I deleted Facebook six years ago at the expense of losing some good connections, but I don't regret it. I'm strongly considering pulling the trigger on deleting my Instagram too, but it's such a nonsense social platform that it's easier to ignore.
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Deactivating Facebook was the best thing I ever did for my mental health (and you should too)
- Thread starter Reizzz
- Start date
I have frequently had this thought, and have frequently considered leaving this forum. I think the major difference is that forums operate on a slower pace and there is little to no commodification of self going on here -- no follower counts, no likes, et cetera -- that allows a particular kind of distance that I find acceptable. That being said, this is a good call-out.
My breaking point was realising I don't want my business out there, but everyone has their own breaking points of course.
Deactivated Facebook but glad Messenger stayed for contacts. I deleted all my Twitter follows cause if I want to hear someone's opinion, I'll search for them instead of be swamped by everyone's uninformed thoughts.
I think Era is the closest addiction I have online outside passively watching YT, but I'm trying to not give as much of a shit.
I downloaded a fitness and food app, and a language app and I'm on 300+ days in it, and hoping it gives me enough of a foundation to take proper classes soon. Felt better to know i replace at least 30 mins of social media consumption with this l a day. Better than nothing.
Deactivated Facebook but glad Messenger stayed for contacts. I deleted all my Twitter follows cause if I want to hear someone's opinion, I'll search for them instead of be swamped by everyone's uninformed thoughts.
I think Era is the closest addiction I have online outside passively watching YT, but I'm trying to not give as much of a shit.
I downloaded a fitness and food app, and a language app and I'm on 300+ days in it, and hoping it gives me enough of a foundation to take proper classes soon. Felt better to know i replace at least 30 mins of social media consumption with this l a day. Better than nothing.
I use FB for work, so use the ignore function to no longer see people with offensive content. If they want to be my client and want to be offensive to me, I'll fire them and be straight forward about that.
I've managed to ween myself of FB and it feels so good! Used to be on it and would endlessly scroll through the feed while re-sharing posts/memes. It got the point where I would spend hours on it and would get easily distracted. Since I'm not on it anymore I've just spend more time watching TV shows, reading and learning new things. Next step might be to deactivate it and keep Messenger but we'll see.
OP
OP
That's what I've done as well. Messenger for friends and family and that's it.
I completely deleted my Facebook a few years ago, and I absolutely don't regret it. I honestly think that life in general was a lot better before the ubiquity of social media.
I'm actually more concerned for what this place is doing for my mental health. I've curated my FB feed to be close friends and memes. This place is frequently an onslaught of negativity and constant social anxiety and my only ability to curate it is the ignore feature. Which is useful, but...
Don't really read or post stuff. I mainly go on it for messenger (I keep forgetting you can just go straight to it through messenger.com ).
The last signficant thing I used it for outside of messenger was the marketplace to sell my PS4 and XB1 to help pay for my Pro and X
The last signficant thing I used it for outside of messenger was the marketplace to sell my PS4 and XB1 to help pay for my Pro and X
I guess I'm lucky that any of my family that might be racist pricks are too old to be on Facebook, and the others and my friends are either lovely or keep their right wing views very close to their chests. Don't even get too much of the narcissistic stuff - just the occasional copy/paste 'positive' chain posts
I straight up deleted mine.
No Twitter on my phone, no social media whatsoever. I mean, aside from this and YouTube.
No Twitter on my phone, no social media whatsoever. I mean, aside from this and YouTube.
I already self maintain and Facebook is used to keep in touch with family all over the world.
I don't depend on it or check in like an expectant parent.
I don't depend on it or check in like an expectant parent.
This has worked well for me.
Also, I only accept friend requests from people I know personally.
I just never use the feed or even visit the site more then maybe, maybe one or twice in 5 days.
I was one of those who had an account since,like 2008. Never used it more then a few minutes a day. Usage has just gone down since then.
Use Twitter more but even then sorted my feed out and never bother to post stuff or comment, frankly got more important shit to do then do twitter and fb posting wise.
I have an account still because of spotify and the oculus app. Plus a few other sites that use log in with fb.
I was one of those who had an account since,like 2008. Never used it more then a few minutes a day. Usage has just gone down since then.
Use Twitter more but even then sorted my feed out and never bother to post stuff or comment, frankly got more important shit to do then do twitter and fb posting wise.
I have an account still because of spotify and the oculus app. Plus a few other sites that use log in with fb.
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You'd think this would be a given, but looking at this thread I wonder
I had an upbringing where political differences didn't seem to matter a ton. When Facebook launched, the absolute furthest thing on my mind was "I wonder how this person swings politically," and now it's a goddamn cutthroat snap judgment that I make and people who do not agree with my politics make against me. It is a far more stressful environment to try to socialize in now than it was before.
And I don't accept friend requests from people I don't know. I just didn't know I'd grow into a person that holds such strong opinions within a society that is now constantly reinforcing and feeding those opinions. Being able to not have to give a shit when I just want to check on friends, feeling like my social circles are eroding rapidly and stressing out over it all the time, is absolutely a huge relief to me.
Some of those people that I can't stand now were like my 2nd parents growing up. Some of them were the earliest friends I made in college over a decade ago. I joined Facebook in 2006 and it was absolutely fine until probably around 2012, then it just became brutal, and I participated in the brutality on my own values. It's not like this was all strangers getting angry at me and making me angry.
May not be the case for everyone who uses Facebook, but Facebook just felt like a place that was keeping me connected to people I needed to cut out, and furthermore I felt extremely disgruntled about its data and privacy controversies and its stance on "free speech" that had helped make it become such a damn toxic thing in my life. I wasn't just building a gigantic friend list of randos, my friend list peaked at like 80 people. :(
I deactivated my Facebook account 7 years ago and never looked back at it once. I most recently just deactivated my Instagram as well. Social media is just to much of a time strain in some instances so I'm glad I'm done with it. Also someone please like this message. :D
Had to nuke it years ago due to Zuck gonna Zuck. After the Brexit referendum and the wall of ads and horseshit hiding things I actually care about, I had enough and deleted it. It's not like it was actually helping me either. Yes, I can't just randomly connect to people all over the world now, but the reality is, we never did that before either, so nothing changed.
Facebook is a bad company that commodifies a part of the social that should stay out on the streets, not on the internet. It's like YouTube comments, except worse.
Facebook is a bad company that commodifies a part of the social that should stay out on the streets, not on the internet. It's like YouTube comments, except worse.
It pries on people that accidently click back on facebook out of habit, greeted with the sign in page. If people do that, they are likely to say screw it I will just keep my account open.
My Facebook feed is pretty much exclusively memes.
If I really wanted to make an improvement to my mental health, I should cut out Etcetera.
If I really wanted to make an improvement to my mental health, I should cut out Etcetera.
I get deletions because of the company being horrible, but as far as mental heath stuff and "my life has never been better"... none of that has ever been an issue to me.
I'm pretty passive with FB, use messenger, check feeds every once in a long while or if I get a notification, but when I do I'm kinda the opposite on the racist trash feed anecdotes, I'm often impressed at how progressive and supportive my extended network of acquaintances and family members are. >_>
There's a few extended family members in Alberta that'll always be on conservative anti-Trudeau stuff but that's all, and I don't bother getting into it or have anything ever to do with them anyways (they're far away relatives I've probably seen few enough times to count on one hand, if once at all).
I'm pretty passive with FB, use messenger, check feeds every once in a long while or if I get a notification, but when I do I'm kinda the opposite on the racist trash feed anecdotes, I'm often impressed at how progressive and supportive my extended network of acquaintances and family members are. >_>
There's a few extended family members in Alberta that'll always be on conservative anti-Trudeau stuff but that's all, and I don't bother getting into it or have anything ever to do with them anyways (they're far away relatives I've probably seen few enough times to count on one hand, if once at all).
I just hardly use it, let it sit there, I never felt a negative impact from it, it's just pointless for my day-to-day.
You might say delete but 1. there are certain connections there I don't have elsewhere and 2. I'm a user of IG and WhatsApp so I'm not getting out of Zucks datacentres any time soon 3. I've heard Marketplace is decent and have some stuff I want to get rid of.
You might say delete but 1. there are certain connections there I don't have elsewhere and 2. I'm a user of IG and WhatsApp so I'm not getting out of Zucks datacentres any time soon 3. I've heard Marketplace is decent and have some stuff I want to get rid of.
I don't actively use my Facebook but I can't understand this nuclear option mentality.
First of all, why do you have racist "friends"? Those people shouldn't be your friends, just delete them. It's not like you will talk with them. Why wouldn't you curate your friends' list before deleting your account? It doesn't make any sense. Did the same thing for my Instagram account. I had a lot of Erdoğan supporting university friends, I realized I haven't even seen them in 5 years so I just purged all the fuckers. And had a fantastic Instagram feed. Done, problem solved.
First of all, why do you have racist "friends"? Those people shouldn't be your friends, just delete them. It's not like you will talk with them. Why wouldn't you curate your friends' list before deleting your account? It doesn't make any sense. Did the same thing for my Instagram account. I had a lot of Erdoğan supporting university friends, I realized I haven't even seen them in 5 years so I just purged all the fuckers. And had a fantastic Instagram feed. Done, problem solved.
long before this right wing bullshit started rising again I deleted all my friends from facebook because they were only posting and liking annoying stuff.
only used facebook to follow my favorite bands, teams, brands artist etc. and for over 4 years now I have my account deactivated now.
now I only use instagram to follow bands, artists etc.
only used facebook to follow my favorite bands, teams, brands artist etc. and for over 4 years now I have my account deactivated now.
now I only use instagram to follow bands, artists etc.
I think the first stage should be identifying one's social media addiction. yes you can delete the platform - I've never really wanted my information out there either. But having the apps on the phone can easily make it addictive for people who have control issues, people who need to check on things constantly, anxious people, and others. It just preys on the mentality that there's something you must have, there's something better out there, etc.
I think Marcus Aurelius said it best in Meditations ' Always have clear in your mind that 'the grass is not greener' elsewhere and how everything is the same here as on the top of a mountain.'
These apps do often, in many people, make them feel inadequate and going based on how people react/act it's all about needing the next best thing or feeling like their voice matters on things they have no control or say on. . It can be fun sure and it can even be powerful but when do human beings really know balance?
Deleting the applications off the phone as a first point makes you realise how addicted you are to it and if you really need to be in touch with a lot of these people you say you need to be in touch with. It's one thing if you're a business but if it's just personal - it's worth a shot. Once you're past that stage and you realise it's nothing but clutter in your life you can delete it or just keep it. It becomes less important.
This goes for all of those things from social media apps to social dating apps. And honestly you don't need to be on social media to lurk. You can lurk to find info on your favourite artists, musicians, filmmakers etc through a simple google search if it really matters to you.
I think Marcus Aurelius said it best in Meditations ' Always have clear in your mind that 'the grass is not greener' elsewhere and how everything is the same here as on the top of a mountain.'
These apps do often, in many people, make them feel inadequate and going based on how people react/act it's all about needing the next best thing or feeling like their voice matters on things they have no control or say on. . It can be fun sure and it can even be powerful but when do human beings really know balance?
Deleting the applications off the phone as a first point makes you realise how addicted you are to it and if you really need to be in touch with a lot of these people you say you need to be in touch with. It's one thing if you're a business but if it's just personal - it's worth a shot. Once you're past that stage and you realise it's nothing but clutter in your life you can delete it or just keep it. It becomes less important.
This goes for all of those things from social media apps to social dating apps. And honestly you don't need to be on social media to lurk. You can lurk to find info on your favourite artists, musicians, filmmakers etc through a simple google search if it really matters to you.
I didn't delete my accounts but I did remove the apps from my phone, which has been great. Now if I want to check them I have to do so intentionally and not unconsciously when I'm bored or whatever. It has definitely helped with my mental health a lot to not be looking at all that garbage and negativity all day.
Haven't deleted it but use it in spurts once every couple of months out of psuedo-obligation to post some photos and show I haven't disappeared. And that's about it at this point since I have some extended family I contact via it instead of email. When I visit my parents they're always reading it but it feels like more than an insignificant amount of time is used to gripe about what other people are sharing, and it's like "why are you following them?" Just doesn't seem healthy to me to be on it that much.
Got rid of it at the end of 2018. It was a waste of time and I prefer not to spend time on a platform owned by Zuckerberg. Don't trust the guy or his ilk.
Although Facebook is run by shitty people with shitty policies. I'm actually liking it for the first time since college. The tag groups I've joined are pretty great. And I post pictures of my family and work to keep my extended family and friends in the loop because I'm bad at keeping in touch with people.
I only use it to contact people who typically responds most consistently there.
Otherwise, I don't read anything else.
Otherwise, I don't read anything else.
Y'all shit on me when I said this around 2 years ago on GAF best thing I ever did though no fucks about who likes my photos or who I did or did not get invited to who cares
Mine is active but I only go on it like once or twice a year. I deleted it a few times, and kept bringing it back for some reason or another. So I just left it there, pretty much ignored.
I haven't felt compelled to get rid of my Facebook (never had a Twitter). I certainly don't use it as much as I used to, but it helps me keep in touch with some friends and family that I don't see too often due to distance. Most of my feed is music and gaming related, and any acquaintances that annoy me (politically or otherwise), I just ignore or block. Most of my use is pet pictures, and periodically looking back at my memories to cringe at some of my old posts for fun.
Nah, I just unfollow or unfriend dumb asses. I honestly get more anxious from reading era at times and I'm a perfectly rational person, but sometimes all the negative "sky is falling" takes on every other topic bum me out/annoy the hell out of me, so I try to take breaks from time to time.
My Facebook feed is full of memes, pictures/videos of cute animals, aesthetic shit, and music. 🤷🏾♂️
I'm fine keeping my account.
I'm fine keeping my account.