to think there is nothing positive about social media

YABU because "social media" means different things to different people. Some people mean following loads of influencers on Instagram/Tiktok and thinking they have to live their lives accordingly. Others have thousands of "friends" on Facebook or Instagram and post constantly for validation. Lots will argue that MN/Reddit is social media, as are messaging apps like WhatsApp.

I use social media in a different way - my friends on Facebook are just that, genuine friends, people I know. I follow accounts on Instagram/Bluesky which are relevant to my occupation and interests and rarely post myself. I use WhatsApp regularly to keep in touch with people around the world. That's all ver positive.

Yes, forums are social media.
I enjoy social media such as forums....

Thanks to Facebook I managed to reunite a lost dog with his owner within an hour the other day

but other than that I’m not sure. I know so many people who basically believe anything they ready on fb/twitter/insta which is a very worrying trend. Definitely a link between social media and right wing extremist views.

It’s been very important for marginalised and misunderstood groups to get together. ND people are learning how they tick and that is fundamentally changing lives.

The problems and benefits of SM just reflect what's going on in RL.

I'm only friends with people I like.
I only follow people/ groups that bring me something positive.

I like FB for friends/ family, groups and interesting pages. It's also like a community notice board.

I like youtube for fitness motivation, and random interesting stuff. This morning I've been watching a canal boater near the breach in Chesire, and the making of Wallace and Gromit. DS uses it to teach me about modern mudic

I don't do tiktok, snapchat or X. They just never appealed.

I like MN for discussion because it's not an echo chamber. It has its biases but there is a range of opinions and the moderation is pragmatic.

That's the thing isn't it? I dunno if it's for personal validation or not, but I actively want to look at the random stuff people on my FB get up to. That’s why they're on my FB.

I hate Facebook. It's all very much "look at me" posts for personal validation. I would delete it but I use it to find local events, and keep up to date with certain charities/businesses.

I like tiktok to a degree. I use it for history, booktook & cat memes. I stay away from the drama on there though.

I don't use any other SM.

So depends really!

It is up to the person to use it responsibly same as anything.

I don't do loads of social media,.don't have twitter/x, have but don't use Instagram

but I do have Facebook which I like to keep in touch with people and then the interest groups on there are great and I find the local groups useful and Facebook marketplace is great. I like whatsapp and signal for group chats etc all v useful, especially for arranging events etc I like you tube for content. I don't feel harmed and don't feel my use is negative for society.

It's exactly what you make it.

Mine is lovely. Only have people I know and content I enjoy. I feel like a lot of the issues people have with sm are jealousy, insecurity and so on.

Anything or anyone that annoys me gets muted or blocked.

Yes this is what I've found with my missing cat(obviously not in the same league as your MIL). Her picture and my posts have been shared to the extent that the whole neighbourhood is now looking out for her and people tell me they look for her when they walk to the bus or to the pub. Our vet have shared her pictures and done an appeal as well so even more people have seen that she is missing.

It has its uses.

It is useful for interest groups and social groups.

The one and outs of most people's lives does not interest me much.

I like WhatsApp the most.

hands up! connecting with other parents with special needs kids. It is so isolating. You can think you’re going crazy. Following the SM accounts of other mums going through it is a godsend.

There are no negatives to it for me.

For me there are loads of positives. But I curate my feeds carefully and manage my feed. I use it to find out about events and activities in the real world. It enhances my life and connections with my friends. I only follow strangers, businesses or charities/organisations who enhance my life and make me feel good or enable me to do more good things, I use the “don’t suggest things like this” option for anything I don’t want to see more of.

Mumsnet is social media…. So why are you here ?

I think it depends on the user and benefits vs negatives will be different if we're talking about children rather than adults.

I don't get any of the negatives(in part because of my temperament/personality) , but then again my SM use is quite limited/specific compared to a lot of users.

I don't have Insta, Tiktok etc. Used to have FB but deleted it as I speak to my friends list IRL anyway.

MN is as close to social media as I get now. I have learned a lot and had great support. But it has noticeably changed over the last couple of years. More bots, more trolls and a subset of posters who are set on being dicks no matter the topic - like the current pile on to the Christian MN board.

I've alway encouraged my dds to use it for fun. One loves tik tok and follows a number of vloggers but it's generally baking, video games .

The other loves to post on Instagram and shows the lovely creative things she does.

Neither are obsessed or constantly posting. I'd say i spend more time on Mumsnet than they do on sm

It depends how you use it-

Facebook
I'm only friends with my actual friends and family , literally about 60 people, the people who would get a day invite to my wedding. . it's a nice way to post photos that my aunts and cousins can see. And I can catch up on their lives.
I also use Facebook for a book club I'm in, local selling/village info pages and local autism groups.

Instagram
I follow my dds , my nieces and a handful of comedians I find hilarious. I also get some feminist news articles which are interesting

Snapchat
Literally my dds, my sister and my nieces we send funny pictures to each other

Mumsnet
My place to chat, ask advice and give my opinion all anonymous!

I get only positives out of sm , I wouldn't bother it was negative.

Normally I am not a fan of social media but when my MIL who has dementia went missing she was found due to the SM campaign that the police ran.

you can reach 1000s of people within seconds

I think I'd be a worse parent if it wasn't for SM as I'd just be doing what my parents did without much outside influence. So for me it's been a good thing mostly, although I am slightly addicted to Tiktok