Are people still using Facebook?

[DroppedOff]

I came off it about five years ago. It was a relief at the time but I have lost touch with my cousins and a few people which is a shame. I was thinking I might reactivate my account. Are people using it as much these days?

In your 30s you are not the "first generation " to use FB! You are the age of my children! I'm in my 60s and have been on it since the beginning.

I still do, been on there over 20 years now (I'm in my 50s), I'd say we were the first gen to really use it but that's subjective. Most of my friends and cousins are on there, no one posts that much now but it is nice seeing the occasional photo of people's families, days out, holidays etc, we've picked up a lot of great ideas over the years from seeing places / events other people have been to. No toxic stuff. My main use is for local community groups, following local business and organisations and hobby / health related groups. I'm pretty good at ignoring the random reels and threads and stuff.

I use it very selectively. I never post anything personal but follow a few groups. Our town's page is excellent, very tightly monitored with no unpleasantness allowed.

DS uses it for his profession, as do many of his contemporaries. DH likes to see photos from his hometown.

It has been flooded with AI posts lately but by blocking them rigorously they go away.

Wouldn't say 30s are the first generation to use Facebook or social media. Do you mean the first generation to go through teenage years with it?

I'm still on it and post maybe weekly. I don't like social media as a whole but I'm aware that's how it is these days so I keep my hand in on fb. I don't think the youngsters use it much. I'm not on any of the others myself.

I look at fb daily but honestly, it's mostly drivel. And adverts. My own posts are quite boring...usually scenery from runs/hikes/cycles I've been on. I'm sure most don't give a fuck. I enjoy taking photos and it keeps the algorithm moving along so that's what I post.

I cling to the notion that we are defined by our actions rather than our thoughts because I tell you, I have some extremely uncharitable thoughts while I scroll through my newsfeed.
I think being switched on 24/7 has made fools of us all.

I’ve still got mine as have other family members, but cannot remember the last time I posted or commented on anything and when I do look, the feed is about 80% ads

I don't know many people who post personal stuff anymore.

I still find it useful as I've bought / sold a lot on Marketplace, some of my social groups use it to give out event info and there's a few UPF groups I find interesting.

I use it to keep informed of DC's activities as their providers post info. I also use it for community pages & travel groups for planning assistance. I don't post or scroll as it's so clogged with rubbish it's just a huge ad feed. I don't know many people who do post, tbh.

I do like being able to quietly snooze people's profiles, though. I had to do it over xmas to avoid the 100+ photos a day a relative was posting while on their holiday. It was a post an hour or so!

I use it mainly for groups. This one in particular www.facebook.com/groups/safeguardingfuturessocialcaresupport/?ref=share. The advice provided has been invaluable.

I stopped posting there 2 years ago when 90% of what is showed seemed to stop being my friends' feeds and it was all advertising or poorly chosen 'recommendations'. I cut down everyone except people for whom it's my main contact with them so I look at it occasionally.

It's a shame as I found it genuinely useful and I nice way to keep in touch with my disparate groups of friends in one place.

But after Zuckerberg cosied up to Trump and said it was just fine to call women 'objects' on their platforms, and to call my child 'it' and 'mentally ill' I am going to delete my account as soon as I've downloaded some photos that have value to me.

But I appreciate other people do still have uses for it, won't judge people for staying on there, but thought the above worth flagging if you didn't know!

OP, could you set up a WhatsApp group for chats with cousins instead?

People are less active on there, but yes people still use it, obviously!

It's for small organisations and groups to coordinate - otherwise I feel people are less and less inclined to post anything - various reasons - lack of trust in tech mega giant probably the main one

Yes but for functional stuff eg there is a page for parents at my kids high school which is useful to ask questions. Also I found a lost dog and posted his pic on there and things were resolved quickly. Very rarely post personal stuff on there these days but do very occasionally. I’m late 40s.

I use it everyday. I have a very rare form of cancer and find the groups very helpful.

PPs are right it’s the group chats related to hobbies or kids hobbies/schools that is by far the most useful aspect of it these days. Plus marketplace if you can make it past the timewasters.’

I run my small craft business through Facebook and connect with other crafters. Also give stuff away on the free sites and keep up with local information on the local groups. Very rarely post on my personal page. I think like everything you can make it work for you, I just ignore anything I'm not interested in.

I use it I don't post an awful lot really but I do connect with friends/ family and I'm in groups. I only have instagram to watch video look at photographs . Tik tok is a menace to society it's toxic imo.

I still use Facebook, I’m in my 40s, however I’m very selective wih friends, just close friends and family and a few work colleagues. I also delete people off it if we haven’t spoken in the year either by text or Facebook, I’m not just having people on it for being nosey. I do love Facebook memories and the local pages to find out what’s happening in the area.

Neither my adult ds or dd use it, both early 20s, they use instagram, as do most of the younger ones at work,

I use it for groups and hobbies. I never post anymore. Neither do most of the people l know on it.

Most have migrated to Instagram.

I use it a fair amount. There are some great groups on there for my fairly rare condition so it is a good way to share experiences and chat to people who understand what it is like.

I am also in some book groups and other hobby groups on there, and I find it useful for following local businesses and learning about local events.

I like seeing updates from far flung friends and family

Do I post about myself or read things from friends or family? No.

Do I use Facebook for topic specific groups- like the local community group, hobby groups, advertising groups ect, yes, lots.

This is what just about everyone I know does.

I closed my Facebook account over a decade ago. I was surprised to learn that it is still very popular in the small southern US town where I currently live, but I'd say they're about 20 years behind the times here.

I don't really use it to post myself, but it's useful for local news and groups, and I have a couple of other beauty/fashion groups I like to read.

I'm in my mid-40s and most of my friends only use it to post major life events now - big family day out, dead parent, dead pet, holiday etc.

Not for personal use. I had Facebook in the early years of it but deactivated it because of stupid family rows that I didnt want to get drawn into. Didn't miss it but eventually had to reactivate it because of various parent groups for the DC's activities etc. I don't post anything on FB at all outside of parenting groups or our local residents group (which is a private group) and now keep my settings on private, with no family or friends on it except for DH.

I always find it amusing when people claim that Facebook is dwindling and no one uses it anymore: it has over three billion active monthly users and is the largest social media platform!

I don’t really post updates and mostly only use it for groups, but it is certainly useful for that function alone.