At what point in your life did you ditch all SM?

[justanothermanicmonday1]

light hearted

Just that really.

At what age did you completely ditch all social media and never looked back?

Was there a specific turning point that made you do it?

I haven't had FB in about 8 years. However, I still have instagram.

Problem is, I find myself comparing myself to what my other friends and family are doing and I end up feeling less than. I know people only show the good "moments" however I know this isn't healthy so I think I'm going to delete my account.

I'm about to have my second DC, and me and DP have made a lovely little life for ourselves. So im wondering if it's just raging hormones at being 8 months pregnant or whether anyone else feels the same towards SM?

Thanks :-)

This is lovely, we are the same here. There's so much time wasted procrastinating through socials. Look at me right now! I should be up and out but I'm still on mumsnet and posting arghhh 😳

Can relate to this.

I remember a previous employer tried to look me up on FB years ago. And said I couldn't find you on social media. Found it super strange and was glad I stuck to my guns and kept it deleted.

Love hearing all these stories. Makes me feel less alone in how I'm feeling & thinking.

Glad I have deleted it now. Time for a fresh start!

I've not deleted mine. But logged out of Instagram a few weeks back. Did the same to facebook, but I've got some bits I want to sell.

Basically I was to massively cut back. And have. I'm mid 30s.

Me too. Must be a 30s thing. It was my birthday yesterday and this is when the penny dropped for me re social media.

I haven't ditched it but I've drastically reduced my use of it. I still like a mindless scroll from time to time but I don't post to anything any more. I'm keeping Facebook to delete all the inane shit I used to post years ago . Every day I go on to my 'memories' and delete the lot saving any photos I want to keep.

Hahaha the PTSD you get from those memories awful 😂

Not really on SM. Just Facebook which gets quieter and quieter. Never joined twitter, Instagram or tiktok. Love youtube! I watch videos and comment. It's less about "image" and more about this I relate to

Tbh I wouldnt be able for twitter. People can be v argumentative. And my life isn't perfect enough for IG stories.

I got rid of insta a few years ago, I found it wasn't adding anything to my life it was just making me feel crap. I still have Facebook although I don't post much anymore I use it to see what's going on locally (events and stuff) and to keep in contact with people who don't use WhatsApp etc.

I've never had instagram, twitter, Snapchat etc.

I did have a Facebook page in 2006 but deleted it in 2008.

So I've had no social media for about 15yrs now. (Except MN ans WhatsApp if they count)

I'm 38.

Some people are surprised, like when my DC started school and I was told to join the class FB group - I told them I don't have FB.

But in my experience lots of people don't have it these days.

Honestly I don't miss it. Don't care that I'm not on it. Saves me endless hours of scrolling and over thinking what I should post/like/reply to etc.

I do have some good friends but I'm peripheral to a few groups and I kept discovering while I scrolled mindlessly how I'd been excluded from get togethers where I knew some of the people or was friends/friendly with some of the group. Just a reminder of how my place is on the edge. And I am more or less at peace with that, working on becoming brave enough to just do things on my own, but Facebook was just reminder of how even though I love to be included, mostly, I'm not.

There was a point on this topic last night, you should have a read. It's amazing how many women can feel like an outsider, and don't belong to a so called "tribe" and how social media adds this pressure so much more. Also, can totally relate to your comments.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/amiibeingunreasonable/4820516-be-honestits-me-isnt-it?page=1

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You're definitely doing the right thing in terms of WhatsApp group chats. They can become quite toxic (in my experience, and from what others have said on here) so I try and avoid it at all costs. I'm only in a group chat with my mum & sister, my DP/MIL, work & a few cousins. I tend to steer clear of the friends/nursery chat. X

I used Facebook as a way of staying in touch with the younger members of our family, but no younger people I know use it any more, so I've deleted it as the people I want to stay in touch with, I can meet or message.
I did log on every now and then, same old people, same old rubbish, so that was it- ZAP!
And I don't feel like I'm missing out at all, it somehow lightens you, not having other peoples words swirling round your head.

Never started it really. Recently got on Instagram mainly to follow my son who is a musician and I follow 6 other accounts.

I’ve never done SM but I do have twitter just to scroll through for news etc as it’s impersonal.
I don’t get why people want to be in each others business all the time.

MN is my only guilty pleasure.

I came off Facebook and Twitter in 2014, as I felt like I was on them too much and wanted to use my time more positively.

I was never on Insta or anything else.

I don’t miss any of it, ever. It actually feels pretty weird to think I ever used to post updates about my life, photos of my kids etc on FB. I value my privacy far too much for any of that these days. And I just find Twitter so negative and juvenile. It’s not how I want to communicate with people.

MN is the only thing I have ever done in that line.

Presumably the difference is anonymity? We don’t know one another here, there are a lot of trolls and bots, so if I boast about my astonishing house, lovely friends, important job, glossy holidays etc, it’s perfectly possible I’m deluded or lying. What seems to drive people mad on non-anonymous forms of SM is comparisons with friends’ and family’s fun, wealth, success etc.

OP, I’ve never used FB or Twitter, and I use Instagram only to follow arts/music organisations because it’s a good way to keep abreast of events. I’m 50.

I deleted instagram last year due to comparing myself to others needlessly and the addiction of scrolling.

I’ve replaced it with other things (mn) and YouTube but I’m still glad to be off Instagram.

I have Facebook but never post on it. I follow some groups and local pages. I don’t use Twitter or Instagram. I wish I’d never started on MN but occasionally find it useful for info on things I didn’t know about. I think the quality of posts and topics has really deteriorated since Covid and am trying to wean myself off. I am addicted to scrolling and waste far too much time.

Facebook is so dull now, all I see is an endless stream of ‘suggested adverts and posts’ about things I’ve been googling. Hardly see any posts from my actual friends.

Twitter is also dull as ditchwater now too.

Insta has always been meh imho, never have got into it.

I’m finding I spend less and less time on any of them.

i definitely waste most of my time on MN. And if you think it’s less harmful or toxic or likely to make you feel bad about yourself on here because it’s anonymous, you haven’t been paying attention.

I'm 50.

I never had Facebook because I don't feel the need to tell the world about me or to gather unreal 'friends.' Same with instagram.

I have Twitter for work - never anything personal and I can't be identified by the name or posts.

I am here on MN and another forum related to a hobby. I use whatsapp a lot to chat with friends - but they are real friends with whom I regularly speak on an individual basis. I won't join whatsapp groups.

And that's all fine for me :)

oh exactly, facebook is just ads for what you googled last