I deleted social media.
I finally did it.
I’ve deleted instagram/facebook twitter.
I no longer no longer find value in them and tbh they just make me depressed by doom scrolling, having no friends seeing sad reels etc.
I only keep YouTube WhatsApp for my family. And so on.
the only issue I fear is people might think I’m weird for not having social media.
but after years of using it I’ve seen gore depressive reels, met different types of people and I’m just tired of it.
Comments
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That is a positive step forward for yourself, though I think many people leave social media altogether due to their habits with it, rather than controlling how they interact with it. Social media is only toxic because of our responses our mentalities about it. Yeah there are many negative people, but they don't know who you are and you can ignore them if you choose to. I'm not trying to win you back to social media at all, but it is worth thinking about how you can control something rather than abandoning it.
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@ryleyyg No i absolutely agree with you it is depressing I don't have social media either i have YouTube and WhatsApp thats about it. There is so much darkness on social media that makes want to leave it. I use WhatsApp for speaking to my friends and family on and YouTube for music snd writing videos such like. So yes I completely understand why you did that well done though thats a massive step forward. @pooleemily29 👏😀🙂
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because of my ADHD I struggle a LOT
It ruins my dopamine etc
I just think imo it’s not good for me.
I don’t have friends anyways so what’s the point of only following celebrities lol?
if u get me!0 -
I unfortunately few months ago went down into a bad relationship online, and I got blamed for harassment :( Because I over apologised.. this was because I said I had feelings.. after that I basically said. Yeah maybe this social media stuff isn’t for me.
I haven’t fully recovered or moved on but I am trying too though.0 -
I hate telling people though because I know I’m not a bad person. I just unfortunately get attached too quickly.
I think this is why I distance myself from making future friends and stuff, as I’ve dealt with abandonment from school friends and so on.
and it just basically scares me.0 -
Like newspapers, social media is just other people and their opinions. We can buy/take them or leave them as we choose.
What anyone thinks about me is beyond my control (and probably theirs) and it can only affect me if I make it do so.
For me people are welcome to think what they like. That's generally what they'll do regardless.
I've never used Instagram but I continue to use Facebook. That's most because the often crazy things other people think sometimes amuse me.
In my experience very few people have many close friends. When I was more active I had far more acquaintances, but friends aren't the same thing.
I think of social media as I do about computer games. If I'm in the right mood they can be fun, but they're of no real consequence at all.
It's just people making noise, as ever competing to shout the loudest.
Good luck
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Good for you, @ryleyyg!
I've been weird for donkey's then, as I haven't been on social media for years & that was only Facebook.
The only real reason I joined up was to play Scrabble with far flung friends. Once that went because of copyright, I hardly bothered, also, because I was fed up of some friends campaigning for all sorts of animal stuff which meant there were some really awful photos of the cruelty I didn't need to see. I then only kept it for a couple of years after that, as I used to moderate for some forums & used to check email addys which led me to come across some hacking sites on there that had 1000s upon 1000s of email addresses & passwords. One guy that was trying to join a forum came up & I let him know to change everything. It was reported to FB many times by a lot of us & it remained, so that was the final nail for me about 10yrs ago, maybe more.
Clicked on the odd link that was for something on Twitter & saw some of the utter drivel & scaremongering, with news being what it is, mainly bad, sad & frustrating, I look in on a couple or three forums & only post on this one, that's it.
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Hi Ryleyyg
I do fully understand, social media can be very negative and it can be very hard to limit it when it becomes a big part of your life. I have pulled back from some of it myself. I left Twitter as soon as Musk took over. I do miss some of the interesting commentary I found on there from people I admired or respected but the lack of moderation and his believe in 'Free Speech' which allowed people to say what they wanted without consequenses made it a no go.
Facebook for me is a harder one as I am a local councillor and it is a key communication channel in the modern world. I do have friends who I will speak to on messanger if we are both online but I don't have it on constantly and often only sign in if I get a notification. I have a couple of groups which I follow (one is mainly local photos from back in the day which is really enjoyable). If a friend posts something I might tick or add an expression and sometimes I will comment. I do post things which are important to me, such as campaign materials against cuts to disability benefits and I will post comments but my facebook posts can only be seen by friends. When I post on other groups or people pages, it is only usually if I have some factual information that I can provide although I do sometimes comment with an opinion (usually I'll also post why I have that opinion)and I have been lucky not to attract any online abuse but the groups that I post in have good moderators who don't allow things to get out of hand and most discussion remain on topic rather than becoming personalised.
I do tend to avoid the groups where things often kick off or there are strong agendas or personalisation of issues. They are generally so toxic and they can make me upset but I also realise that most people are often far nastier online than they would be in person. That distance and almost 'anonymity' almost gives them permission to vent and be nasty. I'm also one of those people who has too much empathy and believe that some people are the way they are because society has failed them.
I has been a little bit of a round the block way of saying that if social media is not working for you then you are right stepping away and, at least, taking a break. You can go back if you want and you don't have to delete your profile just make it invisible. If you do go back, then limit it to things that you enjoy and to pages/groups which are well moderated and friendly/positive. Look at Blue Horizon/Yonder (the alternative Facebook), I keep meaning to as it is meant to be a less toxic site at the moment. I also find You Tube to be good as it allows me to watch things that interest me without having to worry about what anyone else thinks about the video.
There is always this forum and chat rooms and I must admit it always seems a safe place to speak on here so please don't leave here.
#
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I agree.
I am trying to move on from it to be honest.
I like this place it’s a chill relaxed place and people don’t judge or bully you.
I think staying of social media for me is best.
imo it makes me depressed anxious sad.
as mentioned before, because of attachments getting too clingy to people etc.I have been doing volunteering work at a place I really enjoy. And attending a group I go to every Friday. Which. I enjoy!
it takes me away from social media, and all the negativity and toxicity I guess!
however people on here I really appreciate as you guys are always nice!1 -
I agree.
in my opinion I don’t have friends so sometimes I think to myself what’s the need for social media so random strangers can stalk my life? Yk.I don’t think I’ll make friends online as you just can’t trust people unfortunately:/
I believe staying off social media and doing my volunteer work and meeting these people that I enjoy doing every Friday is what I should stick too tbh!
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I completely agree with that.
I’m just still trying to move on from what happened months ago. It was nothing major but because I got attached too quickly you can understand why I struggle to move on. But I am slowly getting there by doing volunteer work and meeting people!0 -
Well done mate, it must be a distraction having it. I've never been on any of them!
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it definitely is time consuming for sure. And addictive like a drug no one talks about
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Yh I've limited mine too I was so anxious and just made worse so well done it's all scaremongering for clicks
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I agree I would scroll through reels happily and then see some gore stuff.. it really puts me off
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Hi ryleyyg, it's so good to see you making these decisions/changes for yourself and pushing through the haze!
To my mind, this forum is social media but I'm old and may have it wrong.. Have I?
Other than Scope, I only use FB lightly for family stuff plus a few reels (?) such as Simon's Cat, How to Dad and Celeste Barber 😄
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Hi Ryleygg,
I'm glad it's working for you and that you are getting out and volunteering and socialising with your Friday night group. Hopefully you're making friends there. I think it is often easier to get to know people when you have personal contact and can read facial expressions and body language Have joint interests is always a help. Sometimes friendships just build without even thinking about them which is often the best way.
I'm glad you're feeling better being off social media.
Neil
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Well done @ryleyyg, sometimes it needs to be done, even if just temporarily for a reset. It can become unhealthy and easy to spend more and more time doom scrolling. My hats off to you for taking the step as it's not easy! It's also great you're getting out and socialising. ☺️ I can imagine it feels really refreshing!
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You do have people who care about you, but try to reach out to people. If you wanted to talk, I'd be happy to arrange Zoom or Microsoft Teams calls, where we can chat about life and experiences. I know people are very guarded on the internet, especially if a stranger offers to chat, but personally I value connection and the chance to talk. I appreciate if you're not interested, but it's an opportunity to get things off your chest and make a connection if that is what you want.
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I appreciate this!
I will definitely keep that in mind! As you say I know you’re probably a cool person! But I’ve said to others before I have very bad trust issues due to past experiences.At the moment I like talking like this as it really helps!
I however do wanna appreciate @pooleemily29 tho! She’s been very helpful when I post my comments or rants always showing me support and care! Even if she doesn’t know me!
I really wish scope was an app so I could download it instead of going back through my emails.
as sometimes I forget to respond.0
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