to think there is nothing positive about social media

I found it very triggering in the middle of a mental health crisis and totally deleted my accounts because it added nothing to my life and to be honest I don't miss the mental noise. Perhaps if I was in a better state I would use it but it became self defeating and made me feel more vulnerable and anxious. I was broadcasting my feelings and emotions and it was not a healthy thing. I think it's good to use it mindfully but I'm not in a place where I feel able to do that.

I only have Facebook and Instagram. Instagram I haven’t actually posted for about 9 years. I just use it to follow small businesses - mainly ones making cute kids room decor that I will buy from their websites or Etsy.

Facebook I use every day. Again can’t even tell you the last time I posted and to be honest I would love to delete it, but I feel pretty trapped because like another user said, most local events and news in my area is exclusively posted on Facebook. I just go on to check a few bits, but it takes me ages because my news feed is full of absolute rubbish from random pages I have no interest in. No matter what I do, I can’t seem to get rid of them. Wish they had an option to only see posts from friends and groups you’ve followed, but all I see is suggested pages! It’s pretty unusable for me now, but I keep it solely because I wouldn’t know what was going on otherwise. Even local road closures or updates from the police are on Facebook. Tried to look on their websites for them but couldn’t find anything.

I do use YouTube and Pinterest regularly, which is probably classed as social media technically, but I personally don’t see those sites as social media.

It can be proper fun.

It is what you make from it. I follow actual friends, local businesses, museums, artists and proper fun accounts like Brian Morabito who is proper hilarious with naration of various paintings.

I agree with this. The most negative things I see on social media comes from MN funnily enough.

FB keeps me updated with family up North and abroad. I love seeing people's photos. I'm also in groups which are really for Coeliacs, ADHD,

The algorithm on Insta and TikTok ensure that I only see posts I'm interested in, which is mainly funny animals.

Pinterest is great for creative ideas. It saved my bacon many times when the kids needed to make stuff for school.

I love YouTube for true crime videos and learning how to do stuff, such as DIY or DDs algebra homework 🤣 DD uses it for gymnastic drills.

I generally dislike social media in all its forms, but more for what it’s become rather than the medium itself. Much of Facebook is universally acknowledged to be full of vacuous fuckwits, yet it’s the only game in town when it comes to keeping in touch with the local Historical Society back in my old area in Yorkshire.
There are also a couple of niche hobby groups which exist nowhere else, so it’s worth it for these reasons alone. I’m also a member of a couple of groups on Groups.io, which seem to be mostly civilised and largely free of fuckwittery.

Twitter/X seems to have become a toxic swamp and I don’t use Instagram at all. WhatsApp is limited, for me, to friends, family and a few ex-work colleagues. I should probably say that I’m introverted, grumpy and 67 years old, so probably not a typical SM user anyway!

It's so sad that everyone cites knowing about local events taking place being the main plus about social media. Local events took place before social media, more often and with higher attendance. Our town square is now mediated by private companies. They've stolen the real thing and sold us back a poor copy.

Social media is very very very bad. There are some pluses but are so overwhelmingly outweighed by the negatives they're not worth mentioning

Facebook - local upcoming events

Mumsnet - exposure to all of UK society. I had no idea so many women were still being abused until I joined up. Great for advice on parenting.

Insta - I follow nature and travel accounts so a great way to 'see' the world

Twitter - great for an argument when you're in the mood for one

over the years i have made many friends, several of whom i have met IRL, and joined communities that have enhanced my life.
I sew, and instagram is a great way of showing off my things, and seeing what other people have made etc etc

How other people use their SM is not for me to judge or police

I think there’s a lot wrong with it, but I find it incredibly useful for keeping in touch with extended family and I met my husband through Facebook! We both joined a particular group. He noticed we had lots of mutual friends and sent me a friend request.

Our local neighbourhood group is also amazing. Yes, there are some silly posts. But it’s invaluable for everything from reuniting people with misdelivered post to passing on important information.

It’s a great way to stay in touch with people. Good for inspiration, but I have to consciously remind myself that things are always exaggerated to extremes.
It is good for introverts who don’t want to socialise all of the time, but can stay in touch with friends.
Local events too - it keeps me in the loop about local issues and events.

YABU

Cat videos.

The videos taking the piss out of Twilight and that H20 show. So funny!

News and opinions

The people who bring drama every 5 minutes. One minute it’s “Just me and the kids from now on no more 🐍 in my life”. The next afternoon they’re posing at Chessington with “My world 🌍 “. I love it

It's not quite the same.

I must come back and say though - I've just had a scroll today and found some great things. Interesting article on taxidermy, I ordered a new mug from a local small business, found a song I'd had an earworm over for a while, and saw the cutest photo of my friend's new kitten. So as has been said - it depends how you use it!

I still think too many people live through the lens of it, but if it isn't the be all and end all of life, then it can be interesting and useful.

Facebook is helpful for keeping up with people and local news/events.

Facebook has groups for my interests where I can-speak to scientists of international repute.

I think the whole curated image thing is going too far. We were at a tourist attraction the other day, there were 3 girls in particular who spent nearly 45mins taking photos in various poses, it looked exhausting then they left and never actually even went in?!? I find the behaviour so odd, like why if your not even actually doing what your taking pictures off?? It’s all lies and fake. Also don’t like being in the background of these countless images!

My Instagram is a beautiful curated place of handmade textile items and makers showing their latest pieces. There’s a huge supportive community, I shop a lot on there and support small businesses. YABU

WhatsApp and instagram are social media platforms, and they enable and allow content sharing and messaging, via text, call or video. I think these factors make it a valuable tool for keeping in touch with friends and family all over the world, and so for that reason I think it’s positive on the whole.

Most of the negative aspects of platforms such as TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat etc are best managed by (a) not using the platforms in the first place, (b) keeping children away from them - using better age verification tools for example, (c) better controls on opening accounts for verified identities only and (d) people understanding and using their privacy settling appropriately.

I think it's great! The whole world is opened up to you! You have to be selective and use it with discernment; not just idle away hours using it passively. But for me, it's really useful, for my job and my hobbies and interests. I get lots of inspiration and ideas from it. I enjoy it and engage with it much more actively than I would slumped in front of Netflix for example. And I have a huge extended family who live in many different countries so it's brilliant to keep in touch with them all.

This isn't the sort of stuff I look at, but I see some of the content that my dds are looking at, and I think at their age you need to be quite grounded not to be sucked in to the constant "the best way to eat, the best interiors, the best pastry, the best make up, the best clothes, the best exercise, the best way to communicate". If I was young I might fall for it, and constantly think I wasn't good enough, but happily I an old crone with enough experience of real life to know that 80% of these extremes are nonsense and you are better relying on common sense and sticking to a middle path.

What a joy it is to be able to peak behind the scenes at the Met Opera or watch a skilled oil painter sketch out a portrait and then try it yourself, or learn about new travel destinations. Just today I have been researching interesting places to visit for a late spring holiday. And putting out feelers to family members en route.

Sm is just a means to an end and it's the way you use it and your objectives when using it that count. It's just one more powerful entity like alcohol, sex and the sea, all of which can be terrific, or completely ruin your life, depending on how you use them.

Social media is great for
Support from eg other runners who are more enthusiastic about your successes than anyone you know irl
It's polluted us though.

I don't think Mumsnet is SM. I do wish they'd get rid of the new 'reactions' though, as it makes it more SM like.

I've stopped using or even browsing SM these days, as it's utter brain rot. That said, I use it to research paint colours or interiors/garden inspiration. I use FB for the local news. That's about it now!

It's how you use it I suppose.
I like Facebook for keeping in touch with old friends and family members. It's a nice way to hear their news and share photos etc. Facebook is now too full of random stuff I don't want to see.
I hate X as it just suddenly seems to be full of right wing racists and there's no escaping them. I was actually feeling very tense and upset every time I went on.
I'm fairly new to Instagram and like it. I love looking at photos in general so I think it's a nice forum to share photos. I'm also getting some brilliant recipe ideas on there.
I've never used snapchat or TikTok.