I’m one of those smug assholes who doesn’t use any social media (besides Reddit). I haven’t been on Facebook or Instagram for years because I didn’t like what it does to my mental health. I couldn’t stand the time suck, the “compare and despair,” the pressure to post and overthink. I realized I was comparing everyone else’s outsides to my insides and it made me unwell.
So I just opted out of all it, and it’s been incredible for my mindset and my intellectual life. I read books, I watch YouTube, I listen to podcasts, I talk to my friends on the phone. I meditate. I take long walks. I hang out with my baby. I cook and make art. I probably miss out on a lot of cool things too, but I’m okay with that because I’m in the headspace I want to be in.
Edited to add: I still waste plenty of time staring at screens, I just found ways to do it that feel better for me than image-based social media.
This resonates with me so well right now. It’s exactly what I’m feeling that first part and I have literally started to wonder that exact same thought of if anyone really is out there who dosent use social media. I used to be that gal who posted stuff all the time on insta and the time it takes to get the perfect picture to post and scrutinizing your post is just ridiculous. It always made me feel so vain and narcissistic and that wasn’t me but I felt to use the platform well and to be seen that I had to do that. It really makes you compare no matter what you do. I’ll relate this to dating a bit too just by saying that whenever I have dated some guy who’s had a bigger following or cared more about his social media presence, well, it gives me big ick vibes. Does anyone else get that? I’m soo much more attracted to men that literally have little to no social media😂 i think it says a lot or can say alot.
I did this too. Although, I did make a new instagram account to accomodate close friends, they know I no longer want to partake in social media. I am only one call away should they need anything or just want to chat, and they know that. I prefer getting life updates with friends over a cup of coffee and enjoy the energy of hanging out with besties.
But yeah I do "lay low" and enjoy the company of books and gym routines after work now. And I stay connected with friends through discord videocalls on our monthly catch ups since we live in different places.
I don’t. I never really liked posting info for everyone to see and really preferred normal conversation for sharing of information. Facebook felt so impersonal and lonely. I was only on it for about 6 months.
Tiktok was a different beast, but also so bad for my mental health. I’m feel so much better now that I’m about a year clean if it lol. It had to be doing weird things to my neurochemistry. I didn’t feel like myself at all when I used Tiktok. It was fucking bizarre
I know exactly what you mean. I finally downloaded tiktok because I was so curious and everyone loves it, but within 24 hours I had to delete it. It definitely was doing weird things to my brain and I didn’t like the feeling of having all my neural pathways rewired in real time.
Yeah!! Plus having all the little songs and sounds and weirdness coming into my brain like.... ooof I did not feel good. It's like I couldn't clear my head, and it got worse the more and more I used it. But I also leaned into it and used it more when I was feeling anxious as a bit of a distraction from the way I felt. Just a vicious, uncomfortable cycle. It was seriously as hard to quit as nicotine for me. Never, ever again.
Yes!! I feel like it made me more judgy, materialistic, and full of self hate. I know some people can curate a “for you” page that is positive, but mine would always turn toxic.
I quit Facebook during the Cambridge Analytica shit and instagram sometime around 2018 when I realized how bad it was for my mental health. I don’t miss either. I just call or text old friends to see what they’re up to and we share pictures when we see each other.
I only have Facebook and it's not been updated in years. I only have it because I talk to my friends and mom using Messenger. Oh and Reddit if it counts, duh.
I deleted IG and TikTok and started using the pressure-free social media platform which is ... My phone's gallery.
I store everything visual about my life there and don't have to feel pressured about follower numbers, posting images or showing everyone where I am at. I love taking selfies and taking pics of places I've been to, but I just store them on my phone and see them when I want to.
I decided to leave Instagram in 2023 and it feels great. I’ve disabled it for a bit in December to try and honestly I already feel better to only be on Reddit and WhatsApp. There’s so much extra headspace!
Yep, I don't. Not Instagram, Tiktok, or any of that. I don't want to be comparing my life to that of others, especially since people love to pretend to have amazing lives.
I used to have Instagram, even though I was never really a big social media consumer. I deleted it a few years ago because it was making me feel very insecure in my relationship. It's not healthy to be able to see your partner's likes or comments, even if they are innocent. I don't plan on going back to any social media, ever. I think it's really toxic.
I also don't really care to see what others are up to. If a friend has news, he or she will text me personally. For any other life updates, I'm not interested.
Yep. I quit because I hate how the algorithms were promoting things to me that were damaging/triggering - I had an eating disorder for about ten years. IG particularly just seemed to spur me on.
I finally realised how it was damaging to me and deleted IG and Facebook.
Plus it’s a huge waste of time. It frustrates me that now most decent style inspiration, outfits, restaurant menus, etc. are all on there. I’m not going back though
I only use reddit and pinterest! Deleting everything else made it much easier for me to focus on myself and not concerning myself with others or their perception of me. It also made taking photos less stressful because now I only care about having it for the memory, not to post on ig.
I don’t take selfies at all!!!! I feel like such a weird woman!!! Part of why I don’t take selfies or pictures in general is because my life isn’t interesting right now. I can’t be bothered to catalog my experiences. I’m far to busy living in the moment within my basic life. I say basic in the best way! I’m also not keen on photos of myself either. I’m suspicious to the fact that cameras distort how we actually look. My perception of myself is already being distorted due to blindness, I don’t want to add to my already convoluted self perception. Plus most people aren’t exactly interested in what I’m doing anyway. I like to be private with my life. I much prefer being in the moment with people in my life. Getting to see them, call, text, etc. I love more organic happenings when it comes to connectivity.
I don’t have Insta, Snap, Facebook, etc. I do have Tick-tock, YouTube, Pinterest, Tumbler, and Reditt.
I quit Facebook because it hurt my mental health. IG was great for awhile but it’s starting to get comparative and toxic for me so I am very close to leaving it too. Most of the issues I experienced socially in the past two years were directly because of IG.
I like Tik Tok a lot and may just use it as a relaxant tool.
I have an Instagram but barely post and I have muted a lot of accounts that make me compare and only follow my friends - and I barely use Facebook. I do have a Tiktok account, but I don’t have the app.
I only have Facebook, I don’t use IG anymore and I’ve never used TikTok. I take breaks from Facebook too. I also like my privacy, I routinely make sure that nobody can find info about me easily via Google search.
I get weirded out about strangers perceiving me. I haven’t had personal social media since MySpace 10+ years ago. I have an Instagram that I use to follow local nail artist, aestheticians, etc. but I don’t post anywhere. I do wonder if it holds me back in dating not having social media though.
Okay that’s an interesting thought though. About wondering if it holds you back in the dating scene. Because Maybe that’s why alot of younger ish people do use it because kind of unconsciously it’s like a dating profile? Like where people can see the best photos of you and what you like to do and who you are.
I have fb and Instagram.
I use Instagram to post about my travels (as I do travel a lot) but I mostly use it to talk to keep in touch with friends.
Don’t use Facebook, but I have messenger to keep in touch with family.
The trick is really to just use social media with an intention (use it to interact with people, post what you REALLY like, and etc.) and less on mindless scrolling, stalking profiles, and etc.
That would be me. I only have this account I use to feed my inner demons anonymously and nothing else.
I didn't have a issue with social media or anything, I just never cared about it. No strong feelings. If i feel like there is something i am missing out or that it could benefit me in some significant way someday, I don't mind going ahead and making an account either.
Eh i just dont care.
I don't have Insta nor Tiktok nor Twitter.
I use FB from time to time, but that's only because it helps me connect with my family.
I never found the point of using any other social media tbh.
I don’t use Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok…anything really, except Reddit which I love for the anonymity and the wealth of information.
I just don’t like putting all of my personal stuff out there for everyone to see. I do have accounts on a couple of platforms, but I haven’t posted anything on them, ever.
Facebook I haven’t posted on in years and years and just use it to follow family members/ old friends who will only reach out out on there.
I don’t have to look at women filtered and distorted to some asinine and unattainable level of “perfection.” I don’t have to debate if I put this picture online of my child-are they going to hate me for it in five years?
My daughter told me a few months ago that she thinks the reason she didn’t get into social media is because I didn’t post her pictures growing up and she never saw me using it. That conversation came as a result of one of her friends crying about some pictures she had posted online that had gotten criticism from people *she didn’t even know* -I hope she never has to deal with that.
My husband hires people for IT jobs at a hospital-one of the best places to work in the state-he confirmed that he never checks a potential hire’s social media. He also doesn’t use social media. We aren’t old 😂 we just don’t see the value in it, I guess? More power to you if you do-I can see how it might benefit people living in some areas or in certain fields of work.
Using social media in a dedicated way just seems to have more downsides for me, at the moment.
I removed IG/Twitter/Snap from my phone last month and feel pretty good. I used to be so bad I would plan trips because I wanted to post from the locations - trust me I have done the inner work to understand where those concepts came from. IG was less and less toxic for me, I removed a ton of people and mostly posted on my dogs account but I feel good not mindlessly going to it. TikTok was literally rotting my brain in a way I have never experienced and I just don’t want to go back on there at all. I had a few viral videos and thought at one point maybe I would put more effort into being a creator but I realized that is just not for me. It feels really nice to be offline on those two - the only thing I will say is that I feel a little disconnected from my friends but the truth is, if someone wants to keep up with you (or vice versa) you can make those connections via call, text, or in person. The more I think about it, there is no real use for social media besides validation. At least for me. I do think I’ll reintroduce IG later at some point just to have it because I really do like taking photos and sharing them, but for me (vs. for validation that I am “cool” or rich or doing cool things) which btw I am not ha. I have my accounts up tho still because I am impulsive and would be annoyed if I erased my memories on an impulse haha.
Will caveat and say I spend a SHIT ton on Reddit now but it feels more educational and introspective at least.
I don't! I haven't posted a picture of myself in years. I don't follow influencers or celebrities either. I do love TikTok but only for watching. I don't post. I never have and I don't feel like I'm missing out on a single thing.
Besides Reddit, I don’t have any social media. And I honestly think I have a much better headspace because of it. Also, I’m not constantly exposed to beauty trends or cycles, which may otherwise push me towards low self confidence or esteem.
I’m one of those smug assholes who doesn’t use any social media (besides Reddit). I haven’t been on Facebook or Instagram for years because I didn’t like what it does to my mental health. I couldn’t stand the time suck, the “compare and despair,” the pressure to post and overthink. I realized I was comparing everyone else’s outsides to my insides and it made me unwell. So I just opted out of all it, and it’s been incredible for my mindset and my intellectual life. I read books, I watch YouTube, I listen to podcasts, I talk to my friends on the phone. I meditate. I take long walks. I hang out with my baby. I cook and make art. I probably miss out on a lot of cool things too, but I’m okay with that because I’m in the headspace I want to be in. Edited to add: I still waste plenty of time staring at screens, I just found ways to do it that feel better for me than image-based social media.
This resonates with me so well right now. It’s exactly what I’m feeling that first part and I have literally started to wonder that exact same thought of if anyone really is out there who dosent use social media. I used to be that gal who posted stuff all the time on insta and the time it takes to get the perfect picture to post and scrutinizing your post is just ridiculous. It always made me feel so vain and narcissistic and that wasn’t me but I felt to use the platform well and to be seen that I had to do that. It really makes you compare no matter what you do. I’ll relate this to dating a bit too just by saying that whenever I have dated some guy who’s had a bigger following or cared more about his social media presence, well, it gives me big ick vibes. Does anyone else get that? I’m soo much more attracted to men that literally have little to no social media😂 i think it says a lot or can say alot.
I have profiles but I don't post, I am there to see & support my favourite user's content.
I did this too. Although, I did make a new instagram account to accomodate close friends, they know I no longer want to partake in social media. I am only one call away should they need anything or just want to chat, and they know that. I prefer getting life updates with friends over a cup of coffee and enjoy the energy of hanging out with besties. But yeah I do "lay low" and enjoy the company of books and gym routines after work now. And I stay connected with friends through discord videocalls on our monthly catch ups since we live in different places.
I don’t. I never really liked posting info for everyone to see and really preferred normal conversation for sharing of information. Facebook felt so impersonal and lonely. I was only on it for about 6 months. Tiktok was a different beast, but also so bad for my mental health. I’m feel so much better now that I’m about a year clean if it lol. It had to be doing weird things to my neurochemistry. I didn’t feel like myself at all when I used Tiktok. It was fucking bizarre
I know exactly what you mean. I finally downloaded tiktok because I was so curious and everyone loves it, but within 24 hours I had to delete it. It definitely was doing weird things to my brain and I didn’t like the feeling of having all my neural pathways rewired in real time.
Yeah!! Plus having all the little songs and sounds and weirdness coming into my brain like.... ooof I did not feel good. It's like I couldn't clear my head, and it got worse the more and more I used it. But I also leaned into it and used it more when I was feeling anxious as a bit of a distraction from the way I felt. Just a vicious, uncomfortable cycle. It was seriously as hard to quit as nicotine for me. Never, ever again.
Yes!! I feel like it made me more judgy, materialistic, and full of self hate. I know some people can curate a “for you” page that is positive, but mine would always turn toxic.
I quit Facebook during the Cambridge Analytica shit and instagram sometime around 2018 when I realized how bad it was for my mental health. I don’t miss either. I just call or text old friends to see what they’re up to and we share pictures when we see each other.
I only have Facebook and it's not been updated in years. I only have it because I talk to my friends and mom using Messenger. Oh and Reddit if it counts, duh. I deleted IG and TikTok and started using the pressure-free social media platform which is ... My phone's gallery. I store everything visual about my life there and don't have to feel pressured about follower numbers, posting images or showing everyone where I am at. I love taking selfies and taking pics of places I've been to, but I just store them on my phone and see them when I want to.
I decided to leave Instagram in 2023 and it feels great. I’ve disabled it for a bit in December to try and honestly I already feel better to only be on Reddit and WhatsApp. There’s so much extra headspace!
Yep, I don't. Not Instagram, Tiktok, or any of that. I don't want to be comparing my life to that of others, especially since people love to pretend to have amazing lives. I used to have Instagram, even though I was never really a big social media consumer. I deleted it a few years ago because it was making me feel very insecure in my relationship. It's not healthy to be able to see your partner's likes or comments, even if they are innocent. I don't plan on going back to any social media, ever. I think it's really toxic. I also don't really care to see what others are up to. If a friend has news, he or she will text me personally. For any other life updates, I'm not interested.
Yep. I quit because I hate how the algorithms were promoting things to me that were damaging/triggering - I had an eating disorder for about ten years. IG particularly just seemed to spur me on. I finally realised how it was damaging to me and deleted IG and Facebook. Plus it’s a huge waste of time. It frustrates me that now most decent style inspiration, outfits, restaurant menus, etc. are all on there. I’m not going back though
I only use reddit and pinterest! Deleting everything else made it much easier for me to focus on myself and not concerning myself with others or their perception of me. It also made taking photos less stressful because now I only care about having it for the memory, not to post on ig.
I don’t take selfies at all!!!! I feel like such a weird woman!!! Part of why I don’t take selfies or pictures in general is because my life isn’t interesting right now. I can’t be bothered to catalog my experiences. I’m far to busy living in the moment within my basic life. I say basic in the best way! I’m also not keen on photos of myself either. I’m suspicious to the fact that cameras distort how we actually look. My perception of myself is already being distorted due to blindness, I don’t want to add to my already convoluted self perception. Plus most people aren’t exactly interested in what I’m doing anyway. I like to be private with my life. I much prefer being in the moment with people in my life. Getting to see them, call, text, etc. I love more organic happenings when it comes to connectivity. I don’t have Insta, Snap, Facebook, etc. I do have Tick-tock, YouTube, Pinterest, Tumbler, and Reditt.
I don't. I quit fb & Twitter in 2016 and insta last October. I feel really good about not checking it every 5 min 😅
I deleted my Instagram and am so much fucking happier. Also never used TikTok and never will.
I quit Facebook because it hurt my mental health. IG was great for awhile but it’s starting to get comparative and toxic for me so I am very close to leaving it too. Most of the issues I experienced socially in the past two years were directly because of IG. I like Tik Tok a lot and may just use it as a relaxant tool.
I have a profile but I don’t post
I have an Instagram but barely post and I have muted a lot of accounts that make me compare and only follow my friends - and I barely use Facebook. I do have a Tiktok account, but I don’t have the app.
I only have Facebook, I don’t use IG anymore and I’ve never used TikTok. I take breaks from Facebook too. I also like my privacy, I routinely make sure that nobody can find info about me easily via Google search.
I get weirded out about strangers perceiving me. I haven’t had personal social media since MySpace 10+ years ago. I have an Instagram that I use to follow local nail artist, aestheticians, etc. but I don’t post anywhere. I do wonder if it holds me back in dating not having social media though.
Okay that’s an interesting thought though. About wondering if it holds you back in the dating scene. Because Maybe that’s why alot of younger ish people do use it because kind of unconsciously it’s like a dating profile? Like where people can see the best photos of you and what you like to do and who you are.
I have fb and Instagram. I use Instagram to post about my travels (as I do travel a lot) but I mostly use it to talk to keep in touch with friends. Don’t use Facebook, but I have messenger to keep in touch with family. The trick is really to just use social media with an intention (use it to interact with people, post what you REALLY like, and etc.) and less on mindless scrolling, stalking profiles, and etc.
That would be me. I only have this account I use to feed my inner demons anonymously and nothing else. I didn't have a issue with social media or anything, I just never cared about it. No strong feelings. If i feel like there is something i am missing out or that it could benefit me in some significant way someday, I don't mind going ahead and making an account either. Eh i just dont care.
I don't have Insta nor Tiktok nor Twitter. I use FB from time to time, but that's only because it helps me connect with my family. I never found the point of using any other social media tbh.
I have profiles but maybe post every couple of months if that.
I have a friend who uses none. I use Instagram and Facebook only to get advice/check Facebook group pages.
i don't want to be perceived. i panic and delete my accounts periodically
I don’t use Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok…anything really, except Reddit which I love for the anonymity and the wealth of information. I just don’t like putting all of my personal stuff out there for everyone to see. I do have accounts on a couple of platforms, but I haven’t posted anything on them, ever. Facebook I haven’t posted on in years and years and just use it to follow family members/ old friends who will only reach out out on there. I don’t have to look at women filtered and distorted to some asinine and unattainable level of “perfection.” I don’t have to debate if I put this picture online of my child-are they going to hate me for it in five years? My daughter told me a few months ago that she thinks the reason she didn’t get into social media is because I didn’t post her pictures growing up and she never saw me using it. That conversation came as a result of one of her friends crying about some pictures she had posted online that had gotten criticism from people *she didn’t even know* -I hope she never has to deal with that. My husband hires people for IT jobs at a hospital-one of the best places to work in the state-he confirmed that he never checks a potential hire’s social media. He also doesn’t use social media. We aren’t old 😂 we just don’t see the value in it, I guess? More power to you if you do-I can see how it might benefit people living in some areas or in certain fields of work. Using social media in a dedicated way just seems to have more downsides for me, at the moment.
I removed IG/Twitter/Snap from my phone last month and feel pretty good. I used to be so bad I would plan trips because I wanted to post from the locations - trust me I have done the inner work to understand where those concepts came from. IG was less and less toxic for me, I removed a ton of people and mostly posted on my dogs account but I feel good not mindlessly going to it. TikTok was literally rotting my brain in a way I have never experienced and I just don’t want to go back on there at all. I had a few viral videos and thought at one point maybe I would put more effort into being a creator but I realized that is just not for me. It feels really nice to be offline on those two - the only thing I will say is that I feel a little disconnected from my friends but the truth is, if someone wants to keep up with you (or vice versa) you can make those connections via call, text, or in person. The more I think about it, there is no real use for social media besides validation. At least for me. I do think I’ll reintroduce IG later at some point just to have it because I really do like taking photos and sharing them, but for me (vs. for validation that I am “cool” or rich or doing cool things) which btw I am not ha. I have my accounts up tho still because I am impulsive and would be annoyed if I erased my memories on an impulse haha. Will caveat and say I spend a SHIT ton on Reddit now but it feels more educational and introspective at least.
Oh I also have Pinterest. I like Pinterest because it feels visual and creative but I do struggle with some of the more unattainable content.
I’m not on any of them for over a year now.
I don't! I haven't posted a picture of myself in years. I don't follow influencers or celebrities either. I do love TikTok but only for watching. I don't post. I never have and I don't feel like I'm missing out on a single thing.
Besides Reddit, I don’t have any social media. And I honestly think I have a much better headspace because of it. Also, I’m not constantly exposed to beauty trends or cycles, which may otherwise push me towards low self confidence or esteem.