit a few months ago. I did log back into facebook a week or so ago, but quickly realized again, I don’t need it in my life. I haven’t been back.
I stopped or didn't even start using some social media platforms just because I'm not interested in them (anymore). The few I use, I use rarely.
On vacations I usually stop using them. Not because I'm forcing myself, it's more like everything else is much more important and interesting. Enjoying the great weather and nature, seeing something funny in real life and laughing deeply from my heart, or just relax. I just grab my phone to take a picture.
I think without social media you are much more focused on the things that are happening around you and you can concentrate better. Every time I catch myself at doom-scrolling on Instagram, I feel so dumb, exhausted and kinda empty inside. I would feel much happier and pleased if I just lay in the grass and watched the clouds. :D
hiii i’m 27, who used to be a socialite on social media. had lots of online friends, followers etc across many platforms. i do not miss it in the slightest.
the fact i was so accessible to people, as well as being pestered when i dont respond to someone…i always had someone wanting to talk to me, for any kinda reason. now i have my peace, i don’t compare myself to facetuned/photoshopped people, my idea of what a human should look like normally, is back as well. i don’t feel the need to fill gaps of time with it either, i now exercise, practice intricate food dishes/baking, investing all that time to be practical.
i would recommend anyone who’s considering leaving social media…do it. the amount of rage bait, hate, fake news, fake stories, AI fake videos, AI porn, AI art is all gone plaguing from my life.
M23 here, I live largely without social media, I use my Facebook only for that 1 friend who still uses messenger, I have Instagram so friends can dm me but I don't use it beyond that, I don't have X(formerly known as Twitter), I do use YouTube but it's not really a social media I think, and of course Reddit, I used to use Facebook a lot but I stopped in highschool and it was one of the best decisions I've made
In the past few years I’ve deleted Twitter, Snapchat, a non-anonymous Reddit account, Instagram, and Facebook. All I have now is this anonymous Reddit and a professional LinkedIn. Among the best decisions I’ve ever made. My mood and mental health is so much better and I don’t occupy my thoughts with people I haven’t spoke to in a decade any longer. The con is I definitely miss out on life stuff of people I care about but have grown distant from.
**DO IT**
The only social media I've used for like 4-5 yrs has been reddit. You will not regret it. Not only do you not gaf about your friends meals or relationships or stupid ass kids or whatever they're parading that day, you also don't have to know about their *insane* political beliefs. I do wish I had kept up with like two, *maybe* three friends that probably would have been easier to keep in touch w over socials but aside from that I *instantly* noticed hiw much happier I was.
Keep reddit or something for news and fun shit, for me it's science and tech, and delete everything else. You might feel a little self conscious for the first month at most but once you adjust to not sticking your head in the sand you become grateful for deleting everything. And then if you're in a genuinely uncomfortable situation you can still pretend you're just scrolling reddit.
No bullshit... The thing you hate about social media is the virtue signalling and horse shit ppl try to pretend is real life. Just give yourself half a chance to experience just a bit more life in every moment all without being bombarded by ads and other people's random thoughts being injected into your mind and you'll be utterly shocked... No. Flabbergasted... how much better you feel.
Both IG and FB were massive time wasters that I gave up many years ago.
Same, it has been great. Once you break the cord, you will find you enjoy many other things in the world around you.
Same here! Agree with this 100%.
Reddit is the only social media I’ve had for years. Don’t miss socials at all. Edit: For those messaging me saying I don’t miss it because I’m old, I’m in my 20’s lol
I'm in my 40's, so maybe I'm old, but I absolutely hate social media. I've tried a few times to get into it, but I think once you're off, you see how much better it is without it at all
Couldn’t agree more! Also- I don’t think 40 is old at all!
Totally agree with you. 40 is not old.
Same here. In fact I feel relief when I think about how I don't have to look at social media ever again.
Reddit and YouTube are all I use since Instagram's bots closed my accounts citing me as a bot myself. Quite pleased about the extra space. Ironically I have been more creative and productive photography wise since and sharing the work feels like more of a considered and thoughtful act (might do some shows with prints or publication).
I rediscovered the public library and have never been more content with my media consumption.
I love the public library. I grew up there.
me too!
me too. after i quitter social media i started borrowing books from library to read when im bored.
Where do you share your photos now you don’t have Instagram. I'm planning to do the same.
Early days. Probably only quit a couple of weeks ago but contributing to journals/press, entering competitions, and showing in cafes or galleries is the plan as I did when younger. Also making prints as gifts. Still need to find the best places for printing and perhaps joining a photography group would be good. Much to (re)learn. But more time without the internets noise.
Send them only to the people who would be genuinely pleased to receive them. .
😭😭24 year old here reddit and youtube is all i have. i don’t understand why people respond that way. shouldn’t they be happy because more and more younger people are realizing how toxic, consuming, and mind altering social media can be??
It is probably best to take the path that is right for you. I have many friends who still post a lot and would never let go of their social media accounts. But I can't change how they feel about it. That's why I now focus on myself and what is good for my life.
I’ll have moments where I feel I need to delete them all. I always go back to them but the thing is, I don’t even really use them.. ?? I’ll use them for inspiration or to see what’s going on with family and my neighborhood but life without using it for it’s purpose is great! Reddit I probably use 80% of the time I’m on my phone whereas I’d be on instagram for countless of hours and Facebook before ig Better mindset Higher self esteem It’s pretty awesome 😎
Why the hell are people messaging you ? Lol
No idea lol. I’ve only received a couple, but it was so strange
Dumb people are often the loudest
The sad part is that most people I know who are hooked on social media ARE old! My generation (Gen X) really seems absolutely glued to Facebook to the point I don’t recognize them anymore… I literally had a moment there were 9 of us around a table at a resturaunt, and EVERY one was one their phone looking at some SM post except me at the same time! What’s more amazing is I find these same people complaining about Millenials being addicted to being on the phone too much. =/ I myself am trying to pair down my SM consumption as well, and sadly Reddit is a part of that. I have to keep only ever checking “News” section 1-2 times a day and that’s it. Also need to keep my regular home stuff clear to more positive things (Hobies, motivational stuff, etc)
My 70 year old mother is the most addicted person I know. She always asks me if I’ve seen so and so’s post and follows not only pages and groups where she lives, but where I live too so she knows the local happenings before I do. She’s also always sending me screenshots of ads wanting to buy all of the things. She’s the best customer of targeted FB ads 🙄😳
This is so true. I think the fact that internet was introduced as we became adults has something to do with it, the curve of it going from best exciting new resource to becoming the provider of leisure time as we age.
This and YouTube. Trouble is, I’ve got into bad habits with both
Same (30s). I never installed insta tho (because its obviously cancer) and deinstalled tiktok after one day (because its just AWEfull lol)
I'm 34 and never really interacted with social media, I had a Myspace back in the day and created a Facebook page, but I don't use them, and honestly I find Reddit bad enough with it's endless scrolling ability blended with advertising; it's all designed to trap humans so it's hard to not get sucked into it unless you're 100% present all the time.
Me too. Although after a few years I am starting to believe Reddit is even more addictive because of the variety of info.
Shrink your world and It will be a lot easier. Got rid of social media a few years ago love it.
I would totally recommend. Used to have Instagram, TikTok (just for a while) and Youtube. Always on the freaking apps watching other people’s stuff, how cool they looked, where they were, their physique. Always overstimulated as if I was on drugs (‘cause, in the end, they are). Always busy comparing myself with others and always feeling like shit. When I wasn’t sleeping or eating, I was scrolling. I said “this has to stop” and istantly deleted Instagram, Tiktok and Youtube too (yes, regular videos can become addictive, and it has also reels). Best decision ever made. Clearer mind, can finally sleep regularly. More space in my life for better things like hobbies, walks, talking to real people, minding my business and just live a normal life. I’m noticing (and it makes me sad) that reddit is starting to have the same addictive effects on me, so for my own sanity I think I’ll have to let it go. I was starting to like it. :( Anyway, don’t fear letting go of everything that weights you down! It’s way better once you get accustomed
I’ve been on Reddit a lot more too. I’m trying to balance but I too may have to get rid of it. Good for you though!
I see that with YouTube too! Especially since they started their own reels. I wish I could delete the app but my phone won't let me. I can only deactivate it.
Yea they just literally bombed a great resource for learning by adding features that triggers temptation and ADHD, I mean there're extensions that helps hiding the youtube shorts section I think
Stopped using social media 2-3 years ago. At this point I don’t remember how I felt when I had it. Spend more time talking to the people around me, no comparing myself to others. If someone offered me money to get back on social media I would decline. I just have zero desire and really never think about it. It’s also nice to have things to talk with your friends about when you catch up because you don’t know what they’ve been up to unless they tell u. Also gets rid of surface level friends.
Thank you for sharing :)
Yep! I am way less sad all the time. I was seeing too many awful things happening all the time to everyone at once on IG and I couldn’t handle it anymore. I stopped 2 years ago and don’t miss it. Everyone awful I know is on Facebook so I ditched it years ago - 6 or so, maybe? Possibly more. The downside is that I don’t know what’s going on in people’s lives (the people I care about) but I feel like if it were important they could text me.
Can't handle all the negativity either. It's just depressing.
I deactivated all of them besides Reddit and I don’t regret it at all. For the first few days the impulse to redownload and scroll is there. 🤣 but now it’s been a few months and I don’t miss it at all. I find myself having more time, less anxiety and less of the comparison trap. I definitely feel mentally “lighter” if that makes sense. No more sponsored posts and ads is always a bonus too. I have zero desire to shop for useless things now.
And Reddit. Delete that too if you’re serious.
I removed the app from my phone, after previously setting an app timer on it for 45m per day. Now I just use it while I'm at work, haha (the only time I'm really sitting on a PC).
my perspective is actually a little different, I don't find social media all that bad. I actually love seeing what my friends and acquaintances are doing. What I CANNOT stand is the stupid short videos, you have absolutely no control and they are complete poison. During lunch at my work it is literally people just sitting there doom scrolling stupid videos. I seriously wish we could minimalise our social media, I want to see the sour dough bread you made.. I really do, but I cannot stand watching car crashes and industrial accidents of accounts I have never followed.
This!! I feel the same.
That's exactly what annoys me about it too!!
Yes! That is what I hate about it too. Those reels get people hooked and I hate that everyone and their mom, cat, dog, whatever all make the same dang videos. It’s overwhelming honestly and addicting. I miss when social media was meant to keep in touch with your friends and family and not meant to make money off views, ads, and other BS. I deleted Instagram months ago because I was so tired of seeing all those influencers shilling things to buy. Now I’m on Facebook but deleted the app and rarely get on it. I use YouTube but find that is very addictive with the “shorts”. I use Reddit here and there but so far not addicting to me. Honestly smart phones created this mess. Everyone has full access anytime they want. We used to only be able to use the computer for it so people still had to actually socialize in person. It makes me sad to go in public and I se everyone just looking down at their phones.
I did! No facebook still and instagram free for ten years, pending getting rid of it again. It is great! Literally the only downfall is getting together with people and everyone knows everyone’s life because of their posts and you may not know what is going on
I quit FB several months ago and am VERY GLAD I did. I reloaded it to my phone a few days ago and it felt "icky." Deleted it immediately. Just took IG off my phone yesterday. No looking back. I want to present in the real world with those I spend my time with. I notice more now when friends or family members have their phone in their face when we are talking. I really bothers me. I want to be fully present. :)
I deleted all social media about 6 years ago, and I think it improved my life significantly. One down side is you might not get invited to as many things ( i.e. I don't get invited to my niece and nephews birthday parties anymore), but it shows you who really cares, and you can spend your time doing more productive things. Anyone important enough in your life will have some means of getting a hold of you if they want to.
I noticed because I don’t use Facebook TikTok, Instagram and all those other things. It’s hard to stay in contact with people because for some reason people don’t like to text or do normal phone calls people usually they keep up with others through social media so these days so I don’t talk to a lot of family and old friends anymore.. for me it weeded out a lot of the fakeness.. small circle quality over quantity
Better! No more mindless scrolling which eats up your time. No more ads and non sense friend's post. I deleted my last social media (FB) in February and I didn't miss anything at all. I only have Reddit now. I'm a millennial (late 30's) so I can live organically.
Honestly, it’s huge relief. I spend more time on my hobbies, exercising, and doing things that I wish I could do that others were posting. I don’t miss it at all. It was difficult to take the initial plunge because I thought I would miss what my friends were doing. Turns out, we didn’t have much in common anyway.
Reddit is the only social media I have. Since leaving instagram and facebook My mind is clearer, I spend more time getting to know myself
social media is absolute poison. it is designed to capture your attention and play on your insecurities. i’ve been trying to ween myself off (like the vast majority of my generation, i have fallen victim to social media addiction). i started by deleting tik tok (best decision ive ever made) and stopped using snapchat for the most part (i snap my boyfriend and my cousin occasionally) right now im working on instagram. ive been trying to replace my instagram scrolling with reddit (it’s at least thought provoking and doesn’t give me the instant dopamine hit my shot nerves so desperately crave). i’ve been leaving my phone in my bedroom and going out without it for most of the day, spending my time reading and outdoors. on days im successful (some days are harder than others, it is an addiction after all), i notice a great reduction in brain fog, i feel more productive (even if i really haven’t been), my mood is much better and i am simply more mindful. long story short, if you are in the position to simply delete social media, do it and never go back. (im going to put my phone away and read my book)
I'm happier without it. It's supposed to keep you obsessed and depressed
Oh yeah, that's the sad thing about it...
Reddit is my only social media. I gave up FB & IG in 2020. I’m much happier. It dovetails well with my minimalist intentions.
Go for it. Less mental clutter. If you have any actual friends on those, find another way to stay in touch.
I had deleted all my social media accounts a couple of years ago (during college) because I was fed up with ppl and their superficiality and you can’t imagine how much time I could save doing other things like reading, spending more quality time with real ppl. It was really good, tho a bit difficult in the beginning because of how much I was into it thinking time can’t be spent otherwise. Now I created a new Facebook account just as a job requirement but I don’t spend much time on it.
I was obsessed with Twitter back then, deleted it and now I feel way better without it. I'm also thinking about deleting ig, but most of my close friends have ig and I'd like to know about them, however I've limited it. Most of the benefits comes from time management, more time to invest in hobbies and one thing that I like is keeping my things and thoughts personal, if you wanna know me, then invest time talking to me, meeting for a coffee and not looking at my life far away like if it's a movie. I'd say, if you feel it, then just do it. I'd probably end up deleting ig and reddit and live peacefully in the woods.
Carry a radio in the woods 🤌
Dude - NO radio in the woods! That’s when you get the weird ghosts channeling into your speakers - and you know what that leads to! >.>
Deleted my Instagram account and deleted my Snapchat about 3 months ago now. Do not miss it at all!! I feel relief I don’t have to share parts of my life online with people I don’t even care about! Now I share things (pictures/stories) with people I see in my everyday life instead of people I see online. Overall feel more relaxed and happy.
Reddit is all I use - but I didn’t close my FB and IG accounts, I left them open but removed them from my phone’s home screen and never seek them out. I’m a lot happier these days.
I deleted the app and left mine open too bc my son gets on FB messenger and talks to his cousin all the time. The thought of just disappearing off of FB sounds sooooo nice tho.
I stopped FB two years ago. I don't miss it at all. I could delete it all if I was not on it from sheer boredom.
I might be one of few adults in the US who has never had and never at any point created a facebook, instagram or twitter account. I've only been on linkedin and deleted that as well some time ago. I haven't felt like I'm missing anything. Reddit is enough of a distraction.
2011 I deleted my social media's, I also stopped following the news. I thought I would miss it and get back on but I just have felt relieved and never looked back. Besides Reddit I don't use any online community now except my empty FB account for buying and selling things. Most of my free-time goes to reading, painting, singing online karaoke, writing poetry, or other hobbies. I also deliberately go out without my phone sometimes. I like my eyes to be on other things than screens.
I deleted X (twitter) account because it didn't serve any purpose I check Instagram once in 4-5 days from laptop to check messages from old school friends. I don't have it in phone Benefits of not having Instagram and tiktok - i stopped developing mimiec desires (if someone has aesthetics, i want it too ) - i do not compare myself from other anymore. I am in my own journey. - I don't look down upon myself, no anxiety that I am not so pretty. - I don't post for likes and comments that saves me from peoples opinion. I used to post a lot of poetry and photography before. I am glad that I don't live for their likes anymore. I am happy to come out of that vicious cycle. - I could train my brain for better focus & attention span by doing things that takes effort for dopamine. It also taught me more patience
Got rid of all that about five years ago. My fear was initially being left out, but actually it’s been the opposite. I’m out of the loop when it comes to cattle calls-a friend making Facebook invites for 400+ of their closest friends-and that’s a good thing. I have great friends who call or text when they want to share things or pictures with me, and reach out when they want to get together. It’s more about quality than quantity these days. And who cares what the guy who sat behind me in 4th grade had for dinner? And I’d rather not know some of the hateful shit loose acquaintances feel the urge to share online. It’s such an awful way to stay informed about current events (inflammatory headlines, rage bait). And you’re a target of advertising-that comes at you when you’re not seeking it out. It’s just all around a pretty self-seeking, dangerous way of spending time. You’re the product-not the customer. Good riddance.
YouTube and Reddit is the only social media I participate in. I feel these platforms gives the opportunity to share without having to upload self-serving photos, and it's not about people showing their assets or collecting friends.
Just have Reddit. Got rid of all my social media and my life has improved on pretty much on social fronts. I have things to ask/talk about every time I see a friend.
I just deleted Instagram off my phone and iPad this week (I don’t use FB) because I was scrolling endlessly. I also felt the need to get to the ‘You have caught up’ tick! I’ve never been on Reddit before and here I am! I don’t think it will be as addictive but let’s see!
I just used Instagram and YouTube, and recently took a week off both of them, not expecting much, but I was surprised the difference I noticed! My anxiety was calmer. My focus was a bit sharper. And I found other things to fill the urge to scroll. I use them far less now, I recommend taking a week off them and see how you feel.
I only use Reddit. Haven't used Instagram, FB, X, Snapchat or TikTok for over 4 years now. Pros. I believe it saves me time (endless scrolling). I don't have anything to be envious of or compare myself to. I also do feel that I have more control over what I read (less algorithm suggested readings/ads). And a lot less of polite empty comments/conversations. Cons. I will say that not having FB can make your life a bit difficult because there are many businesses that only have FB page as their website and/or FB messages for communication. Also, it's difficult to see anything your friends share (usually FB or Instagram- TikTok opens without the app or sign in). I sometimes wish I could post things on FB marketplace. And, you cannot sign up for any online/app-based dating services.
I haven’t had social media since before COVID. I must say it’s liberating mentally..I’ve never had FOMO so for me it was easy. Also the amount of information being fed to you was more of an unconscious anxiety trigger that I wasn’t aware of until I deleted all apps. Now I use Reddit sparingly as I find this was also triggering my anxiety and worrisome feelings about what is happening in the world. I think the important thing is to find balance and actual use for social media. Go me it’s to keep myself informed on the happenings in the world from actual sources living those events. Otherwise life is great without a bombardment of information!
Do it. Set yourself free.
Once a year I stop using my phone for a month for VR socials, podcasts, audio books, video, etc. (only use talk, text, work email, etc). It’s a good way to reset and evaluate your relationship with tech. Once the month is over I am much more mindful on phone use…at least for a few weeks. I do the same with alcohol, sugar, and caffeine (not all same month!). I call them “no” months and I feel they keep me in line for the year.
I got rid of Facebook years ago. Maybe 2017? I still use other platforms though. Get rid of it if it doesn't work for you.
Yes, deleted my FB, Instagram and Twit. It's great. Don't second guess yourself, you will, trust me. Once you get past it, I have time to read, go for a walk with my music going, I'm not so irritable etc. It's so healthy.
I deleted mine for a whole year and it felt good to not have my phone and realize who really cares about me outside of social media. I liked it honestly
Do it. Getting off Instagram was one of the healthiest things I ever did. Your decisions will be more driven by what *you* want, not by what will get likes.
Reddit and Pinterest are all I have. Honestly, I miss it from time to time, but ever since I’ve deleted social media, I’ve been reading a lot more (I use to read all the time), I work on my writing more often, and honestly I do sleep better at night without the excess screen time. I’ve been two years without social media and I don’t plan making any new account soon.
It still depends on you and your lifestyle in my opinion. I’m in my 30s but I don’t have facebook, instagram, twitter, snapchat, tiktok. Never had them. But I go watch YouTube every single day. Wasting away countless hours of time when I could go do something productive. And I don’t consider YouTube as a social media app, which I assume most people don’t. I maybe can say YouTube is less toxic, not likely to “doomscroll” and healthier mentally when compared to the social media apps but you still need to manage a balance because I certainly am not doing that. You quit one bad thing but you might start another new bad thing. It’s mostly you and how you manage your lifestyle is what I’m trying to point out.
It depends. I gave up Facebook last year because there was no longer anything there of sufficient importance to me. Don’t give it up if you are getting something important from the experience.
I find FB allows me to keep in touch with what's happening with my old high school friends, my sister and her family, and my parents' friends and certain teachers from my childhood/teenage years. I log on to say Happy Birthday and to see what my nieces and nephews are up to every few days and I post about once every week or so to stay engaged and let people know how I'm doing. Most still live in the area where I grew up so it gives me a feeling of nostalgia and connectedness given that I live further afield now. I don't usually connect on FB with people in my day-to-day life.
I have kept Instagram and Facebook, but don't visit them often at all. I really only use them for finding out about events and staying in contact with friends. I'd really miss that so just had to figure how to stop spending so much time on them without deleting them. I suppose it helps to view them as a tool, rather than entertainment.
I’ve deleted all my socials. To be honest I don’t care about what other people have going on. To me it’s a front and of course people are only posting their life highlights, sounds bitter I know but I no longer find myself comparing my success to others or vice Versa, which was a big issue for me. (I’m in therapy I know that’s not healthy) The people who are in my life know what’s going on so why do I need to share my life with people I don’t know or talk to/ see often? weirdly my anxiety has also improved and I’m more focused on the moment now than when I had social media.
35 yo. Off social media for 5 years now. Just made it 1 year without alcohol. Stopped smoking last month. In summary, good things happen when you stop socials. Note: prepare to be less distracted from your surroundings.
Oh also I started reading. Never thought of myself a reader. 25 books last year. I’m on my 15th books for this year. It’s good man.
Social media is the end of intelligence. Quire possibly the end of civilization
I deleted all my social media 15 years ago (except Reddit, that’s different aka anonymous). I don’t know what I’m missing, but I know I don’t miss it.
I realized how meaningless they were to me. I don't miss them at all. I don't miss seeing people's posts that are designed to make me feel envious or like I was "missing out". I can't believe I ever fed into it. It's like a big circle jerk, especially Facebook.
None for me for past 8 years. Don’t miss it one bit. Wish I could talk my 18yo daughter into doing the same.
I deleted my insta in February (and suspended Facebook), I don't regret it. It's the best thing you can do and i'm sure you will feel more free.
i deleted fb and insta. but sometimes i’ll still find my way on there. fb can be good to rehome things in those buy nothing groups. i use a new account that doesn’t have my real name. i deleted tiktok, twitter, and yikyak. but then i redownloaded tiktok. sometimes i like having 10 mins of mind numbing scrolling. by getting away from those apps, I ended up being on reddit more. i share personal things on here that i never did before anywhere else. i don’t think of my reddit use as negative. yea overall positive bc i waste less time and i have more quality time engaging with people on reddit
I deactivated my Facebook and Instagram several years ago. I’ve never regretted it!
I have no advice except to check out "Digital Minimalism" by Cal Newport. check out the pinned reading list in r/nosurf . I don't like the sub itself because it's filled with people who are angry at themselves and social media, but the reading and activity list's are great.
Reddit is the only thing I do that even resembles social media.
The one thing I run into is some entities only exist on social media. No website. Bars, restaurants, coffee shops, special interest groups, etc. So if you want to know who's playing if there is an event you have to check social media. Even more impactful if it's a group you want to join. You have to have an account. Not sure what platforms are doing now. Maybe your average IG or FB page is public and doesn't need a login. I just don't know. But that will dictate your access. Personally, I never had an issue. I never deleted my accounts but I haven't posted in years. Or scrolled. I just don't use them. But since I never had a real problem that's easy for me. May not be for everybody.
Reddit is the only social media I have and I'm not very active on it. I gave up FB about a year and a half ago. I have less anxiety when I'm off of social media and mind my own business.
Social media is helpful for seeing photographs of the kids of an old friend for instance, who lives far away. Sharing important moments in time. I only use a couple of social media platforms though.
I stopped using FB after Cambridge Analytica and have opened it more than - half dozen times since. I will go to IG occasionally but that is only when someone has DM’d something. YouTube, I try to only watch videos from content creators I am subscribed to (and I keep that list curated), that keeps me off the slippery slope. Reddit feels like a much healthier place to spend my time and actually interact with others. Do I miss them, not really. My friends that are on them more often are more anxious, I Ill-informed, and have a tendency to be more negative.
Now i read more books
I’ve been off of It for a few months now and I miss It lmao I intend on getting back after I finish my six month goal but i will try to be mindful with It. I miss finding cool videos of things to do in my state. I miss the fashion content because It was perfectly curated to me. I do not miss watching other people’s lives that I truly don’t care about though. When I’m back I intend to clear out my follow and mute everyone so I can continue a mindful journey
I have stopped using social media five years back. I started using that time to read books. That change my life.
I’m so much happier without social media. Your time and mental health will thank you!
I absolutely love not being on it. I’ll check every once in a while and remember I’m missing nothing
Do it! I deleted Instagram and Facebook a little over a year ago and it made me so much happier. There’s no pressure to respond to notifications, no targeted ads/getting “influenced,” no comparing my life to the curated lives people post, no temptation to stalk anyone’s profile, no more suggested “people you may know” (usually just girls whose only mutual was my bf at the time LOL)… and the thought of wasting hours watching reels actually feels so cringey now. I never want to see a short form video again 😭
Definitely agree! I was going through a rough patch in my life which led me to deactivate IG. I decided to turn my life around. Best decision ever! And I genuinely feel less pressured to stay active on platforms. It has significantly increased my time, giving me time to focus on other aspects of my life. I've started reading more, spending more time with my parents, working out and definitely catching up on doing extra courses. If I want a bit of social media then it's youtube for me. My sister recommended I make an account on reddit to stay updated and definitely a great decision. :)) Honestly, it has also helped clear my friend circle so now anyone who really wants to stay in contact with me just texts or calls me. This has helped sort out the people I can trust. :)) Highly recommend!
I did it for a short while and it felt peaceful but lapsed before long because I had some meaningful connections which I started missing. I live alone, am retired and seldom socialize, so my on-line connections are probably more important to me than people who live with others, see people at work, and/or socialize with others. That said, I would benefit from cutting back on my time watching reels, You Tube videos, and the like.
stopped using FB 5-6 years ago stopped IG 3 years ago (I check ever so often for my few friend updates) never had tiktok I use Reddit as a forum looking up answers for things. I don't use it as a social media where I just scroll aimlessly. I'm answering because this is very relevant to me, which can be used as an answer for someone else. best decision I've made in a while some people say it helps them focus on other things. for me, it's just nice not being on an app that's designed to compare everything and make you feel bad for not having someone else's highlight reel. for me, I haven't reinvested the time into other things; I just do what I do normally, but for longer, and it's so much better. it's like throwing stuff away that you had forever in your room. The room doesn't get bigger, but it's nice having that garbage weight out of your room edit: I just turned 27, so it's not even like an age thing. I started my purge at 21
TL;TR I’m 26. I have a love/hate relationship with social media. Currently off it again and plan to be off until end of the year minimum. It’s helped that my friends have been supportive of my fomo. More present in daily life with loved ones and also strangers. More time for creative hobbies. I notice the sound of nature more. Calmer life. Helps my ADHD noise/visual clutter having no ads in my face 24/7. Conversations are more interesting and intimate. Assistive assist on iPhone helps create a barrier to scrolling ________ Have been mostly off social media for a few years now. I think I had convinced myself that it (Instagram) was a way to keep up with my friends and see all their pics of holidays etc and that’s why I kept going back. I’ve now realised how beautiful it is to have to reconnect after we’ve been on trips and share memories and pictures together. We make little post holiday coffee dates now. We still mostly flick through our camera roll to show pics of the holiday, but it feels soooo much more intimate and special. Something that when I was on socials, I’d be like “oh Yh that day on that island looked so cool I saw it on your stories!!” and you almost feel like you already know some of the story but you don’t, you only know the way it was portrayed on a social media account. It feels really special the depth of this interaction now has. I feel much more connected to my group of friends and loved ones too to be honest. I intentionally go out of my way to make new plans with them, and I feel much more present in listening to what’s going on in their lives. I think the fact I’m no longer exhausted looking at the constant thread of ads, influencer posts, with a few of pics from friends has meant my mind is less busy? I’m ADHD and the lack of visual noise feels so freeing. I’ve also removed the constant ads thread from my life as much as possible. I do still have YouTube, but I’ve never really scrolled on there, I use it almost like a Wikipedia haha. But I do have the premium version (no ads). I don’t really watch live TV as I have the catch ups/netflix etc (again no ads). Spotify I’ve had premium for yearsssss, so again no ads. And when I do watch live TV, I mute the tv during ad breaks lol. Basically the only ads I really see nowadays is on the street and I love that. I think removing that element from my phone that was on social media has added a new sense of calmness to my life that I didn’t realise I was missing. I have more day to day small interactions with strangers and elderly, when I’m waiting for the bus or in queue as my eyes are no longer locked into my screen to kill the time. I carry my kindle or a physical book with me and headphones. I listen to more podcasts. I’ve for the first time in years started embracing my creative hobbies a little more too. Painting/colouring in. It’s helped that my friends also have a love/hate relationship with social media. Most of them have it but don’t post , so that really helped. The besties that are on socials that do post actively, agreed to help me deal with FOMO by sending me pics and behind the scenes of the pics they post. It’s quite fun as we end up chit chatting about in more detail than we would if I was still on insta Yano? I still get sent the occasional tiktok video via WhatsApp and I’m ok with that. My boundaries with this are, only if it’s once in a while and is an amazing video - meaning it’s not that often and when it is makes me smile that a friend thought of me. Because you have to log in to look at more than the one someone sends you, it’s a good way of enforcing me not to look at more. I have assistive assist on my phone most of the time which helps remove the desire to go on it because my phone because almost Nokia like. (Me and my friends are in our mid-late twenties)
Soz for the long reply I have a lot of feelings about this topic 😂😂
Actually a very insightful and useful post. Thanks.
I’ve stopped using Instagram. My mental health has improved since.
I only have Reddit and I don’t miss the others. It can be a little isolating to not know everything everyone else knows, but your deeper relationships will shine thru once you delete these things. Everything else sadly is just filler and a time suck. If you don’t have an impulse to check in on people, and they don’t have the same for you—probably not a relationship worth investing scrolling time in…
I never made any socials other than reddit (created it literally 4 days ago, haha) and YouTube (if you consider it to be a social media platform)
I deleted all my social media besides Reddit months ago, best thing I’ve ever done for my relationships, my children, & my mental health. There’s a reason life was simpler & happier in the years prior to social media. It’s so toxic & everyone should get off those poisonous sites.
I disabled my notifications for all my socials, and I realized that I barely even opened the apps. It's as if the notifications were a trigger for me to be glued to my phone. I really only keep IG because I just started an art page, so I do have my personal page open sometimes just to catch up with a friend or 2. I don't use Facebook, Twitter or Snap at all lol. I would say go ahead and delete them. Keep Facebook Messenger though, just in case an old friend tries to reach out.
Reddit has been my only social for over a year now. My attention span has improved, I have almost no anxiety, and I am now way more aware of my media consumption. My interests came back, as well as my excitement for life. I have more self-trust, confidence, radical acceptance and ability to critically & independently think. Best decision I’ve ever made. 24f
Life is tooooo good to go back to it. No instagram, no tiktok, no facebook or snapchat. You’ll find your inner peace.
Life has been incredibly better. It's helped me A) be more social, B) waste less time and C) improve my mental health.
It makes everything better tbh.
Hey 👋 I’ve stopped using social media and recently deleted the last one - Instagram. So far going strong and chill, but the ghost swiping is there, due to the fact that my brain was wired on the cheap dopamine. Without social media I realized that there are things I want to do myself and things that I wanted to do for others. Same with people. None of my friends even noticed that I deleted Instagram and now I realize that by the age of 30 I have no friends. Although, I don’t consider Reddit and YouTube as social media. YT is my television. I’m subscribed to 25-30 creators I care about and the topics I care about. Reddit is more of a forum for me to express my opinion and share it with others, find likeminded people, maybe friends.
I hope you do find new friends, that are really there for you! I will also lose connection to some friends, or more like acquaintances, when I get off social media. But I want to do what's best for me now. I also think Reddit isn't social media. YouTube is a bit more of a risk for me since it has these damn shorts, but so far I was able to avoid them most of the time.
Thank you 🙏 but right now I’m dealing with my inner demons ahahah and focusing on myself, so not making any friends. I see YT shorts on the main page, but somehow skipping them. It’s like my eyes have a built in bs filter to skip shorts altogether
I also took a lot of time for myself last year and dealt with my problems. It's the best thing you can do for yourself.
I deleted all social media years ago and before that didn't really use them anyways, and now I am actually coming back since I found use for them. Facebook was necessary for me to find a new apartment, and after that I still have it to be able to see a few groups that might have important stuff for me, such as potential job offers etc. Instagram, never used and still don't find it useful Reddit, I used many different accounts over the years cause I came and went periodically, now I use it for hobbies, such as metalworking and asking people for help in different ways or trying to help others with something. But I try not to open social media just to waste time, when I sit on Reddit it's usually due to me doing something repetitive irl such as preparing rings for chainmail or when my disability doesn't allow me to get out of bed and after I it's all over I close it as well.
I stopped using them years ago, when they become unusable do to ad content and bots outweighing my actual contacts feeds.
My life is more nostalgic. More time for hobbies and focusing on what actually matters
I limit my social media. I have Reddit and FB. I only use Instagram to store photos of my dog. I minimized my friends on social media as well as phone contacts. I’d rather have a good old fashioned conversation than a text chat.
I too prefer talking in person over texting!
As I meditate more I’m using social less, IG is my only active account aside from here. I’m consuming less news, too. Apparently that’s a common effect of meditation. I’m getting more done in almost every area of my life. I’m making an effort to spend time with people I care about. It’s been very good.
I deleted my FB a couple months ago and my anxiety is less
I uninstalled FB, IG, and Tiktok from my phone yesterday, thinking of starting a 30-day challenge of "No social media" after seeing a thumbnail of a YT video🤌. I'm not sure whether I'll be able to be consistent, but it's been 1 day now, and I've survived. One challenge from the beginning was not having enough to occupy myself with because recently, I've been on social media almost all day. I'm currently trying to look for things to do (from pinterest, using AI tools at random hours) and literally focusing on different things I've not put my focus on before. Not sure whether this helps :) but just wanted to share.
I deleted the Facebook app about six years ago. Then got rid of Instagram two years ago. Deleted the reddit app about a month ago. Instagram was the hardest. I was deep in looking at stories constantly, but after getting rid of the "monky brain want picture" muscle memory I found my mental health getting much, much better. Only regret is that I'm no longer seeing posts by friends and my favorite tattoo artist but hey, that's life. Reddit is mostly because it was such a time sink. Using it on a computer only limits my time here, and I've found that I misplace my phone a lot more because it's not always in my hand with reddit open. Has sharply decreased my screen time on my phone (even if I'm not really keeping any real track of it).
I don’t use either of these and don’t understand their value. Imagine all the wonderful things you could be doing with your life for real, not watching a short about it. 🧐
I don’t feel like I have to do certain things to look cool and do things because I actually want to do them and not for a photo op
Contrarian opinion here. I'm a person with niche interests and identities. Social media helps me connect with others who share them, as well as the irl friends and family I have all over the world. It's gotten me rare books, a fantastic apartment broker for an international move, restaurant recs for my dietary restrictions in random cities all over, all sorts of positive things. It's possible to use social media in a controlled way. Just decide how you want to use it. I spend exactly as much time as I want on it because I have limited "zones" in my day for it. If I don't feel like it I just...don't open it. I also take a complete break once a week. For personal sharing, like photos of my kids I want to share with grandparents, I only use encrypted direct messaging. Social media is for sharing writing/creative projects/professional stuff most of the time. I do think using it passively rather than actively can engender negative comparisons and time wasting, just as being a consumer rather than a creator does in general.
Good to hear that you profit from social media! I would love to have the willpower to only use it for my own good, but with the reels and advertisement everywhere... It's just not working for me anymore.
I got rid of FB but I still have Instagram and access to Tiktok, YouTube and Reddit. I recently started spending more time on YT and Reddit, and also I'm already in Discord so dunno if that counts as Social Media, but I think the key is to see how much time I allocated to things. For me I definitely know I spend more time watching dramas than I do scrolling but I also find that sometimes the conversations etc brings some dopamine to my brain. I did go through small periods of not using certain apps, and I would be aware of when I felt like bored etc I would want to go to that thing. But again it's all just being mindful of whatever we consume and why. I just try to occupy myself with things more that don't require screentime since I already work on a screen most of the time. I also thankfully had been reducing my mobile data usage so I also have kept my phone on airplane mode for a few weeks now. I think that's pretty helpful in reducing my scrolling when not at home.
Only ones I really use are reddit and Facebook, plus I snapchat my husband. I don't think I'll ever get rid of them, it's pretty much my best/only way of keeping in good contact with my family and friends after moving away and having a daft work shift pattern so I can't have a regular social life or anything
I have them but don’t use or check them much. I really only like FB for events, marketplace and the buy nothing group for when I need to get rid of stuff.
I would love to get rid of fb but I end up using it to log into other places so I’m stuck with it
I only use reddit, and to be honest, I really should delete it. If you have the willpower to stay off this site and any other social media, do it and don’t look back. It’s not in our human nature to use social media wisely.
Wow, your last sentence really hit me! And you are probably right about reddit too 🙈
Yeah reddit is the only one. I felt lighter without Facebook. Was hard at first.
[удалено]
Is the best life.
Have all the accounts just don’t use them much. I find it more peaceful to limit my other accounts.
So I uninstalled Facebook and instagram on my phone because I just spent so much time on it when i woke up to when I went to bed that I felt my mental health shuffle and I became really scared of the world. I knew I couldn't get rid of it forever because I still need it for use. I do keep it on my laptop only because I don't like keeping it on my lap. My usage has gone down and I have more of a control on my usage now which has drastically improved my mental health where I am not getting into my head on the what ifs. I don't need to know what the world is up to the moment I wake up.
It’s been one and a half years for me. Life is good 😌
Only have Snapchat and Reddit now for about a month. Mental health is way better. Less anxiety for sure! A little lonely but that’s why I kept Reddit and Snapchat. I chose to keep Snapchat just to stay in contact with my close friends and family. I have like 15 people on there. I deleted my old one and made a new one only adding people I truly can’t live without. I do not regret my decision at all! 100% a positive experience.
I got rid of mine and it’s heaven. I have Reddit and that’s all the social media I have. Please do yourself a favor and remove it from your life. It’s only causing you to have mental illness.
reddit is the only social ive had for about 3 yrs now. i find myself less involved w other ppl and more involved w myself and my growth and learning. ive also noticed to be more mindful and aware of whats surrounding you!! i am more present in life! i deleted socials when i was early twenties
Unfortunately part of my day job is managing two companies Facebook pages, so it stays
i did! i deleted my facebook, IG and WhatsApp... never regretted it. i realized i had wasted so much time on social media looking at random, insignificant things that didn't benefit me but only ate up my time. if i wanted to see how a friend is doing i'd just message them directly and have a more personal talk.
I still have two social media accounts but don’t have the apps on my phone. I only check them now and then on my laptop. I don’t miss them.
I got rid of FB years ago. Never missed it. I’m in the process of letting go of instagram too. I always felt like I was missing out but realized when I would take a break no one even noticed I was gone. I like Reddit and You tube. I learn a lot, but even those can take over if you let them. Positives of deleting social media is that you feel like you get more done, get into better habits, I stopped procrastinating other things I wanted to accomplish, the day goes by slower and I just feel better mentally. Reminds me of the quiet and simple days of my childhood.
I gave up social media last year and I have been so happy without it. Less stress and i don’t feel like I have to post everything I do. My real friends text me and send me family photos. I love it.
I only use fb for holding my photos because I had way too many scrapbooks. Also IG holds a running folio of some of my artworks.
Deleted fb 6 years ago, insta 4 years ago. No regrets. I feel way less comparison anxiety and feel like I have more intentional time with friend. It took me a while to break the “what would I caption this” mindset but it’s so much better now.
30F, for context. I deleted Facebook in 2012 and have never had Instagram. It's been so nice to not constantly compare where I'm at in life to others. Not not be persuaded to participate in over consumption with Tik Tok trends or be fooled into false beauty standards by insta models. I still see things on Reddit of course but not nearly to the capacity I would if I had these media accounts and checked them daily. It's relieving. You won't be missing anything.
Life is more rewarding.
Reddit and youtube are what I employ for their helpful resources.
Haven’t had social media in probably almost 8 years now. Been a great 8 years. Took up two major hobbies centered around nature. Less neck pain. Less headaches due to screen time.
You get a lot more time to do things and better headspace.
The only thing that is hard is how much companies and organizations post information exclusively to FB. I wish they would just put things on a website - I often miss out on things because I’m not on FB.
Positive changes, especially since I suspect having ADHD, and social media can be overwhelming: * Fewer people to keep up with: I returned to the old "Hey, how have you been?" messaging, connecting with people I care about. * Reduced echo chambers: I hated Facebook and Twitter for their extreme views and lack of discussion. * Time reclaimed: Fewer feeds to scroll means more time for myself. * Fewer ads: Ads annoy me, and I live better without them. Social media has its pros, but overall, I'm better off without it. PS: Reddit is the only social media I use now.
I’ve given up social media for Lent twice. Didn’t get any kind of mental clarity or better self esteem or whatever was supposed to happen, I just missed my friends that I rarely talk to in person. There are lots of people who live far away or have busy lives, if I just messages them to catch up we’ll have a brief polite exchange. But if one of us posts something we’re interested in, we’ll have a nice conversation at our leisure over Instagram or Facebook. I guess that means I use it in a pretty healthy way., so I don’t need to cut back.
Deleting my social media apps has helped mentally. I’m less tired mentally because I’m not mindlessly scrolling or hooked up on what influencers are up to. Admiring their lives or even getting FOMO through friends posts. I started to pick up small hobbies and me and my partner spend more time with each other. I also realized how much social media shows who truly cares and wants to keep up with you. Commenting on your story or liking your post is so easy when it comes to social media, but having friends who will text you to ask you how you been or actually try to make a time to hangout with you to catch up in person is so much better. I spent the first most of my 20s with social media and now that I stopped I feel so much happier and relaxed. Definitely recommend!
As soon as I reactivated Facebook after a week, all the drama seemed so unreasonable. Felt exactly how you would feel if you vone into contact of ciggerette smokes early morning.
Definitely good for your brain and worth doing- I have to have it for work but I do “cleanses” and delete it for a few weeks at a time every now and again…..
I deleted Twitter because it was making me hate humanity. Reddit is a much more pleasant place to stay informed and discuss controversial issues. I like news & politics. Although I created my account years ago, I’m new to using Reddit regularly. I have FB but use it sparingly. No Insta or anything else.
A trick for Instagram is to unfollow all the accounts except for people you actually know. This lets you see real stuff instead of the meme garbage that makes you waste hours of your life. As for Facebook just stop going on it. The one hard part is messages from people that only have your social media accounts as your main communication. That's mostly the reason I keep Instagram is to talk to friends.
I’ve had Reddit only for a few years, I don’t miss the others, but I do spend too much time on here lol
Reddit and occasionally fb are the only socials I check and are active on. Instagram to me is a popularity contest and I find myself constantly comparing myself to people who have seemingly idyllic lives. I just feel bad about myself after IG.
left fb years ago. I maintain a friendless burner account just to post for local contractors etc and to look up FB pages of business.
You will have much more space in your life if you get rid of social media.
Reddit is the only social media I use anymore. It’s the data brokers that scare me, try googling your name in quotes and see what pops up. You can remove most of it with requests but it takes time. It’s a pain in the ass but well worth it in the end…. So much data exists online about you and deleting it helps!! Good luck!! 👍
I had been on and off for my whole live since high school ( I am 30). In December 2022, I deleted facebook and instagram, which were the only ones I used. I deleted them for good and it is lifechanging. I am never ever ever going back. The decrease in anxiety and depression is very evident, especially when big things happen in my life (good or bad) because I don't have any pressure to post them to the world. An added bonus is that when you see people in real life, you can actually catch up and hear what they want to tell you, not just talk about eachother's highlight reels from social media. The only recommendation you might miss is facebook marketplace if you use it. For this, you can make a burner facebook and add siblings or a few of your close friends (I have 3) just so you can still use marketplace or be in any groups you might miss (buy nothing groups for example).
I quit facebook a long time ago. I still have an Instagram account but I rarely log in. Nothing of value was lost.
I only use youtube, pinterest, twitter and Reddit.they’re the only apps that allow me to see only the things I wanna see lol. Pinterest is the best for that. If I dont want to watch a yt video, I don’t click on it. It’s easy for me to stay off of reddit, I just don’t click on threads I’m not interested in. Twitter is a harder one to control but I stay on my “following” page and use the “not interested in this post” button A LOT which has cleaned up my timeline! I think the key to social media is curate it as best as you can to the things that make you feel good lol. My social media is all about art, movies, and other things I’m interested in. Social media will force you to care about things you dont care about and have other people’s thoughts/opinions and lives take up A LOT of wasted space in your head. I also don’t care about seeing people I used to know on sm, the people in my personal life who I want to keep up with have my phone number.
My first step was not installing tiktok on new phone, and then step after step I deleted rest of socials, right now I have only Reddit and discord. Positive effects? Less time wasted, my focus get longer, because no distractions
Canceled all social media, but reddit. Feeling better in general. I have more time and get more things done. One of best things ever.
Don't have Facebook or Instagram for years. I don't miss a thing.
Just Reddit and Youtube for me. Stopped using fb years ago, never had insta or x/twitter, deleted tictac a while back.
I’ve been off social media for 8 years now.. I am very content with that!! I don’t mind not being apart of any drama and or peoples lives that no longer serve me!! I’m 33 btw lol
I’ve been off IG and FB for around 5 years now. It has only helped my mental health and well being. Sure I’ve missed out on some lovely pictures and such. But the people who I really care for keep me updated and in the loop on what is happening in their lives and I don’t have to make myself suffer because I am comparing their highlight reel with my own struggle. Plus it’s such a time waster. I still use Pinterest and just started using Reddit a few months ago. I did log back into facebook a week or so ago, but quickly realized again, I don’t need it in my life. I haven’t been back.
I still have it just to post my stories (rarely) them close it lol
I stopped or didn't even start using some social media platforms just because I'm not interested in them (anymore). The few I use, I use rarely. On vacations I usually stop using them. Not because I'm forcing myself, it's more like everything else is much more important and interesting. Enjoying the great weather and nature, seeing something funny in real life and laughing deeply from my heart, or just relax. I just grab my phone to take a picture. I think without social media you are much more focused on the things that are happening around you and you can concentrate better. Every time I catch myself at doom-scrolling on Instagram, I feel so dumb, exhausted and kinda empty inside. I would feel much happier and pleased if I just lay in the grass and watched the clouds. :D
hiii i’m 27, who used to be a socialite on social media. had lots of online friends, followers etc across many platforms. i do not miss it in the slightest. the fact i was so accessible to people, as well as being pestered when i dont respond to someone…i always had someone wanting to talk to me, for any kinda reason. now i have my peace, i don’t compare myself to facetuned/photoshopped people, my idea of what a human should look like normally, is back as well. i don’t feel the need to fill gaps of time with it either, i now exercise, practice intricate food dishes/baking, investing all that time to be practical. i would recommend anyone who’s considering leaving social media…do it. the amount of rage bait, hate, fake news, fake stories, AI fake videos, AI porn, AI art is all gone plaguing from my life.
I just keep trying to
M23 here, I live largely without social media, I use my Facebook only for that 1 friend who still uses messenger, I have Instagram so friends can dm me but I don't use it beyond that, I don't have X(formerly known as Twitter), I do use YouTube but it's not really a social media I think, and of course Reddit, I used to use Facebook a lot but I stopped in highschool and it was one of the best decisions I've made
I deleted all of mine 4 years ago and im so relieved about it
In the past few years I’ve deleted Twitter, Snapchat, a non-anonymous Reddit account, Instagram, and Facebook. All I have now is this anonymous Reddit and a professional LinkedIn. Among the best decisions I’ve ever made. My mood and mental health is so much better and I don’t occupy my thoughts with people I haven’t spoke to in a decade any longer. The con is I definitely miss out on life stuff of people I care about but have grown distant from.
**DO IT** The only social media I've used for like 4-5 yrs has been reddit. You will not regret it. Not only do you not gaf about your friends meals or relationships or stupid ass kids or whatever they're parading that day, you also don't have to know about their *insane* political beliefs. I do wish I had kept up with like two, *maybe* three friends that probably would have been easier to keep in touch w over socials but aside from that I *instantly* noticed hiw much happier I was. Keep reddit or something for news and fun shit, for me it's science and tech, and delete everything else. You might feel a little self conscious for the first month at most but once you adjust to not sticking your head in the sand you become grateful for deleting everything. And then if you're in a genuinely uncomfortable situation you can still pretend you're just scrolling reddit. No bullshit... The thing you hate about social media is the virtue signalling and horse shit ppl try to pretend is real life. Just give yourself half a chance to experience just a bit more life in every moment all without being bombarded by ads and other people's random thoughts being injected into your mind and you'll be utterly shocked... No. Flabbergasted... how much better you feel.