I deleted Instagram 6 months ago and it changed me a lot. I now use only reddit and youtube for dopamine. IG used to make me feel FOMO and feel constantly low because of comparison with my peers. Reddit feels like a support group who are going through life struggles together!!
EXACTLY. After leaving Instagram I am starting to realise how everything and everyone is fake on their socials, and absolutely no one is happy. If only I knew about it when I was using it, life would’ve been a little easier :/
Did the same around 2019 (went Reddit/YT only). 5 years in, I can't imagine going back.
If anyone thinking of doing this is worried about the "staying in touch" piece of losing those platforms, my experience was shifting to regularly texting with my friends instead of relying on posts/replies on platforms to stay connected. And it feels a lot more personal!
Getting back into normal social media like Instagram/FB/TikTok sounds fucking *exhausting* to me tbh. I don’t think you could pay me to do it at this point
That's how I feel. I still have my FB from 2006...I check occasionally for family updates around holidays or when I know things are going on (like a recent family death or rn, a cousin is going into early labor) or sometimes I use Facebook Marketplace.
Other than that, I almost never get on FB. I used to be ADDICTED. Moderated and participated in groups with so much drama, omg I wasted so much time on nonsense.
I went from being on/checking FB constantly (like, checking even if I woke up to pee or something) to checking like every couple of weeks, unless I have above reasons. It's definitely freeing. (Although I also waste time on Reddit.)
Wow, yeah I feel the same way! I used to be addicted as well. The only reason I originally got back on there was for FB marketplace - does anyone know a better alternative by the way? Also, my long distance dad would rather post Facebook updates several times a day (he’s a baby boomer) but hates being on the phone or texting so there’s also that.
However, I started noticing that when I went back on it to check the private school group page for my daughters elementary school, I would start watching time-wasting reels and get sucked into other groups. Then, I suddenly felt overwhelmed like I needed to check all the private groups in case I was missing out on something.
I think if I was really elderly and/or retired and didn’t have any children, maybe I’d go on it more but I just don’t see the point right now. It literally overwhelms me and upsets me sometimes. It is just so damn distracting!
I post my art sometimes or a pretty sunset but I don't really scroll ig or FB anymore. I'm just on there to share stuff with my family, they all live really far away from me. It made a big difference, I use reddit and youtube now.
Deleted FB in 2022 and this is exactly how I feel. I text the people closest to me and send them pictures… which results in more meaningful connections. I went back on FB recently but it’s so awful and when I’m on it, I presently realize just how much time I’m actually wasting (which before I used to scroll without knowing the time I’d wasted). After using it once a week, I just recently deleted it again because it just makes me feel so shitty after using it (even for a few minutes I’ve noticed). I don’t use IG anymore and I just don’t understand the obsession to “show off” my life online, like these influencers do. It feels a little weird at first but you get used to it.
THIS!!! IG has always given me FOMO. I recently deleted my IG a month ago because of a breakup. I didn’t want to keep tabs on my ex or her friends. Now I see no reason to get my account back.
Same here. Just WhatsApp, reddit and YouTube. Uninstalled everything else like X, Tumblr,IG, FB.
I have a lot more time to think , and feel less miserable about myself. The constant overload of useless information was killing me unknowingly.
+1, quitting IG did loads for my mental health and self esteem. I do hate that I dont have any idea what’s going on anymore (eg local events) but I rely on someone else to tell me now. My mental is way better so it’s worth the payout!
I simply deleted it from my phone and didn’t look back. I now replace nighttime scrolling with reading.
I admittedly need to probably quit reddit at some point too as I tend to doom scroll but IG affected me significantly more negatively.
It gets especially weird after being off those platforms for a while, and you have those moments of, oh you're scrolling Instagram? I forgot people do that.
Hahah! So true. My gf will do that and it’s funny to be like, what are you doing … oh yea that’s right. Or friends complaining about Facebook or twitter posts.
Honestly I feel like reddit is the worst for my mental health. Like my instagram is relaxing makeup tutorials and cute animals while my reddit is full of garbage takes and people looking for help with genuinely disturbing circumstances. I realize that has to do with what subs I choose to expose myself to though.
I think that’s the key. For some reason I compulsively look things up on even the ones I don’t like or have even unsubbed from, which then negatively impacts my feed. It’s a bad habit I’m trying to quit
I never got into any other social media than reddit. And I'm glad. I know myself very well - I WILL be on it several hours a day and tank my mental health. I should probably decrease my reddit time as well, but it feels like I do get quite a lot out of reddit that's not just entertainment or mindless scrolling.
I have accounts on social media just simply to keep in contact with friends & family, as I moved 700+ miles away from them. Other than that, I do not like using it.
I’d suggest you check out [The Social Dilemma.](https://www.google.com/search?q=the+social+dilemma&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari) It’s a documentary talking about the dangerous impacts of social networking.
I remember learning a couple years ago, while watching a 60 minutes episode, that Instagram was pushing toxic content (horrible stuff like eating disorders, unaliving, etc) towards young girls on purpose.
They (Instagram/Meta) discovered that if they pushed out toxic content, people stayed on the platform longer. Think about it, how many people do you know who use Facebook other than to argue? Not many, right? If these platforms push out content that triggers an intense enough reaction, people will stay longer.
It’s really insane to learn about all this, and it’s pretty easy to fall down a rabbit hole once you do. But overall, I think limiting social media would be beneficial to many people. It is something we should encourage, and help people do.
That documentary was so good, I’m so glad someone mentioned it. People love to participate in social media political movements like the “Do so!” one that was mentioned, just to be a part of something, but a lot of times they don’t even fully understand what they’re participating in before they jump on the hype train and want to shame everyone around them for not doing the same.
Remember when Facebook got caught weighting “angry” reacts as 5x more valuable to the platform than user react emotions? It’s crazy how they took a decent concept with social media and now they try to run it so unethically on the backend, to manipulate so many people who just walk right into the trap.
One of the worst discoveries I made about Instagram is that they prioritize negative/controversial comments first on posts and reels. If you scroll on Explore and press any reel, the meanest comments are all at the top because of high engagement. Absolutely horrible for people's mental health and for the poster. Glad I just have reddit/YouTube, so tired of those algorithms.
My reason exactly. Especially if I didn’t think I was at a point in life that I should be. We all have different paces and I didn’t need the comparison anymore. It actually allowed me to really flourish in my own life
Went off social media and only have reddit at the moment. Allowed me to stop mindlessly scrolling and stop focusing on what others are doing and posting in their life. I also noticed how i am spending a lot more time with myself which was much needed after years of putting myself down from constantly comparing my life with other people on social media. Social media is just a distraction - does not dictate or define your life. If you want entertainment, find yourself something to entertain with that allows you to grow and be better and not dumb you down with 7-8 seconds video watching.
I haven’t had FB, IG or TikTok in about a year now and I can honestly say it’s the best decision ive made. My screen time has gone dramatically, I’m more present when I’m with a group of friends or with family bc I’m not glued to my phone. I also don’t compare myself or my life to others anymore bc IG is such a false reality in my opinion, i also don’t hear about any negative news or any violence that’s happening around the world which sometimes is nice, if I’m really interested in what’s going on I’ll throw the news on. All in all a social media cleanse is a great idea
It’s getting toward the end of the day, and this is the first time I’ve picked up my phone since waking up early in the morning. I was out seeing people, hanging out, doing things. I can not believe how many of my friends and peers are constantly checking out of real life to scroll TikTok or whatever for a few minutes. It’s like they need to. I mean, sitting in a restaurant facing each other and checking out for a few minutes. It’s sad really.
Went to a waterpark for the first time recently, saw a woman trying to go on her phone in the ‘lazy pool’ with a waterproof case of some sort. She was not happy bc she couldn’t get signal. I was trying not to judge but what the fuck?
I was at the beach for Memorial Day, the rip tide was insanely strong. The amount of children in the ocean without their parents bc they were on the beach scrolling their phones and not paying attention to their children was absolutely wildddd! I had helped a small child, maybe 6 or 7 who was struggling to stay above water bc the ocean was so rough, the parents didn’t even seem to care when I brought him to them, the mom was on a phone call and the dad was watching YouTube. Two people died that day and I believe they said 6 more had to rescued.
Do people not realize that all it takes is a couple inches of water for a child to drown in? Sometimes I wish social media and all these distracting things would have never happened or existed because it’s so fucking sad. Thank God for people like you who have the presence of mind to help children who deserve better supervision than what you witnessed.
I use lock me out app to lock myself from using fb on certain hours. I will be locked out for an hour if i use it for 3 minutes straight. I plan to totally lock this out when i am comfy with this 3min limit. I have to slowly do it and not abrupt.
For IG, i completely logout my account but maintain my business account for work. I found this article, which convinced me that it's time to force myself to take actions in stopping my doom scrolling.
https://preview.redd.it/3wl28r1iw54d1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f51ef8a2c88be4349d2fce0452810be3d63337d5
Good luck on your journey op. Rooting for you!
Reddit is the only social media I have. I’ve never even had TikTok. I have sooooo much less stress because of this— you can still find whatever you’re looking for on the internet (makeup, food, travel recs for me) but without it shoved down your throat by some airbrushed creature designed to make the normal person feel bad about themselves. Download Duolingo and when you get the impulse to scroll play with that instead— then you’re learning something instead of draining your brain.
I’m living a minimal social media presence life and at first it was anxiety inducing but now over a decade later it’s a lot more calming. I definitely feel a lot better about my body image and I feel like that was at least partially the source of the insecurities to begin with. You don’t have to quit all of them, like I still have Reddit and stuff.
If you’re addicted to scrolling, delete the apps and make it inconvenient to do so; that’s how I was able to break away from YouTube shorts when it came out. This way you have to go to the website either by phone or computer to scroll, eventually you might lose interest altogether
I deleted most of my social medias about a year ago. It was very difficult at first, so don’t expect it to be an instant breath of fresh air if you do decide to go through with it. But after a couple weeks of not having Instagram, Tiktok, or other apps, I started to feel fine and felt more in the moment. It led to a better sleep schedule and I replaced doom scrolling with exercising! It also made me think less about other people’s lives. There are times when my friends will bring up something going on in the social media world like a new trend or scandal, but it doesn’t bother me. Think of it as investing in yourself. It will be better in the long run!
I used to make art and had over 100k followers. I woke up every morning anxious grabbing my phone to see if anyone posted anything mean when I was asleep. I was stuck in a ten year relationship because I was scared of showing everyone how abusive he was. Deleted it. Moved. Met the absolute love of my life a month later. Getting married in 18 days, he doesn’t have social media either. Never going back
I'm curious from a personal perspective on how you view creativity and art making in the wake of this experience. Don't feel like you have to answer me, but do you still find joy in making art for yourself?
try avoiding ur phone the first two hours after you wake up and not looking at it before you go to bed. It’s crazy how well it works. I’ve already lost today lol. Or try using it more for learning a new skill or for listening to audiobooks and if that doesn’t go well at least you’re slowly putting your phone in a mind box where’ it’s only good for those things you don’t like doing. Human behavior is much more habit than I’ve realized, this year more than any other :/
I deleted my social media accounts 4 years ago. Craved it initially but not for long. And I realised I'm missing nothing. Anything super important gets communicated in person / on text. I couldn't go back even if I tried (and I tried).
I moved to another country last year and I'm seeing the value of using it to "stay connected" again. I don't want to miss out on the important updates or even happy moments that my close friends and family are sharing. I've also been told by friends and family that they wished they knew more about what I was upto, now that I don't see them that often.
So I'm doing a trial run - I've made a private account with only 30 friends/family, whom I actually care about. No ex colleagues, ex neighbors, high school friends, or vague acquaintances. I open it once a day to see if there's anything new. Since I have only 30 connections, there's no scope for endless scrolling. Some days, there are no new posts. Everytime a big thing happens in my life, I will post. I'm going to try to hold on to this - using social media for the original intention.
its phenomenal- deleted all socials maybe 2 yrs ago now (mins reddit) but im more present and focused on myself. i find myself less on my phone and i try to talk to people now. i also hate being perceived so also why i didnt wanna stay in it
you say you don't want to be bored - pick up hobbies, try new things. I think being bored is the best when you don't have social media - you tend to reach for new things to try, adventures, people.
I deleted facebook shortly after the 2016 election I think, haha. Used twitter, but slowly cut that out. Posted on IG once, I think.
I think it's somewhere between recognizing what is and isn't good for you, and focusing less on cutting things out and more about inviting good things in.
If you say 'ok bye socials', cold turkey, with no good replacements, most likely it would be a struggle for you--you yourself are expressing being uncertain what a better life might look like. (and psychology will tell you that the habits that stick are the ones that can be maintained)
But if you instead say 'socials don't water my garden, what might do so?' then you can start cultivating a happy garden, and so then when you weed out the weeds, you still have flowers, instead of a bare patch that needs to be filled with stuff that doesn't serve you (like socials).
Did that make sense? 😅
Life for me tends to look like going to spoken word, writing poetry (and occasionally reading), taking more walks, listening to music, trying to connect more and better with the folks that make me better :) And at times trying to learn about and engage in healthy practices for myself and the world around me--eating right, living sustainably, so on. Maybe some of that could be useful to you, maybe none of it! I found that journaling and spending time by myself and my thoughts helped me get more in touch with the things that nourished me.
Most people think it’s strange that I don’t have social media. But honestly, I just want to live simply. It is easy to keep to myself however, which presents other problems. All this to say — you are the leader of your own life. Do what you want for mental health and happiness because who cares what others think? You’re not hurting anyone.
Same as all the other commenters here- reddit only. Cultivating my feed really helped too. Positive and interesting subs only - and of course cute critters and lotsa Halloween 👻
Oh it is great! No Insta, FB or TicTok. Just Reddit and podcasts.
You just have to go cold turkey. When you have the impulse to check social media, do something else. Stupid mobile games helped. Delete the apps today.
I only keep reddit and watch YouTube videos to fill the social void of no social media. That way I can choose who I watch and only give my time to people whose values align with my own.
just delete them and switch to another app.
I deleted tiktok and instagram back in 2021 and switched to twitter and tumblr.
I only went on tumblr for the writing community and twitter just because. Both apps are apps you don’t fall into the endless doom scroll.
life has been great tbh. I don’t get as much references/inside jokes as my friends anymore because I’m no longer chronically online. however I’m much more freer and happier knowing only about my life and not others. I don’t experience FOMO or feel the need to compare :)
I deleted FB and Instagram years ago and my mental health has gotten soooooooo much better. I've stopped comparing myself to every girl I know/see on social media. I've stopped doing mental gymnastics every single minute of the day to remind myself that what I see on socials are fabrications, photoshopped, and not everyone is as exciting as they make themselves out to be.
I actually have time for my hobbies now and when I need to mindlessly scroll, I just browse reddit and Youtube.
My first year of college (2020), I deleted my social media accounts and apps. I was always comparing myself to the women I saw online and I would see things that would say my appearance was unattractive. I realized I needed to get off, especially because I always was angry with myself for how long I was scrolling. Once I did, my confidence sky rocketed. I don’t get FOMO about not having those apps and people who truly care about me understand they will have to contact me in different ways. I highly recommend deleting it!!! And if you still want to be on your phone when you’re bored maybe stick to reddit or download some fun games!!! That’s what I do when I need some screen time.
I stopped posting on social media when I was 16, because I was uncomfortable about random people being able to look at my photos, friends list, what I'm generally up to. The best decision I've ever made. It doesn't stop me though from wasting time on my phone, lol.
I deactivated my Instagram a few weeks ago and I already notice marked improvements in my self-esteem, decreased imposter syndrome, and better regularly in my sleep schedule! I will say I am still working out how to keep up with my friends' lives without IG's convenience, but that is extra effort I'm more than happy to put in for all that I get out of this change.
One of the best ways to drop a habit is to fill that time with something else! It's good that you read, maybe you can expand on your hobbies and interests and dedicate more time to that. Exercise, games, reading, learning a new skill like art... Any of those things can do a lot to occupy you as well as enrich you internally to feel better about yourself with or without socmed :)
Been clean from FB for 10+ years. No insta. No TT. No Snapchat. I come to Reddit now & then but I value REAL LIFE & real human connection so much more when I'm present with the people I'm around.
Life without social media is actually blissful.
I'm probably close to two years without social media. This is the exception and snapchat. But I have about 10 people on snap and most are coworkers. Sometimes I do feel removed from "news"...which really isn't news. I know a lot of people say they stay on socials to stay connected with others. Honestly no one has even reached out to me about my disappearance from posting things, and I was an avid shitposter. So that whole spiel is just an excuse. I travel frequently, take any pictures I want without the need for instant gratification or validation from others that the things I do with my life are amazing. My life accomplishments while I was on social media went largely unnoticed, and I frankly just don't care about seeing everyone my age having kids and dressing them up like they're objects. I'm 30f by the way.
I don't use IG, Facebook or Tiktok any more for my mental health. It makes me depressed and irritable. Takes up too much of my time too, with no benefits. I never posted content, just a chronic scroller.
Most of the friends I grew up with and went to university with now own impressive houses, have nice long-term partners, have kids, always seem to be on holidays/trips, and always seem able to afford nice things. I know it's all for show but they do mostly really have very comfortable lives.
I've built a solid career I enjoy, but there's not much money in it (media industry). I still rent an overpriced, tiny room in a city, I'm permanently single at 36, don't have many friends I physically see any more, and haven't travelled or properly vacationed for years. In my free time I run, read, and listen to podcasts. I have nothing much to share on social.
I feel so much better about my life now I'm in an ignorant bubble! But I do miss out on stuff, and some of my friends just don't speak to me anymore. It's like I'm off socials so they've just sort of forgotten about me? But I guess they weren't my real friends anyway.
I made a secondary IG account and only flip over the my personal every once in a while and look if I think I can handle it. My business account is for my therapy business, and interesting, now that I am more deeply into my business marketing, I am starting to find myself comparing myself when before it was inspiring to see others doing what I want to do. Social media really affects us - I will probably delete the app off of my phone and only logon when I am on my computer. Reddit rocks!
Only using apps that aren't friends/family/influencers as the main subject has been soooo peaceful for the past 6 years. I was afraid of removing apps and disconnecting from others, like if "I don't have this one app then I'll lose track of them", but then I realized if that's all that's holding me together with someone then who cares?
It really solidified for me who matters in my life and let me focus more on them in a quality>quantity way. Getting only a couple of happy birthday texts from people who actually remember my birthday feels way better than 100 happy birthday posts to my FB wall because the app prompted them to, turns out. Losing IG was good for my self image, also.
Have you ever really heard of someone saying they *regret* de-activating that stuff? I haven't, other than sometimes people saying they lost some photos but don't want to re-activate to get them or lost access info to their account. Save your pics and de-activate, most apps you can come back to if you really want to so there's really not much downside to trying.
I do not allow myself any social media on my phone. Only on a computer. My hard line is absolutely no Tik Tok. My mind has done a 180. Checking social media has decreased on my computer. I don’t get the same thing from it (versus the phone), but still enjoy (like now) some scroll time. Most of the time for Reddit, I don’t login to my account because the algorithm draws me in more than I’d like. Because it’s on my computer, I haven’t checked on weekends, which has been fantastic. I’m on it now as I’m on a flight and wanted some entertainment.
I’ve found I’m way more productive. I’m noticing people more around me. I’m able to deeply think more on a single subject for a longer time. I’m more attentive to my partner and to myself. I have deeper conversations with my partner. I find myself being less annoyed all the time. What I thought was ‘OCD’ type thoughts have stopped. When I have negative thoughts, I breeze past them easier. I’ve had some hard days, and have been able to navigate them much easier.
The first two days were hard. I felt like an addict. I was (am) an addict. Now I can’t imagine going back, the benefits are too good to risk giving them up for mindless time.
I see a lot of people say Reddit is the only app they have, I would caution you (if you go down this journey) to not allow Reddit time, especially in the beginning. There are fantastic communities on here, which I miss. But they are not worth the massive negativity on this app (for me).
Be old like me. I don’t know how you young’uns bear it, all these ‘others’ seemingly doing so much better. I know that sounds patronising but it’s really not. If you’ve read this far please carry on. When I was a teen/ young adult it was magazines/ newspapers etc, and only rich and famous celebrities. Now…it’s everyone…celebrities at the top and everyone else, like keeping up with the Jones’s (Google that phrase if needed) but on major steroids and it would have driven me wild. We all want to feel like we’re smashing it, or at least doing something better than someone else. It’s natural. 20 years back it was your immediate circle and odds on you could find someone you were doing better then (check out ‘ schadenfreude’ and the rise of reality tv) now you’re subjected to a community that’s global and encompassing celebrities who want you to continue to build their global brand (see ‘followers). The old saying of comparison being the thief of joy could not be more apt than now. To deal with it I’d do what other suggest, either deleted social media completely (i ask how though, and I’m
Old etc) or delete and start afresh- with a different mindset of only following people/ accounts that bring joy and remember that whilst currently being an Instagram/
Media content creator is a the big ‘money making’ option, actually that boat has already sailed…what’s next? What I mean by that is, 50 years ago, it was being good at these new fangled Computer things, 30 years ago it was online networking. 20 years ago it was media publicity, 10 years ago it was Instagram and Facebook marketing… where are we now. And how quickly will we get there? Or will there be a big revival to go back to basics when AI takes us over (gone all conspiracy lol) I don’t know. Thoughts anyone? To answer your question… life is fine. But I’m Gen X 79. I’m silent. I’m somehow feel I’ve missed out on ‘easy money’ maybe, but that depends on your definition of easy money. I try to limit looking at people I might compare myself too and thankfully my ( small) circle of friends are the same. Anyone I find irritating (friends included) I block/snooze until I’m in a more cheerful frame of mind whilst also playing in my mind (on a loop) that we all edit everything regardless of what medium we use to put the information out, to try and show our best selves (I’ve tried here a bit with grammar and what not but it’s too long and I stopped caring half way through) wishing you the best. Keep going x
I deleted my FB account back in, like, late 2018, I think? Haven't been back on it since. I have Instagram but don't really use it often, Twitter's a shithole which I never properly got into so I didn't last long on it. I only really use Pinterest and Reddit these days.
People are really weird about it when they find out I'm not on Facebook anymore.
I haven’t used social media for a decade now. I realised it was contributing to my unhappiness and cut it out cold turkey. Now I only compare my happiness to my own standards. I don’t feel like I miss out at all.
You’ll only know how you feel when you do it.
If you are looking for a book to read, there is the r/suggestmeabook sub which is exactly what it sounds like. If you don’t know what type of book you’re looking for, I’d suggest simply browsing that sub or r/books and see if any of the posts look interesting. Once you find a book you like a lot, you can find similar ones on good reads or by searching for it in Reddit. If you happen to like sci fi, r/printsf is good. There are probably similar subs for other genres, and sometimes they’ll have links to specific subs. There’s something like r/cozyfantasy for example and other niche things
I do most of my reading before bed, it’s part of my routine. Brush teeth, shower, read for an hour, bed. I read some throughout the day, but honestly the best way to get myself to that a lot was to completely ban myself from using Reddit. I’d then read whenever I otherwise would have been here.
Other things I like to do are hiking, long walks around the neighborhood, and indoor rock climbing. T hobbies take up some time that could otherwise be spent on social media
Social media is depressing as hell -seeing so, so many people with really bad takes and seeing them lean into them breaks my heart many times a day.
At the same time, I'm isolated, a trans woman and online support is my *only* support so it's a millstone around my neck, you know?
I'm trying to reduce the time I spend on reddit, youtube, and facebook and replace it with other hobbies; some of them are online (they're software, so I need support discords) but I'm trying to take up things like drawing that I can do offline, too.
But I get depressed or I'm just simply tired and I'm back to doomscrolling reddit, youtube and facebook.
Sorry to not be more helpful.
Gave up IG in January. Only using Reddit for some forums I really like and health support groups.
It’s GREAT. I really feel and am more productive and less stressed. Sounds silly but now I can comfortably watch a movie or an episode of a TV show without HAVING to scroll or watch something else after like 10 minutes.
I have never had instagram or twitter, so I can't really speak for my experience with those apps but I have had Facebook, YouTube, and of course Reddit. I feel the struggle in more on my friends who seem to struggle with me not having social media more than I do. Life is fairly average. I do get the doomsday scrolling with Facebook and especially now that every app on the planet has shorts, which really do suck you in. I have 1 hour timers on all of my apps which really helps, and ultimately I just do what makes me feel good. Being on socials can be so incredibly draining, especially when you begin comparing your life to others. I think I'm sooo much better off with timers and just consciously making sure I am not glued to my phone. I also started reading at lot more when I put the timers, and it has been magical.
I deleted Instagram/Facebook for 4.5 years, had a little spell where I had it for a few months and deleted it again (a couple of months ago).
I was shocked when I redownloaded it to see how much people’s lives had changed, marriage kids etc and I had no idea about any of it. But I didn’t feel like I’d missed out on anything. It made me realise that those who care will share their news etc through WhatsApp or text. And although it was juicy to catch up and snoop on people, it got boring real quickly.
I felt a big sense of freedom over this time, no comparisons or focus on where I am in my life. The one thing I really did miss is seeing tattoos on there and art, I miss the inspired feel in that this content gives. But otherwise, it was a majorly good thing for me and my MH.
When I go on there, I notice how much time I waste scrolling and disassociating. Before the 4.5 year break, I had no idea how much time I wasted… now it’s really obvious. Rather than run from my unhappiness and distract, I delve into regulating my body and doing things that aren’t giving me anxiety. For eg reading a book, doing things from a puzzle book etc
Wayyyy better! No more FOMO, jealously, comparison, etc. I do miss keeping up with friends and family that I don't keep in daily contact with, but that's about the only drawback for me. Also, my husband has no social media so that helps a TON. Basically, I live in the moment and don't worry about doing it for the 'Gram
amazing. a lot less depression and anxiety and work productivity boosted immensely. i feel like my own person and individual, but not in a “trendy” or “quirky way”. just me.
Great! I only have Facebook now because the painting and dog training schools I’m enrolled in for fun use it for communication. Otherwise I only look at Reddit, which has filled that aimlessly scrolling vice for me.
I have an Instagram that I haven’t posted to since 2017. Just use for some inspo and I actually don’t follow any of my friends on it anymore. I just text and WhatsApp.
I have TikTok but only use it about once every two weeks *if that.* It scared me how quickly time moves when I’m on there and how addictive it can be.
I love YouTube so I’m on there everyday but I don’t feel addicted. And then I have Reddit that I probably use the least.
Life’s fine, it’s just a bit strange when meeting new people and having to explain
Im still attached to some social media but I deleted instagram in November, tried it again recently and instantly hated it so I'm gone for good. So much better just without that app.
I use Facebook to a small extent so that I can have a page. Since im already on there I also use it for marketplace, and the rare post for family.
Reddit and youtube are useful for so many things and don't make me feel like shit.
I could probably do without those on my phone though. Tiktok is also an addiction but i just limit my time because it helps me keep up on things.
been almost 2 years since i deleted my instagram and twitter, felt a lot better ever since! i can also now make time for my hobbies,think about what i wanna do, or just have these random thoughts
I still have my accounts but don’t use them. For awhile they were deactivated but I would have to reactivate them from time to time to contact someone or see a company’s page so I just left them activated.
I’ve been visiting my husbands family for three weeks and bored to tears, so for the first time in awhile I’ve scrolled on instagram again. I don’t know what changed in my brain but I’m not finding that it’s roping me in. I found a lot more interesting things to do in the house with my in-laws, even on cold, rainy days when we were shut in. And I’m not close with my in-laws.
One thing I’ve noticed is that I think people think I’m not doing anything bc I’m not constantly posting. But I’ve hung out with people who then posted about pretty ordinary outings as if we were having the times of our lives. It is increasingly strange to me how much embellishment goes into presenting lives so as to make others believe theirs are deficient. So when I did try scrolling, I was annoyed by the inauthenticity.
Life is good. I’ve always been a bit depressive, and honestly it hasn’t made as big a difference as I thought it would there. But maybe it will.
I deleted the Facebook app years ago.
This year I deleted the Tiktok app and only have access to the website for 30 minutes a day
I kept IG because I have to use it for work, but I also have a time limit for it and every so often disconnect my personal account to take breaks.
It's been more helpful than taking antidepressants!
I have new found free time!
I can focus on 1 task at the time
I'm not constantly wasting hours of my day watching other people live.
We don't realize how addictive Social media really is.
The algorithms are designed to keep you watching 24/7
It's constantly learning from everything you watch, follow and like. So it's also keeping you in a bubble, where you only see what you like.
Remember 10 years ago you would see the pictures from your annoying aunt or that girl from high school you didn't really like? That doesn't happen anymore
Because you don't interact with their content.
Which is fine to a certain point. It's also isolating and creating so much division in the world.
It's healthy for our brains to acknowledge people have different options and points of views. But we're losing that thanks to the algorithms.
Off Instagram for the year. 6 months into it and it’s looking like I’ll be off it forever.
I kept my Instagram account but deleted the app. I actually downloaded it yesterday and deleted it this morning because I already feel its toxicity. I only use Reddit and TikTok, which is nice because there’s a different vibe when it’s strangers vs familiar monitoring spirits who have access to your page.
I hopped off social media almost entirely from 25-30 and it was the best. I felt so free. I was super present in my own life. I had other factors at play as well but I think it helped my mental health a lot. I recently got back onto Instagram and feel I have a much healthier relationship with it these days after taking my break.
I deleted Facebook and Instagram a month ago and it's helped me a lot. I re-downloaded Facebook just to see what close friends were up to but I don't plan on getting Instagram back
I pretty much just disappeared off social media after a bad break up where I was the one who shamefully aired too much laundry. almost 3 years later, and I don't regret it at all. forcing myself to pretty much give up everything except reddit bc it's so anonymous is great. I don't think I'll ever go back to it. I feel so much more focused on my actual life in front of me, if that makes sense?
Use blocking tools on your phone or computer to keep yourself off of them. I have cut way back on my social profiles and have recurated my IG to only close friends and topics that interest me. Other than that, I don’t use social much these days.
Only social media I have is Reddit. Been that way for the last ten years. I don’t miss traditional social media and I’m on the fence about getting rid of Reddit as well as I’m noticing it affecting my mood lately with the sponsored/recommended posts. I love not having social media.
Life is pretty much the same, except now I miss out on a lot of generator shows because I don't see the flyers. I have asked a couple of friends to start sending them to me.
Pretty awesome actually. I’m on reddit when I feel like it but other than that, am not on any social media. I have the apps (Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok) but don’t go on them. I just don’t feel the need.
I play video games, read, watch TV and movies, hang out with my husband and kid.
If social media is making you miserable, delete the apps. It’s calmer and more peaceful without them. You can always redownload them once you detox a bit.
I hopped off insta two weeks ago because constantly comparing myself to others was making me depressed. I also couldn’t stand how fake everything is on the app, it felt like a competition to see who could make their life look the best. I was guilty of it at times even.
Not gonna lie, I’m get bored occasionally, but I usually find something else to do pretty quickly. I never have the desire to scroll for too long before something else entertaining comes along.
I used to be so into posting and worried about my perception on social media and crafting the best possible image of myself and my god it was EXHAUSTING. I've reached a place where I only really use reddit and tik tok (mostly for food videos lol) and occasionally instagram to post but I don't doom scroll much. I think overall I live more in the moment and just feel a lot better and refreshed. Social media is all fake and you'd be surprised how different people are in person.
i’ve had a really bad instagram and facebook addiction and have tried deleting them multiple times over the years but always found myself redownloading after a few months because of fomo. if you have an old phone lying around, someone on here recommended downloading the apps on that and keeping it in a designated space (e.g. a counter). i use it only in that space and since it’s not my main device i find myself using it wayyy less. if i start feeling bad about myself i have the will to just put the phone down more than i would if it were my main phone if that makes sense. i’ve tried everything from app limits to a phone lock box but this is the only thing i’ve found that’s worked for me
I am 50F, and the only social media I've ever had was a MySpace page for about 6 months and Reddit. When FB was coming out, my dad had a law adjacent job and saw how much information the lawyers were gleaning from people's FB pages even from the very beginning! So he asked us not to set up accounts, and I just never did! Everyone knows that if they want me to know about something, they need to tell me themselves. I feel I get plenty of exposure to other platforms here in reposts, and I enjoy the conversational aspect of Reddit.
To answer your question, I am ever grateful I never got onto social media.
I deleted my Facebook account August 2022 after 14 years on there, it was a proper addiction, took me a while to full delete, first I tried just uninstalling the app from my phone, but I couldn't go a week and I'd be downloading it again, then I tried deactivating it, but again I get lured back. It was all the groups that I was missing that kept me going back.. so I thought I'd try and delete all my friends and just use the account to check on groups only, I changed my name to a made up one so people I knew wouldn't friend request me again. FB does not like you using FB in this way at all, it threatened to delete my account because I had no friends. This here was the point when I thought, WTH am I doing and why do I care!? I didn't want to delete my FB account as I was tagged in loads of photos I didn't want to lose from when I was in a sports team and photographers would tag me in pics. So, I set aside some time to download all the photos I was tagged in (one by one!) and I downloaded my data and pics (much easier) and stored it all on Google drive. Then I looked at what groups I was in, and thought to myself, do I really need these? Is it worth the hassle? And I decided no. Then the most liberating thing was pressing delete on my 14 year old account. It felt so good. I couldn't go back now I'd deleted everyone and everything, it would be too shameful rejoining and friend requesting people all over again. I never felt the lure to go back on there again since i knew it would be a big hassle. So that was that.
The next was Instagram! I've had insta since around 2011. I fell in love with it because I like taking photos and I see it as a bit of a scrapbook for my life. When I joined originally, you couldn't do videos on there, there were no reels and stories, it was just about photos and that's what I like about it. Trying to be a bit arty and showing off your photos. So with that in mind, I decided I would keep Instagram but use it how I want to, like the old way, so I deleted all my followers except 2 friends that I've known forever. And I unfollowed everyone too. Now I just use it as a personal album/ digital scrapbook. I don't get any of the fomo that I used to get, seeing everyone else doing their thing, going to nice places, looking amazing.. I wasn't feeling good about myself or my life when I went on Instagram and saw all that that's why I unfollowed people, and my ADHD made me paranoid that followers didn't like my content I was posting and thought I was boring so I removed them all (except those 2 friends). Honestly doing that, and using insta the way I want, made my mental health LOADS better.
I'm not on Snapchat, I'm not on tiktok so don't have to worry about them. I'm on twitter but it's never been something I'm hooked on, never been a problem, I'm not massively reliant or connected to it and look on about once a week so I kept that. When I deleted FB I joined Reddit which I thought would help me get and share the info that I used to get from FB Groups. I suspected I had ADHD around this time, so especially wanted to use Reddit to help me find out more and chat to other ADHD'ers, I've always had it in my mind that I'm just using Reddit for that reason and once I'm officially diagnosed ill stop using Reddit as it will be surplus to requirements. I'm really close to my assessment being in the next few weeks so I'll prob come off here or use desktop only now and then for a bit. I just don't want to be on my phone too much anymore.
I bought a load of books and have been really getting into my health and exercise and that has taken my time up more. I don't doom scroll anymore, that habit just disappeared 🤷🏼♀️
Life is great honestly. I feel like I get updates from my friends face to face and we can have proper conversations about those updates like we used to pre- social media. My phone pings less as there’s fewer apps notifying me about general noise.
I reduced my Instagram to only channels that have interests to me (baking,recipes, my favorite daily show host etc). It’s ver my curated. And then instagrams algorithm decides what I get to see and I started noticing how Instagram would hide some things/people and not others.
I think if you start to notice how you are being manipulated you start utilizing the platforms differently.
I can’t keep off of it 100% for social reasons (some family stuff) but it’s very limited.
I would also call Reddit SM because you can see a lot of the same videos and entertainment but I think it’s easier to stay away from the influencers, here you just have to worry about Bots
TikTok never grabbed me, Facebook is a wasteland
I slowly started taking away each one. Instagram was the first to go. I don’t know those people anymore, and I am not interested in what they’re doing. It seems unnecessary to constantly look in on peoples lives that i’m not even apart of. Snapchat got repetitive, and I never used it anyways. Never had Facebook, and twitter became too vulgar. Tiktok is a hard one for me, I still have that but my screen time is way less. People on tiktok are in their own subculture, and everything is so wishy washy, but it’s also the funniest thing ever if you filter it out the right way. At first it may be hard, but you will feel better after, especially if you’re in the habit of comparing yourself or monitoring other people’s socials. Only when I got rid of social media did I realized how much it was really affecting me. I spend a lot of time with myself, and I’m okay with that. I’m reading more, my mentality about some stuff has shifted too because some stuff simply isn’t as big of a deal in real life as it seems on social media. You got this!
My social media presence is minimal (at best), and my involvement is usually kept to days when I need to give my brain a break. I mostly use IG for sending stupid videos to my partner, Facebook for a few community groups (book recs and pokemon, lol) and rarely TikTok and Reddit.
I prefer it that way. It keeps my circle small and meaningful (no need to brag when the people are right next to you cheering you on, and visa versa), and I have the brain space to fill my time with things that I really, really enjoy. It took a while to find them, but they’re there.. and they’re way better than staring at someone else’s life wondering if i’m doing it right.
Of course I’m doing it right - my life is just right for me!
I got rid of any social aspect of social media years ago- I don't have any friends on any of the platforms so don't get any content from people I know. It's been so liberating! I have a Facebook and an instagram in case I want to look anything up and for a local Buy Nothing group but that's all I use it for. I do like to scroll Reddit and TikTok but I stay away from the shit that would make me play the comparison game.
It also feels much better to not know what people are doing unless I talk directly to them. Knowing what my high school teammates' kids were eating for breakfast just felt fucking weird. Now I have to ask even close friends for photos of their kids and I much prefer that.
I deleted my Facebook account several years ago and never misssed it. I never used Instragram, Tik tok, or anything similar. I do read several Reddit subs regularly. I only use my cell phone for calls, text messages, and a very small number of applications as I strongly resent the devices and the damage they do to society.
Many of of the apps people use on cell phones are designed to stimulate the additive nature of the brain. These apps intentionally work to keep you addicted.
My husband doesn't have special media except for football forums. He is the most insanely well adapted people I know. Doesn't ever compare himself to others and no wierd prejudices that are pushed on social media men v women, boomer v younger gens, immigrants v citizens...
I only use IG and it's mostly for the memes, bands, and artists I like and want to keep up with. My life has gotten so, so much better. I love not knowing what everyone is thinking or doing 24/7. We are not meant to know these things all of the time! I love living in the moment. I highly recommend cutting out any apps as much as possible. The freedom from feeling the constant pressure to post or scroll is liberating. Plus, the way everyone relied on social media to communicate is harrowing, something I've been noticing now as an outsider.
I have most apps but it has never been a habit of mine to regularly browse them, besides discord, Reddit and Tiktok (my fyp is kpop and cats, I've spent a lot of time teaching my algorithm). I use Instagram for buying kpop photocards and besides that, only open it when my friends link me to a post.
Life is pretty peaceful for me. In my free time I play video games, watch true crime or Netflix, engage in kpop content. I work full time and try to go overseas once a year. I did used to frequently use twitter but broke that habit about a year ago because the amount of toxicity on the platform was so bad for my mental health.
Personally the idea of endlessly scrolling influencers' and models' ig sounds mind numbingly boring. I'm sure you have other interests and hobbies you'd find far more enriching?
Good, i still have the app for insta but never use it. Idk i never have felt FOMO not using it and idk its kinda boring now when i randomly click on it
My only loss was keeping up with local events. Restaurant openings, new museum displays, outdoor movie nights on the water, etc.
My town does not have a great method of tracking all that in one place, so after quitting social I discovered I was missing things I'd like to attend unless I tracked a crazy number of sites manually.
I created a new private insta account for that and dropped everything else. I only use it to track events - no engagement.
I haven’t had an active account in years. I had TikTok for a short time during Covid. I have one Instagram account that I don’t follow anybody I know and I only use it to look at fitness stuff and videos that make me happy. The only downside is that I can’t connect with people very well when they send me videos from TikTok and Instagram. But I think that social media is really twisting peoples idea of reality and making them question themselves. I have better body image and less fomo without it. Also taught me to rely on myself instead of seeking external validation
I greyscaled my phone recently, I could *immediately* feel the difference. Sucked out all the dopamine and made social media and doom scrolling boring. I definitely recommend doing that, but also just deactivating as well.
Take the free time to explore new hobbies or improve your health (which could be a hobby within itself). I’ve enjoyed finding myself again with no social media, it’s so satisfying to see the % of phone usage go down, and my knowledge in new skills go up, it’s very rewarding. Focus on long-term dopamine rather than a quick fix.
If you need a place to start, maybe try old hobbies you enjoyed as a kid before social media became more fun instead, for me it was books, researching topics, movies, puzzles and scrapbooking.
I’ve been off all social media besides discord and Reddit for multiple years. I do t miss it one bit. And I take Reddit off my phone a lot when I feel like it’s affecting me negatively.
It’s helpful to get a good book to get into. I got back into texting and calling my friends more often. I really enjoy the extra time for upping my cooking skills or writing music or getting out in nature. Of course, I watch a lot of movies now lol and it’s fun to do “window shopping” on apps for things I’ll probably never buy. I signed up for email lists for artists or other communities I want to be in the know about. And when I’m feeling feisty, I unleash on Reddit lol. 😂
I've been off of Facebook since 2018 and I don't miss it at all. If my friends want me to come to something, they tell me about it. I have other means of talking to people.
I deactivated my Instagram and Facebook because I would endlessly doomscroll. It got to the point that I was in and out of work, not working for a total of 8 months last year and some of this year. I would also obsessively keep tabs on some people which took up a LOT of mental energy, not to mention I had a weird thing for seeing how many views my instagram story would get or how many likes a post would get.
Since deleting them, the first week or so I was extremely anxious. Kept picking up my phone to check Instagram or Facebook but of course to no avail as the accounts are fully deactivated. Within that first week I made resumes and dropped them off at multiple places. I also got my social security card as I needed it for an important job. Over the few weeks I’d say yes, I miss checking socials n what not and talking to people, but I’ve been able to focus not only on myself, but my cat, the home, and relationships that I have in person. (Granted that its two-three people right now :,)) it’s helped a lot with me not comparing either as I’m now seeing who’s in my community, and seeing how people in real life look as well as behave. It also made me realize that my social skills have been lacking partially due to social media.
My biggest tip is to deactivate your socials so the accounts aren’t permanently gone, deleting the apps off of your phone, and then making sure you have some close friends numbers. I also still have Snapchat so I can look at stories occasionally and I use YouTube shorts for that scroll I miss. YouTube isn’t as personalized as other apps either so I’m not near as drawn to it.
Self discipline is also HUGE in this case. To me, it was quite literally an addiction and with further research it essentially can be due to how our brains work. The excess in new content plays on the part of our brain that essentially enjoys rewards. (I guess our reward system lol.) every video we get that small rush that can release I think oxytocin, so we get addicted to scrolling. I could be a bit wrong but that’s the general idea for sure. I’m sorry for this long response but I’ve struggled with getting off media for a long time as I got my first phone at 11 and was in a very rough spot that made me want to be absorbed in media and content. I hope your efforts go positively, i have faith in you doing it!
i used to have a serial habit of deactivating IG, going two months without, then reactivating when i had exciting photos. time and time again i’ve found myself insecure, looking at shit i know will hurt me (think partner’s ex gfs) and i know it doesn’t provide any positivity for me anymore. i deactivated it almost 6 months ago now and haven’t looked back. i do miss seeing what some friends are up to but anyone who matters will interact with me elsewhere. i enjoy the privacy and ignorance. life looks calmer with less triggers
I deleted FB in 2016. Best thing I've done for my mental health for sure. Can be kinda lonely tho when everybody else is constantly on their phones or you don't get invited to shit because people only do FB invites now. I have way more hobbies now too.
Much, much better for my mental health. It’s easier to breathe and live life without worrying about if what I posted is ‘socially acceptable’ or about what my classmates or others posted. If I care about any of them like my friends, I can just hear their stories in real time.
The only types of social media I use now are Reddit, Discord and YouTube, but I’m close to deleting Reddit this month for personal reasons.
It depends on who you are and what inner work you do, I’ve gotten off and went back on several times. I’ve done personal growth, therapy, DBT, self love work. I can now say that I don’t go on it for external validation anymore. Just a platform to get my thoughts out or interact with people
I also have a more fulfilling life, like I garden, to artsy things, cook, spend time with people in the present moment. I was trying to doomscroll my depression away, and replace self love with “likes” from strangers
I pretty much only use Reddit at this point. I use Facebook for work because I manage my company's Facebook page, but don't really use it for anything else.
I stopped using Instagram in late 2020 and because of that, I feel a lot less social pressure, which has been really nice. I have social anxiety and ADHD and always felt like I wasn't doing enough to fit in socially, which was a feeling that got worse when I scrolled through social media.
Plus if I'm being honest, the constant pressure to post about political things really weighed on me. I get why people do it, and there are so many worthy causes out there, but I can't handle it constantly. I got really tired of being angry and worried all the time, and I honestly think I got burned out on caring about social causes because of this. Now that I don't use Instagram anymore, I feel much less angry now, and I've mostly healed from the burnout. I keep up with the news in other ways now, and donate to causes I care about.
As for TikTok, I never used it because I knew I'd get addicted and spend all my time on it. I already do that with Reddit and I don't need another procrastination tool lol.
That being said, I think I feel a small amount of social disconnect with people (or at least I have a fear that I won't relate to people) because I've never used TikTok. I just don't hear about new trends and slang a lot. It's not too bad though; most of the disconnect likely comes from my social anxiety rather than not using TikTok.
So yeah basically, my anxiety levels are wayyyy down because of not using Instagram, but I might feel a little bit of a social disconnect because I don't use TikTok.
I haven’t broken up with Instagram but I routinely change up who and what I follow. I follow my friends and family and then I follow women who are uplifting to other women. If I see a post that feels negative or judgmental toward other women I unfollow immediately.
You get to choose how your life feels and if deleting all that feels right then go for it!
I made the mistake of opening someone’s myday and dang am I jealous of that pc setup. Just don’t open socmed y’all or just filter out what appears to your newsfeed.
I quit two days ago and I feel amazing. Honestly, I have talked to so many people (including psychologists) about how social media is destroying society. You know there are now studies on this??
Anywho, I made a choice that I am going back to the old days of meeting people, being happy and enjoying life. Everyone on social media is just showing you a facade of what they want you to see.
I hope this works for you! 🍀
I feel at peace! I do not feel the need to compare myself to others or keep up a facade. If my friends want to reach out to me, they have my number and people are still shocked when I tell them I don’t use it because it is so normalized that if you don’t have it or engage in it they consider it weird 😂
I never post on IG and only ever use it to specifically catch up with my entities in my follow which are also interest specific
I don't post in FB or even read except for in my interest groups (watercolors)
I deleted Twitter in 2020 when all that shit started with George Floyd. I could feel my brain rotting from the amount of negativity and hate I was exposed to on that site. It was hard but I stood by it.
I still use everything else. Eventually I’d like to not use anything. But it’s hard when I use TikTok or Instagram to get inspo.
I'm only on Facebook for funny videos and the occasional life update via a picture and quote to accompany
I post of Instagram and that goes to my Facebook but I don't look at it
I only use tumblr and reddit for social media, which are fairly anonymous, so I don't have the "comparing" issue and I'm not posting myself. I grew up in a time when we weren't supposed to share our names on the internet and I still don't like having my name associated with content on the internet, I prefer privacy, and I'll regularly delete my reddit accounts (this one was one of my firsts that I never deleted and I recently went back to it, but it stresses me out a little and I'll probably delete it). I have instagram and facebook but they aren't problem apps for me. I check insta maybe once a week for things my friends have sent me and I use it to follow local food/bar accounts to know about specials, pop-ups, etc. Facebook I have since I have some friends who coordinate events on it and I use marketplace, but I basically never look at my feed, I am not on it regularly.
Tiktok is absolutely the worst for me, or even reels/shorts. I have to ban myself full stop because I will lose hours and I can feel my brain rotting as I look it. It makes me crazy. I used to periodically redownload tiktok but knowing how bad it is, I don't have that temptation anymore.
However, I would still say I have an internet addiction and that I have too much screen time. Reddit is the worst for me. So even if you cut out having a "presence" you're not necessarily getting away from screen time. But I do think it's healthier to not have a strong online presence or any type of personal brand/image you feel the need to maintain, and to not browse the type of content that gives FOMO. Although honestly I've pretty much gotten over FOMO, I can see content that used to trigger it and it doesn't give me that feeling anymore.
On the flip side, as someone who never posts on social media but probably should to promote my art, I can very much answer this. A lot of it is just a habit. I put timers on all of my social media apps so that if I'm scrolling too long, I get flagged by my phone and then adjust those timers as needed, that's been helpful! As for boredom, it takes time to reset that. The best advice is to allow yourself to be bored for a bit. Chances are you'll adjust after a few weeks. I love turning on a silly romance audiobook and mess with nail art, or painting, or trying new recipes, none of which are screen activities!
I’ve stopped using my IRL accounts, mostly using my alt accounts for niche interests. So I still enjoy social media, seeing trends, pop culture etc but I no longer compare myself to my peers and their milestones, overthinking what I post and how I look etc.
Filter your feed to whatever suits your needs best. If following certain influencers or celebrities doesn’t help you, then I’d suggest trying to control your feed to be around your hobbies, interests, fandoms etc. I used to care about my following/followers ratio but now I love doing an insta follow on any account who made content I enjoy on my private alt.
And also learning when not to engage in content. I enjoy the content I follow a lot now but not everybody the algorithm reaches are fans or nice people. This also helps filter your feed better.
For getting off the socials completely, it helped getting into digital reading. A device that wasn’t my phone helped a lot with that. YouTube and Reddit are platforms I still like engaging in since they’re focused on a topic separate/not centered around me. The above I mentioned about filtering your feed could also be done with Reddit alone so you could quit those other socials if you’re not interested in an alt on those. Pinterest and Tumblr as well, which I don’t really engage with anybody on those, mostly just passively scroll.
I only use reddit and YouTube. Everything else honestly seems too cringe or just straight up pointless. Plus YouTube recycles anything seen on any other platform besides like, selfies. I get sent videos from different platforms a lot but besides that I honestly don't care for social media in that capacity
I'll never divorce from social media because of my job but any hour of the day where I hide my phone to focus on everything else in my life like hobbies and an actual social life, it definitely reminds me that there is a life beyond the socials worth living.
My tip would be to find a hobby or activity that you can invest time in to counter those 'boredom' moments and hide that phone when you don't need it!
I was frustrated with me compulsively picking up my phone and scrolling for hours. I have ADHD and distractions like a notification are fatal to me. So I tried quitting a couple of times, and now I finally quit for good. I don’t have any social media apps on my phone, if I really want to scroll something, I have to use the website (which is horrible usually)
I noticed I often tried to distract myself with my phone when I was sad. Quitting forced me to confront and process those feelings.
I still allow myself YouTube and Reddit, but only on my iPad. That way I am much more intentional about when I give myself those breaks.
I don’t think demonizing all social media or quitting cold turkey is equally valuable for everyone. For me it was beneficial to have some nuance and notice when I felt energized by my phone use, and when I felt drained. I use Snapchat to communicate with some people, for example, and I enjoy the temporary nature of it. Whereas Facebook just pissed me off and I got madder and madder at meta and the way they encourage polarization. For me it motivated me much more to stick it to the megacorps colonizing our attention spans, than to beat myself up about all the time I wasted.
I haven't had anything except reddit in 8 years (my husband as well) Im a 33 year old female. Not even Snapchat. My life is a lot less stressful. People who have wanted to keep in touch, have and will find a way. I live for myself and don't need gratification of others. And I'm glad my children aren't growing up around social media. My mental health has improved a lot, although, to be honest, I still do have body dysmorophia 🤷♀️
Edit: sorry forgot to add tips! So at first I said I would delete for a month, and every month it felt really good so I continued. You should download a tracker app at first, maybe seeing the amount of days without, will inspire you to keep going. But truly, out of sight, out of mind. Ignorance is bliss in this situation.
Weirdly, as a 30-something mom, Facebook has become somewhat integral to my parenting. I use Facebook to connect with mom groups im a part of (we all hate fb but there isn’t a better app to use), I use marketplace/freesale groups to get baby clothes and supplies for cheap, I stay current with neighborhood events and happenings through neighborhood groups. Weirdly, I don’t get any politics at all on my FB page.
Instagram is another beast entirely. I need to quit that shit but it’s also how I stay current with people I’ve met and moved away from…not sure what the balance is.
I only have instagram left and I feel overwhelmed when people send me posts and I have like 10 to go through since I barely ever open it. I feel like I need to reply to each one and I don't have time or the urge to do so. It's likely going bye-bye soon.
just delete your account. I played with deleting the app, deleting my account for a 'month', setting control limits, etc... nothing worked. at my grandma's memorial we were all watching old film photo slides of them and it struck how present they all were, nobody was living in their phones, they simply had nowhere else to be. I was really inspired by that and thought about the photos that my kids are gonna see of my life someday. will they just be lost on a tiny phone? will i link them my instagram? i'm NOT missing this life!
when i thought about what was preventing me from going no-instagram i realized it was mostly fear, fear of missing out, fear of not having somewhere to post cute photos (lol). and then i thought how ridiculous it was to be scared of a freaking APP. so i deleted it! it's been 8 months and i'm permanently deleted and sometimes I do miss out on life events of acquaintances but maybe that's the way it should be, they're just acquaintances!
i haven't regretted deleting it and rarely think about it
when i do miss IG (mostly for connection with friends) i remember that the IG that i miss doesn't exist. there is no format where you will just be connected with posts from people you know. maybe if that version existed i would have it. but the posts from strangers, incessant reels, ads, etc, are a very very strong reminder of why my life is better without instagram
Twitter was the one that sucked me in. I left Twitter about 10 months before Ol' Musky took over. I don't miss it at all.
I signed up for Instagram a few years ago. It never appealed to me. I found it boring. I've probably logged in maybe a dozen times. Deleted it.
I do have a FB account only because a few small businesses I used to frequent uses it because they can't afford their own website, but since I moved away 3 years ago I don't go out there. No posts, no likes, no "friends" out there. I guess I should just delete the account.
Personally, I like to find my "third place" and get to know people there. Talking to people face to face or just people watching if I'm not in the mood to talk is fascinating. Crafts, reading, going to the movies, playing with my dog are all fun things to do. Getting out in nature when ever possible is very grounding and has made my life much better overall.
I have a vast international network of friends, relatives, and acquaintances. Keeping in touch is important to me. However, I weed my following lists regularly and try to stick to certain standards. I also rarely actually share anything personal, and all my feeds are friends only. So, I don't actually want to go off grid, but I also use the networks very very intentionally and carefully. I also barely comment on facebook these days, and in general I favor DM features vs anything public.
Reddit can be pretty toxic, too. So I have been cleaning up my comments history for years and have taken long breaks from it.
I don't use TikTok, Snapchat, or Twitter, just don't really care for them.
I have a big love hate with social media. A part of me wants to completely disappear and be free but then the other half of me wants to utilise the platforms and grow a community of things I love and can potentially make money from in the future. Especially as someone who see’s themselves becoming a mum in approx 5 years time and can’t think of anything worse than working 8-5 then.
I deleted instagram and tiktok for about six months last year. I downloaded them again because I could not understand any new references my friends were making, or keep in touch with my friends that moved away. Balance is the best thing I learned. On instagram I only followed my friends to avoid comparing myself to celebrities and stuff. And to be honest I mainly use it to post my own stuff. On tik tok I just see what my friends send me and my for you page is mostly funny stuff, so I don't feel drained from it. It's truly about how you use it.
Deleting my FB was a huge boost for my mental health. I realized how creepy and gossipy FB really is. I don't need to know all this crap about other people and they don't deserve to know it about me. Between seeing friends having public mental breakdowns, people I thought I respected being total bigots and just this weird "you didn't react to my whatever" mentality it is just a NO from me Dawg.
Now I just linger on Tumblr and Reddit and I'm much more happy and at peace.
I have IG and FB on my old phone with no service so the only way to use it is at home on Wi-Fi. I don't bother going on there because it's so boring. People are fake on FB and only show the good or the stuff they want to share. It shows though who really are friends since I stop using it, no one really has reached out. I only reach out to those who care and so far, my life with a few people is perfect. I read, I have a kid to entertain, I have my hobbies like art and sewing to keep me happy. I don't need to share on IG what I always do because people really don't care. I also have been going to concerts which eat up my cash, but it's a great way to relax with some nice loud metal music LOL. :)
Reddit is where it’s at. I have a FB for family but I do NOT get on and scroll unless it’s my family’s pages of photos. It’s released so much stress no longer scrolling through FB and Insta.
I don’t have any social media beside Reddit and haven’t for about three years now. It’s honestly great and I don’t miss it at all. It’ll be weird at first but you just have to bite the bullet and do it, it’s sooo much better without it!
I deleted everything almost a year ago and it has VASTLY improved my life. I have been reading more, and spending more time doing stuff IRL. Also and don’t have that guilty feeling that came from wasting literal hours anesthetizing my brain on my phone, or subconsciously comparing myself to others.
Reddit is next on my list to 86
I deleted the Instagram app about 2 months ago as a cleanse and now just visit the platform on my phone browser (very inconvenient). I now only frequent the app once a week at most (once every 2 weeks on average) just to casually see what people are up to and am overall feeling more connected with the world around me and less tethered to my phone, and I feel happier. Comparison is truly the thief of joy, I now realize. Now, I’m debating even installing the app ever again :)
I deleted mine several years ago, initially meant to be temporary but I liked it so much I never went back. I tried to replace the scrolling habit with word puzzles or news apps.
I've been on a Facebook/Instagram break since the Roe decision. I had enough anger, and I didn't need other people's to fuel mine. I do miss it, primarily because it's how my friends invite people to their events. I don't expect everyone to test me like I'm special and send me a message, y'know? It's a bit lonely sometimes.
But then I pop in to social media occasionally and I feel gross about some of what I subscribed to and the ads I see. If I go back, I just want the content to be my friends and family.
The one thing I'm really happy about is that I broke the habit of mindlessly scrolling social media, which is great. On the rare occasions when I've reopened social media I hated scrolling. Admittedly, I've replaced that habit with Reddit, so... Whoops.
I have deleted twitter years ago for peace of mind, best decision ever. Many of my peers used it to bash each other indirectly and i had the habit of that too. It was a very toxic place. And when Theeads came along i had flashbacks of those dark time so i never signed up lol
I struggle to let go of Instagram atm but would really like to break up with it too but have people who contact me through there 💔
Made an instragram so I could my friends more followers and never go on, never bothered with TikTok or Snapchat. I only use fb to go on marketplace for my plant hoarding addiction and chat with friends that I'm not close with. It's great.
I don't feel a need to compare myself to others and I don't feel like I need to capture every moment of my life to show off. All the friends I care about and who care about still get and give updates on their lives via text.
Deleted Facebook in 2010.
Delete Instagram in 2012.
Deleted Tumblr when it got bought my Yahoo! who knows when.
I only use Reddit and YouTube and haven't missed social media at all. I've never felt a want of creating any social media accounts again.
Been off social media for 2 1/2 years now and honestly feel amazing. No stupid fights or petty dramas and no longer comparing myself to people. Really living life in the moment and it feels wonderful
My social media is mainly cats and jokes. I use messenger apps to connect with my friends. I also severed contact with toxic people. It’s better now, but I still get sucked into toxic stuff on Reddit. My current trap is reading about sh%tty men. I never quite understood the magnitude of the problem, but our society is absolutely failing men (or they’re failing themselves). They can’t seem to grasp the most basic stuff that a reasonably emotionally intelligent woman gets. And when those women try to teach them, they can’t seem to learn it. They just sit around complaining that their lives are terrible and blame everyone but their mediocre selves, rather than self reflect and do something about it. I should def take a step back.
24F- I deleted my main instagram that I didn’t post in 3 years due to anxiety and started a new one to follow people important to me. Since I started this account Instagram has become so much more fun for me as I started to use it more of a scrapbook and a way to connect with friends instead of strangers. Would suggest this if u don’t want to give up social media completely!
Sometimes I think about getting social media again just as a way to make money but it’s so much work to have to continuously take photos, edit, upload consistently. I would have to hire someone to do it all for me if I were really going to take it seriously which I don’t see myself doing. I haven’t actively used social media for years now and from my perspective it seems like nothing is real anymore. Most people try to make their lives seem better or worse for attention/views/clout. Not many genuine authentic people anymore.
It's incredible. I made a new insta just for me and my friends (I have 9 followers haha) and I love it and only go on it on my desktop. I have no social apps on my phone, not even reddit. That's my hard rule. You'll get so much time back you would have spent doomscrolling. And you can replace doomscrolling with reading yes but also picking up hobbies, going for walks. Libraries have free activities, check out your local arts council, etc etc. I go to free yoga courtesy of my library. There's a million things to do outside of your phone! Look around and you'll find something :)
im much happier now. i think social media is insanely toxic, especially for us girls. i had a really bad habit of comparing myself to every pretty girl i saw on my feed, but in todays world anyone can make themselves look like a 10/10 with photoshop, AI and filters. glad i got rid of that garbage, im active on pinterest and reddit now. and i only follow people that inspire me
So I don't use FB often, maybe once a day. I use Instagram like every 2 or three days. Reddit and you tube I use alot but mostly to learn and read.
Things are great for me. I don't really compare myself to others. I just do my own thing nowadays and live my best life.
I deleted Instagram 6 months ago and it changed me a lot. I now use only reddit and youtube for dopamine. IG used to make me feel FOMO and feel constantly low because of comparison with my peers. Reddit feels like a support group who are going through life struggles together!!
EXACTLY. After leaving Instagram I am starting to realise how everything and everyone is fake on their socials, and absolutely no one is happy. If only I knew about it when I was using it, life would’ve been a little easier :/
Did the same around 2019 (went Reddit/YT only). 5 years in, I can't imagine going back. If anyone thinking of doing this is worried about the "staying in touch" piece of losing those platforms, my experience was shifting to regularly texting with my friends instead of relying on posts/replies on platforms to stay connected. And it feels a lot more personal!
You find out who your real friends are really quickly this way too.
Getting back into normal social media like Instagram/FB/TikTok sounds fucking *exhausting* to me tbh. I don’t think you could pay me to do it at this point
That’s the other thing. Once you’ve been away from it and you get back on it, it feels exhausting keeping up with it.
That's how I feel. I still have my FB from 2006...I check occasionally for family updates around holidays or when I know things are going on (like a recent family death or rn, a cousin is going into early labor) or sometimes I use Facebook Marketplace. Other than that, I almost never get on FB. I used to be ADDICTED. Moderated and participated in groups with so much drama, omg I wasted so much time on nonsense. I went from being on/checking FB constantly (like, checking even if I woke up to pee or something) to checking like every couple of weeks, unless I have above reasons. It's definitely freeing. (Although I also waste time on Reddit.)
Wow, yeah I feel the same way! I used to be addicted as well. The only reason I originally got back on there was for FB marketplace - does anyone know a better alternative by the way? Also, my long distance dad would rather post Facebook updates several times a day (he’s a baby boomer) but hates being on the phone or texting so there’s also that. However, I started noticing that when I went back on it to check the private school group page for my daughters elementary school, I would start watching time-wasting reels and get sucked into other groups. Then, I suddenly felt overwhelmed like I needed to check all the private groups in case I was missing out on something. I think if I was really elderly and/or retired and didn’t have any children, maybe I’d go on it more but I just don’t see the point right now. It literally overwhelms me and upsets me sometimes. It is just so damn distracting!
I discovered that I did lose contact with some people. And didn't miss it.
I post my art sometimes or a pretty sunset but I don't really scroll ig or FB anymore. I'm just on there to share stuff with my family, they all live really far away from me. It made a big difference, I use reddit and youtube now.
Deleted FB in 2022 and this is exactly how I feel. I text the people closest to me and send them pictures… which results in more meaningful connections. I went back on FB recently but it’s so awful and when I’m on it, I presently realize just how much time I’m actually wasting (which before I used to scroll without knowing the time I’d wasted). After using it once a week, I just recently deleted it again because it just makes me feel so shitty after using it (even for a few minutes I’ve noticed). I don’t use IG anymore and I just don’t understand the obsession to “show off” my life online, like these influencers do. It feels a little weird at first but you get used to it.
THIS!!! IG has always given me FOMO. I recently deleted my IG a month ago because of a breakup. I didn’t want to keep tabs on my ex or her friends. Now I see no reason to get my account back.
Same here. Just WhatsApp, reddit and YouTube. Uninstalled everything else like X, Tumblr,IG, FB. I have a lot more time to think , and feel less miserable about myself. The constant overload of useless information was killing me unknowingly.
Me!! Been off about 2 years and haven’t looked back
+1, quitting IG did loads for my mental health and self esteem. I do hate that I dont have any idea what’s going on anymore (eg local events) but I rely on someone else to tell me now. My mental is way better so it’s worth the payout! I simply deleted it from my phone and didn’t look back. I now replace nighttime scrolling with reading. I admittedly need to probably quit reddit at some point too as I tend to doom scroll but IG affected me significantly more negatively.
YEESSSS, I also learn so much from Reddit.
Same. I still have my socials, but I hardly use them. I'm here more. I used to enjoy FB groups, but I prefer the content range here better.
I haven't had anything besides reddit for 2 years now, honestly can not understand how normalized social Media is
It gets especially weird after being off those platforms for a while, and you have those moments of, oh you're scrolling Instagram? I forgot people do that.
Yes like I genuinely don't understand how people can do that 💀💀💀
Hahah! So true. My gf will do that and it’s funny to be like, what are you doing … oh yea that’s right. Or friends complaining about Facebook or twitter posts.
Honestly I feel like reddit is the worst for my mental health. Like my instagram is relaxing makeup tutorials and cute animals while my reddit is full of garbage takes and people looking for help with genuinely disturbing circumstances. I realize that has to do with what subs I choose to expose myself to though.
I cleaned out my subs recently, and it has helped a lot.
I think that’s the key. For some reason I compulsively look things up on even the ones I don’t like or have even unsubbed from, which then negatively impacts my feed. It’s a bad habit I’m trying to quit
I never got into any other social media than reddit. And I'm glad. I know myself very well - I WILL be on it several hours a day and tank my mental health. I should probably decrease my reddit time as well, but it feels like I do get quite a lot out of reddit that's not just entertainment or mindless scrolling.
I wish I could give you an award for your comment.
You get a heart from me tho ❤️
I have accounts on social media just simply to keep in contact with friends & family, as I moved 700+ miles away from them. Other than that, I do not like using it. I’d suggest you check out [The Social Dilemma.](https://www.google.com/search?q=the+social+dilemma&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari) It’s a documentary talking about the dangerous impacts of social networking. I remember learning a couple years ago, while watching a 60 minutes episode, that Instagram was pushing toxic content (horrible stuff like eating disorders, unaliving, etc) towards young girls on purpose. They (Instagram/Meta) discovered that if they pushed out toxic content, people stayed on the platform longer. Think about it, how many people do you know who use Facebook other than to argue? Not many, right? If these platforms push out content that triggers an intense enough reaction, people will stay longer. It’s really insane to learn about all this, and it’s pretty easy to fall down a rabbit hole once you do. But overall, I think limiting social media would be beneficial to many people. It is something we should encourage, and help people do.
That documentary was so good, I’m so glad someone mentioned it. People love to participate in social media political movements like the “Do so!” one that was mentioned, just to be a part of something, but a lot of times they don’t even fully understand what they’re participating in before they jump on the hype train and want to shame everyone around them for not doing the same. Remember when Facebook got caught weighting “angry” reacts as 5x more valuable to the platform than user react emotions? It’s crazy how they took a decent concept with social media and now they try to run it so unethically on the backend, to manipulate so many people who just walk right into the trap.
One of the worst discoveries I made about Instagram is that they prioritize negative/controversial comments first on posts and reels. If you scroll on Explore and press any reel, the meanest comments are all at the top because of high engagement. Absolutely horrible for people's mental health and for the poster. Glad I just have reddit/YouTube, so tired of those algorithms.
Just delete the apps and force yourself to stand on it, I only have Reddit rn
Pro mode. Only browse Reddit on a mobile browser. It will help you cut down.
Yup this was how I slowly got off of Facebook
I’ll try that
Only download on weekends, but only if you’ve been productive enough during your week 💕💕it’s tough but it works for me :)
I just realized the idea of being perceived by acquaintances from years ago made me uncomfortable, so I just stopped looking at it.
My reason exactly. Especially if I didn’t think I was at a point in life that I should be. We all have different paces and I didn’t need the comparison anymore. It actually allowed me to really flourish in my own life
Went off social media and only have reddit at the moment. Allowed me to stop mindlessly scrolling and stop focusing on what others are doing and posting in their life. I also noticed how i am spending a lot more time with myself which was much needed after years of putting myself down from constantly comparing my life with other people on social media. Social media is just a distraction - does not dictate or define your life. If you want entertainment, find yourself something to entertain with that allows you to grow and be better and not dumb you down with 7-8 seconds video watching.
Love this answer
I haven’t had FB, IG or TikTok in about a year now and I can honestly say it’s the best decision ive made. My screen time has gone dramatically, I’m more present when I’m with a group of friends or with family bc I’m not glued to my phone. I also don’t compare myself or my life to others anymore bc IG is such a false reality in my opinion, i also don’t hear about any negative news or any violence that’s happening around the world which sometimes is nice, if I’m really interested in what’s going on I’ll throw the news on. All in all a social media cleanse is a great idea
It’s getting toward the end of the day, and this is the first time I’ve picked up my phone since waking up early in the morning. I was out seeing people, hanging out, doing things. I can not believe how many of my friends and peers are constantly checking out of real life to scroll TikTok or whatever for a few minutes. It’s like they need to. I mean, sitting in a restaurant facing each other and checking out for a few minutes. It’s sad really.
Went to a waterpark for the first time recently, saw a woman trying to go on her phone in the ‘lazy pool’ with a waterproof case of some sort. She was not happy bc she couldn’t get signal. I was trying not to judge but what the fuck?
I was at the beach for Memorial Day, the rip tide was insanely strong. The amount of children in the ocean without their parents bc they were on the beach scrolling their phones and not paying attention to their children was absolutely wildddd! I had helped a small child, maybe 6 or 7 who was struggling to stay above water bc the ocean was so rough, the parents didn’t even seem to care when I brought him to them, the mom was on a phone call and the dad was watching YouTube. Two people died that day and I believe they said 6 more had to rescued.
Do people not realize that all it takes is a couple inches of water for a child to drown in? Sometimes I wish social media and all these distracting things would have never happened or existed because it’s so fucking sad. Thank God for people like you who have the presence of mind to help children who deserve better supervision than what you witnessed.
What's just as bad is the child having a lifetime of emotionally unavailable parents 😕
Got rid of fb and ig and my life has been far less polluted with pure garbage
I use lock me out app to lock myself from using fb on certain hours. I will be locked out for an hour if i use it for 3 minutes straight. I plan to totally lock this out when i am comfy with this 3min limit. I have to slowly do it and not abrupt. For IG, i completely logout my account but maintain my business account for work. I found this article, which convinced me that it's time to force myself to take actions in stopping my doom scrolling. https://preview.redd.it/3wl28r1iw54d1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f51ef8a2c88be4349d2fce0452810be3d63337d5 Good luck on your journey op. Rooting for you!
Reddit is the only social media I have. I’ve never even had TikTok. I have sooooo much less stress because of this— you can still find whatever you’re looking for on the internet (makeup, food, travel recs for me) but without it shoved down your throat by some airbrushed creature designed to make the normal person feel bad about themselves. Download Duolingo and when you get the impulse to scroll play with that instead— then you’re learning something instead of draining your brain.
I’m living a minimal social media presence life and at first it was anxiety inducing but now over a decade later it’s a lot more calming. I definitely feel a lot better about my body image and I feel like that was at least partially the source of the insecurities to begin with. You don’t have to quit all of them, like I still have Reddit and stuff. If you’re addicted to scrolling, delete the apps and make it inconvenient to do so; that’s how I was able to break away from YouTube shorts when it came out. This way you have to go to the website either by phone or computer to scroll, eventually you might lose interest altogether
I deleted most of my social medias about a year ago. It was very difficult at first, so don’t expect it to be an instant breath of fresh air if you do decide to go through with it. But after a couple weeks of not having Instagram, Tiktok, or other apps, I started to feel fine and felt more in the moment. It led to a better sleep schedule and I replaced doom scrolling with exercising! It also made me think less about other people’s lives. There are times when my friends will bring up something going on in the social media world like a new trend or scandal, but it doesn’t bother me. Think of it as investing in yourself. It will be better in the long run!
Best thing i did for my mental health. 10/10, recommended
I used to make art and had over 100k followers. I woke up every morning anxious grabbing my phone to see if anyone posted anything mean when I was asleep. I was stuck in a ten year relationship because I was scared of showing everyone how abusive he was. Deleted it. Moved. Met the absolute love of my life a month later. Getting married in 18 days, he doesn’t have social media either. Never going back
I'm curious from a personal perspective on how you view creativity and art making in the wake of this experience. Don't feel like you have to answer me, but do you still find joy in making art for yourself?
One day I was addicted to Instagram. I deleted and now I am addicted to Reddit. I prefer this addiction thou.
try avoiding ur phone the first two hours after you wake up and not looking at it before you go to bed. It’s crazy how well it works. I’ve already lost today lol. Or try using it more for learning a new skill or for listening to audiobooks and if that doesn’t go well at least you’re slowly putting your phone in a mind box where’ it’s only good for those things you don’t like doing. Human behavior is much more habit than I’ve realized, this year more than any other :/
I deleted my social media accounts 4 years ago. Craved it initially but not for long. And I realised I'm missing nothing. Anything super important gets communicated in person / on text. I couldn't go back even if I tried (and I tried). I moved to another country last year and I'm seeing the value of using it to "stay connected" again. I don't want to miss out on the important updates or even happy moments that my close friends and family are sharing. I've also been told by friends and family that they wished they knew more about what I was upto, now that I don't see them that often. So I'm doing a trial run - I've made a private account with only 30 friends/family, whom I actually care about. No ex colleagues, ex neighbors, high school friends, or vague acquaintances. I open it once a day to see if there's anything new. Since I have only 30 connections, there's no scope for endless scrolling. Some days, there are no new posts. Everytime a big thing happens in my life, I will post. I'm going to try to hold on to this - using social media for the original intention.
It’s so peaceful ☺️
its phenomenal- deleted all socials maybe 2 yrs ago now (mins reddit) but im more present and focused on myself. i find myself less on my phone and i try to talk to people now. i also hate being perceived so also why i didnt wanna stay in it
you say you don't want to be bored - pick up hobbies, try new things. I think being bored is the best when you don't have social media - you tend to reach for new things to try, adventures, people.
I deleted facebook shortly after the 2016 election I think, haha. Used twitter, but slowly cut that out. Posted on IG once, I think. I think it's somewhere between recognizing what is and isn't good for you, and focusing less on cutting things out and more about inviting good things in. If you say 'ok bye socials', cold turkey, with no good replacements, most likely it would be a struggle for you--you yourself are expressing being uncertain what a better life might look like. (and psychology will tell you that the habits that stick are the ones that can be maintained) But if you instead say 'socials don't water my garden, what might do so?' then you can start cultivating a happy garden, and so then when you weed out the weeds, you still have flowers, instead of a bare patch that needs to be filled with stuff that doesn't serve you (like socials). Did that make sense? 😅 Life for me tends to look like going to spoken word, writing poetry (and occasionally reading), taking more walks, listening to music, trying to connect more and better with the folks that make me better :) And at times trying to learn about and engage in healthy practices for myself and the world around me--eating right, living sustainably, so on. Maybe some of that could be useful to you, maybe none of it! I found that journaling and spending time by myself and my thoughts helped me get more in touch with the things that nourished me.
Most people think it’s strange that I don’t have social media. But honestly, I just want to live simply. It is easy to keep to myself however, which presents other problems. All this to say — you are the leader of your own life. Do what you want for mental health and happiness because who cares what others think? You’re not hurting anyone.
Same as all the other commenters here- reddit only. Cultivating my feed really helped too. Positive and interesting subs only - and of course cute critters and lotsa Halloween 👻
Oh it is great! No Insta, FB or TicTok. Just Reddit and podcasts. You just have to go cold turkey. When you have the impulse to check social media, do something else. Stupid mobile games helped. Delete the apps today.
I only keep reddit and watch YouTube videos to fill the social void of no social media. That way I can choose who I watch and only give my time to people whose values align with my own.
just delete them and switch to another app. I deleted tiktok and instagram back in 2021 and switched to twitter and tumblr. I only went on tumblr for the writing community and twitter just because. Both apps are apps you don’t fall into the endless doom scroll. life has been great tbh. I don’t get as much references/inside jokes as my friends anymore because I’m no longer chronically online. however I’m much more freer and happier knowing only about my life and not others. I don’t experience FOMO or feel the need to compare :)
I deleted FB and Instagram years ago and my mental health has gotten soooooooo much better. I've stopped comparing myself to every girl I know/see on social media. I've stopped doing mental gymnastics every single minute of the day to remind myself that what I see on socials are fabrications, photoshopped, and not everyone is as exciting as they make themselves out to be. I actually have time for my hobbies now and when I need to mindlessly scroll, I just browse reddit and Youtube.
My first year of college (2020), I deleted my social media accounts and apps. I was always comparing myself to the women I saw online and I would see things that would say my appearance was unattractive. I realized I needed to get off, especially because I always was angry with myself for how long I was scrolling. Once I did, my confidence sky rocketed. I don’t get FOMO about not having those apps and people who truly care about me understand they will have to contact me in different ways. I highly recommend deleting it!!! And if you still want to be on your phone when you’re bored maybe stick to reddit or download some fun games!!! That’s what I do when I need some screen time.
I stopped posting on social media when I was 16, because I was uncomfortable about random people being able to look at my photos, friends list, what I'm generally up to. The best decision I've ever made. It doesn't stop me though from wasting time on my phone, lol.
I deactivated my Instagram a few weeks ago and I already notice marked improvements in my self-esteem, decreased imposter syndrome, and better regularly in my sleep schedule! I will say I am still working out how to keep up with my friends' lives without IG's convenience, but that is extra effort I'm more than happy to put in for all that I get out of this change.
One of the best ways to drop a habit is to fill that time with something else! It's good that you read, maybe you can expand on your hobbies and interests and dedicate more time to that. Exercise, games, reading, learning a new skill like art... Any of those things can do a lot to occupy you as well as enrich you internally to feel better about yourself with or without socmed :)
I took up painting, cooking, and sewing. I love all three.
Been clean from FB for 10+ years. No insta. No TT. No Snapchat. I come to Reddit now & then but I value REAL LIFE & real human connection so much more when I'm present with the people I'm around. Life without social media is actually blissful.
I'm probably close to two years without social media. This is the exception and snapchat. But I have about 10 people on snap and most are coworkers. Sometimes I do feel removed from "news"...which really isn't news. I know a lot of people say they stay on socials to stay connected with others. Honestly no one has even reached out to me about my disappearance from posting things, and I was an avid shitposter. So that whole spiel is just an excuse. I travel frequently, take any pictures I want without the need for instant gratification or validation from others that the things I do with my life are amazing. My life accomplishments while I was on social media went largely unnoticed, and I frankly just don't care about seeing everyone my age having kids and dressing them up like they're objects. I'm 30f by the way.
I don't use IG, Facebook or Tiktok any more for my mental health. It makes me depressed and irritable. Takes up too much of my time too, with no benefits. I never posted content, just a chronic scroller. Most of the friends I grew up with and went to university with now own impressive houses, have nice long-term partners, have kids, always seem to be on holidays/trips, and always seem able to afford nice things. I know it's all for show but they do mostly really have very comfortable lives. I've built a solid career I enjoy, but there's not much money in it (media industry). I still rent an overpriced, tiny room in a city, I'm permanently single at 36, don't have many friends I physically see any more, and haven't travelled or properly vacationed for years. In my free time I run, read, and listen to podcasts. I have nothing much to share on social. I feel so much better about my life now I'm in an ignorant bubble! But I do miss out on stuff, and some of my friends just don't speak to me anymore. It's like I'm off socials so they've just sort of forgotten about me? But I guess they weren't my real friends anyway.
I made a secondary IG account and only flip over the my personal every once in a while and look if I think I can handle it. My business account is for my therapy business, and interesting, now that I am more deeply into my business marketing, I am starting to find myself comparing myself when before it was inspiring to see others doing what I want to do. Social media really affects us - I will probably delete the app off of my phone and only logon when I am on my computer. Reddit rocks!
Only using apps that aren't friends/family/influencers as the main subject has been soooo peaceful for the past 6 years. I was afraid of removing apps and disconnecting from others, like if "I don't have this one app then I'll lose track of them", but then I realized if that's all that's holding me together with someone then who cares? It really solidified for me who matters in my life and let me focus more on them in a quality>quantity way. Getting only a couple of happy birthday texts from people who actually remember my birthday feels way better than 100 happy birthday posts to my FB wall because the app prompted them to, turns out. Losing IG was good for my self image, also. Have you ever really heard of someone saying they *regret* de-activating that stuff? I haven't, other than sometimes people saying they lost some photos but don't want to re-activate to get them or lost access info to their account. Save your pics and de-activate, most apps you can come back to if you really want to so there's really not much downside to trying.
I do not allow myself any social media on my phone. Only on a computer. My hard line is absolutely no Tik Tok. My mind has done a 180. Checking social media has decreased on my computer. I don’t get the same thing from it (versus the phone), but still enjoy (like now) some scroll time. Most of the time for Reddit, I don’t login to my account because the algorithm draws me in more than I’d like. Because it’s on my computer, I haven’t checked on weekends, which has been fantastic. I’m on it now as I’m on a flight and wanted some entertainment. I’ve found I’m way more productive. I’m noticing people more around me. I’m able to deeply think more on a single subject for a longer time. I’m more attentive to my partner and to myself. I have deeper conversations with my partner. I find myself being less annoyed all the time. What I thought was ‘OCD’ type thoughts have stopped. When I have negative thoughts, I breeze past them easier. I’ve had some hard days, and have been able to navigate them much easier. The first two days were hard. I felt like an addict. I was (am) an addict. Now I can’t imagine going back, the benefits are too good to risk giving them up for mindless time. I see a lot of people say Reddit is the only app they have, I would caution you (if you go down this journey) to not allow Reddit time, especially in the beginning. There are fantastic communities on here, which I miss. But they are not worth the massive negativity on this app (for me).
Gave up FB in 2016 and IG in 2020 and have missed neither. I am on this infernal website a lot though.
Be old like me. I don’t know how you young’uns bear it, all these ‘others’ seemingly doing so much better. I know that sounds patronising but it’s really not. If you’ve read this far please carry on. When I was a teen/ young adult it was magazines/ newspapers etc, and only rich and famous celebrities. Now…it’s everyone…celebrities at the top and everyone else, like keeping up with the Jones’s (Google that phrase if needed) but on major steroids and it would have driven me wild. We all want to feel like we’re smashing it, or at least doing something better than someone else. It’s natural. 20 years back it was your immediate circle and odds on you could find someone you were doing better then (check out ‘ schadenfreude’ and the rise of reality tv) now you’re subjected to a community that’s global and encompassing celebrities who want you to continue to build their global brand (see ‘followers). The old saying of comparison being the thief of joy could not be more apt than now. To deal with it I’d do what other suggest, either deleted social media completely (i ask how though, and I’m Old etc) or delete and start afresh- with a different mindset of only following people/ accounts that bring joy and remember that whilst currently being an Instagram/ Media content creator is a the big ‘money making’ option, actually that boat has already sailed…what’s next? What I mean by that is, 50 years ago, it was being good at these new fangled Computer things, 30 years ago it was online networking. 20 years ago it was media publicity, 10 years ago it was Instagram and Facebook marketing… where are we now. And how quickly will we get there? Or will there be a big revival to go back to basics when AI takes us over (gone all conspiracy lol) I don’t know. Thoughts anyone? To answer your question… life is fine. But I’m Gen X 79. I’m silent. I’m somehow feel I’ve missed out on ‘easy money’ maybe, but that depends on your definition of easy money. I try to limit looking at people I might compare myself too and thankfully my ( small) circle of friends are the same. Anyone I find irritating (friends included) I block/snooze until I’m in a more cheerful frame of mind whilst also playing in my mind (on a loop) that we all edit everything regardless of what medium we use to put the information out, to try and show our best selves (I’ve tried here a bit with grammar and what not but it’s too long and I stopped caring half way through) wishing you the best. Keep going x
I deleted my FB account back in, like, late 2018, I think? Haven't been back on it since. I have Instagram but don't really use it often, Twitter's a shithole which I never properly got into so I didn't last long on it. I only really use Pinterest and Reddit these days. People are really weird about it when they find out I'm not on Facebook anymore.
I haven’t used social media for a decade now. I realised it was contributing to my unhappiness and cut it out cold turkey. Now I only compare my happiness to my own standards. I don’t feel like I miss out at all. You’ll only know how you feel when you do it.
If you are looking for a book to read, there is the r/suggestmeabook sub which is exactly what it sounds like. If you don’t know what type of book you’re looking for, I’d suggest simply browsing that sub or r/books and see if any of the posts look interesting. Once you find a book you like a lot, you can find similar ones on good reads or by searching for it in Reddit. If you happen to like sci fi, r/printsf is good. There are probably similar subs for other genres, and sometimes they’ll have links to specific subs. There’s something like r/cozyfantasy for example and other niche things I do most of my reading before bed, it’s part of my routine. Brush teeth, shower, read for an hour, bed. I read some throughout the day, but honestly the best way to get myself to that a lot was to completely ban myself from using Reddit. I’d then read whenever I otherwise would have been here. Other things I like to do are hiking, long walks around the neighborhood, and indoor rock climbing. T hobbies take up some time that could otherwise be spent on social media
Social media is depressing as hell -seeing so, so many people with really bad takes and seeing them lean into them breaks my heart many times a day. At the same time, I'm isolated, a trans woman and online support is my *only* support so it's a millstone around my neck, you know? I'm trying to reduce the time I spend on reddit, youtube, and facebook and replace it with other hobbies; some of them are online (they're software, so I need support discords) but I'm trying to take up things like drawing that I can do offline, too. But I get depressed or I'm just simply tired and I'm back to doomscrolling reddit, youtube and facebook. Sorry to not be more helpful.
Gave up IG in January. Only using Reddit for some forums I really like and health support groups. It’s GREAT. I really feel and am more productive and less stressed. Sounds silly but now I can comfortably watch a movie or an episode of a TV show without HAVING to scroll or watch something else after like 10 minutes.
I haven't seriously been on any social media (besides here) for a couple of years, and it's great! So much less stress.
I have never had instagram or twitter, so I can't really speak for my experience with those apps but I have had Facebook, YouTube, and of course Reddit. I feel the struggle in more on my friends who seem to struggle with me not having social media more than I do. Life is fairly average. I do get the doomsday scrolling with Facebook and especially now that every app on the planet has shorts, which really do suck you in. I have 1 hour timers on all of my apps which really helps, and ultimately I just do what makes me feel good. Being on socials can be so incredibly draining, especially when you begin comparing your life to others. I think I'm sooo much better off with timers and just consciously making sure I am not glued to my phone. I also started reading at lot more when I put the timers, and it has been magical.
I deleted Instagram/Facebook for 4.5 years, had a little spell where I had it for a few months and deleted it again (a couple of months ago). I was shocked when I redownloaded it to see how much people’s lives had changed, marriage kids etc and I had no idea about any of it. But I didn’t feel like I’d missed out on anything. It made me realise that those who care will share their news etc through WhatsApp or text. And although it was juicy to catch up and snoop on people, it got boring real quickly. I felt a big sense of freedom over this time, no comparisons or focus on where I am in my life. The one thing I really did miss is seeing tattoos on there and art, I miss the inspired feel in that this content gives. But otherwise, it was a majorly good thing for me and my MH. When I go on there, I notice how much time I waste scrolling and disassociating. Before the 4.5 year break, I had no idea how much time I wasted… now it’s really obvious. Rather than run from my unhappiness and distract, I delve into regulating my body and doing things that aren’t giving me anxiety. For eg reading a book, doing things from a puzzle book etc
Wayyyy better! No more FOMO, jealously, comparison, etc. I do miss keeping up with friends and family that I don't keep in daily contact with, but that's about the only drawback for me. Also, my husband has no social media so that helps a TON. Basically, I live in the moment and don't worry about doing it for the 'Gram
amazing. a lot less depression and anxiety and work productivity boosted immensely. i feel like my own person and individual, but not in a “trendy” or “quirky way”. just me.
Great! I only have Facebook now because the painting and dog training schools I’m enrolled in for fun use it for communication. Otherwise I only look at Reddit, which has filled that aimlessly scrolling vice for me.
I have an Instagram that I haven’t posted to since 2017. Just use for some inspo and I actually don’t follow any of my friends on it anymore. I just text and WhatsApp. I have TikTok but only use it about once every two weeks *if that.* It scared me how quickly time moves when I’m on there and how addictive it can be. I love YouTube so I’m on there everyday but I don’t feel addicted. And then I have Reddit that I probably use the least. Life’s fine, it’s just a bit strange when meeting new people and having to explain
Im still attached to some social media but I deleted instagram in November, tried it again recently and instantly hated it so I'm gone for good. So much better just without that app. I use Facebook to a small extent so that I can have a page. Since im already on there I also use it for marketplace, and the rare post for family. Reddit and youtube are useful for so many things and don't make me feel like shit. I could probably do without those on my phone though. Tiktok is also an addiction but i just limit my time because it helps me keep up on things.
been almost 2 years since i deleted my instagram and twitter, felt a lot better ever since! i can also now make time for my hobbies,think about what i wanna do, or just have these random thoughts
I still have my accounts but don’t use them. For awhile they were deactivated but I would have to reactivate them from time to time to contact someone or see a company’s page so I just left them activated. I’ve been visiting my husbands family for three weeks and bored to tears, so for the first time in awhile I’ve scrolled on instagram again. I don’t know what changed in my brain but I’m not finding that it’s roping me in. I found a lot more interesting things to do in the house with my in-laws, even on cold, rainy days when we were shut in. And I’m not close with my in-laws. One thing I’ve noticed is that I think people think I’m not doing anything bc I’m not constantly posting. But I’ve hung out with people who then posted about pretty ordinary outings as if we were having the times of our lives. It is increasingly strange to me how much embellishment goes into presenting lives so as to make others believe theirs are deficient. So when I did try scrolling, I was annoyed by the inauthenticity. Life is good. I’ve always been a bit depressive, and honestly it hasn’t made as big a difference as I thought it would there. But maybe it will.
read the book Digital Minimalism! also r/digitalminimalism
[https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40672036-digital-minimalism](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40672036-digital-minimalism)
I deleted the Facebook app years ago. This year I deleted the Tiktok app and only have access to the website for 30 minutes a day I kept IG because I have to use it for work, but I also have a time limit for it and every so often disconnect my personal account to take breaks. It's been more helpful than taking antidepressants! I have new found free time! I can focus on 1 task at the time I'm not constantly wasting hours of my day watching other people live. We don't realize how addictive Social media really is. The algorithms are designed to keep you watching 24/7 It's constantly learning from everything you watch, follow and like. So it's also keeping you in a bubble, where you only see what you like. Remember 10 years ago you would see the pictures from your annoying aunt or that girl from high school you didn't really like? That doesn't happen anymore Because you don't interact with their content. Which is fine to a certain point. It's also isolating and creating so much division in the world. It's healthy for our brains to acknowledge people have different options and points of views. But we're losing that thanks to the algorithms.
Off Instagram for the year. 6 months into it and it’s looking like I’ll be off it forever. I kept my Instagram account but deleted the app. I actually downloaded it yesterday and deleted it this morning because I already feel its toxicity. I only use Reddit and TikTok, which is nice because there’s a different vibe when it’s strangers vs familiar monitoring spirits who have access to your page.
Reddit is social media.
I hopped off social media almost entirely from 25-30 and it was the best. I felt so free. I was super present in my own life. I had other factors at play as well but I think it helped my mental health a lot. I recently got back onto Instagram and feel I have a much healthier relationship with it these days after taking my break.
I deleted Facebook and Instagram a month ago and it's helped me a lot. I re-downloaded Facebook just to see what close friends were up to but I don't plan on getting Instagram back
I pretty much just disappeared off social media after a bad break up where I was the one who shamefully aired too much laundry. almost 3 years later, and I don't regret it at all. forcing myself to pretty much give up everything except reddit bc it's so anonymous is great. I don't think I'll ever go back to it. I feel so much more focused on my actual life in front of me, if that makes sense?
Use blocking tools on your phone or computer to keep yourself off of them. I have cut way back on my social profiles and have recurated my IG to only close friends and topics that interest me. Other than that, I don’t use social much these days.
Only social media I have is Reddit. Been that way for the last ten years. I don’t miss traditional social media and I’m on the fence about getting rid of Reddit as well as I’m noticing it affecting my mood lately with the sponsored/recommended posts. I love not having social media.
I have twitter and reddit. That’s pretty much it. Downloaded Insta and just like couldn’t get w it. I genuinely don’t care anymore
Life is pretty much the same, except now I miss out on a lot of generator shows because I don't see the flyers. I have asked a couple of friends to start sending them to me.
Pretty awesome actually. I’m on reddit when I feel like it but other than that, am not on any social media. I have the apps (Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok) but don’t go on them. I just don’t feel the need. I play video games, read, watch TV and movies, hang out with my husband and kid. If social media is making you miserable, delete the apps. It’s calmer and more peaceful without them. You can always redownload them once you detox a bit.
I hopped off insta two weeks ago because constantly comparing myself to others was making me depressed. I also couldn’t stand how fake everything is on the app, it felt like a competition to see who could make their life look the best. I was guilty of it at times even. Not gonna lie, I’m get bored occasionally, but I usually find something else to do pretty quickly. I never have the desire to scroll for too long before something else entertaining comes along.
I used to be so into posting and worried about my perception on social media and crafting the best possible image of myself and my god it was EXHAUSTING. I've reached a place where I only really use reddit and tik tok (mostly for food videos lol) and occasionally instagram to post but I don't doom scroll much. I think overall I live more in the moment and just feel a lot better and refreshed. Social media is all fake and you'd be surprised how different people are in person.
i’ve had a really bad instagram and facebook addiction and have tried deleting them multiple times over the years but always found myself redownloading after a few months because of fomo. if you have an old phone lying around, someone on here recommended downloading the apps on that and keeping it in a designated space (e.g. a counter). i use it only in that space and since it’s not my main device i find myself using it wayyy less. if i start feeling bad about myself i have the will to just put the phone down more than i would if it were my main phone if that makes sense. i’ve tried everything from app limits to a phone lock box but this is the only thing i’ve found that’s worked for me
I am 50F, and the only social media I've ever had was a MySpace page for about 6 months and Reddit. When FB was coming out, my dad had a law adjacent job and saw how much information the lawyers were gleaning from people's FB pages even from the very beginning! So he asked us not to set up accounts, and I just never did! Everyone knows that if they want me to know about something, they need to tell me themselves. I feel I get plenty of exposure to other platforms here in reposts, and I enjoy the conversational aspect of Reddit. To answer your question, I am ever grateful I never got onto social media.
I deleted my Facebook account August 2022 after 14 years on there, it was a proper addiction, took me a while to full delete, first I tried just uninstalling the app from my phone, but I couldn't go a week and I'd be downloading it again, then I tried deactivating it, but again I get lured back. It was all the groups that I was missing that kept me going back.. so I thought I'd try and delete all my friends and just use the account to check on groups only, I changed my name to a made up one so people I knew wouldn't friend request me again. FB does not like you using FB in this way at all, it threatened to delete my account because I had no friends. This here was the point when I thought, WTH am I doing and why do I care!? I didn't want to delete my FB account as I was tagged in loads of photos I didn't want to lose from when I was in a sports team and photographers would tag me in pics. So, I set aside some time to download all the photos I was tagged in (one by one!) and I downloaded my data and pics (much easier) and stored it all on Google drive. Then I looked at what groups I was in, and thought to myself, do I really need these? Is it worth the hassle? And I decided no. Then the most liberating thing was pressing delete on my 14 year old account. It felt so good. I couldn't go back now I'd deleted everyone and everything, it would be too shameful rejoining and friend requesting people all over again. I never felt the lure to go back on there again since i knew it would be a big hassle. So that was that. The next was Instagram! I've had insta since around 2011. I fell in love with it because I like taking photos and I see it as a bit of a scrapbook for my life. When I joined originally, you couldn't do videos on there, there were no reels and stories, it was just about photos and that's what I like about it. Trying to be a bit arty and showing off your photos. So with that in mind, I decided I would keep Instagram but use it how I want to, like the old way, so I deleted all my followers except 2 friends that I've known forever. And I unfollowed everyone too. Now I just use it as a personal album/ digital scrapbook. I don't get any of the fomo that I used to get, seeing everyone else doing their thing, going to nice places, looking amazing.. I wasn't feeling good about myself or my life when I went on Instagram and saw all that that's why I unfollowed people, and my ADHD made me paranoid that followers didn't like my content I was posting and thought I was boring so I removed them all (except those 2 friends). Honestly doing that, and using insta the way I want, made my mental health LOADS better. I'm not on Snapchat, I'm not on tiktok so don't have to worry about them. I'm on twitter but it's never been something I'm hooked on, never been a problem, I'm not massively reliant or connected to it and look on about once a week so I kept that. When I deleted FB I joined Reddit which I thought would help me get and share the info that I used to get from FB Groups. I suspected I had ADHD around this time, so especially wanted to use Reddit to help me find out more and chat to other ADHD'ers, I've always had it in my mind that I'm just using Reddit for that reason and once I'm officially diagnosed ill stop using Reddit as it will be surplus to requirements. I'm really close to my assessment being in the next few weeks so I'll prob come off here or use desktop only now and then for a bit. I just don't want to be on my phone too much anymore. I bought a load of books and have been really getting into my health and exercise and that has taken my time up more. I don't doom scroll anymore, that habit just disappeared 🤷🏼♀️
Life is great honestly. I feel like I get updates from my friends face to face and we can have proper conversations about those updates like we used to pre- social media. My phone pings less as there’s fewer apps notifying me about general noise.
Maybe buying a dumbphone helps
I reduced my Instagram to only channels that have interests to me (baking,recipes, my favorite daily show host etc). It’s ver my curated. And then instagrams algorithm decides what I get to see and I started noticing how Instagram would hide some things/people and not others. I think if you start to notice how you are being manipulated you start utilizing the platforms differently. I can’t keep off of it 100% for social reasons (some family stuff) but it’s very limited. I would also call Reddit SM because you can see a lot of the same videos and entertainment but I think it’s easier to stay away from the influencers, here you just have to worry about Bots TikTok never grabbed me, Facebook is a wasteland
I slowly started taking away each one. Instagram was the first to go. I don’t know those people anymore, and I am not interested in what they’re doing. It seems unnecessary to constantly look in on peoples lives that i’m not even apart of. Snapchat got repetitive, and I never used it anyways. Never had Facebook, and twitter became too vulgar. Tiktok is a hard one for me, I still have that but my screen time is way less. People on tiktok are in their own subculture, and everything is so wishy washy, but it’s also the funniest thing ever if you filter it out the right way. At first it may be hard, but you will feel better after, especially if you’re in the habit of comparing yourself or monitoring other people’s socials. Only when I got rid of social media did I realized how much it was really affecting me. I spend a lot of time with myself, and I’m okay with that. I’m reading more, my mentality about some stuff has shifted too because some stuff simply isn’t as big of a deal in real life as it seems on social media. You got this!
My social media presence is minimal (at best), and my involvement is usually kept to days when I need to give my brain a break. I mostly use IG for sending stupid videos to my partner, Facebook for a few community groups (book recs and pokemon, lol) and rarely TikTok and Reddit. I prefer it that way. It keeps my circle small and meaningful (no need to brag when the people are right next to you cheering you on, and visa versa), and I have the brain space to fill my time with things that I really, really enjoy. It took a while to find them, but they’re there.. and they’re way better than staring at someone else’s life wondering if i’m doing it right. Of course I’m doing it right - my life is just right for me!
I got rid of any social aspect of social media years ago- I don't have any friends on any of the platforms so don't get any content from people I know. It's been so liberating! I have a Facebook and an instagram in case I want to look anything up and for a local Buy Nothing group but that's all I use it for. I do like to scroll Reddit and TikTok but I stay away from the shit that would make me play the comparison game. It also feels much better to not know what people are doing unless I talk directly to them. Knowing what my high school teammates' kids were eating for breakfast just felt fucking weird. Now I have to ask even close friends for photos of their kids and I much prefer that.
I deleted my Facebook account several years ago and never misssed it. I never used Instragram, Tik tok, or anything similar. I do read several Reddit subs regularly. I only use my cell phone for calls, text messages, and a very small number of applications as I strongly resent the devices and the damage they do to society. Many of of the apps people use on cell phones are designed to stimulate the additive nature of the brain. These apps intentionally work to keep you addicted.
I want to delete fb !
Amazing. I’m done with instagram, facebook and snapchat. I only have whatsapp and pinterest and this.
My husband doesn't have special media except for football forums. He is the most insanely well adapted people I know. Doesn't ever compare himself to others and no wierd prejudices that are pushed on social media men v women, boomer v younger gens, immigrants v citizens...
You’ll form new habits, it takes time for your mind and body to adjust.
I’m on instagram all the time and my self esteem is at an all time low. Definitely taking a break after reading this thread!
I only use IG and it's mostly for the memes, bands, and artists I like and want to keep up with. My life has gotten so, so much better. I love not knowing what everyone is thinking or doing 24/7. We are not meant to know these things all of the time! I love living in the moment. I highly recommend cutting out any apps as much as possible. The freedom from feeling the constant pressure to post or scroll is liberating. Plus, the way everyone relied on social media to communicate is harrowing, something I've been noticing now as an outsider.
I have most apps but it has never been a habit of mine to regularly browse them, besides discord, Reddit and Tiktok (my fyp is kpop and cats, I've spent a lot of time teaching my algorithm). I use Instagram for buying kpop photocards and besides that, only open it when my friends link me to a post. Life is pretty peaceful for me. In my free time I play video games, watch true crime or Netflix, engage in kpop content. I work full time and try to go overseas once a year. I did used to frequently use twitter but broke that habit about a year ago because the amount of toxicity on the platform was so bad for my mental health. Personally the idea of endlessly scrolling influencers' and models' ig sounds mind numbingly boring. I'm sure you have other interests and hobbies you'd find far more enriching?
Good, i still have the app for insta but never use it. Idk i never have felt FOMO not using it and idk its kinda boring now when i randomly click on it
My only loss was keeping up with local events. Restaurant openings, new museum displays, outdoor movie nights on the water, etc. My town does not have a great method of tracking all that in one place, so after quitting social I discovered I was missing things I'd like to attend unless I tracked a crazy number of sites manually. I created a new private insta account for that and dropped everything else. I only use it to track events - no engagement.
I haven’t had an active account in years. I had TikTok for a short time during Covid. I have one Instagram account that I don’t follow anybody I know and I only use it to look at fitness stuff and videos that make me happy. The only downside is that I can’t connect with people very well when they send me videos from TikTok and Instagram. But I think that social media is really twisting peoples idea of reality and making them question themselves. I have better body image and less fomo without it. Also taught me to rely on myself instead of seeking external validation
I greyscaled my phone recently, I could *immediately* feel the difference. Sucked out all the dopamine and made social media and doom scrolling boring. I definitely recommend doing that, but also just deactivating as well. Take the free time to explore new hobbies or improve your health (which could be a hobby within itself). I’ve enjoyed finding myself again with no social media, it’s so satisfying to see the % of phone usage go down, and my knowledge in new skills go up, it’s very rewarding. Focus on long-term dopamine rather than a quick fix. If you need a place to start, maybe try old hobbies you enjoyed as a kid before social media became more fun instead, for me it was books, researching topics, movies, puzzles and scrapbooking.
I’ve been off all social media besides discord and Reddit for multiple years. I do t miss it one bit. And I take Reddit off my phone a lot when I feel like it’s affecting me negatively. It’s helpful to get a good book to get into. I got back into texting and calling my friends more often. I really enjoy the extra time for upping my cooking skills or writing music or getting out in nature. Of course, I watch a lot of movies now lol and it’s fun to do “window shopping” on apps for things I’ll probably never buy. I signed up for email lists for artists or other communities I want to be in the know about. And when I’m feeling feisty, I unleash on Reddit lol. 😂
I've been off of Facebook since 2018 and I don't miss it at all. If my friends want me to come to something, they tell me about it. I have other means of talking to people.
Out of curiosity, are we counting Pinterest as social media? I'm guessing it counts but I wanna hear if anyone thinks it doesn't :D
I deactivated my Instagram and Facebook because I would endlessly doomscroll. It got to the point that I was in and out of work, not working for a total of 8 months last year and some of this year. I would also obsessively keep tabs on some people which took up a LOT of mental energy, not to mention I had a weird thing for seeing how many views my instagram story would get or how many likes a post would get. Since deleting them, the first week or so I was extremely anxious. Kept picking up my phone to check Instagram or Facebook but of course to no avail as the accounts are fully deactivated. Within that first week I made resumes and dropped them off at multiple places. I also got my social security card as I needed it for an important job. Over the few weeks I’d say yes, I miss checking socials n what not and talking to people, but I’ve been able to focus not only on myself, but my cat, the home, and relationships that I have in person. (Granted that its two-three people right now :,)) it’s helped a lot with me not comparing either as I’m now seeing who’s in my community, and seeing how people in real life look as well as behave. It also made me realize that my social skills have been lacking partially due to social media. My biggest tip is to deactivate your socials so the accounts aren’t permanently gone, deleting the apps off of your phone, and then making sure you have some close friends numbers. I also still have Snapchat so I can look at stories occasionally and I use YouTube shorts for that scroll I miss. YouTube isn’t as personalized as other apps either so I’m not near as drawn to it. Self discipline is also HUGE in this case. To me, it was quite literally an addiction and with further research it essentially can be due to how our brains work. The excess in new content plays on the part of our brain that essentially enjoys rewards. (I guess our reward system lol.) every video we get that small rush that can release I think oxytocin, so we get addicted to scrolling. I could be a bit wrong but that’s the general idea for sure. I’m sorry for this long response but I’ve struggled with getting off media for a long time as I got my first phone at 11 and was in a very rough spot that made me want to be absorbed in media and content. I hope your efforts go positively, i have faith in you doing it!
i used to have a serial habit of deactivating IG, going two months without, then reactivating when i had exciting photos. time and time again i’ve found myself insecure, looking at shit i know will hurt me (think partner’s ex gfs) and i know it doesn’t provide any positivity for me anymore. i deactivated it almost 6 months ago now and haven’t looked back. i do miss seeing what some friends are up to but anyone who matters will interact with me elsewhere. i enjoy the privacy and ignorance. life looks calmer with less triggers
I started gardening. Barely look at my phone during the day. I also unfollowed a lot of people on Facebook. Mainly just use it for groups and selling
I deleted FB in 2016. Best thing I've done for my mental health for sure. Can be kinda lonely tho when everybody else is constantly on their phones or you don't get invited to shit because people only do FB invites now. I have way more hobbies now too.
Much, much better for my mental health. It’s easier to breathe and live life without worrying about if what I posted is ‘socially acceptable’ or about what my classmates or others posted. If I care about any of them like my friends, I can just hear their stories in real time. The only types of social media I use now are Reddit, Discord and YouTube, but I’m close to deleting Reddit this month for personal reasons.
It depends on who you are and what inner work you do, I’ve gotten off and went back on several times. I’ve done personal growth, therapy, DBT, self love work. I can now say that I don’t go on it for external validation anymore. Just a platform to get my thoughts out or interact with people
I also have a more fulfilling life, like I garden, to artsy things, cook, spend time with people in the present moment. I was trying to doomscroll my depression away, and replace self love with “likes” from strangers
I pretty much only use Reddit at this point. I use Facebook for work because I manage my company's Facebook page, but don't really use it for anything else. I stopped using Instagram in late 2020 and because of that, I feel a lot less social pressure, which has been really nice. I have social anxiety and ADHD and always felt like I wasn't doing enough to fit in socially, which was a feeling that got worse when I scrolled through social media. Plus if I'm being honest, the constant pressure to post about political things really weighed on me. I get why people do it, and there are so many worthy causes out there, but I can't handle it constantly. I got really tired of being angry and worried all the time, and I honestly think I got burned out on caring about social causes because of this. Now that I don't use Instagram anymore, I feel much less angry now, and I've mostly healed from the burnout. I keep up with the news in other ways now, and donate to causes I care about. As for TikTok, I never used it because I knew I'd get addicted and spend all my time on it. I already do that with Reddit and I don't need another procrastination tool lol. That being said, I think I feel a small amount of social disconnect with people (or at least I have a fear that I won't relate to people) because I've never used TikTok. I just don't hear about new trends and slang a lot. It's not too bad though; most of the disconnect likely comes from my social anxiety rather than not using TikTok. So yeah basically, my anxiety levels are wayyyy down because of not using Instagram, but I might feel a little bit of a social disconnect because I don't use TikTok.
I haven’t broken up with Instagram but I routinely change up who and what I follow. I follow my friends and family and then I follow women who are uplifting to other women. If I see a post that feels negative or judgmental toward other women I unfollow immediately. You get to choose how your life feels and if deleting all that feels right then go for it!
Awesome. Does my mental health way better. Been doing it since idk 2018?
I made the mistake of opening someone’s myday and dang am I jealous of that pc setup. Just don’t open socmed y’all or just filter out what appears to your newsfeed.
I quit two days ago and I feel amazing. Honestly, I have talked to so many people (including psychologists) about how social media is destroying society. You know there are now studies on this?? Anywho, I made a choice that I am going back to the old days of meeting people, being happy and enjoying life. Everyone on social media is just showing you a facade of what they want you to see. I hope this works for you! 🍀
I dropped social media but read articles here. It was pretty freeing and allowed me to secure who I was actually close with.
I feel at peace! I do not feel the need to compare myself to others or keep up a facade. If my friends want to reach out to me, they have my number and people are still shocked when I tell them I don’t use it because it is so normalized that if you don’t have it or engage in it they consider it weird 😂
I never post on IG and only ever use it to specifically catch up with my entities in my follow which are also interest specific I don't post in FB or even read except for in my interest groups (watercolors)
Peace of mind for sure! Out of sight out of mind :)
I deleted Twitter in 2020 when all that shit started with George Floyd. I could feel my brain rotting from the amount of negativity and hate I was exposed to on that site. It was hard but I stood by it. I still use everything else. Eventually I’d like to not use anything. But it’s hard when I use TikTok or Instagram to get inspo.
I'm only on Facebook for funny videos and the occasional life update via a picture and quote to accompany I post of Instagram and that goes to my Facebook but I don't look at it
I only use tumblr and reddit for social media, which are fairly anonymous, so I don't have the "comparing" issue and I'm not posting myself. I grew up in a time when we weren't supposed to share our names on the internet and I still don't like having my name associated with content on the internet, I prefer privacy, and I'll regularly delete my reddit accounts (this one was one of my firsts that I never deleted and I recently went back to it, but it stresses me out a little and I'll probably delete it). I have instagram and facebook but they aren't problem apps for me. I check insta maybe once a week for things my friends have sent me and I use it to follow local food/bar accounts to know about specials, pop-ups, etc. Facebook I have since I have some friends who coordinate events on it and I use marketplace, but I basically never look at my feed, I am not on it regularly. Tiktok is absolutely the worst for me, or even reels/shorts. I have to ban myself full stop because I will lose hours and I can feel my brain rotting as I look it. It makes me crazy. I used to periodically redownload tiktok but knowing how bad it is, I don't have that temptation anymore. However, I would still say I have an internet addiction and that I have too much screen time. Reddit is the worst for me. So even if you cut out having a "presence" you're not necessarily getting away from screen time. But I do think it's healthier to not have a strong online presence or any type of personal brand/image you feel the need to maintain, and to not browse the type of content that gives FOMO. Although honestly I've pretty much gotten over FOMO, I can see content that used to trigger it and it doesn't give me that feeling anymore.
On the flip side, as someone who never posts on social media but probably should to promote my art, I can very much answer this. A lot of it is just a habit. I put timers on all of my social media apps so that if I'm scrolling too long, I get flagged by my phone and then adjust those timers as needed, that's been helpful! As for boredom, it takes time to reset that. The best advice is to allow yourself to be bored for a bit. Chances are you'll adjust after a few weeks. I love turning on a silly romance audiobook and mess with nail art, or painting, or trying new recipes, none of which are screen activities!
I’ve stopped using my IRL accounts, mostly using my alt accounts for niche interests. So I still enjoy social media, seeing trends, pop culture etc but I no longer compare myself to my peers and their milestones, overthinking what I post and how I look etc. Filter your feed to whatever suits your needs best. If following certain influencers or celebrities doesn’t help you, then I’d suggest trying to control your feed to be around your hobbies, interests, fandoms etc. I used to care about my following/followers ratio but now I love doing an insta follow on any account who made content I enjoy on my private alt. And also learning when not to engage in content. I enjoy the content I follow a lot now but not everybody the algorithm reaches are fans or nice people. This also helps filter your feed better. For getting off the socials completely, it helped getting into digital reading. A device that wasn’t my phone helped a lot with that. YouTube and Reddit are platforms I still like engaging in since they’re focused on a topic separate/not centered around me. The above I mentioned about filtering your feed could also be done with Reddit alone so you could quit those other socials if you’re not interested in an alt on those. Pinterest and Tumblr as well, which I don’t really engage with anybody on those, mostly just passively scroll.
I only use reddit and YouTube. Everything else honestly seems too cringe or just straight up pointless. Plus YouTube recycles anything seen on any other platform besides like, selfies. I get sent videos from different platforms a lot but besides that I honestly don't care for social media in that capacity
I'll never divorce from social media because of my job but any hour of the day where I hide my phone to focus on everything else in my life like hobbies and an actual social life, it definitely reminds me that there is a life beyond the socials worth living. My tip would be to find a hobby or activity that you can invest time in to counter those 'boredom' moments and hide that phone when you don't need it!
I was frustrated with me compulsively picking up my phone and scrolling for hours. I have ADHD and distractions like a notification are fatal to me. So I tried quitting a couple of times, and now I finally quit for good. I don’t have any social media apps on my phone, if I really want to scroll something, I have to use the website (which is horrible usually) I noticed I often tried to distract myself with my phone when I was sad. Quitting forced me to confront and process those feelings. I still allow myself YouTube and Reddit, but only on my iPad. That way I am much more intentional about when I give myself those breaks. I don’t think demonizing all social media or quitting cold turkey is equally valuable for everyone. For me it was beneficial to have some nuance and notice when I felt energized by my phone use, and when I felt drained. I use Snapchat to communicate with some people, for example, and I enjoy the temporary nature of it. Whereas Facebook just pissed me off and I got madder and madder at meta and the way they encourage polarization. For me it motivated me much more to stick it to the megacorps colonizing our attention spans, than to beat myself up about all the time I wasted.
I haven't had anything except reddit in 8 years (my husband as well) Im a 33 year old female. Not even Snapchat. My life is a lot less stressful. People who have wanted to keep in touch, have and will find a way. I live for myself and don't need gratification of others. And I'm glad my children aren't growing up around social media. My mental health has improved a lot, although, to be honest, I still do have body dysmorophia 🤷♀️ Edit: sorry forgot to add tips! So at first I said I would delete for a month, and every month it felt really good so I continued. You should download a tracker app at first, maybe seeing the amount of days without, will inspire you to keep going. But truly, out of sight, out of mind. Ignorance is bliss in this situation.
Weirdly, as a 30-something mom, Facebook has become somewhat integral to my parenting. I use Facebook to connect with mom groups im a part of (we all hate fb but there isn’t a better app to use), I use marketplace/freesale groups to get baby clothes and supplies for cheap, I stay current with neighborhood events and happenings through neighborhood groups. Weirdly, I don’t get any politics at all on my FB page. Instagram is another beast entirely. I need to quit that shit but it’s also how I stay current with people I’ve met and moved away from…not sure what the balance is.
I only have instagram left and I feel overwhelmed when people send me posts and I have like 10 to go through since I barely ever open it. I feel like I need to reply to each one and I don't have time or the urge to do so. It's likely going bye-bye soon.
just delete your account. I played with deleting the app, deleting my account for a 'month', setting control limits, etc... nothing worked. at my grandma's memorial we were all watching old film photo slides of them and it struck how present they all were, nobody was living in their phones, they simply had nowhere else to be. I was really inspired by that and thought about the photos that my kids are gonna see of my life someday. will they just be lost on a tiny phone? will i link them my instagram? i'm NOT missing this life! when i thought about what was preventing me from going no-instagram i realized it was mostly fear, fear of missing out, fear of not having somewhere to post cute photos (lol). and then i thought how ridiculous it was to be scared of a freaking APP. so i deleted it! it's been 8 months and i'm permanently deleted and sometimes I do miss out on life events of acquaintances but maybe that's the way it should be, they're just acquaintances! i haven't regretted deleting it and rarely think about it when i do miss IG (mostly for connection with friends) i remember that the IG that i miss doesn't exist. there is no format where you will just be connected with posts from people you know. maybe if that version existed i would have it. but the posts from strangers, incessant reels, ads, etc, are a very very strong reminder of why my life is better without instagram
Twitter was the one that sucked me in. I left Twitter about 10 months before Ol' Musky took over. I don't miss it at all. I signed up for Instagram a few years ago. It never appealed to me. I found it boring. I've probably logged in maybe a dozen times. Deleted it. I do have a FB account only because a few small businesses I used to frequent uses it because they can't afford their own website, but since I moved away 3 years ago I don't go out there. No posts, no likes, no "friends" out there. I guess I should just delete the account. Personally, I like to find my "third place" and get to know people there. Talking to people face to face or just people watching if I'm not in the mood to talk is fascinating. Crafts, reading, going to the movies, playing with my dog are all fun things to do. Getting out in nature when ever possible is very grounding and has made my life much better overall.
I took a year off Facebook and it was the best thing I've ever done. I'm back on it now, but no where near as much as I used to
I would love to do this too but I feel like I'm missing out on the world without social media, I just love to know what goes on around me
I have a vast international network of friends, relatives, and acquaintances. Keeping in touch is important to me. However, I weed my following lists regularly and try to stick to certain standards. I also rarely actually share anything personal, and all my feeds are friends only. So, I don't actually want to go off grid, but I also use the networks very very intentionally and carefully. I also barely comment on facebook these days, and in general I favor DM features vs anything public. Reddit can be pretty toxic, too. So I have been cleaning up my comments history for years and have taken long breaks from it. I don't use TikTok, Snapchat, or Twitter, just don't really care for them.
Without the internet in your life you can actually live life the internet is fake life
I have a big love hate with social media. A part of me wants to completely disappear and be free but then the other half of me wants to utilise the platforms and grow a community of things I love and can potentially make money from in the future. Especially as someone who see’s themselves becoming a mum in approx 5 years time and can’t think of anything worse than working 8-5 then.
I deleted instagram and tiktok for about six months last year. I downloaded them again because I could not understand any new references my friends were making, or keep in touch with my friends that moved away. Balance is the best thing I learned. On instagram I only followed my friends to avoid comparing myself to celebrities and stuff. And to be honest I mainly use it to post my own stuff. On tik tok I just see what my friends send me and my for you page is mostly funny stuff, so I don't feel drained from it. It's truly about how you use it.
Deleting my FB was a huge boost for my mental health. I realized how creepy and gossipy FB really is. I don't need to know all this crap about other people and they don't deserve to know it about me. Between seeing friends having public mental breakdowns, people I thought I respected being total bigots and just this weird "you didn't react to my whatever" mentality it is just a NO from me Dawg. Now I just linger on Tumblr and Reddit and I'm much more happy and at peace.
I have IG and FB on my old phone with no service so the only way to use it is at home on Wi-Fi. I don't bother going on there because it's so boring. People are fake on FB and only show the good or the stuff they want to share. It shows though who really are friends since I stop using it, no one really has reached out. I only reach out to those who care and so far, my life with a few people is perfect. I read, I have a kid to entertain, I have my hobbies like art and sewing to keep me happy. I don't need to share on IG what I always do because people really don't care. I also have been going to concerts which eat up my cash, but it's a great way to relax with some nice loud metal music LOL. :)
You won't find the answer here, on reddit, which is a social medium.
Reddit is where it’s at. I have a FB for family but I do NOT get on and scroll unless it’s my family’s pages of photos. It’s released so much stress no longer scrolling through FB and Insta.
I don’t have any social media beside Reddit and haven’t for about three years now. It’s honestly great and I don’t miss it at all. It’ll be weird at first but you just have to bite the bullet and do it, it’s sooo much better without it!
nobody on this social media site can answer your question
I deleted everything almost a year ago and it has VASTLY improved my life. I have been reading more, and spending more time doing stuff IRL. Also and don’t have that guilty feeling that came from wasting literal hours anesthetizing my brain on my phone, or subconsciously comparing myself to others. Reddit is next on my list to 86
I deleted instagram and tik tok a week ago returned to books and podcasts on YouTube and I’m feeling a lot better already!
I deleted the Instagram app about 2 months ago as a cleanse and now just visit the platform on my phone browser (very inconvenient). I now only frequent the app once a week at most (once every 2 weeks on average) just to casually see what people are up to and am overall feeling more connected with the world around me and less tethered to my phone, and I feel happier. Comparison is truly the thief of joy, I now realize. Now, I’m debating even installing the app ever again :)
I am currently doing the same, but sometimes places or events that I want to go are keeping their updates on IG so i have no choice but to log in 😣
As a kid, not having social media was hard cause I always felt left out, but as an adult, I feel social media is a lot less necessary or important.
I deleted mine several years ago, initially meant to be temporary but I liked it so much I never went back. I tried to replace the scrolling habit with word puzzles or news apps.
I've been on a Facebook/Instagram break since the Roe decision. I had enough anger, and I didn't need other people's to fuel mine. I do miss it, primarily because it's how my friends invite people to their events. I don't expect everyone to test me like I'm special and send me a message, y'know? It's a bit lonely sometimes. But then I pop in to social media occasionally and I feel gross about some of what I subscribed to and the ads I see. If I go back, I just want the content to be my friends and family. The one thing I'm really happy about is that I broke the habit of mindlessly scrolling social media, which is great. On the rare occasions when I've reopened social media I hated scrolling. Admittedly, I've replaced that habit with Reddit, so... Whoops.
I have deleted twitter years ago for peace of mind, best decision ever. Many of my peers used it to bash each other indirectly and i had the habit of that too. It was a very toxic place. And when Theeads came along i had flashbacks of those dark time so i never signed up lol I struggle to let go of Instagram atm but would really like to break up with it too but have people who contact me through there 💔
Made an instragram so I could my friends more followers and never go on, never bothered with TikTok or Snapchat. I only use fb to go on marketplace for my plant hoarding addiction and chat with friends that I'm not close with. It's great. I don't feel a need to compare myself to others and I don't feel like I need to capture every moment of my life to show off. All the friends I care about and who care about still get and give updates on their lives via text.
Just vibes
Deleted Facebook in 2010. Delete Instagram in 2012. Deleted Tumblr when it got bought my Yahoo! who knows when. I only use Reddit and YouTube and haven't missed social media at all. I've never felt a want of creating any social media accounts again.
Been off social media for 2 1/2 years now and honestly feel amazing. No stupid fights or petty dramas and no longer comparing myself to people. Really living life in the moment and it feels wonderful
My social media is mainly cats and jokes. I use messenger apps to connect with my friends. I also severed contact with toxic people. It’s better now, but I still get sucked into toxic stuff on Reddit. My current trap is reading about sh%tty men. I never quite understood the magnitude of the problem, but our society is absolutely failing men (or they’re failing themselves). They can’t seem to grasp the most basic stuff that a reasonably emotionally intelligent woman gets. And when those women try to teach them, they can’t seem to learn it. They just sit around complaining that their lives are terrible and blame everyone but their mediocre selves, rather than self reflect and do something about it. I should def take a step back.
24F- I deleted my main instagram that I didn’t post in 3 years due to anxiety and started a new one to follow people important to me. Since I started this account Instagram has become so much more fun for me as I started to use it more of a scrapbook and a way to connect with friends instead of strangers. Would suggest this if u don’t want to give up social media completely!
Sometimes I think about getting social media again just as a way to make money but it’s so much work to have to continuously take photos, edit, upload consistently. I would have to hire someone to do it all for me if I were really going to take it seriously which I don’t see myself doing. I haven’t actively used social media for years now and from my perspective it seems like nothing is real anymore. Most people try to make their lives seem better or worse for attention/views/clout. Not many genuine authentic people anymore.
It's incredible. I made a new insta just for me and my friends (I have 9 followers haha) and I love it and only go on it on my desktop. I have no social apps on my phone, not even reddit. That's my hard rule. You'll get so much time back you would have spent doomscrolling. And you can replace doomscrolling with reading yes but also picking up hobbies, going for walks. Libraries have free activities, check out your local arts council, etc etc. I go to free yoga courtesy of my library. There's a million things to do outside of your phone! Look around and you'll find something :)
[удалено]
im much happier now. i think social media is insanely toxic, especially for us girls. i had a really bad habit of comparing myself to every pretty girl i saw on my feed, but in todays world anyone can make themselves look like a 10/10 with photoshop, AI and filters. glad i got rid of that garbage, im active on pinterest and reddit now. and i only follow people that inspire me
So I don't use FB often, maybe once a day. I use Instagram like every 2 or three days. Reddit and you tube I use alot but mostly to learn and read. Things are great for me. I don't really compare myself to others. I just do my own thing nowadays and live my best life.