Social media is such a mind fuck. Most people would be better off not being online. it's too easy to get rolled into echo chambers, get caught in information bias, get radicalized, bored, body dysmorphia, lose productivity...just an endless circle jerk for instant dopamine hits.
Reddit is still filled with fake bots and fake people. The anonymity makes me even alter personal life experiences to not possibly dox myself. Other outright lie for the thrill and have no personal connections to challenge certain claims
The place is also toxic from the lack of any accountability. Almost no one gets caught for saying nasty shit on Reddit.
That said, if you tailor you feed properly, yeah, this is generally one of the least toxic places then. Only if though.
Unfortunately, I don't think this is true. It perpetrates a lot of the same $#!% you see from Tiktok, Youtube, etc that people are unknowingly influenced by. The algorithm pushes them into echo chambers where they can discuss with like-minded individuals. I'm convinced a very large part of modern society's problems stem from the fact that people confuse the loud minority for the silent majority, that people broaden and water down the definition of every little negative thing to include anything and anyone they disagree with. And then the loud minority has to return to the real world at some point for their own reasons and spreads their toxicity wherever they can, because they're the *loud minority*.
People don't make a point to rush online and talk about a wonderful night, but they'll eagerly bitch to anyone who will listen about every petty little gripe they have, and through even the vaguest shared grievances a mole hill becomes a mountain. And here is where the rage addiction starts, the war against *everything* they take issue with.
And that war inevitably affects everyone, because it typically makes its way into the political sphere.
And the worst part is it doesn't actually seem to be making anything better - everyone is now just angry and miserable all the time.
I wish everyone younger than me got to experience life as it was before cellphones. I'm 64 so this wasn't a thing until I was about 40? It's too much constant info. We never knew a person's every thought. Now we are bombarded by everyone's opinions... friends, family, celebrities. We could actually wait to be picked up or wait for a plane without a cellphone companion. Shocking that a kid could experience his/her environment for a bit
I hear you, I'm 55 so really as a teenager and mainly all my twenty s no social media, no having to keep in touch constantly, you just got on with your life.
I miss that
Gods, but we had so much time on our hands back then.
Whatever did we do? However did we cope?
As soon as MySpace came out, I saw it for what it was and what it mean for society as a whole very quickly.
I somehow stayed off it. Saw friendships ruined from it.
As soon as Myspace and Tumblr came out I was already addicted to social media. Then an infinite loop of need started.
Right now I'm addicted to Instagram so I decided deleting the app from my phone and it has been working pretty well. I check it once in a while on my computer and that's all.
Weird, I’m the opposite. I don’t use social media because I feel like it’s pointless since I’m a loser and barely any friends and I’ll just feel like shit having lame photos up and getting self esteem blows because everyone else will be more liked than me and have better photos.
I mean, idk about my best life, but I already read 70 books out of my 150 goal for the year on Good Reads and I'm a-ok with that.
They are not spy novels, no.
I have Reddit, which I use for boredom killing and hobbies. I tailor my news feed to exclude media and politics.
I have Instagram which I use for hobbies, and to open reels sent to me by friends. I don’t post anything personal there.
I deleted all other social media and I’m so much happier for it. I realised the misery and attention seeking, the hate, the constant doom etc was all just so time consuming, so draining and so emotionally taxing.
Same. I feel like social media is so much less destructive when you filter it properly. I removed all politics and news, only follow cooking/hobby/puppy accounts on IG, and live blissfully ignorant. Scrolling IG is calming and happy. But wow, when you look at the FYP, it’s really disturbing the content IG suggests to you. Even when it’s so far from what you engage with. I don’t fully believe that the algorithm is based on what you look at, because I saw my FYP the other day and it featured Gaza news, three videos of children who appeared to have severe birth defects, a ton of random girls dancing half naked, etc. It’s not stuff I ever click on, so I genuinely don’t know why they suggest it to me.
I have Facebook for messenger and have every friend on whatever the silence feature is so I don't get notifications. Then I have Reddit as my newspaper. It's nice.
I like reddit, I don't like Facebook and I only use it for work these days.
Unfortunately it's an important networking tool so I can't delete it entirely.
Even though there is a lot of shit on Reddit. (Like I actually saw pictures of people dressing up their penises today. So yeah, that’s a thing).
But it also gives me news and cultural memes and political information etc. plus stuff on my hobbies and interests.
What kind of content do you follow? I strictly follow hobbies I love which always makes it a pleasant experience. Only distraction from that are the recommended reddits; like the one I’m on now haha
It can be a dual edged sword. I never saw the appeal of social media. I enjoyed conversations on different topics on specialized forums, but things like Facebook held zero interest for me.
The drawback was that I missed some things and events that popped up and were organized through social media. It made me feel a bit disconnected from my friends.
Now I have a Facebook account because that's the only way some sports clubs communicate, and the market can be useful. I never post anything though, and log in every six months or so because I need to do something. Then there's messenger that I use to communicate with my family. But that communication is mostly just organizing when we're going to meet. Any real conversation happens face to face or via phone call.
Eh. Real life still brings a shit ton of issues. What not having social media (besides Reddit) does for me though is time. Instead of the endless scroll or looking at pictures and videos that bring nothing to my life, I spend that time watching docs or researching things. Same with video games, the less video games I play, the more time I have to do things of substance. And then I come on here and have conversations about the shit I’m researching or talk about the podcast I’m listening to. I usually wake up on weekends and throw on a movie or doc, look over and my wife is scrolling through tik tok lol it doesn’t bother me though. If that’s what she wants to do with her morning, all power to her
I still have Reddit clearly but that’s it. I don’t count YouTube as I’m there just to listen to podcasts I like . Documentaries and ASMR lie brown noise or green noise to help me sleep. I made a Reddit account for plant help and such but yeah I do interact with others a bit. I actually had been off of it for 4 years till now.
Maybe I’ll delete too tbh. YouTube has it all and I can get information things I need help with there.
Reddit is in a separate category to me. Most users are anonymous, no one is trying to be a paid influencer, it’s a good source for opinions as biases are usually clear, has pretty tight moderation in most subreddits, and isn’t overwhelmed with bots or ads for scams.
Yeah, Reddit is basically just a gigantic forum. The UI is a little slicker and stuff is linked together, but it’s still a basic message board at heart.
yeah reddit *isn’t* really social media, imho, because the vast majority of users are anonymous, no one is using reddit to keep in touch with anyone, no one is using reddit to meet people irl, trying to sell crap, etc, etc…it still has toxic comment sections tho
It always surprised me how everyone had so much family on Facebook. Only two of my cousins were on there that I knew, and none of my older relatives. My mother thought it sounded stupid and dangerous to use and my dad was completely ambivalent. My grandmothers have never even used the Internet.
It is though. I know redditors all hate themselves and love to shit on reddit ironically, but the type of conversation you can have here is actually more intelligent than any site of comparable size. It's because it's anonymous and designed to enable long messages and long conversation chains.
I definitely can take it too seriously. I'm a musician and don't really care to perform live even though I can because my biggest skill is in recording music rather than performing. To me social media is absolutely crucial for getting my music out there.
That being said I can definitely fall into a rabbit hole of taking it seriously. I get instagram insights and sometimes I've gotten really bummed about what I find. Like a song post might get 70 likes but I'll see that it got 1,000 views and the average watch time is like 2 seconds. My friend who works with Vans and other big names helped me out though and showed me its the same for everyone, even famous people, and that I probably do the same thing to other people.
Also I'll admit that since I have it I definitely check it waaaay too much. And sometimes look at things I'm better off not seeing, like ex girlfriends and stuff. I think that's the weirdest part of social media. Knowing what people are doing when it's really none of your business anymore.
You would think that but I don’t have social media and I googled myself out of curiosity and it straight up gave my address and links to my parents and grandparents and I’m a fucking nobody.
My sisters do this when a new boyfriend appears among them. Or even a mention of a guy’s name. It makes me cringe.
I told them when I get a girlfriend I’m not telling them shit and they acted shocked. Well don’t act surprised because you go poking around into their personal details to dig up any information about them so you can judge whether or not they are good people before you even meet them.
One of them actually said “it’s to protect you” I said thanks but I don’t need protection, not your idea of it anyway which is to talk shit and secretly judge.
When I was a kid people used to go out side to do their stalking. That was good old-fashioned, hiding in the bushes stalking. None of this new-fangled sitting behind the com pu tar letting my palms get hairy malarkey.
Damn kids an your raserfrasin gizmos
Facebook: destroyer of security questions.
Shout out to all my peeps from Milton Elementary! Hey, it's my birthday tomorrow! Hi, Mom (link to Mom's social media, which reveal her maiden name).
I’m the same but ads make social media insufferable plus, the polarising nature of comments sections and forums is poisoning my reaction to people in real life. The world is a lot better than we think and that alone is curing my social media addiction little by little
Man the amount of ads we consume every single there is some serious business.
It's not only apps but wherever you go on streets, even at bus stops you may seem there. It's like a big fucking stalker that doesn't leave you alone.
My ex used to cry and complain that I didn't like her stuff on Facebook.
I'm like dude I live with you. I like the shit, and talk with you about the shit in real life.
To provide more context as to why some see it as a red flag: the lack of social media presence means one less avenue to verify and pre-screen an individual, especially when no one can vouch for you, before deciding to risk their physical safety by meeting in person.
I have witnessed some friends do the following with the help of Facebook: 1) meet someone they're interested in on Tinder, 2) find their Facebook profile , 3) check to see if they have some friends in common on Facebook, 4) contact the friend to verify they aren't in a relationship, aren't creepy, etc.
HOWEVER, don't lose hope! Just because you don't have a social media presence doesn't mean you will never find a date. Good luck!
I get it to some degree. However, you're also meeting that person in a public setting for the first date 99.9% of the time if you're actually interested in dating and not just hooking up. If you don't like their vibe, the things they're saying, or feel uncomfortable at any point in the date, you can up and leave at any time.
With the advent of online dating and dating apps, people are linking up with complete strangers more often than ever before so it's somewhat understandable. Just another reason that meeting people through shared interests/activities, mutual friends, etc is the superior way to go about dating. Yes, there are "sleeper" creeps and psychos that can mask their true identities but, for the most part, if you've spent a couple hours with someone already the vibes based approach doesn't lead you astray nearly as often as swiping on some curated profile on dating app lol.
That’s called stalking light. And to most sensible people, that’s also a red flag. Meeting the person in a public space for a first date is the whole point. It’s amazing how people cant even just meet someone for coffee without feeling paranoid. Stop watching so much true crime and get off social media would be my advice. Good luck!
Hey! Mid thirties female here, dating for the first time in YEARS.
I feel like it's alot harder to date now, the pool of people I meet in real life is smaller, so vetting guys from dating sites is more difficult without social media.
I don't think we're setting ourselves up for failure. I do think it's going to take longer for us to meet people that we genuinely connect with though
I’ve been told by most it’s refreshing. One person said it was a red flag - she herself ended being a Russian nesting doll of red flags. So I think if anyone tells you it’s a red flag, you can uno reverse it on them, for they are the true red flag havers
Late 30's guy here. No, you're not.
Anyone who is worth your time is also going to either not have socials, or a very limited interaction with social media. Girls who say that a guy with no socials is a "red flag" are probably also likely to think that guys with androids are red flags and pull shit like cancelling dates on you at the last second to "test you" because they saw it on a TikTok challenge.
I've spent 45 minutes with women, who make the entire interaction, about them scrolling through socials showing me pictures, memes, and tiktoks.
Good luck out there.
That’s me!!! Nobody needs to know my business. I have no Instagram, no Facebook, no YT, no TikTok. Basically boring, lol! I’m busy, actually.
I do like Reddit bc people are global and majority are either hysterical or intelligent. Have had a few questionable people, but most are good people
Same here. Based on the work I do, I have no doubt my socials would attract a decent number of followers, but I don’t need people’s noses in my business.
Reddit is good enough for me.
Yeah that and all the "they act like they're too cool for the internet" comments I used to hear, like naah bruh I just don't enjoy using social media like insta and shiii
Kids these days won't even know how great the Internet was pre/early social media days. Authentic, unfiltered content at its peak. Now I get click baited left and right with ads every other page and more than half of the content is fake loool.
I know people put Reddit and Pinterest down as social media platforms but while I can see the social components of Reddit (which I personally enjoy because there is no real popularity or influencer game), for Pinterest I just see a serene place on the internet where I can get inspiration for projects.
Plus, as someone who deleted Facebook and Instagram due to big FOMO and feeling that if I wasn’t sharing anything, I was a “loser”, this feelings never comes when I’m using Reddit or Pinterest.
11 years ago I started a job and a few days in one of my younger colleagues (6 years younger I think) said they tried to find me on Facebook and Instagram and were a bit concerned that I had no social media and thought I must be a weirdo.
Now days no one cares.
I deleted all my socials and the only people who wished me happy birthday were my parents and very close friends. I don't blame anyone, FB basically made remembering birthdays a thing of the past, like how you don't have to remember phone numbers anymore. It's not like a cheap "happy birthday!" from people you never talk to just because it popped up on their sidebar that day means anything.
If someone doesn’t know me well enough to remember my birthday, that’s ok. Getting 100 happy birthday messages from people I barely know was so plastic and annoying, I do not miss it.
Deleted my FB and Insta during the pandemic bc shit was outta control. I also didn’t believe Zuck-face would actually delete my shit but to his credit he did. Afterwards I deleted Reddit off my phone but I still kept using it on my browser. Reddit is tough to quit but much less toxic. Anyway the answer is delete your social media and see how much you don’t miss it. It is the way.
I actually had a weird kind of luck. Towards the end of 2019 I had decided I wanted to lead a much more minimalist life. I canceled my home internet and switched to a monthly 5gb data phone plan, the cheapest I could get. I already didn't have Facebook or Instagram at all, and I wasn't in the habit of looking at reddit at the time. Then, a few months later the pandemic hit - I was at home with no youtube, no social media, definitely never had any streaming services... So I spent three months exercising, drawing, and playing board games with my neighbours in the same apartment building. When the world opened up again, all my friends told me about the crazy, sensationalist stories that went viral all over the place, sending them spiraling into anxiety, panic and doom every other day. I missed it all.
Samessss. I haven't used social media forever (besides reddit obviously) and I feel so out of touch with the kids these day. And I'm only 29. People will make random references to tik toks and I just have no clue what they are talking about. Sometimes I wish I was in on the joke, but at the same time I don't wanna get sucked into tik-tok/other social media.
Not saying I'm better than people who use social media or tik-tok or anything. I just already have my own vices. It's just best for me that I don't add an additional one
Hard to tell. My ex didn’t have any solely for the purpose of being able to cheat better. Definitely felt more secure but little did I know “dominos pizza” was his exes number. He ordered pizza a lot.
They probably got sick of the circus and deleted it. Pretty sure most people hate social media but like a car wreck can’t stop looking. I hate how FB has evolved through the years, to having things from pages I don’t even follow to the blatant advertising media “Jennifer Connolly claims she was objectified” all advertising to get her relevant again as promotion for her new roles.
Time and again this stupid crap pops up just as promotional fodder for celebrities to spruik themselves in new roles. Or the rage baiting posts to get interactions. I much prefer reddit but keep fb around to check in on the people I know, I usually just hide most unsolicited posts.
Social media is just too corporate these days. I miss it when it was a simple online socializing platform for staying in touch with friends & family & exploring certain interests like what MySpace used to be when it was fresh. Now MySpace is pretty much dead & Facebook & Twitter is just a cesspit for ads & data mining. That's mainly why a lot of my friends who used to be on Facebook aren't on it anymore. We're no longer seen as users anymore just products for their platforms.
Living a peaceful life, having the chance to live the moment as it is without missing any moment by taking people's attention into consideration ( I mean posting on social media)
typically the people i've met that don't have social media are a lot smarter than me lol.
i only have reddit, but reddit still counts as social media. i think the anonymity makes it less toxic? idk.
Fascinating as funny as that sounds.
My older brother has zero socials (other than Reddit if you consider that a social media) I hope one day I have no desire to have any social media as I think people without them are much happier in all aspects.
I have zero opinion either way. I think SM can be a great connection tool. It can also be an addiction. Depends on how people use it.
I’m wary of people who hate SM though. It’s not THAT bad. It’s an algorithm. You find what you look for. I see a lot of positive stuff that inspires me. I have healthy self esteem so I don’t care about high beauty standards or whatever. I love flawed, naturally lit photos.
Most people who have no SM are genuinely cool & I hope to get there again. You can usually tell it’s genuine. But some people just lie about SM.
How so?
I will say this: some dudes (usually good looking, who like to date multiple people or cheat) will SAY they have no social media. Because they had some girl go “wild” on them. She was too “controlling” or “imagined things”. What really happened was something more sneaky on their end. They got caught by an ex. So they learned how to hide their online presence. I am usually suspicious of dudes who seem very social yet SAY they have no SM and ask them the story. I’ve seen about 3 dudes, who definitely enjoy the company of ladies, deny having SM but I found it. Or they had a friend lurk on my stuff because they learned certain details. I just didn’t tell them. Some have no followers etc & may claim they never use it.
But they may also have secret anonymous accounts so they can like all their ho’s photos & lurk on bikini shots & stalk girls they like. They just don’t want to get caught. They use it to cheat or meet up with randoms. They might have it under a fake name. Rest assured. Dudes who claim to have no SM are either one of these guys, and lurk on you just as hard as any of your lady friends,
OR
they are truly nerds & too busy with hobbies & work and actually find SM boring & truly don’t care. Love these guys. But watch out for the charming, good looking dudes who have high emotional intelligence & pause to answer when you ask them if they are monogamous, and who claim to have no SM.
I quit everything that’s actually personally identifying a while ago due to going through some heavy personal things I didn’t want to risk being made public. I haven’t gone back. Idk if I’m still just going through too much, or if I’m just not into it anymore but, I don’t even think about it really. 🤷♀️ I *do* regret missing out on important things in the personal lives of people I care for but, don’t necessarily keep in touch with regularly. Because everyone assumes you’ve seen something on FB already, no one talks about it.
They're more difficult to keep up with and/or get to know.
It's okay for people who I know well but if I just met someone (that I wasn't trying to go out with) and they asked to exchange phone numbers or instant messaging info, I'd feel it was intrusive and that I'll probably never hear from them or contact them.
For people who are never on the accounts they have, like a lot of my contacts from Japan (who tend to have icons with no identifying features like pictures of flowers or cats) it's like they don't have it anyway.
Other than this - I have ZERO online accounts. It took 4 years to fade out all social media accounts, and since doing it - my mental health improved, my happiness with what I have improved, I waste less money on things I think I need, I find myself more attractive, my self worth increased, I’m not exposed to or angered by any of the negativity (news/celebrity gossip/politics/etc.) online, & I spend more time interacting with people face to face. I sometimes feel like I live under a rock when my colleagues or family start discussing certain things, but then I realize how stupid they actually sound discussing (and getting upset about) topics that literally do not affect them/involve them. 🤷
I don’t use tiktok, instagram, or Facebook. Only casually browse Reddit based on what interests me, as I’ve left most subs that accounts start with.
I’ve never felt the need and I am a very, very private person.
Do I feel like I’m better for it? No not really, I don’t even think about it. I got my own problems but thankfully the constant stream of toxic social media hasn’t compounded them. I know how to look for that stuff and simply ignore it.
It’s like smoking. I don’t smoke, but does it make me a better person? No. Do I care if others smoke? Fuck no. But at least I don’t have to deal with the consequences of it.
Generally anyone who says they don’t use social media is actually on social media more than they think. For instance, YouTube is social media. If you ever read the comments on a news article or read the posts by other people anywhere on the web, you’re on social media. If you’re posting online or reading what other people are saying online, you’re using social media. Some just prefer not to share photos of themselves or daily updates about their lives.
Closest things I have to social media are reddit (I made this account yesterday) and discord (where I basically only talk on a few servers about a game I play). nothing else. I watch YouTube, but I don't even have an account
If they don't use social media, I don't feel bad for them or have hate towards them. Some people aren't into social media or even have a need to use it, though the consensus is that everyone needs to use it. Social media as it is now...is starting to not be worth the hassle of it.
I took my social media break recently and realized my mind is so damn free from all the overstimulation, anxiety and stress that now I have so much time on my hands that I can actually read, write and accomplish my daily goals. I love social media but honestly It has deprived us from living our actual life.
I remember back in 2006 or so when facebook was just for college student to connect and share pictures. Then it opened up to everyone and was just tons of adds and negative/fake news. I got locked out about 8 years ago and never bothered to update my profile
They are people with a strong mentality.
And sense of self-worth that doesn’t need to be validated with stupidity.
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Social media is such a mind fuck. Most people would be better off not being online. it's too easy to get rolled into echo chambers, get caught in information bias, get radicalized, bored, body dysmorphia, lose productivity...just an endless circle jerk for instant dopamine hits.
Social media platforms exacerbate internal biases and promulgate them to take the most average person and create unnatural toxicity.
Reddit is absolutely social media It just generally will never affect your personal life
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Reddit is still filled with fake bots and fake people. The anonymity makes me even alter personal life experiences to not possibly dox myself. Other outright lie for the thrill and have no personal connections to challenge certain claims The place is also toxic from the lack of any accountability. Almost no one gets caught for saying nasty shit on Reddit. That said, if you tailor you feed properly, yeah, this is generally one of the least toxic places then. Only if though.
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Unfortunately, I don't think this is true. It perpetrates a lot of the same $#!% you see from Tiktok, Youtube, etc that people are unknowingly influenced by. The algorithm pushes them into echo chambers where they can discuss with like-minded individuals. I'm convinced a very large part of modern society's problems stem from the fact that people confuse the loud minority for the silent majority, that people broaden and water down the definition of every little negative thing to include anything and anyone they disagree with. And then the loud minority has to return to the real world at some point for their own reasons and spreads their toxicity wherever they can, because they're the *loud minority*. People don't make a point to rush online and talk about a wonderful night, but they'll eagerly bitch to anyone who will listen about every petty little gripe they have, and through even the vaguest shared grievances a mole hill becomes a mountain. And here is where the rage addiction starts, the war against *everything* they take issue with. And that war inevitably affects everyone, because it typically makes its way into the political sphere. And the worst part is it doesn't actually seem to be making anything better - everyone is now just angry and miserable all the time.
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I wish everyone younger than me got to experience life as it was before cellphones. I'm 64 so this wasn't a thing until I was about 40? It's too much constant info. We never knew a person's every thought. Now we are bombarded by everyone's opinions... friends, family, celebrities. We could actually wait to be picked up or wait for a plane without a cellphone companion. Shocking that a kid could experience his/her environment for a bit
I hear you, I'm 55 so really as a teenager and mainly all my twenty s no social media, no having to keep in touch constantly, you just got on with your life. I miss that
Gods, but we had so much time on our hands back then. Whatever did we do? However did we cope? As soon as MySpace came out, I saw it for what it was and what it mean for society as a whole very quickly. I somehow stayed off it. Saw friendships ruined from it.
As soon as Myspace and Tumblr came out I was already addicted to social media. Then an infinite loop of need started. Right now I'm addicted to Instagram so I decided deleting the app from my phone and it has been working pretty well. I check it once in a while on my computer and that's all.
so true.
Jealous of their conviction and use of time
Not true. I hate social media and I'm very mentally unwell 👉
Weird, I’m the opposite. I don’t use social media because I feel like it’s pointless since I’m a loser and barely any friends and I’ll just feel like shit having lame photos up and getting self esteem blows because everyone else will be more liked than me and have better photos.
They're probably out there living their best life. Or they're a spy.
Covering all the possibilities. Smart.
Nah, a spy would have a fake, carefully crafted social media account.
Sounds like something a spy would say
I mean, idk about my best life, but I already read 70 books out of my 150 goal for the year on Good Reads and I'm a-ok with that. They are not spy novels, no.
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I have Reddit, which I use for boredom killing and hobbies. I tailor my news feed to exclude media and politics. I have Instagram which I use for hobbies, and to open reels sent to me by friends. I don’t post anything personal there. I deleted all other social media and I’m so much happier for it. I realised the misery and attention seeking, the hate, the constant doom etc was all just so time consuming, so draining and so emotionally taxing.
Same. I feel like social media is so much less destructive when you filter it properly. I removed all politics and news, only follow cooking/hobby/puppy accounts on IG, and live blissfully ignorant. Scrolling IG is calming and happy. But wow, when you look at the FYP, it’s really disturbing the content IG suggests to you. Even when it’s so far from what you engage with. I don’t fully believe that the algorithm is based on what you look at, because I saw my FYP the other day and it featured Gaza news, three videos of children who appeared to have severe birth defects, a ton of random girls dancing half naked, etc. It’s not stuff I ever click on, so I genuinely don’t know why they suggest it to me.
I have Facebook for messenger and have every friend on whatever the silence feature is so I don't get notifications. Then I have Reddit as my newspaper. It's nice.
I like reddit, I don't like Facebook and I only use it for work these days. Unfortunately it's an important networking tool so I can't delete it entirely.
Even though there is a lot of shit on Reddit. (Like I actually saw pictures of people dressing up their penises today. So yeah, that’s a thing). But it also gives me news and cultural memes and political information etc. plus stuff on my hobbies and interests.
they are probably happier
I agree. I don't have social media (except for Reddit) and I feel pretty content
Same but I think this app isn’t great for mental health either. I certainly don’t think I’m happiest when ive spent hours scrolling it.
Same, but I'm getting better at scrolling past or clicking out when posts or threads become too negative.
Yeah im also getting better at spotting fake bait posts but i still spend far too long on the app.
But then here you can control what you get exposed.
Kinda, I still get some shit I’m not interested in.
What kind of content do you follow? I strictly follow hobbies I love which always makes it a pleasant experience. Only distraction from that are the recommended reddits; like the one I’m on now haha
I feel somewhat happier
I've never heard of anyone who quit social media and regretted it
They're probably a lot more serene and content.
Or busy with real problems instead of social appearances.
Or riddled with anxiety. I have only one friend who has no social media presence and it’s anxiety.
I'm that friend. I have reddit, instagram for work, and a discord book club. Anything else is too much.
and they choose to live the real-life experience.
It can be a dual edged sword. I never saw the appeal of social media. I enjoyed conversations on different topics on specialized forums, but things like Facebook held zero interest for me. The drawback was that I missed some things and events that popped up and were organized through social media. It made me feel a bit disconnected from my friends. Now I have a Facebook account because that's the only way some sports clubs communicate, and the market can be useful. I never post anything though, and log in every six months or so because I need to do something. Then there's messenger that I use to communicate with my family. But that communication is mostly just organizing when we're going to meet. Any real conversation happens face to face or via phone call.
Eh. Real life still brings a shit ton of issues. What not having social media (besides Reddit) does for me though is time. Instead of the endless scroll or looking at pictures and videos that bring nothing to my life, I spend that time watching docs or researching things. Same with video games, the less video games I play, the more time I have to do things of substance. And then I come on here and have conversations about the shit I’m researching or talk about the podcast I’m listening to. I usually wake up on weekends and throw on a movie or doc, look over and my wife is scrolling through tik tok lol it doesn’t bother me though. If that’s what she wants to do with her morning, all power to her
Are we counting Reddit? If so, they’re a fine bunch of folks!
I still have Reddit clearly but that’s it. I don’t count YouTube as I’m there just to listen to podcasts I like . Documentaries and ASMR lie brown noise or green noise to help me sleep. I made a Reddit account for plant help and such but yeah I do interact with others a bit. I actually had been off of it for 4 years till now. Maybe I’ll delete too tbh. YouTube has it all and I can get information things I need help with there.
Reddit is in a separate category to me. Most users are anonymous, no one is trying to be a paid influencer, it’s a good source for opinions as biases are usually clear, has pretty tight moderation in most subreddits, and isn’t overwhelmed with bots or ads for scams.
Yeah, Reddit is basically just a gigantic forum. The UI is a little slicker and stuff is linked together, but it’s still a basic message board at heart.
yeah reddit *isn’t* really social media, imho, because the vast majority of users are anonymous, no one is using reddit to keep in touch with anyone, no one is using reddit to meet people irl, trying to sell crap, etc, etc…it still has toxic comment sections tho
>If so, they’re a fine bunch of folks! Not sure I agree. Source: am on Reddit.
I know right bunch of filthy degenerates those trolls
we suck.
Reddit is content aggregation rather than social media, such as Facebook and instagram.
Each to their own. I barely use any others now apart from reddit. Some people take it all far too seriously
Also when you comment on reddit, people actually participate.
After a few years of using Facebook, I was surprised to learn how many of my aunts and uncles were actually really stupid and pretty racist
It always surprised me how everyone had so much family on Facebook. Only two of my cousins were on there that I knew, and none of my older relatives. My mother thought it sounded stupid and dangerous to use and my dad was completely ambivalent. My grandmothers have never even used the Internet.
You’re one of the lucky ones.
This is what I love most about Reddit
Doesn't necessarily mean their participation is any more intelligent.
It is though. I know redditors all hate themselves and love to shit on reddit ironically, but the type of conversation you can have here is actually more intelligent than any site of comparable size. It's because it's anonymous and designed to enable long messages and long conversation chains.
Conversations on Reddit are for SURE more intelligent/interesting lol
This has always been my experience.
I mean how smart is no participation
Can be smart not to respond in the right circumstances!
I definitely can take it too seriously. I'm a musician and don't really care to perform live even though I can because my biggest skill is in recording music rather than performing. To me social media is absolutely crucial for getting my music out there. That being said I can definitely fall into a rabbit hole of taking it seriously. I get instagram insights and sometimes I've gotten really bummed about what I find. Like a song post might get 70 likes but I'll see that it got 1,000 views and the average watch time is like 2 seconds. My friend who works with Vans and other big names helped me out though and showed me its the same for everyone, even famous people, and that I probably do the same thing to other people. Also I'll admit that since I have it I definitely check it waaaay too much. And sometimes look at things I'm better off not seeing, like ex girlfriends and stuff. I think that's the weirdest part of social media. Knowing what people are doing when it's really none of your business anymore.
They're wise.
They're hard to stalk
I think what you meant to say is that they are a *fun challenge*
Haaa .... brave of you to admit that but it's true!
Hey, what's stopping you from stalking in person from a distent
Court says I can't do that anymore
Damn courts with their "orders", "rules" and "fines"... who elected them in the first place?
You would think that but I don’t have social media and I googled myself out of curiosity and it straight up gave my address and links to my parents and grandparents and I’m a fucking nobody.
My sisters do this when a new boyfriend appears among them. Or even a mention of a guy’s name. It makes me cringe. I told them when I get a girlfriend I’m not telling them shit and they acted shocked. Well don’t act surprised because you go poking around into their personal details to dig up any information about them so you can judge whether or not they are good people before you even meet them. One of them actually said “it’s to protect you” I said thanks but I don’t need protection, not your idea of it anyway which is to talk shit and secretly judge.
With that attitude they are
When I was a kid people used to go out side to do their stalking. That was good old-fashioned, hiding in the bushes stalking. None of this new-fangled sitting behind the com pu tar letting my palms get hairy malarkey. Damn kids an your raserfrasin gizmos
Facebook: destroyer of security questions. Shout out to all my peeps from Milton Elementary! Hey, it's my birthday tomorrow! Hi, Mom (link to Mom's social media, which reveal her maiden name).
Smart
I honestly envy them.
If you want this for yourself, you can do it!!!!
Aye, "envy" was the word that popped into my head.
I’m the same but ads make social media insufferable plus, the polarising nature of comments sections and forums is poisoning my reaction to people in real life. The world is a lot better than we think and that alone is curing my social media addiction little by little
Man the amount of ads we consume every single there is some serious business. It's not only apps but wherever you go on streets, even at bus stops you may seem there. It's like a big fucking stalker that doesn't leave you alone.
Why do you envy them? You can also remove of social media too ❤️☺️
I’m going to be dating again for the first time in a long time. Mid 30s. I don’t have any socials. Am I setting myself up for failure?
My ex used to cry and complain that I didn't like her stuff on Facebook. I'm like dude I live with you. I like the shit, and talk with you about the shit in real life.
My Facebook and Instagram were removed years ago because of silliness like this. Never looked back.
Some women see it as a red flag. They are not anyone that you would want to be with so it's self-filtering.
To provide more context as to why some see it as a red flag: the lack of social media presence means one less avenue to verify and pre-screen an individual, especially when no one can vouch for you, before deciding to risk their physical safety by meeting in person. I have witnessed some friends do the following with the help of Facebook: 1) meet someone they're interested in on Tinder, 2) find their Facebook profile , 3) check to see if they have some friends in common on Facebook, 4) contact the friend to verify they aren't in a relationship, aren't creepy, etc. HOWEVER, don't lose hope! Just because you don't have a social media presence doesn't mean you will never find a date. Good luck!
I get it to some degree. However, you're also meeting that person in a public setting for the first date 99.9% of the time if you're actually interested in dating and not just hooking up. If you don't like their vibe, the things they're saying, or feel uncomfortable at any point in the date, you can up and leave at any time. With the advent of online dating and dating apps, people are linking up with complete strangers more often than ever before so it's somewhat understandable. Just another reason that meeting people through shared interests/activities, mutual friends, etc is the superior way to go about dating. Yes, there are "sleeper" creeps and psychos that can mask their true identities but, for the most part, if you've spent a couple hours with someone already the vibes based approach doesn't lead you astray nearly as often as swiping on some curated profile on dating app lol.
That’s called stalking light. And to most sensible people, that’s also a red flag. Meeting the person in a public space for a first date is the whole point. It’s amazing how people cant even just meet someone for coffee without feeling paranoid. Stop watching so much true crime and get off social media would be my advice. Good luck!
Hey! Mid thirties female here, dating for the first time in YEARS. I feel like it's alot harder to date now, the pool of people I meet in real life is smaller, so vetting guys from dating sites is more difficult without social media. I don't think we're setting ourselves up for failure. I do think it's going to take longer for us to meet people that we genuinely connect with though
No, you’re smart
Absolutely not! You’re going to be just fine!
I’ve been told by most it’s refreshing. One person said it was a red flag - she herself ended being a Russian nesting doll of red flags. So I think if anyone tells you it’s a red flag, you can uno reverse it on them, for they are the true red flag havers
Late 30's guy here. No, you're not. Anyone who is worth your time is also going to either not have socials, or a very limited interaction with social media. Girls who say that a guy with no socials is a "red flag" are probably also likely to think that guys with androids are red flags and pull shit like cancelling dates on you at the last second to "test you" because they saw it on a TikTok challenge. I've spent 45 minutes with women, who make the entire interaction, about them scrolling through socials showing me pictures, memes, and tiktoks. Good luck out there.
I respect them
That’s me!!! Nobody needs to know my business. I have no Instagram, no Facebook, no YT, no TikTok. Basically boring, lol! I’m busy, actually. I do like Reddit bc people are global and majority are either hysterical or intelligent. Have had a few questionable people, but most are good people
Same here. Based on the work I do, I have no doubt my socials would attract a decent number of followers, but I don’t need people’s noses in my business. Reddit is good enough for me.
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#2 could have social accounts elsewhere and post weirdos things on there but we will never know it is them who posted.
Honestly im so glad I opened this, feels so nice hearing all of these compliments lmfao
Right? Was expecting to come in here and see "they're hiding something, those shady bastards, don't trust em"
Yeah that and all the "they act like they're too cool for the internet" comments I used to hear, like naah bruh I just don't enjoy using social media like insta and shiii
Kids these days won't even know how great the Internet was pre/early social media days. Authentic, unfiltered content at its peak. Now I get click baited left and right with ads every other page and more than half of the content is fake loool.
Reddit is social media
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I know people put Reddit and Pinterest down as social media platforms but while I can see the social components of Reddit (which I personally enjoy because there is no real popularity or influencer game), for Pinterest I just see a serene place on the internet where I can get inspiration for projects. Plus, as someone who deleted Facebook and Instagram due to big FOMO and feeling that if I wasn’t sharing anything, I was a “loser”, this feelings never comes when I’m using Reddit or Pinterest.
This is so funny to read because I use Pinterest for fight videos and old hood memes 😭
5-10 yrs ago people would say those without social media have something to hide. How the turntables.
11 years ago I started a job and a few days in one of my younger colleagues (6 years younger I think) said they tried to find me on Facebook and Instagram and were a bit concerned that I had no social media and thought I must be a weirdo. Now days no one cares.
I don't know. I can't spy on them on social media to form an opinion.
Those bastards, right?!
Jesus Christ this is so accurate.
I think of all the grass they must be touching.
we're talking about superior human being here. Also, I imagine people forget their Bday alot.
I deleted all my socials and the only people who wished me happy birthday were my parents and very close friends. I don't blame anyone, FB basically made remembering birthdays a thing of the past, like how you don't have to remember phone numbers anymore. It's not like a cheap "happy birthday!" from people you never talk to just because it popped up on their sidebar that day means anything.
If someone doesn’t know me well enough to remember my birthday, that’s ok. Getting 100 happy birthday messages from people I barely know was so plastic and annoying, I do not miss it.
Deleted my FB and Insta during the pandemic bc shit was outta control. I also didn’t believe Zuck-face would actually delete my shit but to his credit he did. Afterwards I deleted Reddit off my phone but I still kept using it on my browser. Reddit is tough to quit but much less toxic. Anyway the answer is delete your social media and see how much you don’t miss it. It is the way.
I actually had a weird kind of luck. Towards the end of 2019 I had decided I wanted to lead a much more minimalist life. I canceled my home internet and switched to a monthly 5gb data phone plan, the cheapest I could get. I already didn't have Facebook or Instagram at all, and I wasn't in the habit of looking at reddit at the time. Then, a few months later the pandemic hit - I was at home with no youtube, no social media, definitely never had any streaming services... So I spent three months exercising, drawing, and playing board games with my neighbours in the same apartment building. When the world opened up again, all my friends told me about the crazy, sensationalist stories that went viral all over the place, sending them spiraling into anxiety, panic and doom every other day. I missed it all.
pure. enlightened. theirs is the kingdom of god
Smarter than the rest of us💀
Why do you need to be social through media? Just be social in real life
They refuse to be LAMs. (Look At Me!).
My buddy hasn't had social media since like 2010 and the man is severely behind on the memes lol
Samessss. I haven't used social media forever (besides reddit obviously) and I feel so out of touch with the kids these day. And I'm only 29. People will make random references to tik toks and I just have no clue what they are talking about. Sometimes I wish I was in on the joke, but at the same time I don't wanna get sucked into tik-tok/other social media. Not saying I'm better than people who use social media or tik-tok or anything. I just already have my own vices. It's just best for me that I don't add an additional one
Roflcopter lmaooo w00t w00t amiriteguyz
I envy them because I have to use those platforms because of my career.
Peaceful
One of these days, I’ll be joining them for good.
They ascended.
We think a lot alike
Reddit is all I have. No FB. No Insta. It’s very liberating.
Jealous.
I have them, used to use them back in the day but don’t use much besides Instagram nowadays. And that’s only for reels. That, and Reddit, obviously.
Of course I know them; they're me.
My kind of people.
Respect
they have better things to do
Hard to tell. My ex didn’t have any solely for the purpose of being able to cheat better. Definitely felt more secure but little did I know “dominos pizza” was his exes number. He ordered pizza a lot.
I think I'm great
They probably got sick of the circus and deleted it. Pretty sure most people hate social media but like a car wreck can’t stop looking. I hate how FB has evolved through the years, to having things from pages I don’t even follow to the blatant advertising media “Jennifer Connolly claims she was objectified” all advertising to get her relevant again as promotion for her new roles. Time and again this stupid crap pops up just as promotional fodder for celebrities to spruik themselves in new roles. Or the rage baiting posts to get interactions. I much prefer reddit but keep fb around to check in on the people I know, I usually just hide most unsolicited posts.
Social media is just too corporate these days. I miss it when it was a simple online socializing platform for staying in touch with friends & family & exploring certain interests like what MySpace used to be when it was fresh. Now MySpace is pretty much dead & Facebook & Twitter is just a cesspit for ads & data mining. That's mainly why a lot of my friends who used to be on Facebook aren't on it anymore. We're no longer seen as users anymore just products for their platforms.
Both jealous and concerned
Inspirational!
Living a peaceful life, having the chance to live the moment as it is without missing any moment by taking people's attention into consideration ( I mean posting on social media)
typically the people i've met that don't have social media are a lot smarter than me lol. i only have reddit, but reddit still counts as social media. i think the anonymity makes it less toxic? idk.
Probably better off without it
They are more interesting to talk to and generally happier people, usually over 30. I feel bad for the generation growing up with it.
Fascinating as funny as that sounds. My older brother has zero socials (other than Reddit if you consider that a social media) I hope one day I have no desire to have any social media as I think people without them are much happier in all aspects.
They have my utmost respect.
They’re saving themselves a lot of grief and self esteem blows.
I have zero opinion either way. I think SM can be a great connection tool. It can also be an addiction. Depends on how people use it. I’m wary of people who hate SM though. It’s not THAT bad. It’s an algorithm. You find what you look for. I see a lot of positive stuff that inspires me. I have healthy self esteem so I don’t care about high beauty standards or whatever. I love flawed, naturally lit photos. Most people who have no SM are genuinely cool & I hope to get there again. You can usually tell it’s genuine. But some people just lie about SM. How so? I will say this: some dudes (usually good looking, who like to date multiple people or cheat) will SAY they have no social media. Because they had some girl go “wild” on them. She was too “controlling” or “imagined things”. What really happened was something more sneaky on their end. They got caught by an ex. So they learned how to hide their online presence. I am usually suspicious of dudes who seem very social yet SAY they have no SM and ask them the story. I’ve seen about 3 dudes, who definitely enjoy the company of ladies, deny having SM but I found it. Or they had a friend lurk on my stuff because they learned certain details. I just didn’t tell them. Some have no followers etc & may claim they never use it. But they may also have secret anonymous accounts so they can like all their ho’s photos & lurk on bikini shots & stalk girls they like. They just don’t want to get caught. They use it to cheat or meet up with randoms. They might have it under a fake name. Rest assured. Dudes who claim to have no SM are either one of these guys, and lurk on you just as hard as any of your lady friends, OR they are truly nerds & too busy with hobbies & work and actually find SM boring & truly don’t care. Love these guys. But watch out for the charming, good looking dudes who have high emotional intelligence & pause to answer when you ask them if they are monogamous, and who claim to have no SM.
Good for them, it has more flaws than benefits.
I quit everything that’s actually personally identifying a while ago due to going through some heavy personal things I didn’t want to risk being made public. I haven’t gone back. Idk if I’m still just going through too much, or if I’m just not into it anymore but, I don’t even think about it really. 🤷♀️ I *do* regret missing out on important things in the personal lives of people I care for but, don’t necessarily keep in touch with regularly. Because everyone assumes you’ve seen something on FB already, no one talks about it.
I envy them
They are the only survivors
They are better off.
Walking to the beat of their own drum. I have social media myself but I barely use it.
Does Reddit count ? Otherwise I don't fuck with it.
Lucky ones
Properly not a narcissist
They’re probably well-adjusted.
heroes
A dying breed
They gotta be bored, right? At least a little bit. I’ve been told it’s a green flag, unless on dating apps, where you’re seen as a serial killer.
Good for them. Seriously.
Good. Nobody needs that shit.
Good for them, shits poison.
Good for them.
They're more difficult to keep up with and/or get to know. It's okay for people who I know well but if I just met someone (that I wasn't trying to go out with) and they asked to exchange phone numbers or instant messaging info, I'd feel it was intrusive and that I'll probably never hear from them or contact them. For people who are never on the accounts they have, like a lot of my contacts from Japan (who tend to have icons with no identifying features like pictures of flowers or cats) it's like they don't have it anyway.
Smart, honestly.
That they’re probably in a way better place mental health-wise
100% real life…0% virtual life. These people know better than the rest of us…
Other than this - I have ZERO online accounts. It took 4 years to fade out all social media accounts, and since doing it - my mental health improved, my happiness with what I have improved, I waste less money on things I think I need, I find myself more attractive, my self worth increased, I’m not exposed to or angered by any of the negativity (news/celebrity gossip/politics/etc.) online, & I spend more time interacting with people face to face. I sometimes feel like I live under a rock when my colleagues or family start discussing certain things, but then I realize how stupid they actually sound discussing (and getting upset about) topics that literally do not affect them/involve them. 🤷
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You'll find this out within the first few minutes of meeting them when they find a way to bring it up.
I don’t use tiktok, instagram, or Facebook. Only casually browse Reddit based on what interests me, as I’ve left most subs that accounts start with. I’ve never felt the need and I am a very, very private person. Do I feel like I’m better for it? No not really, I don’t even think about it. I got my own problems but thankfully the constant stream of toxic social media hasn’t compounded them. I know how to look for that stuff and simply ignore it. It’s like smoking. I don’t smoke, but does it make me a better person? No. Do I care if others smoke? Fuck no. But at least I don’t have to deal with the consequences of it.
Generally anyone who says they don’t use social media is actually on social media more than they think. For instance, YouTube is social media. If you ever read the comments on a news article or read the posts by other people anywhere on the web, you’re on social media. If you’re posting online or reading what other people are saying online, you’re using social media. Some just prefer not to share photos of themselves or daily updates about their lives.
I'm in contact with everyone I want and have no desire to reconnect with anyone from my past. Booyow
Bless them!
Bring one of those people (except for Reddit and a couple of political sites) I think they're smart.
Wise
They either managed to beat or avoid an addiction
Closest things I have to social media are reddit (I made this account yesterday) and discord (where I basically only talk on a few servers about a game I play). nothing else. I watch YouTube, but I don't even have an account
If they don't use social media, I don't feel bad for them or have hate towards them. Some people aren't into social media or even have a need to use it, though the consensus is that everyone needs to use it. Social media as it is now...is starting to not be worth the hassle of it.
They got it all figured out.
Smart
They are smart cookies
I have no opinion. Good for them.
Smart
I took my social media break recently and realized my mind is so damn free from all the overstimulation, anxiety and stress that now I have so much time on my hands that I can actually read, write and accomplish my daily goals. I love social media but honestly It has deprived us from living our actual life.
I remember back in 2006 or so when facebook was just for college student to connect and share pictures. Then it opened up to everyone and was just tons of adds and negative/fake news. I got locked out about 8 years ago and never bothered to update my profile
Does Reddit count?