Cutting social media

Dropped my phone and keyboard became super slow so I got used to it. Got a Kindle

Not sure if it's the same on each OS but on my android app it's the 'updates' tab on the bottom. You can join all sorts of channels to get updates, I just use it for local stuff and events happening near me. But also follow my (rather dismal) football club on it

@ReacherOMGyesthat’s interesting, I didn’t know that! How does that work, then?

I removed FB and instagram from my phone ages ago and am better for it. I have cut my exposure to racism and misogyny and also more productive.

Win!!

Sometimes I have to redownload insta as some businesses I use run their businesses on their but I remove it immediately after.

Yes definitely agree. I deactivated Twitter and instagram in the pandemic because it became a horrible place. I still have a FB account but got rid of all friends etc and never post, I only use it for a private charity volunteer group where we organise shifts. In my FB bio under my name I say it’s purely used for this purpose and told friends/family I was coming off all SM. I use Mumsnet but only because as someone else said it’s an old fashioned forum and it’s useful for general queries, especially on pets & gardening etc. Don’t get involved in other stuff. Personally I feel a lot better and anxiety has decreased since leaving SM. I started with month long breaks first and felt the benefit almost immediately. Glad I grew up when SM wasn’t around.

I still have facebook and insta because honestly, how long can you actually spend scrolling them these days?! There’s fuck all of interest to see, it’s all adverts and crap. I’m on and off in 5 minutes. WhatsApp is just a messaging service for me. The only place I spend too much time is probably in here, although with the huge numbers of fake posts and trolls lately I notice there’s less and less interesting threads to read.

There is a channels element to WA now that people can follow, anything from celebs to news to sport tournaments. So I guess if you follow a load of channels you could spend hours scrolling their updates

Exactly. In my case, it’s generally arranging a time to talk on the phone or meet.

Instagram I only use for following arts organisations, theatres etc — it’s essentially my ‘What’s On’

I only use MN and fb anyway.

I spend too long on here but no more than 10 mins a day on fb. And I only have that to keep up with a few things and for info on events in the local area etc.

agree! It's a messaging medium that has replaced SMS/MMS for me. That's it. Nothing more.

It also allows me to call and message (and send media) to friends [who live] overseas for no cost. Ditto for back home when I'm abroad.

@GoldWhiteandBlue agreed it’s scary what impacts it has on adults nevermind younger minds

really good topic, I think social media can be really damaging to your mental health, the comparison to other women’s bodies or people’s lives can make you feel really down & in your head you know rationally that people put on what they want you to see or edited images but even as an adult it’s hard not to fall into the feeling of why can’t I be or look like that.
I’ve not had social media myself in over 15 years but did run a work insta and found myself falling into the trap of comparison and trying to keep up with the latest fashions, house trends and whilst it was a temporary satisfaction I realised il never have that life or the life that they’re putting out there.
obviously social media has its positives for businesses but personally I think if you do feel low it’s going to keep you in that algorithm of keeping you down if that makes sense.
plus fed up of seeing all these influencers with freebies haha!
I must admit I have googled people from the past for a nosey and wish I hadn’t not because I’m jealous but just start to go down that thought train. It’s easy done xx

I never understand why WhatsApp is described as ‘social media’. You chat 1:1 or in a defined group of people with a shared interest - there isn’t the ‘broadcasting’ element of FB/Insta etc. It’s like texting but easier to form groups if you need to. You don’t waste hours scrolling WhatsApp!

The symbolism in this photo should scare you.

The only guy not wearing a headset is the guy who built the system, he knows.

Get out and live your life. Don't do it for the likes, they don't actually matter and the system is driving cognitive decline.

It is an eerie image when you think about what it symbolises.

I feel like I need insta to look at things like local events and restaurant menus but I tried to create a depersonalised one just for following interesting things and Instagram froze my account until I sent them a video selfie (creepy!) so I'm just not going to bother. But I do feel it's a bit of a practical obstacle not to be able to use it these days.

No. I like the company as I'm on my own. Facebook and insta are rubbish but FB has some useful local info. MN is for chatting.

D you have Spotify premium?

Search for a book called Focus by Johann Hari and listen to chapter/track 6, to hear about what Social Media is doing to your mind and your attention span and ability to focus on long form content.

ETA - it's called stolen focus

I deleted all social media on Easter Sunday of this year. Don't miss any of it and now don't even know where I was finding the time!

Last one is mumsnet..! This is an old fashioned forum where all posts and updates are shown and ordered chronologically. (vs some algorithm deciding what threads you even see in a list) so it feels a bit different. Still a time sap though

Am i here a lot? It's a lot less anyway lol.

Feck, there R at least 12 threads I posted on in last week.
Vice, yes.

Thing is you’re still here (a lot) though 😄 I want to go and never return. I suppose we all have our vices though!

Playing Pokemon Go helped get me off MN.

Social media really affects my mental health so I try and avoid it as much as possible. I occasionally look at Facebook for local news.
I can just about cope with MN but I have to sometimes delete my account and give myself a short break every now and again when I get too obsessed with reading it.

I need to. Haven’t had FB for years (other than school pages, so that’s not addictive!). Haven’t been on insta for weeks - deleted app and browser version on my phone is pretty much unusable.

Mumsnet is hard because it’s so useful for stuff. Eg yesterday I needed waterproof running gear and after googling just that, then added ‘mumsnet’ to my search and it was SO much more helpful. I was logged out and unable to get back in over the summer and it was so calm and freeing but I am addicted and it’s net toxic here so I need to stop 😆