Leaving Social Media

[Marka Ragnos]

Anyone else here on Villa Talk experimented with going off social media in a big way, or in any way?

I switched much of mine off last month.

I've been enjoying being off social media more than I expected, and it's been interesting to see how it has affected my relationships and my emotions. It's actually been very positive. I can focus more, get more done, and have been able to be more one-on-one with friendships. Such is tech today that you can almost create your own little social media ecosystem by yourself, too, and that's what I do.

Right now, I think that Villa Talk itself is my only form of social media. I'm a VT supporter partly because I feel like it's a healthy form of connecting with others where people seem more real.

I quit X, Facebook, Instagram for different reasons. Mostly, I just was tired of the falseness of it all, at least as I saw it. TikTok is gross, so I never was interested anyway. I've never been too active on LinkedIn, What'sApp, or Threads. I don't really use YouTube much except to watch guitar videos.

All in all, I've enjoyed this, and I have no plans to return to social media. I realise that some people don't have this luxury due to your jobs, so I understand it's not possible in the same ways for everyone to go "off the grid" with social media. Still, would love to hear what you've tried or not tried.

Edited August 19 by Marka Ragnos

[Nigel]

I'm 50 years old...this is social media to me!

Edited August 20 by Nigel

[sidcow]

7 hours ago, Marka Ragnos said:

Anyone else here on Villa Talk experimented with going off social media in a big way, or in any way?

I switched much of mine off last month.

I've been enjoying being off social media more than I expected, and it's been interesting to see how it has affected my relationships and my emotions. It's actually been very positive. I can focus more, get more done, and have been able to be more one-on-one with friendships. Such is tech today that you can almost create your own little social media ecosystem by yourself, too, and that's what I do.

Right now, I think that Villa Talk itself is my only form of social media. I'm a VT supporter partly because I feel like it's a healthy form of connecting with others where people seem more real.

I quit X, Facebook, Instagram for different reasons. Mostly, I just was tired of the falseness of it all, at least as I saw it. TikTok is gross, so I never was interested anyway. I've never been too active on LinkedIn, What'sApp, or Threads. I don't really use YouTube much except to watch guitar videos.

All in all, I've enjoyed this, and I have no plans to return to social media. I realise that some people don't have this luxury due to your jobs, so I understand it's not possible in the same ways for everyone to go "off the grid" with social media. Still, would love to hear what you've tried or not tried.

 

6 hours ago, Nigel said:

I'm a 50 year old...this is social media to me!

VT is the only social media I've ever done. 

I might join Facebook just as a tool of keeping in touch with people. I don't see me using it much to post stuff if I do though. 

[rodders0223]

Left about 10 years ago in my mid 20s. Not regretted it once.

[Guest]

Yes, completely for a few months and my mental health improved.

[mjmooney]

Never been near TikTok. I have accounts for Instagram and X, but I never use them. 

WhatsApp is a very different beast - as a messaging app, I find it absolutely essential. But I only use it to communicate with close friends and family - less than 20 people on a regular basis. 

The problem child is Facebook. On the one hand, it connects me to a wider circle of friends, outside the 20 or so on WhatsApp - people with whom I interact somewhat infrequently, but definitely want to keep in contact. It's good for local news, gigs, etc. There are quite a few interest groups (music, books, history, art, science, photography, football, humour, etc.) that I really like. 

But on the downside, it has an infuriatingly bad interface, it's infested with advertising, and - worst of all - its algorithms keep feeding me clickbait stuff from idiots, racists, conspiracy theorists, etc., such that I can't resist getting sucked into pointless arguments (which of course feeds the algorithms further). I spend WAY too much time on there, and I'd love to bin it - but the useful/enjoyable aspects keep me going back. 

[Seat68]

I am no longer on X and Instagram. I am arranging a memorial for my mum and need Facebook to communicate with the various attendees. Literally the day after it I am closing my account. The riots brought out too many people telling the world that some people have legitimate concerns. So I thought sod it. Time to go. 

[chrisp65]

Quitting is for losers.

[Rob182]

Unfortunately I feel like I have to have some social media accounts as I have a product that I sell and I also occasionally make music in a (one man) band. Both of those things need me to promote it online using tiktok, Instagram and Twitter. 
 

But other than doing the above, I only use Facebook for scrolling through the marketplace and sending @lapal_fan and @Paddywhack the funny items people are trying to get £2 for. WhatsApp isn’t social media in my eyes. It’s just messaging.

I ‘quit’ Twitter earlier this year (I quit FPL and quit being active in the nerdy, niche Twitter ‘FPL Community’) and I feel so much better for it. More time for family, less time wasted on nonsense, less toxic interactions. Less stress. More focus.

I occasionally look at Reddit, but again, that’s mainly for music making purposes.

If I had my way, the majority of the internet would be deleted. Social media is a black hole of comments, and the fact you can refresh 1 second after the last refresh and get 1,000 new comments is ridiculous.

Edited August 20 by Rob182

[tomav84]

i'd have deleted twitter already if it wasn't for FPL. i've slowly been moving over to threads and finding that more are using that

i don't think i could ever quit social media completely. the pros do outweigh the cons (twitter excluded)

[Rodders]

I keep my facebook account going, but just for daft videos, and a couple of groups I'm a member of to dip in and out of, but it's never been a regular.rhing. other than a couple of forums like VT no interest in anything else. Twitter Instagram tiktok and whatever new horseshit is out there are all a cancer on society and have never contributed anything positive to the world. Can't be binned off quick enough.

I'm deeply suspicious of regular users, just seem like the kind of vapid narcissistic sociopaths who get annoyed if someone asks them to put their phone down for a full 5 minutes. 

 

 

[chrisp65]

Is the test whether you can leave the house without a smartphone?
 

I went to the flicks a couple of days ago, so didn’t need to take the phone. Went shopping on Saturday so didn’t take the phone. Missus had her phone in her bag in case at any point we needed a rescue helicopter.

 

[Seat68]

2 minutes ago, chrisp65 said:

Is the test whether you can leave the house without a smartphone?
 

I went to the flicks a couple of days ago, so didn’t need to take the phone. Went shopping on Saturday so didn’t take the phone. Missus had her phone in her bag in case at any point we needed a rescue helicopter.

 

My wife and her phone are rarely together. My phone is always with me. Popping upstairs, my phone comes, sitting in the garden, my phone is with me. The only time I don’t have it is my dogs morning walk. 

[chrisp65]

11 minutes ago, Seat68 said:

My wife and her phone are rarely together. My phone is always with me. Popping upstairs, my phone comes, sitting in the garden, my phone is with me. The only time I don’t have it is my dogs morning walk. 

Yeah I think this is a habit I never really gained. I will take my phone with me if I go out, in case there is a photo to be had, outside of work it’s predominantly a handy camera. But if my phone is with me, it’ll be in my man bag with sound and notifications off.

Use the iPad a fair bit, like now. But don’t wander around with it. 

[foreveryoung]

I've looked, but never been a member of social media, Facebook,  instagram Twitter 

Adults shouldn't need social media unless for business.

I'm just shocked with people who can't do without it.

[Milfner]

15 minutes ago, foreveryoung said:

I've looked, but never been a member of social media, Facebook,  instagram Twitter 

Your twitter handle is in your signature

[Rugeley Villa]

The only social media I’ve do is couple of music forums , horse racing forum and some hard left wing forum called VT.  Other than that nothing. 

Edited August 20 by Rugeley Villa

[mjmooney]

20 minutes ago, foreveryoung said:

I've looked, but never been a member of social media, Facebook,  instagram Twitter 

Adults shouldn't need social media unless for business.

I'm just shocked with people who can't do without it.

Also totally unnecessary: TV, radio, films, books, sport, art, music, alcohol, drugs, holidays, restaurants... 

[Wainy316]

It's not social media that's affected quality of life, it's having it all (and other stuff) so readily available on a smartphone.

I always say my life was fuller and more productive before I had a smartphone (I was quite late, getting one in 2013).   I'd love to just toss my iPhone into the sea and get a Nokia 3310.  Maybe I'll do just that.

[magnkarl]

I've got an anonymous facebook account for Messenger, but that's about it.

I use reddit rather than X, FB or TikTok as I find that people will often undress propaganda and ¤#% there in two minutes.

Best investment my daughter did for her family was to invest in a phone lock box with a timer. They put their phones in there around 6pm every night and have only an old Nokia 3200 or something to call and text with. Their mental health is flourishing and my granddaughter is no longer a screamy tantrumy spoiled little one. She's flourishing.

Screen time = dopamin rush\crash.

Edited August 20 by magnkarl