Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

People who have no social media

271 replies

Isbemorelikemeandbelesslikeyou · 10/02/2023 21:12

I find it intriguing.

Just started working for someone new, was having a nosey looking for them on social media. The man isn’t on it at all, can’t be found, zero when typed into Google, the woman has a Fb profile that looks like from a long time ago, with 29 friends…that’s it, nothing else.
Does anyone find that unusual, or if you’re like this, why?
They are youngish, late 30’s, professional, good looking etc..these type of people usually have the lot on Sm.

I just find it intriguing

OP posts:
Luredbyapomegranate · 10/02/2023 22:50

I have an ancient unused FB, unused twitter, never has insta, passive LinkedIn.

I never thought of myself as intriguing, but I’ll take it.

Galadriel90 · 10/02/2023 22:52

I only have fb and insta and they are on private settings. I'd say 40% of people I know aren't on social media at all.

roundofapplause · 10/02/2023 22:54

I only have Twitter and that's to keep up with current affairs for work rather than to keep up with friends. Deleting Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat was the best decision for me. It's hard at first because you're so programmed to check a feed a hundred times per day to see what people were having for dinner or who was checking in at a hospital (PM me hun) but it's so liberating not having people snoop or know what you're up to. I miss Facebook for the ease of keeping up with family and friends but I just make more of a conscious effort to keep in touch.

Anxietyandwine · 10/02/2023 22:54

My husband and I made a conscious choice to come away from it all about a year ago. It was making my anxiety/ED/negative body image so so much worse. For him it was contributing to a short period of depression, comparing himself to people etc.

Beforehand we were both guilty of mindless scrolling on Fb etc. Posting #blessed and the likes.

when I stopped to think, it’s such a performative way of living. Each to their own of course but we are much happier without it and after a bit we didn’t miss it and both wouldn’t go back I don’t think.

Capssi · 10/02/2023 22:56

I'm not on social media, I'm 50 and I know plenty of people not on it, 20 and 30 age groups included. I like that nosey folk won't find me on anything. On WhatsApp for groups. Don't understand why Op you find it intriguing. We all have busy social lives, just don't need to brag about it on fb.

Greenfairydust · 10/02/2023 22:57

You sound borderline stalkerish...

I really don't get why you feel the need to be that nosey.

If you want to know more about your colleagues I suggest simply getting to know them.

BecauseTheOnlyWayIsUp · 10/02/2023 22:58

I'm not. Bloody marvellous 😀

NatashaDancing · 10/02/2023 22:58

I have no social media other than a professional LinkedIn in account which the marketing said I have to have.

Googling my name will bring up quite a lot of results as I'm quite high profile in my sector.

Bunnynames101 · 10/02/2023 23:00

I have no social media and if you type my name into google you get pages and pages about a famous actress from the 70s. I'm unsearchable.

I find social media just makes me miserable, (I had FB in it's hay day). Constantly the extremes of people seeming perfect because they only post the best bits or people posting for histrionics, it was exhausting.

Unfortunately it means I miss out on a lot. People think I'm weird because they ask for social handles now not phone numbers, or forget you exist because they don't see you posting.

When I did have FB I found it made my 'friends' lazy because they would count liking a status every six months as maintaining a friendship.

Chocolatesandroses · 10/02/2023 23:03

I use to be on Facebook and one day I just had enough and left it . Can’t be bothered with social media and I’m late 30s I’m glad I’m not the only one

Siameasy · 10/02/2023 23:05

I like Instagram for hobbies. My hobby (one of them ) is vintage clothing so I really enjoy sharing things and seeing what others have found.
I wouldn’t care if FB died tbh

Mum97540 · 10/02/2023 23:05

I have an old Facebook account I rarely log into but nothing else. I just find it depressing really. It's all so fake.

cutiemcsweetie · 10/02/2023 23:10

Im 35 soon, never had social media, never will.

IntentionalError · 10/02/2023 23:13

I’m not on social media at all, except for a Twitter account under a made-up name which has zero followers and is used to follow prominent news & sport accounts. The more I hear & read about the toxic nature of social media, the more I think not using it is sensible.

Mavericksaviators · 10/02/2023 23:16

I have non, that’s exactly how I like it. I even deleted WhatsApp last night

TobermorysMusicMachine · 10/02/2023 23:18

I disabled my Facebook for a long time and only reactivated it when I had the children as so many of the classes/events etc are advertised and run through it.

I had been thinking about it for a while then someone I worked with died by suicide her profile pictures were all in the tabloids.

Aquamarine1029 · 10/02/2023 23:19

My husband and I have no social media. Our son, 25, has no social media, and our daughter, 23, only has Instagram which she rarely ever posts and has locked down as far as possible.

EpicChaos · 10/02/2023 23:20

I see FB as a massive data mining construct, which i don't like and closer to home, it opens up all your private business to scrutiny by all and sundry that live locally, filling their mouths with gossip if you advertise every little thing that happens to you. I prefer to just keep my business to myself and a few well chosen friends, not half the town, not that i have much going on but i live in one of those areas where if you breathe, someone will gossip about it.
I don't use snapchat or instagram but i do have a twitter account, though i haven't tweeted for a few months.

Poaa · 10/02/2023 23:23

I have lots of social media accounts, but someone from work or anyone searching for me would think I didn't, all under fake name.

janefondofu · 10/02/2023 23:24

Quveas · 10/02/2023 21:19

I have no social media. Why? I have a life, I have friends, and we do stuff in real life. We have no need of technology to be sociable

Everyone has a life. You aren't better at life just because you don't have social media.

snowtrees · 10/02/2023 23:25

I use it only for volunteer work & forums etc Few people I know post personal stuff on FB/Twitter
Insta is full of parents promoting kids

MrNorrell · 10/02/2023 23:25

I'm 26 and don't have it. I briefly downloaded Instagram last year when I started a new job, because all my colleagues used it to keep in touch with each other and I thought it might be a good way to get to know people (plus, I am quite nosey).

It turns out that it just made me like them slightly less so I got rid of it after a few days.

Oopswediditagain2023 · 10/02/2023 23:30

My DP only has Instagram which is a private page and he hardly ever posts - mostly uses it to look up dinner recipes on reels! It's also hidden, so unless you know his username you wouldn't find it.

Quite a few of my mum's friends have zero online presence and it's mostly to do with abusive ex partners, but also abusive family members that they're NC with and don't want them finding out things about them. They won't even trust having a fake name.

OldFan · 10/02/2023 23:31

I always think the person must be quite antisocial.

Having said that I had to change all my SM to be under pseudonyms due to issues with a dodgy bloke.

SundaySundaySunday · 10/02/2023 23:32

The “average” Facebook user is now a 58 year old woman, whereas in 2000 it was a 25-35 year old of either gender.

Incorrect. Facebook started in 2004 when I was in uni, and it was only for US and Canada uni students initially

In any case, I am no longer on any social media, and feel so much freer and happier without it. It’s nice to meet people and genuinely not know exactly what they’ve been upto since we met last! I am still on whatsapp so it’s easy to be in touch with close friends and family.