Life before social media

[LastnightaDJsavedmylife73]

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about how much time I waste on social media and what I used to do with that time before. I’m tempted to just get rid of it, but have a hobby I’m trying to turn into a side business and instagram is vital for that.

Am I alone? Has anyone successfully moved away from endless scrolling whilst still having a profile?

its pathetic really, I’m not a child but I don’t seem to be able to stop.

I understand OP. I'm in my late 20s and have never NOT had social media (I got bebo/myspace/fb when I was 9/10, instagram/twitter since I was about 12 I think) and it hit me the other day that I truly don't understand how life could work without it. How do you know what anyone has been doing? How do you let people know any big news? How do you get recommendations for stuff? The idea of having to directly tell/ask makes me shudder but I guess that is what people did?!

I dream about binning my smartphone but know I won't do it.

Honestly, I was never on FB or Instagram but got into TikTok for a while and managed to cull that. But MN and just scrolling news and shopping online, still waste plenty of my time. It’s smartphones themselves that are addictive. I’d love to get rid of it completely but convenience/ practicalities hold me back.

There is such thing as a brick where you can tap your phone on it and it turns it into a 'brick phone' aka no socials etc, then you tap it back when you want it back. Might be helpful for self control re scrolling? I'm considering one, but keep telling myself I shouldn't need one.... I should be able to just stop... but alas.

I always struggled when I had a profile. Deleted everything but mumsnet & Reddit 3 years ago and I'm much happier and productive for it.
Instagram, tiktok and Facebook are just full of ads. It's Impossible to use these days.

i remember I used to daydream a lot, listen to music, read lots of books. It’s hard to stay focused for 15 minutes nowadays. Phones are blessing and curse at the same time.

I am of the generation that grew up without smartphones, or even social media.

what did I do? Read. I always had a book with me, and would read all the time.

as a child I would actually get told off. Stop reading and go to sleep. Stop reading and come and speak to great auntie Ethel. Stop reading, it’s anti social. What do you mean you don’t want to come shopping, you’d rather stay home and read. Don’t read the cornflake packet at breakfast.

i even got told off at school for reading.

so yes, pretty much exactly the same as a teen with a phone, except with books. my mum has commented a few times about us being attached to our phones, and “whatever did you do” before. I remind her of her frustration with me being attached to a book or magazine constantly and she conceded the point.

Get rid of the apps. Change your password to a silly combination of letters and numbers you'd never remember to stop yourself logging in every day or scrolling in bed. Put the password on a piece of paper safe and keep in drawer downstairs. Log in on desktop once a month just to catch up.

I find this fascinating! My DC are about a decade younger than you and wonder the same. No one really cared what anyone else was doing! Telling people big news, well you'd either phone them or write a letter if you didn't see them in person. And recommendations would have been word-of-mouth or reviews in magazines.

Are you me! I was born in 1968 and was never without a book. I actually carried 2 books about in case I finished one and needed another. Was forever getting told as a child to put the book away and go out and play!

I was at the gym today. Literally everyone bar a few older people (Gen X ers) were glued to their phones. It would take an earthquake or a terrorist attack to make them put their fucking phones down.

This is so interesting to hear. This deeply ingrained idea that you need to know all about what other people are doing, and "share big news". What makes you shudder about directly talking to people? What do you talk about when you meet up with people?

I think you should bin your smartphone, it sounds like it would be so freeing!

When does your brain process things when you're always on your phone? I feel like people must feel strung out and terrible from the constant stimulation

Born late 60s and was never without a book, moved onto magazines and newspapers as I got older, never stopped reading. Then I used to read what seemed like the entirety of Ceefax every day. Now it's my phone but not just SM, I have various newspaper subscriptions on it and use MN a lot (and learn a lot in doing so). But I learn so much from SM too, yes I watch too many videos of people painting their nails and tap dancing but also have made so many friends and joined so many activities through it.

Read. Speak to friends for hours on the telephone (which was in our hall and freezing - it couldn't be moved). Write stories and poems. Daydream. Talk to my parents. Play cards.

Boomer here. I use my kindle a lot for reading. I follow 3 lower league football teams and I need the internet, so I know how the other 2 are doing when I am at a game. Social media is great for finding out how to do stuff. We are the first generation to have the internet in retirement. Perhaps we can still see it as a resource and not let it control us.

Its knowing what to ask! When I meet up with someone, I would ask about something I had seen (on their social media) that they had done, or maybe if they shared something that aligned with my values in some way I'd try to bring that up. I am pretty crap socially and definitely use the 'intel' social media gives me as a crutch.

This is why youngsters now are fucked up. Too much time spent online.

We joke about Gen Z being useless and can't interact with actual humans. Hence the blank stares and poor communication skills.

I miss when the internet was largely anonymous, you still maintained your life outside and then used it a little bit for things like blogs, live journal and so on.

Other than that I think I spent a lot more time on my hobbies and outside. I used to draw, read and make collages for hours and hours.

The thing is, it was very different before everyone had social media, as we all communicated differently.

If you stop using any social media, unless the rest of the world does, then you would miss out on things.
I do have a couple of friends who are quite a bit older than me and it comes up quite frequently when I mention something that is happening or somewhere I have been, or a new place I'd like to try, and they ask me "How do you know about all these things?"...... well, I use social media.

Life evolves. That's the way events are publicised. That's the way many people share their news. Of course you can opt out, but how much will you be upset at missing out on the information you currently get from the SM you are on ?

There are plenty of ways to 'cut down' on your use.

Some posters might like to read the Johann Hari book, Stolen Focus. I found it helpful. I just reread the first chapter sometimes.

i’m 50, so I appreciate it’s easier for me to do stuff without being glued to a phone than it is for other people…. But then I also know 50 something who are glued to their phones.

I’ve never been glued to my phone, but I’m definitely spending more time here than I would like.

I should point out I am Gen X which is quite embarrassing. So, I know life before social media, but I can’t remember! Eg tomorrow morning I’ll have a coffee in bed, if my husband does the same we will chat, but if not I’ll scroll, but what did I do before? Read? Stare in to space? I honestly don’t know! 😂..

I should also add I never post, well the odd photo a couple of times a year and maybe a happy Christmas/new year message. I mainly look at lifestyle stuff and funny reels.. There has to be better uses of my free time.

Must. Get. A. Grip!

I deleted everything except MNs & Whatsapp, so much better. Need to delete MNs too really

I’m mid 30s and been off instagram and facebook for almost a year now. I started deactivating my accounts on and off around 2019 because they were so distracting. Now I just find it’s all so toxic and brain numbing I’ve come off them completely.

Thanks for comments, it’s nice to know I’m not alone!

I need a way to keep instagram for growing my hobby business, but stay away from it for other reason… I don’t know how I do that though.

Why do you want to cut down, is it making you feel bad or do you just think you "should"?