People who have no social media

[Isbemorelikemeandbelesslikeyou]

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

Other than forums I have binned all social media.
I find it toxic, negative and unhelpful. It does nothing good for my mental wellbeing and I don't see the need to sit arguing with other people for hours at a time.

Personally I'd prefer to use my time reading, going out, exercising, anything that avoids the misery that is Twatter, Facebook etc.

Another one here with no SM (apart from posting on here).

I don't even have a mobile phone, I bet you find that even more "intriguing" OP

My niece and nephews do not have social media and I think it's so refreshing to see. I really hope this is the way forward as I dread the day my children are of age where they can activate social media but it does seem it is quite common nowadays to be not on these platforms.

In my children's primary school there is always discussions about social media and how it can have a negative impact on your life, maybe the youngsters of today are wising up to this fact.

I do have Facebook as my only social media platform but very rarely active on it nowadays and you would never find me if you tried to look me up.

Does seem to be the new normal now.

I don't have any social media and I'm early 30's. It used to be because I had a very unique name and could be found very easily but nowadays it's because I find them pointless...

Twitter is for people seeking validation on their opinions.

Instagram is for people seeking validation on their lifestyle and looks.

Facebook is for people "staying connected" with every Tom, Dick and Harry from primary school and beyond.

TikTok is for teenagers posting moronic dance routines.

And also because of people like you being nosey. I worked with a girl who would internet stalk anybody new who joined the company. She even found our director's FB and looked through his pictures. I find it creepy. It's scary how much info is put out their on the internet by people and scary how many people are covert internet stalkers.

Totally agree with you. It's really unhealthy & very creepy when others stalk people online and then try and pass it off as normal behaviour.

If you want to know something about someone, ask them directly.

Perhaps you have such an odd perception of social media, because you have never used it ?

What is 'fake' about it?
I manage to use social media and do useful and constructive things.
Indeed, some of the constructive things are do are actually aided by being on social media.
The benefits to me are numerous - from keeping in touch with people that logistically / geographically I can't see very often...... to sharing information......to getting notifications about all sorts of things I am interested in ........ to hearing about places I haven't been, by seeing that one of my friends has been there...... One example this week was I found one of my FB friends that I haven't seen for a while has just been on holiday to the very place I am going, so I was able to have a chat about things about the place which have been really useful, as it turns out....... then things like recycling groups keeping things out of landfill ......(and actually helpful to get rid of stuff you no longer need) .....then quick recommendations for all sorts of things (plumbers, financial advisors, local garages, etc,etc as well as restaurants or theatre shows) ........being able to share petitions or information about meetings or social action about public issues.

It's absolutely fine that you choose not to use it, but your perception of it reads like some sort of tabloid headline - shouting ignorance rather than perfectly reasonably deciding it just doesn't interest you.

I last posted on my FB about four years ago and Insta a year ago. I find it’s full of rubbish now as no one is posting either. In any case my profiles are private and you won’t find me if you search for me.

I have no other SM. I’ve never tried Snapchat or TikTok or any of those.

I don’t think I’m that unusual.

Insightful and incisive assessment of all the platforms; I’ve just old-school texted a screenshot to my 15-year-old, who also has no social media accounts!

I love the panic from some of my sm obsessed friends when somebody tries to take an impromptu photo. 😂

God forbid it not be taken from the right angle and show what they actually look like!

I don't have any social media and the only one DH is on is LinkedIn

What??? Of course it's social media! The official OED definition of social media:

'A broad category or genre of communications media which occasion or enable social interaction among groups of people, whether they are known to each other or strangers, localized in the same place or geographically dispersed.'

If you don’t pay for a product/ service you become the product/ service

Exactly why I deleted my accounts. I heard a bit on radio 4 about how they knew people are sharing awful things but do nothing to stop it. I refuse to be party to that, deleting my account has made me feel better. I’m glad I’m not the only one who feels this way.

I'm not on SM and have never really felt the need to be. It just doesn't interest me. One of my DC isn't and the others have just Facebook (rarely used) and are on LinkedIn. They're all mid 20s/ early 30s.

I have no Facebook or similar.

It would be pointless for me; I am ok with other people having it- it's just not for me.

I would love to get rid of my mobile phone, but I feel dependent on it for things like Google maps and card payments. I travel a lot. How do you manage without a phone for those things? Do you travel much?

@beastlyslumberI was actually born with Wanderlust, so yes I do travel a lot.

Just been back a week from a trip to Las Vegas, The Grand Canyon and Route 66 actually😀 and have got a month planned back in the USA in Sept.

I use Satnav in the car and carry cards on me for payments.

That's how you chose to use social media though. I use social media sometimes and have found it really helpful, I taught myself to silversmith and facebook groups of smiths with years of experience that answer questions and share their knowledge have been invaluable. I bought loads of my tools for smithing off Facebook marketplace. I'm in another Facebook group where we share veg and flower seeds from our gardens. That's just 2 examples of how facebook has given me tons of knowledge, saved me lots of money and enables two of my hobbies.

If people choose to use social media in a toxic and negative way then I can see why you wouldn't find it helpful but it doesn't take a lot of imagination to see how social media can actually enrich your life and help you to do all of those 'real life' things that people swear they wouldn't have time to do if they checked facebook for 10mins a day.

I stopped using FB about 5 or 6 years ago, because the endless stream of utter trivia was getting on my tits. I think my FB account may have been closed due to lack of use.

Instagram doesn't interest me in the slightest, but I've been thinking about a Twitter account.

That's great. I tend to walk and use public transport so not sure I can do without Google maps tbh. But if I could get just that without the rest, that would be great.

My Facebook use peaked around 2015, tailed off by 2017. I have an anonymous account I use for the neighbourhood group. But even that group I rarely check because it made me hate all the people living around here and I actually felt I had to move! When no the answer was just not to read the local FB group.

I don’t have a Twitter account but there are three or four accounts I will look at every few days.

I stopped using Reddit when I realised just how demented and rotten the company is on the trans issue.

Instead I got addicted to Mumsnet which is odd for a 40 something male. I definitely consider this site to be social media, and while there is a lot of food here I do also often feel I use it to microdose anxiety and negativity. I feel the same way about news websites too.

A lot of GOOD here!

One of my male ex-colleagues is now a devoted mumsnet reader after years of reading over our shoulders.

Nothing for me either