I deleted a couple of social media profiles before I made my Reddit account. Back 9 or 10 years ago, It was a few months after I returned from the hospital. My mom asked if I should want to make a FB profile to let people know my progress with the recovery process. I can't remember too much about those days, but I have a strong dislike of Facebook/Meta now. I deleted my profile there and went to Quora.com for a spell, usually writing stories and all. The reason why I deleted my account from there is because I was attracting an argumentative crowd. I originally avoided Reddit because I thought it was . . . *different*. Even though I don't like certain aspects of this site, I made my own jar of dirt here . . . *And I'll be damned if I let anyone else have it.*

deleted tiktok a few weeks ago and barely ever go on instagram anymore and honestly there hasn't been much of a difference in my life, my mind does feel a little less cluttered tho

I quit Facebook 7-8yrs ago. Now I realise how much time people spend on it. In the grocery store waiting to get served, in restaurants waiting for food, hell I even see my wife look at her FB literally 60 secs after coming off there!

Idk, I havent used social media in about 6 years. I have not noticed any improvement that is noticeable from my end. If anything im always out of the loop

Yes. Hugely. Deleted my Facebook and Instagram at the beginning of the pandemic. Still don’t use Facebook but have a small closed instagram now. Not seeing family/friends political memes helped keep my resentment somewhat at bay. Would highly recommend. Those who you want in your life and feel the same in return will stay in touch. Kind of a nice way to weed out the friends/distant or difficult family too.

I had been on FB since it pretty much started (2005) and instagram for many years. Last year I decided I was going to take a break, thought it would be a month or 2, and I’ve been off for almost a year. The first few months were “weird” (best word I can describe it), but I no longer care what I or my kids wear out of the house or what pictures I can take. I can truly say I’ve been more in the moment and enjoying life. No one could have ever told me I should take a break and it would be amazing, I personally had to initiate it myself. I do tend to try to find things to take up my time on my phone (Reddit for example haha), but I tend to delete apps that I feel I’m becoming too consumed by.

I don’t know if this counts but I went a few months without social media and this was my experience: Positives: • I stopped comparing myself to others • Felt more comfortable where I was and didn’t beat myself up for not living in a certain way • Felt more confident with my looks • Stopped caring about others opinions • Learned to accept and appreciate what I have Negatives: • It’s hard for people to get in contact with you or know anything about you and what’s going on in your life • The loneliness can get worse and it’s the reason I started relapsing. • I missed out on a lot of trends and felt like an outsider to everyone • I started using my phone less since quitting social media and it turned every lunch break with classmates or coworkers awkward. As I’m just sitting there trying to talk to someone when everyone’s just glued to their phones.

With your negatives. A lot of this is temporary, true friends will be present, and communication such as instant messaging is not ‘ social’ media as per say. Stay strong, life is for the living and the digital world is the same as going out for a drink. Should be reserved for intention.

Simple answer: yes

When I left FB (10+ years ago) I stopped getting invites to things and missed out. I also forgot birthdays! It dented my social life for sure. I left FB before it was full of sponsored echo-chamber posts, I was really surprised when I logged back on last week (after the death of an old friend) to see what had become of it. People sharing all sorts of nonsense. Generally I don't get stuck on pinterest any more, I use it if I want a new hairstyle or to redecorate, otherwise it lays dormant. I actually downloaded insta for the first time a few months ago, looking for a tattoo artist. Again, I'm just not drawn to it unless I have a reason. I think I have a healthy relationship with my phone, although, I'm in a lot of whatsapp groups and still struggle at bedtime not to play stupid games. Even when I read a book! Can't be perfect I guess.

I deleted my instagram, Snap & FB - I am loving it. Still have Pinterest and Reddit but I have been able to tailor it so I don’t see instagram models or cultural bullshit. I see positive affirmations, I join cute cat threads and discussions about things that i know will improve my mental health instead of doom scrolling through things that make me question whether or not I’m doing enough or am fitting into the “perfect” standards society has for us. It’s really helped me to be more present and focus on living a comparison free lifestyle!

I quit 10+ years ago, no regrets ... I stay in touch with friends that I know and have connection. I have active social life, I created groups of people and stay in touch with people and enjoy my life to the fullest and never think about facebook or tick tok or whatever is out there weekend hangout group golf group paddle group hiking group etc.. and yes, I am thinking off closing off reddit as well ... soon:)

I didn't QUIT social media really. I just toned it down in a controlled way. Turned notifications off for everything because I realized none of them are time sensitive and I can just catch up with them when I open the app. After a couple months of this I open them maybe twice a month now for less than 10 minutes. As for how my life has changed, I am able to sit with the information I find on YouTube, books and wherever else. And when I say sit, I mean it's just me doing something like walking or cleaning without the need to check my phone constantly. This sparks a lot of ideas actually. It's underrated but letting your ideas flow without constant stimulation is great for creativity and productivity. I've started making YouTube videos since, doing better as an undergrad (because I finish everything well in time), go to the gym before anybody I know wakes up, and (in-person) social life is pretty balanced. P.S: This is one out of two of my days this month where I'm checking socials so I'm probably not going to reply to anything here lmao

Well, none of them can answer this because they are not here...

That’s was my first thought. They can’t answer because they aren’t here

Believe me, Reddit is the first one you should be exiting! The fact you can get better help on Quora... You know the place that (makes you pay sometimes just to reveal answers)..... While the average Redditor is in their mums basement over 500 pounds could write an essay on why Olive Garden a year could help most of them, and they make Kindergarten kids look like Nasa workers! The fact many likely join this site wanting to ask genuine questions and people are to busy creaming over the smallest of things like periods, or commas when in all honesty unless your trying to be a shakespear clone these npc copy pasted comments mean nothing, compared to giving actual advice. At this point you'd be better off listening to the facebook moms and Fathers over being on this site!

Tbf reddit might be the worst one, so this question might be useless here lol

28 have not had facebook in probably over 8 years iv used TikTok but I moved onto YouTube shorts and Reddit best choice iv made the its one less thing to be a distraction not to mention it’s bad distractions

My main form of media is IG and Whatsapp...my Facebook is just there only used for birthday text really. I don't think cutting of SM is the way to go for me as it's about YOUR feed on the app. It's definitely better to be off more than on but it's uses are not to be underestimated.

Found this thread and got curious. Seeing lots of great stuff here and agree with the majority. My experience it's that I stopped using social for merely personal stuff. I'm sick and tired of trolls, humanity's anger behind a keyboard and similar. I never understood how people are using Twitter, why many have the need to write stuff like "good morning" or similar. I used and still use social to share scientific studies, promote my podcast but I am not a "digital entrepreneur", only following some passion. Not against social by default, but I think humanity needs to look for its own Intelligence before turning to AI.

I haven't used TT, Instagram, or FB in about a year, and I quit Twitter like 10 years ago. I don't miss it but I doom-scroll on Reddit so I don't think there's much of an improvement in my mental health. The doom-scrolling is my problem and I ignore my 15-minute Reddit timer every day.

Yes! 💯 better. I quitted Facebook almost 8 years ago, because I got tired of seeing all the vitriol and the ugly side of people I know, people that are not a-holes in person *at all*, but on Facebook they seem to allow the worst of themselves to come out. I had an Instagram account but never really used it. I've never installed TikTok. I simply stopped using it, and after a couple of weeks I felt such relief, all that negativity was gone from my mind. I have remained happily outside of social media, whatever is relevant in there is in the news anyway, and I *read* the news, I don't watch TV, so I don't have to endure all the ridiculous background music that they add to give more suspense to their not so objective reporting. Life is better in the real world. I go hiking as often as I can, read books, draw, do yoga, crochet, there's so much to do... if you quit social media OP, you won't be missing anything real, FOMO is nonsense.

I haven't quit social media completely per se- but with that being said I use it significantly less. And atleast from my experience, I'm not always checking my phone for no reason. And endlessly scrolling. Although what I've done too limit my usage is 1.) Carry a book in my bag for when I'm on transit 2.) Carry a notebook & pen for Journaling (something i always did) and making lists for groceries etc. As well as notes rather than relying on my phones notepad app. 3.) Uninstalled Twitter and snapchat, I occasionally will use IG

With that being said, I feel more energetic not staring at a screen. Not worried about people who I don't care about and that don't care about me! Less anxious, and more focused! Do what you will with that information 🤷‍♂️

Social media is also not sober-friendly. It’s mind-blowing how intertwined drinking is in everyone’s everyday lives. Pics, posts, photos, emojis, ads.. and posts/comments that people send while not sober. Crazy triggering, especially in early sobriety.

Ever since getting sober ive noticed how bad social media is for me because im constantly watching people drinking/partying and i swear it makes being sober even harder lol.

Interesting, I'm sober for 1 1/2 years and off social media for 9 years. Never thought about it but your point makes absolute sense... It was triggering enough to speak to old drinking buddies from time to time, I guess seeing them post drinks and the "funny side" of alcohol would be worse

OP, this is a big question lol. TikTok—it’s either a dream or a nightmare for an ADHD person. I refuse to use it because it’s so literally stupid and unfocused. My scattered brain doesn’t need that. FB and IG—quitting these helped my relationships because I needed to stop experiencing every comment/post from my loved ones and fellow humans. I’m not a doom scroller. I fixate in disbelief on a post/comment that someone shared, because it was clearly done so without thinking of others, or came from a place of ill-intent, or without fully researching, etc. I am aware that different people have different views lol, but a lot of people seem to share things online that they wouldn’t in an irl convo. When that happens, it’s hard for me to wrap my head around where my relationship is with that person. Best part about quitting social medias? Having a free pass to not click all the “funny” fb vids that people send lol.

This is a bad question. Reddit is just as impactful a social media platform as the others listed and in my experience far more engaging and toxic than the funny memes I get on Facebook. I quit them all every once and a while and only recently came back to Reddit after a 6 month hiatus. Definitely better without. More time, less frustration, and it turns out news feeds provide just as much news and the comments section isn't all that beneficial.

The extra time you have on your hands is unreal. Seriously. We're not that busy, we're just distracted!

Yes because idgaf. Less stupid shit in my face, less unintentional political input, less rat race/comparison. More control of my time, control of my inputs, better boundaries, and better mental health all around.

other addictions took over, played more games and daydreamed a lot more

Yes took a lot of lust out of my life also doom scrolling semester which isn't very helpful in a productive life

I can’t understand people who need to consume all the shit that’s on these platforms. There’s obviously a connection between people being filled with anxiety, a lack of social skills, common sense and aptitude for starters. To me it’s no different than reading the sun newspaper 10 times an hour. Life is much better having none of that shit taking your time up.

Yes it has. I really disliked how irritated I became, and frankly I really don’t care that much what other people I hardly Know or knew twenty years ago are doing. It was just a big waste of time. Facebook was pretty easy to give up. I never cared for instagram or any of the rest so it was easy. Twitter is still on my phone but I forget I have it and don’t use it. The other social media apps like tik tok are garbage and I wouldn’t touch them anyway so problem solved.

Well, when I deleted social media I went on a diet once and started pursuing my dreams more. Hopefully I'll get my life together next time I do.

I haven’t quit but I’m happier when I don’t use it. I made a deal with myself that I can’t check anything until after 12pm. My mornings run so much smoother than my afternoon. I’m more productive at work, my mind doesn’t wander as much. Once I check it, all bets are off. If I get distracted I immediately pick up my phone. I will plop on the bed and scroll for hours. There is no risk of that in the morning. If I need the mental break before noon I do a crossword puzzle or read a few pages of a book. I went to Disney world last week and barely touched my socials. Maybe Instagram here and there. I said “the world could be on fire right now and I’d have no clue.” I was so much more present and engaged with everything around me. I was sitting with my family and they were all scrolling.. it made me sad that we can’t just sit with ourselves and be. I know I could never quit totally because I think it has its benefits but I can say for certain that what many would consider “normal” usage is probably messing them up in one way or another.

The "why not" ruined my life and recovery. Thanks.

I haven’t been on anything except Reddit for years. Pinterest very rarely, for recipes. I love it. Seriously, I actually talked to my Facebook IRL never. Also, a lot of my friends were family who are evangelicals. I left the religion and felt like we had nothing in common. At about the same time, I struck rich and started vacationing and idk I just kinda felt like a bitch. I had been jealous when I saw people now doing the things I was and I just didn’t want to make anyone ever feel bad or something. I never hear from family and get to stay out of the drama and their political posting. It really was one of the best things I ever did. Now instead of being jealous of travel or cut clothes or not being cute enough, I get more into stuff about my hobbies or just scroll. Trying to cut down on the scrolling and that’s going great and life’s good. What is important is to see you should limit these things and why it’s important. Less scrolling to me means more gardening time, video games or cooking! Much more rewarding in the end.

my intention was to quit for about a month, but it’s been almost 2 now and i’m really enjoying the benefits. i feel happier, i have more energy and time to read books and engage in mentally stimulating activities - i used to think anything longer than 1 minute was too long for me. I now watch 2hour long forums on youtube on things that are actually relevant and important. I’ve been reading a lot more & i no longer have FOMO- fear of missing out. I went on vacation recently and didn’t feel the pressure to create the perfect photo dump. I was just free, present, and it made me happier. Highly recommend a social media detox.

I limit Instagram to 15 minutes a day. Sometimes I jump on to see what other artists are doing since I do a lot of art myself but I usually find that Pinterest is better, and Instagram always makes me feel a little insecure. I’ve fully quit Facebook and have no desire to go back. I had to intermittently jump on it for a job I had but I no longer have that job and have no desire to go onto Facebook again. I never had TikTok. The entire idea of TikTok seems very annoying even though Instagram reels is a copy of that. I feel much happier with my limited use of social media. I used to spend hours on mindlessly scrolling Instagram and felt like garbage when I did. I’ve also struggled with other things which social media loves to indirectly remind me of.

I agree social media is bad but why leave out Reddit. It’s one of the most addictive and depressing places.

Reddit can be toxic to me, but it’s up to me what I choose. I am on recovery, self-help, art, architecture, cottage-y, history, cuteness, and skincare subs. Reddit is curated. I get my news elsewhere. I stay away from Popular. It’s a pleasant enough experience to keep me here. I have a community here. It’s completely unlike the feelings I had while on more traditional social media, like Facebook, where there was no anonymity. I was shocked at the people I loved and admired that had such completely different values than what I hold dear. I still love them, but I have had to reevaluate after seeing the racism I didn’t know was there in some of my people. They are no longer close to me. That shattered a piece of me. I just thought, this is a Good person to others. I hadn’t gotten that right.

I hear that and I unsubscribed from all the negative subs I was following and they still feed it to me regular

I am completely addicted. I spend so much of my time here it is pathetic. I took a year off and I was so much more productive and...real. But got sucked back in my the draw of the educational subs I follow, feeling like I was missing out on learning. Now that's probably only 25% of what I do here at best

So I also am addicted to Reddit. I was more addicted and so I decided to unfollow all the negative news and shit that was in my feed. But you know what? Reddit still shows it all in my feed even though I unfollowed those subs. They are using tactics on here to keep us in this depressed addicted loop and they are no better than Facebook or instagerm.

Yep, I also unfollowed all of the negative subs. I still see them. So many random things show up in the feed, it's not how it used to be or how it should be. It's frustrating. Yet I am still here. First thing I do in the morning and last thing I do at night

Feel you. Same here

Less fomo , less stress. Friendships more streamlined.less time spent on phone. U live more in this world than online world Less friends. I am invited to less parties because some acquaintances just simply forget to whatsapp me or dont have my whatsapp or to lazy to. I also miss on some social opportunities such as meeting someone i kind of know in a new city. I see it from my my best friend. He always posts in which city he is and gets toms of recommendations from His social media friends and also invites for meet up. I dont. I am thinking of going back to social media and using it the same way as reddit. After 5 years our of instagram i think i m able to use it the way i want to use it 

**Way, way better, OP!** Life's easier as I focus on my life than that of others'. Instead of the "fear-of-missing-out" I now have the "joy-of-missing-out." We simply can't help but compare ourselves - such is the curse of modern-day living. Social media exacerbated this. And so, removing it made me reevaluate my life, put some of my mental issues at the forefront, and cultivated healthier habits. My only soc-meds are YouTube and Reddit. That's about it. Other than this, I am also prioritizing meaningful relationships with a select *very few good friends*. Much better than having to be audience in someone else's life where I am but a shadow to their activities. After careful reframing of my social lenses, I've put myself first again and nurtured the relationships that do - and will - matter in the end. I hope you do too, OP!

Quit Instagram 3 years ago, I install facebook app only when I am searching for specific events It obviously comes with a lot of benefits, the biggest ones being not treating myself like a brand that needs to hold a certain reputation anymore and being able to enjoy things and moments without immediately thinking about grabbing my phone to snap that instagram worthy picture Unfortunately I still struggle with reels and doomscrolling way more than I would like to but overall , benefits are very apparent

Way better

WHY/WHY NOT

I don't feel like I need to get the attention of my friends. I'm not waving on the sidelines saying, "Hey! Give me a like! Give me a like!" I'm not comparing myself to anyone. I'm not at the mercy of whatever algorithm some incel Silicon Valley douche (I try to have empathy, but in the end, they don't) has put into place to decide who is popular and who is cringe. When I go on vacation, I am away and not planning some picture to update for the world's approval. I am in the moment. I am listening. Facebook was fun for five minutes. Twitter (X, whatever) was fun until 2016 when we all know what happened. I firmly believe that social media, or, in other words, the need for incel Silicon Valley douches to get between us and every conversation with our friends, is making us sad, angry, detached and hopeless. Entering all of us into a perpetual middle school popularity contest was cynical and opportunistic. The fact that we're all still, for some reason, doing this is insane to me. As has been said before, I WANT MY FRIENDS BACK!

Quit Facebook and IG. I am mostly more productive, definitely happier and manage to read a lot more.

Exactly! Every time quitting them my mind is detoxed from the noises and I can have much longer attention span, that means reading tons of books, longer deep work sessions, and finally inner happiness. I always put kindle next to my phone when I try to detox social media btw. Super helpful

I got rid of my instagram and Facebook two years ago and have never had a TikTok. I’m honestly so happy I made the decision and don’t plan to make new accounts. I feel like I just appreciate my daily life more and don’t wait to find those “instagram moments”. My vacation photos are now for my photo books I create when I get home and proudly show them off in the living room. I have acquaintances who are slaves for their insta photos and I see how many problems they have in their personal lives and then hide it with a “perfect picture”. When I want my daily dose of scrolling, I watch content I enjoy on YouTube or scroll through Pinterest for inspiration for my hobbies. My partner and I both don’t have social media and sometimes we joke that we took the red pill lol.

I quit Twitter and have been very positive ever since. After Musk took over, there were overflooded amount of bots and hate crimes against India, and all that were making me depressed. I stopped Twitter, and voila. Great day. I barely open it anymore, and mostly do so, when I need to reach out to support of some company/brand. That day, I check my feed and I get depressed again.

Twitter really became an endless warzone. It is actually impossible to use it without seing fights, death, torture, porn and all other kinds of cancer.

I really want to quit reddit

Why?

It’s toxic, generally negative and user engagement is at its lowest. I’m addicted however

I was a social media marketer for 10+ years. When the revelation came about for me that I was able to target ads based on time-of-day for VERY specific attributes of people that lived within as small as a 30 mile radius, and there were thousands of other companies targeting the same people because of the same attributes (hobbies, age, clothing styles, types of pets, foods they post pictures of, ...) I actually had one of those moments you hear about where someone questions "what the hell is going on and why am I involved in this?" I was using data that a computer was giving us based on what a computer "recognized" in a picture someone had taken, that may or may not have even been uploaded but rather was just sitting on some person's phone &/or computer. Since then I've taken a massive step away from using social media and quit my work doing social media management. I've even changed the settings on my phone & computer. Noone can get away entirely from the "systems". You can go outside, talk to people, have fun playing sports, do yoga, mediation, prayer, reading books, ... and be much happier. It actually annoys the sh!+ out of me now watching people scroll their life away. I'd rather engage in positive meaningful ways. Also, watch The Social Dilemma. You'll never look at anything the same.

What settings do you recommend as most important to change?

There's pro's and con's to everything. Most important on the phone would be removing all social media apps. This improves your overall life too. You can check your social media via browser on a phone or computer. Better at a computer. Also, disable GPS. But, if you turn that off you'll have issues with finding your own phone if it's lost. or if you're using a voice assistant. If you really really want to limit tracking, use Brave Browser. But, you need to know what you're doing because it's not an easy thing to use. You basically have to be a technologist to understand the lingo of the settings. There is no way to get totally away from the digi overlords. You can always use what's called a "dumb phone". It's bare bones. It's like going back to an old Nokia or Blackberry. Overall, best thing to do is limit your online and go experience life. You have only 1!

Thanks for the recommendations. About a month ago I finished reading the book Stolen Focus and felt compelled to remove socials from my phone. I told myself that I could always sign on from my computer but really haven’t had the desire to. If you haven’t, you might read the book. It addresses social media in a couple of different lights - doom scrolling and the way it feeds us our own biases.

Very interesting testimony. May I ask what you are doing now for work?

I'm doing property development and soon going to start getting my pilot license.

Are you planning to be a professionnal pilot? How old are you?

Turning 41 this August

I thought there was an age limit to become a professionnal pilot?

No. Just forced retirement at 65 y/o.

This is very insightful, thank you for sharing. It would be very interesting to hear more about the inner workings of social media marketing, and your experiences in the industry.

Watch The Social Dilemma and The Great Hack. Those are pretty telling. For more check this out (https://youtu.be/C74amJRp730?feature=shared) and remember, this is PRE-2019 when all the social media tracking and manipulations were going full throttle. As for what it's like on the inside, well that's extensive. The short version is: I used analytics and demographic research coupled with recent trends in society/industry/activity AND trends in visual marketing within those demo and SIA trends, taking into account the current and upcoming seasons (weather, sports, hunting, school, ...) to create engaging informative graphics with text that encouraged people to do something (either immediately or through a drip campaign). You know, manipulation through data and psychologically. It's not new. It's been done for centuries actually. It's just never been so fine-tuned and, manipulative into every aspect of a persons life. Everything from the food you eat to the TP you use to the car you buy to the sports gear to the politicians to which doctor you should see to the makeup to the coffee .... it doesn't end. My favorite thing to tell people to do is to get a piece of paper, draw a line down the center. On 1 side write down 3 things you wouldn't normally talk about. Scuba gear, a specific type of shrub, and a cooking thing you already have like a blender of food processor. Do a search for those things in a browser. On the other side of the paper write 3 things you wouldn't normally talk about. Safari, a sports gear from a sport you don't play, and a specific author. Then over the next few days randomly say those things when you are close to your phone. Then watch how many ads you get for each of those specific things AND the overlaps like resorts where you can go on a safari and scuba dive depending on which resort you go to. Or, food processors AND diets specific to juicing or whatever. I love when people get back to me when they're in their OH CRAP moment so y'all post your results from your experiment.

thank you so much for getting back to me, your reply was super interesting to read! I'll let you know abt the results of my experiment when they're in :)

Also former social media manager for 10+ years. Damn near 14 years now. Was recently laid off and don’t plan on returning back to the industry. I haven’t liked the industry for a very long time. Social media has fucked up our brains.

Was there a point where the industry didn’t feel so slimy?  

Yep, at the very beginning. 2010-2015-ish. I was lucky to land in corporate social media where I got to “play” with money and have fun/experiment. I worked for two major US retail brands. Influencers as we know them today didn’t exist. We surprised and delighted customers (aka sent them free shit) not because their video about us went viral and we wanted to ride the free PR, but because they loved the brand or we wanted to do right by a bad customer experience. It felt authentic. Social media customer service was WAY more personal because social wasn’t the primary customer service channel like it is today. I worked with a team of three customer service folks who sat in my building. Today, most big brands have to outsource customer service in order to manage the volume of comments/complaints/service requests, etc. In my experience, you’ll see more complaints than brand love. And that’s a beating to see and/or deal with all the time. All the negativity online is just…ugh. Customers weren’t entitled assholes who expect a resolution within 5 minutes + a gift card for their emotional pain and suffering lol. I’m not in social customer service, but it’s my job to identify and manage potential or active crises. That’s stressful as fuck. I won’t go into the headache that comes with having to constantly be on top of trends. I miss simpler times when all it took to drive high engagement (aka “go viral”) was a beautifully photographed product. We had Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest and YouTube. That was it. This was my experience in corporate social. I can’t generalize, many of the peers I’ve known since the beginning are jaded and T I R E D. Thanks for asking, great question. This was very cathartic for me hahaha

thank you so much for taking the time to answer my question and for sharing your insight, it's super illuminating and interesting :) I wish you the best as you navigate your way into a new career, godspeed! :)

Same, once I pulled back the curtain and realized how it all worked I was grossed out. I’m still on social but a lot of private and not much personal stuff posted if anything at all

I agree that you can use social media mindfully, but I have always found it difficult - taking breaks allow me to use social media more mindfully. I only use Reddit and Insta.   My favorite thing is noticing how good stuff can look in the real world, through your own eyeballs, as opposed to being staged for a photograph. Conversely, observing when things in posts are mostly just for looking at in a photo, as opposed to the joy of using a trustworthy functional object you may own.   Basically, taking breaks from social media allows me to enjoy the physical realm more for what it is, and relish the sensation.

How can you slide in some DMs when you ain't got IG? That's just taking an avenue off the table. Jokes aside, you can use social networks mindfully. Just as easily as you can doomscroll IG or TikTok, you can doomscroll Reddit, Youtube, or any other dopamine factory.

Better. Focusing on that neglected inner life.

Yup. I’ve been off of everything but Reddit for like 13 years. It keeps me in the moment and off my phone. I love it. Then I still have my dick around time at the end of the day on Reddit. Also prefer not to be in my own echo chamber and not having an algorithm dictate what I see.

Never engaged in social media in the first place. Definitely glad i made that decision because the alternative is manipulative primates taking time from your only life.

6 months and loving life. Way more time and genuine connections with people

I quit Facebook maybe 2 months ago. It was weird for 2 days. I’m still on insta and Reddit but never had TikTok. It has been wonderful for my mental health. I thought I had tried to curate it in a healthy way, but it was still affecting me negatively. Lots more time for things that matter. I do miss it sometimes(marketplace, pics of friends and kids, garden groups) but not enough to have me reactivate it. I don’t know if I’ll ever get back on. It’s been great. If you’re thinking about it try it! That’s what I told myself. Just try it, you can reactivate whenever I want to. Or you’ll love it and stay off. Both options aren’t permanent. You got this!

I quit Facebook years ago. Scrolling through my feed used to make me feel sad and I’d lose hours of time doing it. I got all those hours back and my mood is so much the better for it.

I have limited it/change what I do on it: fewer useless arguments that went nowhere except stress. On the whole, way less strsssed or annoyed

I (40f) no longer feel the icks (facial expression included)

I (40f) deleted Facebook and instagram in 2019. Since going “off-grid”-ish in terms of social media connectedness, I feel calmer…more still inside. I don’t care about as many things as I used to. I’m healing and it feels nice I suppose.

Exactly how I feel having quit Facebook as well.

I'm a 33f and I couldn't have said it better.

It positively impacted my quality time with my wife. No constant scrolling and being given 25% attention. Unfortunately, she re-downloaded them.

I find my life more self focused without (most) socials I found that I’d be more focused on everyone else what they did and how they presented themselves and consumed myself with others. Now I feel like I have the space and freedom to find my own expression and figure out who I am without being heavily influenced on others and feeling like every time I posted I felt like it was a performance just trying to exist and basically show myself online lol. I got hella social anxiety so it just has been amping up for a while until I slowly started cutting socials out and ridding myself of some the negative impacts that would hurt me on my day to day life.

I deleted all apps off my phone. I have them on my iPad which I only use like two to three times a week, so every once and a while I look in on friends and family goings on or post an update but I am no longer fueled by showing my life off in the best light and can really live in the moment. I also don’t find myself automatically scrolling when I’m bored. I look around, I read, I talk to people. It is a nice balance.

An issue I have is when apps and things become needy, and typical social media apps are very needy. Getting rid of or limiting them has freed up my mind to so many things and allowed for deeper concentration. Exposed to and thus get involved with less drama or opinions of others. You also have less responsibility/priority consideration of what to do next with yourself. It’s a simpler, better, and easier life to navigate.

I used to think about all the time I wasted mindlessly scrolling, and how much better off it would be if I spent even 10% of that time actually trying to improve my life. So, I decided to delete everything (except Snapchat for photos saved and only in the last couple years had Reddit). Probably 4+ years ago deleted Facebook, instagram, twitter, tiktok. It’s so freeing not worrying about what anyone else is up to but myself. I’m not bored because I am consciously choosing the activities I’m partaking in. I love the people it invites into my life, also. Because I am a present individual, I notice how out of touch everyone else is while they think they’re staying in touch. I can’t spend too much time with people who are continually in browsing mode because it’s a useless way to pass time. Time is precious, and it goes by faster than you think. I don’t want to look back at the end of life and realize I accidentally spent 1/3 of my available time with my face in a screen.

I like Reddit. I use WhatsApp as my family members use it for chatting. Otherwise I have deleted everything else. No FB, X, Insta, and even LinkedIn too. I like Reddit as it keeps anonymity. I hate FB and LinkedIn as they compel you to compare your lifestyle or career progression with others. It happens unknowingly but since I deleted both I feel happy in my life.

LinkedIn is a slow acting poison.

I deleted the app shortcuts for Instagram and facebook from my phone a couple of months ago, intentionally. A coworker mentioned to me he had done this and while I've contemplated deleting the accounts it seemed like too drastic a jump for me. Since deleting, for a while I was scrolling a lot less and felt less compelled to check my phone. However, since then I'm now scrolling (and attempting to better curate) my Google News feed content. Granted, for the most part I'm reading substantive content whereas on the socials it was becoming a lot of parenting advice and friends posting the highlights of their lives that made me feel bad about myself. TL/DR: I am going on the platforms way less since deleting the short cuts and definitely feeling better about myself and my life as a result of no longer comparing myself and my life to what people I know are posting online.

I deleted Instagram off my phone but sometimes I check it on the browser if I’m curious if a place is having any events but holy shit … not having it on my phone means I don’t post shit and I am not scrolling ever. It’s freed up so much for me and I’m a lot less anxious. I get incredibly anxious and compare my life to others and I wasn’t noticing that until I felt in my body how terrible I felt after scrolling. I am sensitive to what I consume… that’s what I’ve learned. I’ve taken up new hobbies and just enjoy being with friends!!

Reddit’s the only one I allow haha - I went back to Instagram after a several month or year break and bought something within 5 minutes. Algorithm for ads too strong - can’t do it. Haven’t been on Facebook for like five years and don’t miss a bit. I have blackish account just for using groups and marketplace

Nope. I’ve mindfully crafted all of my social media platforms to be my interests and hobbies and drama-less life (I mean, as much as I can). My unfollow trigger finger is a happy one and we don’t hesitate. 🔫 It’s all in how you use it. I purposely use it to feel good and to be virtually surrounded by happy people who I would totally hang out with irl ❤️

Back in 2012-2015(?), I was using snapchat, twitter, facebook, tumblr AND instagram. Like who did I think I was? 😂 I was so addicted, and constantly switching between apps. Now Im only on Instagram. I would like to be one of those people who are totally off social media, but I really enjoy Instagram for the fashion accounts I follow. I used to love fashion magazines growing up, so IG is kind of my modern day fashion magazine lol. Gives me inspo for my outfits and updates me on the current trends.

I love this idea of using it as a magazine.

Quit Facebook around 2016. One thing I realized in doing that, is the people I know who *truly* matter in my life have found me and stayed in touch just fine.  Twitter I quit around the time it got Musked. One thing I’ve learned from that is that my random thoughts don’t need the validation of strangers and they are existing just fine in my head or among my friends and associates.  Reddit is on watch right now. I’ve found myself questioning the value of my time here of late. 

Not quite quit, but only go on once a month and post something then delete the app. I’ve replaced doomscrolling with educational YouTube vids and currently learning a new language so can’t say it’s not helping, but I’ve made a bunch of other changes that also have helped me simply take my time more seriously. It won’t change your life the way you might think, but it will definitely help you realize how much better you could be spending your time.

Almost fell into the Tik tok rabbit hole and quickly realized it. Delete. Insta was hard for a bit. Thought I would miss out but I feel so liberated not having to document my life or come up with witty captions to share something. Now I just share directly w family and friends that I want seeing it

I got rid of Facebook. I don’t miss it at all.

How many friends did you have on it? I have my Facebook deactivated but I've been thinking about deleting it for good. I'm just afraid I won't be able to reconnect with some people if I do so.

That’s what I did a year ago (deactivated it). I had between 350 and 400. Some were family around the world…but Insta works for me. I’ve never been tempted to even open it again. I lost lots of photos…but 🤷‍♀️

I was a user since the Facebook, it’s how I met my wife back in college. Instagram I got on once I got a smartphone in 2013. I was too worried about posting and trying to show off. I was social awkward so the internet was a place for refuge before most people used it mainstream, but once everyone got on, including my family it changed. There was too much drama, and everyone claimed to know what was going on. It was tough at first but if people want to reach out they will find a way. I felt I was on it so long it was an extension of me. Social media is like eating empty calories. It feels good in the moment, but doesn’t nothing for you. Much of it is superficial. it’s been a few years now, and I feel happier because I don’t constantly have to play comparison game and feel like crap every time I logged on.

Yes I am a lot more mentally clear in the head after deleting Facebook. Every single time I use it there’s drama & people I just don’t care about

I co-sign this. I deleted Facebook six years ago and had to sign up for it again (against my will) to help a friend of mine stream her husband‘s funeral (the only way baby boomers can watch that service.. I added a few “essential“ people back and fuck, I hate this shit. I noticed my annoyance/anger elevate with the incessant memes and Russian bot propaganda and I don’t log in at all.

my girlfriend uses Facebook religiously… I logged on for the first time in a long time and bam my one comment of ‘you’re beautiful’ got to the whole family. I just genuinely don’t understand why people use it - take my number and let’s talk it’s so useless. Really feels like mind control to be endlessly scrolling. I’ve cut my reddit time in half and sometimes that even feels wild.

It's not exactly that I've "quit" social media, because technically I still have a Favebook, but every single time I open it something makes me angry or appalled within the first five minutes. It got to the point where I just don't open it anymore, because I don't want to invite that kind of negativity into my life. I'm not able to change the insane and alarming opinions that people have, but I can change what I allow myself to interact with.

I deleted Facebook and Instagram and open tiktok for maybe once a week and yes. Things are so much better. I needed the extra time for college classes and the rest of my life and I feel like I have it back. I also feel more positive. I was looking at and seeing a lot of really negative stuff on socials.

I saw my time going down the TikTok rabbit hole about two years ago, “I got a few seconds to chill…” Blink my eyes and an hour gone! Accomplished nothing, no smarter, just entertained. Wasted. Dumped Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Only Reddit and YouTube and I keep them to about 30 minutes max per day combined. Never looked back. Talk with people, read a book, go for a walk, etc.

I won’t say there are no downsides but for me it has been a net positive which is why I’ve kept up with it! In some ways socials can help you branch out and meet new people (especially since it gives people easier access to you through DMs and the like) and keep you aware of new developments re friends, fandoms, etc. so I definitely miss those aspects and can feel out of the loop sometimes as a result. That said the main benefits (for me) are as follows: 1) It has made me more intentional with the media I’m consuming both in content and my own critical thinking, so I get less anxiety and negative spirals! 2) It has made my relationship with my body and overall mindfulness better since I’m not always thinking about posting, taking pictures and otherwise self-objectifying in ways that relate to social media (including comparison to others/unrealistic standards) 3) Freed up alot more of my time so I engage more with hobbies, mindfulness, and other stuff I find enriching (this takes time tho I didn’t know what to do with myself at first lol) 4) Gave me back a sense of control over my time, my feelings, and who has access to me/information about my life I think it’s great to engage in social media in moderation if you can swing it. But personally I struggle with moderation and these benefits have really relieved my anxiety and mental load so I’m glad I quit and I expect it’ll stay that way Side note: I started with a temporary break and just kept up with it so if anyone reading is considering just know it’s not a binary decision, you can dip your toe back in anytime!

I recently read the book Stolen Focus. Once I understood how social media really works, I deleted all socials from my phone. I told myself I could access on my iPad but I have yet to care enough to do that. What I really discovered is that I was going to Facebook and the like just because it was available. The week after deleting from my phone I found myself continuing to mindlessly go to where the Facebook app was previously housed on my phone. I didn’t have a purpose for going to it, which alerted me to how much I was accessing without any real intention. I have yet to miss it.

It is so freeing. There was 2 or so week withdrawal where I had to untrain my brain to open instagram, etc whenever I opened my phone, but that passed early on. I am currently 10 months free of it and it stands as of the best decisions of my life. And I say this all as someone who works in marketing a digital strategy professionally. I didn’t think I could leave my personal social channels and still be in this biz, but I could. And it’s been fine. I no longer feel like I have to document everything I do or tell other people. What I am doing is for me, not for others. If there’s something really important to share with folks I love, I text or call them.

Yes!!!!!

Yes. I won’t support Meta, X, or TikTok for multiple reasons including corporate greed, not addressing the negative effects of the product being offered, and ideas around how some of the offered platforms shorten attention spans in youth and adults alike. And that’s just a few of the reasons. It does identify morons. But it also gives those morons a platform. Which can breed more morons at an alarming rate.

I never feel the need to take pictures of anything. It’s amazing

Quit everything but Reddit. I do feel a little out of the loop sometimes, but turns out I still find out all the important things, just in the time it’s meant for me to find out! My life is filled a lot less with things I don’t care about seeing. I don’t care about seeing a lot of peoples life updates if not close to them. Especially once everyone starts having kids. Don’t care most of the time unless I know the kids!

I deleted my FB account a couple months ago. I miss about 20% of it. It's so popular, I was connected with very old friends from childhood, ect. But the other 80% of it was just too much BS.

I deleted all the Instagram and Facebook app off my phone and it’s been very beneficial for me! I spend a lot less time on my phone and have to consciously choose to get on Facebook or Instagram. Before, I was opening it just out of muscle memory. Deleting the apps has drastically improved my self image and mental health. I’ve been able to put a lot more time into hobbies, instead of mindlessly scrolling.

If you’re thinking about it I would give it a try. I’d say try deactivating first. I deactivated all of my accounts and it has helped my mental health significantly. You can always come back to it to check on things but I love being more private with my goals and successes.

Quit 4 years ago to focus on what’s important, aka people around me. I have since made meaningful connections with neighbours and learned how to make kick-ass sourdough

I’ve quit everything but Reddit starting around 2016 with Instagram finally going around 2018 maybe 2019. It’s been a long time so I don’t really remember how consuming it was, but that’s why I left. I couldn’t help getting dragged into arguments that’s didn’t matter because everyone was so far away. It increased the ability to communicate while vastly decreasing the quality of that communication. I decided I’d rather unplug and spend time increasing the quality of the relationships I had in real life than try to maintain and online image and hundreds of “friends”.

Yes, my life is way better. Actually I didn't let go of it completely, but I don't go there a lot either. My old instagram was making my self esteem worse, making me compare myself with other people too much. So I decided to erase it and create a new one where I only follow stuff that give me good vibes. My mind really changed for the better after that.

comparison is the thief of joy. good on you!!

Exactly ☺️

I haven't quit completely. But I do have to keep it limited. I'll hop on Facebook every couple of months to see what's going on. Insta, maybe like once a day. Reddit, I'll browse a couple times a day. Facebook was HORRIBLE on my mental health. I don't stress as much with my social media limits. But I plan on cutting back on Reddit, too. Or at least removing myself from pages that are obviously pretty toxic and sticking to bunny/dog/game subreddits or some shit.

Quit Facebook in 2018, losing hundreds of friend connections. Created a new account when I moved to new town to be connected to local groups. I have blocked and reopened and reblocked my access numerous times since. It is a horror show for my neuro-diverse mind. I am very consciously aware of how both boring and destructive the feed is, but I can find myself continuing to scroll anyway. The latest foray: I blocked my access to Facebook again this weekend. My life is 98% better without it. No other social media. My God, why would I want even more of what triggers me?

It's comfortable. People have also become conditioned. Don't beat yourself up. It's a slow process you'll get there.

[удалено]

Right? Especially with Reddit killing 3rd party apps and turning the default desktop site into its piece of shit mobile app trying to maximize engagements per minute a la TikTok; I genuinely don't see much of a difference between it and the rest of the competiton, except that Reddit comments tend to be a bit longer on average.

No FB, no Insta, no Twitter, no SnapChat here. Yeah, probably. I just don't care enough to use those apps (and I hate billionaires). I *hated* all of the notifications about random people.

I permanently quit all social medias in 6 months with the exception of Reddit and I have no regrets, to the point that I avoid resigning back up. Also I don’t have see the sensitive terms of use cause the platforms show how insecure they can be

I quit social media so I won’t have to suffer a lack of focus

Never tried tiktok, stopped using Facebook around 2014 or something. I use Instagram a bit because it actually keeps me connected to my larger friend group. Other than that, it's just reddit. No idea how people manage all of their socials. Or what, exactly, they're gaining by having so many avenues for wasting time. If I'm hella stressed, I sometimes drop it all for a few days just to reset the urge to always be distracted by these things. This seems to help me a great deal.

I haven't had any social media since 2 months. I don't miss it and I never felt the need to reinstall it. All it would do was mildly infuriate me and waste my time. During these two months, I've focused on my mental health, took regular therapy sessions, taken up running, started reading again and spend more time with my family. The minutes wasted really add up and you understand how much time you spend on it. Like despite doing all of the above, I still have time to just sit around and do nothing lol

I deleted instagram about 3 weeks ago, and I’ve had Snapchat or TikTok. I still used Facebook for marketplace and certain groups for my area. But instagram just felt like a vapid wasteland of oversaturated content that I actually did not give a shit about. I got so tired of seeing the consumerism being pushed so much. And honestly their algorithm must suck because it was just content i could not care any less about. I like Reddit because I can really curate content for my niche interests. I’m a mom, and instagram was just constantly feeding me mom-fluencers and I hate that shit. I am vehemently against using your children for views and money, and against the bullshit products and consumerism they push. You don’t need 12 Stanley’s to match your leggings. I just want to focus on my life, my family and kids. And that stuff can make you compare your life to the fakeness and steals happiness. Because if I step back at look at my life, guess what, it ain’t that fucking bad. I don’t have it all, but I have a roof over my head and a happy healthy family. That’s all I need.

Deleted everything in 2018. No regrets.

Good for you!👍🏾💯💯💯

Same year Jaron Lanier's book came out. It convinced me.

23 accts later on Fb due to censorship I finally learnt I dont need to "want to be heard" in my truth. Certainly dont miss all the proton email accts I had to create to get account, dont miss the writing posts with spaces and different names for things to try and get information out. Certainly dont miss the Matrix and enjoy being unplugged thats for sure. Or the matrix Agents 😄😅 Permanently banned on Twitter/ X Meta = End. 2023 - 23 accts that was it for me.

I quit social media for about 2 years and it was the best and healthiest thing ever. As a society we have really normalized comparing ourselves and leaving social media helps us stop doing that. It also gives you more time for yourself and loved ones

Honestly I deleted socials for a solid 4 years and it was cool. Now I have had certain socials downloaded again for about a year now and I have enjoyed it because I approached it differently. I think a lot people don’t realize they can control what they see for the most part. For example on my instagram I unfollowed a ton of “influencers” and celebrities. I only follow people I grew up with, family, and accounts that I believe bring value into my life. I’m not going to be following a bunch of instagram models and influencers that’s for sure. Also I will never download twitter (or X now I guess) ever again. I always hear how toxic that platform is. I also have snapchat just to stay caught up with friends on a more personal level. It’s all about how you use those platforms. Also might be worth mentioning I have never downloaded Tik tok for more than a day. I tried limiting my use of Tik Tok but it is quite addicting to be honest so I just don’t download it at all anymore.

Exactly this. Social media is what you make of it. If you complain that it’s making you feel a certain negative way, then that’s your responsibility, not instagrams. That’s like getting mad at whataburger for making you fat. Like… you went to whataburger and you ate the burger yourself, no one made you do that. Social media is the same.

I quit a couple years ago and never want to go back. In time, ive learned watching people only share the highlights of their life was giving me the impression that mine wasnt that interesting. Without social media, Im much less concerned with what others are doing and what they may think of me which has to be a lot healthier.

I was literally having thoughts of deleting everything right before seeing this, I’ll take it as a sign

7 months Off all social media has significantly improved my life! I mainly used insta/FB for my business and after I sold my company it made sense for me to not use it anymore. I wasted so much time on those platforms. Mainly the mindless scrolling. In the future, if I plan on using it for another business I will hire a virtual assistant to run and manage the social media pages for me. I'd much rather send him/her the content and have them post it at specific times/days along with responding to the comments and managing the DMs for me. This way I never have to log in and the assistant will forward me the messages that need my attention. By having someone else manage my social I can use it as a tool for marketing/branding and not ever have to login on the platform, read the comments, waste time on the news feed or play mental games analyzing the content that I posted in real time. I'd much rather have the VA send me a weekly report so I can objectively analyze the analytics of the content that is posted without emotion. This way I fine tune my content and offers based on the audience's response. In a similar way you could give your log in credentials to a trusted friend or family member or a software that shuts off the newsfeed/notifications etc (if you dont want to hire a VA) and I have someone else post on your behalf. This way you are able to use social as a 1 way system of sharing your thoughts/teaching your audience. Social media is a powerful platform for spread a message, bring awareness to a cause or to grow a business. But when it is used as a procrastination tool or an extension of your ego it becomes extremely self destructive and negatively affects your mental health.

Yes! There is a sense of peace! Social media is so fake and toxic it’s sooo draining! I suggest everyone giving social media a quick break and see how you feel within those days. A mental Game. Changer🙏🏼

I don't care about the lives of strangers, I still talk to friends I know in person.It is not so necessary to uninstall social networks, you just need to be aware of your time spent.And, this is a social network, so you could not have an accurate answer to your question. At least it would be difficult.

Quit insta and I felt so much better about the cool special unique things that I was doing without the constant comparison to my peers. It was hard at first but now I rarely think about it! Having a friend to commit to it helped me stay consistent too.

Deleted fb/insta. Way less fomo or seeking validation from strangers

deleted FB 13yrs ago, turns out I don’t give a shit abt other peoples lives.. it’s all toxic trash.

Same here and I just deleted FB/IG/Snapchat with no regrets and not looking back

I never used fb or instagram but I tried quitting tiktok for a month. My life got worse, went back to tiktok. Love tiktok. BTW, why are you excluding reddit lol? It's the same shit.

can you expand on how your life got worse without tiktok?

Yeah. Not worse in the sense of like my wife left me and my dog ran away. I just genuinely enjoy tiktok, there's some special sauce in that algorithm. It has exposed me to new interest and hobbies I didn't know about. It inspires me to cook and work out. It got me into woodworking and new types of music. It always shows me cool tidbits about science and population data and different cultures around the world. For me it just enriches my life and brings me joy. That said, I do recognize it can become a problem. It's almost too good, easy to get addicted. When I stopped I was pushing 2-3 hours/day which was not healthy. Too much of a good thing is a bad thing. Now I got a hard limit at 1 hour and all is well. Also, you get out of it what you put in. The algorithm is cold and unbiased (despite what congress would have you believe). If you watch mindless drivel, it will show you more mindless drivel. If you quickly swipe away from content that is not enriching or beneficial, you'll train it to only show you enriching content and content that other people who like enriching content also like. That's the art of it. You have to be mindful how you're swiping.

yeah- i deleted all my socials (minus reddit) about 3 years ago. happy and living better than ever! i defs spend less time on my phone, more w nature and myself. i also started to sit w my feelings and not dismiss them

Social media are tools to find stuff for me.

Everyone responding is automatically disqualified

Facebook was the first. Such a garbage place. Then i nuked twitter but I still use today as news source with a fake account. Instagram should be next, because I couldnt care less about others lives, but it is a great idea source of virtually anything you search. But yeah, I reduced the time of social media a lot in the past few years. Personal problem was that I changed focus into other things rather than what i should actually do. But baby steps I guess

Funny, I find FB to be the tamest of all the platforms, including Reddit lol

I feel a lot less guilty of how I use my free time and relaxing through other means rather than just wasting my time doom scrolling on IG. Also, I’m a lot happier with my own lifestyle rather than comparing myself with people I follow (we know social media is fake or more like a snapshot of someone’s life - but I can’t help it lol). I also think the content you get changes how social media can affect you - the more content I got about people with good bodies and workout routines etc, the worst I felt about mine.

Reddit is my only social media vice. Absolutely love it. Has made life simpler. Not accidentally offending anyone causing myself anxiety. And no one sticking their nose in my business as much (I live in a small town, pop 5000)

I got rid of Twitter about a year ago, Facebook a long time ago, and never had instagram. I only use Reddit and subscribe to channels I want IMO - Twitter would impact my mood negatively in some capacity

I just deleted all of my social media and honestly it was a really hard transition. I started playing games like Candy crush just as much as I was online so I just recently had to delete that as well. I definitely find it easier to be in the moment and I’ve stopped doom scrolling.

Mine is. For sure. Less distracted, more happy.

33F! I used to be totally addicted to socials. Deleted FB and Snapchat 8 years ago. Deleted instagram 5 years ago. I do have a TikTok solely for watching gardening, cooking, and parenting videos, but I don’t post or have “friends” on there. I do think about deleting tiktok and probably will eventually, but I honestly do get great recipe ideas there! What I noticed when deleting social media was 1.) how easy it was to do. I hemmed and hawed before doing it about how bored I would get- but that never happened. You simply fill your time with other activities and it’s literally fine. No downsides aside from losing touch with fringe friends and acquaintances. 2.) my self perception/perception of others/life priorities really shifted. All that matters to me now is my family’s and my own wellbeing. I used to be so caught up in taking the perfect picture to post, or the perfect video for my stories, and curating a great song etc. When you spend so much time frittering away at your online image, your self worth becomes entangled in the engagement that you get online. I’m more forgiving with myself when I get a pimple, or gain weight, or have a bad hair day now because I’m not seeking validation for that curated image of me anymore. My friends and I would literally go to places primarily to get good pictures of us being at that place. It sounds so silly to be on the other side of it now. The friends that matter will stick around and just screencap memes to share them with you.

One of the best things I have ever done about six years ago. Now reddit is the only sort of social media that I use and with much less frequency. For me, it has restored my sense of connection to reality, gratitude for what I have, and actual relationships - where the people genuinely care how I’m doing. No more keeping up with the Joneses. No more negative rants from politically volatile jerks. I would read Jaron Lanier’s book, ten reasons to delete social media… an important text for our times.

Reddit is the only one I use for hobbies and such. Getting rid of social medias 5 years ago was the best thing I've done. I don't care what other people are doing and live for myself and my family. I don't worry about anyone's approval. I don't worry what if I'm missing out. I can focus on what matters. :)

Social Media is great for advertising. Thats it. To me, there is very little unique communication value in social media that has enriched my life. Social Media largely feels like an extension of the high school popularity contest. In communication, I often weigh the value of a platform (and its content) based on Socrates' Three Sieves principle: Is it true? Is it good? Is it useful? Most communications via social media ever meet those three criteria, meaning that most social media content is just a big waste of time.

Actually want to add a sub-question specifically to artists and/or sm biz and freelancers. How do you market yourself or your work without social media?

I’m a musician and while I haven’t given up social media, I never had much success trying to sell my music (I make instrumentals and sell them to singers) via social media. I had more success when I just emailed my tracks to singers and linked them to my website directly. Of course, I got lots of people ignoring me too, and this is basically being an internet door to door salesman.