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Original poster

Am I the only person who....

24 replies

Bluesheep8 · 29/08/2018 09:28

....has never been on Facebook? I mean, I've seen it, when family friends have shown me something but I've never been on it myself. People look at me in total surprise and even horror when they ask if I'm on it. I've just never felt the need and see it as an added pressure I can do without. Anyone else never been on it? I'm not talking about ceasing to use it, I mean never done it in the first place. And also your age? I'm 44.....

OP posts:
ShatnersWig · 29/08/2018 09:32

I sadly have to have Facebook for work, as I run a page for the charity I work for, otherwise I'd go nowhere near it. I try and minimise personal contact with it.

NonJeNeRegretteRien · 29/08/2018 09:46

My Dad and my PIL haven’t got it!

I think it’s great that you don’t and have never had it, it’s nothing but trouble!

SgtFredColon · 29/08/2018 10:20

I know a few people that haven’t been on it. Not loads but one or two of my friends. I’m 38.

Wistfulthinking · 29/08/2018 10:59

40 something too and I have chosen not be on facebook. I'm generally quite a private person.

PenApple · 29/08/2018 11:02

Im 33 and the only people I know who have never had an account are those who have never used a computer. Think that’s just my dad & grandma. It’s the main way I keep in touch with family and keep up to date with school stuff so I think I’d struggle without it.

iamme21 · 29/08/2018 11:06

I’m 48 and never had a Facebook account!

UtterlyDesperate · 29/08/2018 11:13

44 here and also never had any desire to have one. I don't even know how it works, my interest in it is so low. I remember when it started being popular around 2005ish, and students were surprised their tutors knew that they were hungover and not ill when they had skived tutorials - that was enough of a deterrent for me :-D

DGRossetti · 29/08/2018 11:15

I was out with some friends recently, and one (whose not on FB) asked another who had just had a goss updated us on what some mutual friends had been up to recently How do you have time to keep up ?

To which the answer was "if you were on Facebook, you'd know as much as I do.". The killer punch being you don't have to post, you know.

That said, we may be at peak Facebook ... I wonder what'll supplant it ?

Meandyouandyouandme · 29/08/2018 11:15

I’ve been on Facebook for about a year, I’m 47. The only reason I went on was to see what my friends were up to, I very occasionally post, and only have about 40 friends so there’s not much to see! I like to see what’s going on in my city and use it to find out about events near me. I don’t use it everyday, I don’t do Instagram, Twitter or any others, just Mumsnet Smile

Belindabauer · 29/08/2018 11:16

Op- you are not missing anything!

tinytemper66 · 29/08/2018 13:18

My husband refuses to engage in any social media except what's app!

MeetOnTheLedge · 29/08/2018 13:34

I know people who don't use it, but it is offen apparent that they have very little idea of what's going on locally compared to those that do. I don't use it much for personal stuff but follow lots of local news pages, campaigns about local issues, local businesses, events happening locally, also private groups related to hobbies and interests, medical conditions relevant to my family etc. I like seeing my friends updates too, but that's a fairly small proportion of it.

MayFayner · 29/08/2018 13:36

I have one close friend who has never been on in. She’s early 40s.

She’s the most extroverted, sociable and confident person I know. She just never liked the sound of fb.

DGRossetti · 29/08/2018 14:00

It's a ... different ... way to watch the world go by. The secret is to remember you don't have to post. Something a friend appears to have taken to the extreme of having a posting history of one a year. At Christmas (since 2009) ... "Still working at Megacorp".

HolyMountain · 29/08/2018 14:07

I'm 50 and have never had my own fb page, it's just never been something that's appealed to me. People look at me like Hmm when I say.

NewDirectionNeeded · 29/08/2018 14:17

I'm 34 and have never been on it. Been tempted a few times, but I'm very quickly reminded why I'm not on it, by some horrendous and completely unnecessary drama.

hmmwhatatodo · 29/08/2018 14:19

Well ive never been to Ikea, so...

SnailMailFan · 29/08/2018 14:26

I think people who have never had Facebook don’t realise that it has other uses apart from seeing people’s holiday pictures. Whatever your hobby, there are pages for it. I even saw a page the other day for Zoflora fans.

DGRossetti · 29/08/2018 14:45

I think people who have never had Facebook don’t realise that it has other uses apart from seeing people’s holiday pictures. Whatever your hobby, there are pages for it.

And there's the beauty of seeing links develop, and learning more about the world around you - all from the comfort of your living room.

There's a certain irony in people posting on MN that they don't do social media ...

steppemum · 29/08/2018 15:00

I have never been on facebook.
My life is complete without it.

I am 50, and use mutliple high tech, just have never seen the need to FB

BUT, my husband does, and he passes on a lots of bits and pieces to me about things going on. We belong to a big church for example, and he will mention in passing - so and so has had their baby, so and so's mum is ill.
So, if he wasn't on it, I reckon I would have to follow it.

shadypines · 29/08/2018 15:28

No you're not OP, I'm 52 and got plenty to do...it sounds tedious to me and just a load of trouble!

Original poster
Bluesheep8 · 29/08/2018 16:04

Yes, as a pp said, there is some irony that I post on mumsnet I suppose but that is anonymous and I don't feel obliged to comment on people's posts because they're not my family. I also don't like the idea of friend requests as I think I'd feel obliged to accept people. As well as that, I'm a very private person and am convinced that people I hardly know would be able to see everything.

OP posts:
nomorepeoplepleasing · 29/08/2018 16:14

Also mid 40s and never been on facebook. As you say, it's very different from MN in that there is no anonymity.

I'm currently feeling the pressure to conform and join because a) arrangements seem to be made via FB so I seem to be the last to know about social events b) lots of people I know ONLY seem to communicate by FB c) I'm that most people think I'm odd for not using it.

But I'm hesitant because a) if I've left it this long surely the time has passed b) I know so many people who have had fallings out over things posted without thinking/ill thought our comments/failing to 'like' someone's posts etc c) I know that people who I'm not keen to share too much with would want me to add them as a 'friend' and it would seem very rude to refuse d) on the other hand, I am not terribly sociable so I could have the embarasment of being the only person in the world with less than 5 FB friends!

SnailMailFan · 29/08/2018 20:59

People don’t look to see how many friends you have!! I don’t have a clue how many I have but it won’t be that many. I never post personal stuff, but I’m in lots of groups related to hobbies (dieting, and bullet journaling, and a few authors groups - as a reader not writer) The only time I post is within those groups, most of them are set to private, which I like as other friends don’t see me wittering on about pens and washi tape.

I’m not a great Facebook user, despite me cheerleading it, but there’s soooo much more to it than people bragging about their lives, especially if you’re fairly introverted. You don’t have to use your own name if you don’t want family and friends to see you.

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