Gone cold turkey.... On un-social media

[SexyGreyFox]

That's it, I'm done. Deleted (as in removed completely, not just deactivated) Faceache back at the beginning of December, removed my Instagram account towards the end of December and now I've just deleted twitter as well.

Why are you still here?
This place is just like Facebook but you don't know anybody!
We have pictures of cats, food, people moaning about love and everything else Facebook offers but you will still remain here.
You are not on a high horse so get down until you press the button on OCUK.

 

[Luckystrike123]

I'll keep facebook indefinately as most of my friends are on it and those who don't seem to miss out on group activities.

Never had instagram or twitter as facebook is more than enough psuedo-social activity for me.

 

[dowie]

I think deleting it completely is a bit extreme, there are alternatives like the privacy options suggested earlier or removing pretty much all content etc..

I guess back in the day there were people who didn't want one of those telephone things in their house or others who didn't want a TV (probably still some people out there like that today).

I was in a play a couple of years ago and the standard thing to do was to set up a private Facebook group for co-ordinating everything relating to it... then one guy pipes up:

"Erm, ackchually I don't have any social media"



that's fair enough I guess but then it turned out his reasons for it were related to all sorts of CT related stuff... it was explained to him that he could just set up a throwaway account (and even use a throwaway e-mail address if he was that paranoid) and delete it after but it still took about two weeks before he stopped being a nob about it, realised he'd not have access to relevant information and finally set one up/joined the group.

I suspect that some of the antisocial media extremists will carry on running into issues if they're unable to use say messenger, Facebook groups, WhatsApp groups etc.. I use messenger pretty frequently these days, have a fair few WhatsApp groups for different groups of friends and other ad-hoc ones are formed for say a wedding, stag do, holiday etc.. I can't really envisage getting rid of that stuff now... likewise re: people who don't even want a phone some jobs now require you to have a phone/be contactable (and indeed some will supply the phone) etc.. I wonder if in future some will require you to have some form of social media access too (some probably do at the moment) in order to be part of a work related group.

 

[No1newts]

I stopped using it completely 4 years ago. Didn’t miss it at all but found I then struggled to keep in touch with my more global accquaintances.

After 3 years I reinstalled Facebook but it’s all the notifications switched off and pop on rarely to keep in touch with friends.

I do drop the odd post on there but rarely. It’s people just posing about how “perfect” their lives are when in reality they are anything but. It’s pathetic but each to their own, I don’t want any real part of it.

 

[SexyGreyFox]

It’s people just posing about how “perfect” their lives are when in reality they are anything but. It’s pathetic but each to their own, I don’t want any real part of it.

So a bit like here?

 

[Fuzz]

Why are you still here?
This place is just like Facebook but you don't know anybody!
We have pictures of cats, food, people moaning about love and everything else Facebook offers but you will still remain here.
You are not on a high horse so get down until you press the button on OCUK.

o/

 

[Dirk Diggler]

**snip**

It's not a public service, when you strip it down it's basically surreptitious market research which is lured out of you by the use of short-term, dopamine-driven feedback loops.

 

[Ayahuasca]

So a bit like here?

I’d say it’s different here as with having your identity pretty anonymous it’s rather pointless trying to show off, you do get it of course as you will anywhere on the internet but I find most members here to be quite open and honest about their troubles.

 

[wesimmo]

Never had instagram, only use twitter to moan at companies, use facebook for various things but max 5-10 mins a day.

This is the power of social media.

I had issues with HomeServe acting like idiots when my boiler broke down in the cold snap and my daughter was suffering from suspected Chicken Pox.

One post on Facebook slating them and tagging them and I had a phone call and a complaint handler sorting things out for me.

Ended up getting preferential appointments to fix it, 2 x brand new fan heaters as an interim solution that they've never asked to have back and £470 in compensation.

 

[dowie]

It's not a public service, when you strip it down it's basically surreptitious market research which is lured out of you by the use of short-term, dopamine-driven feedback loops.

I didn't say it was a public service, it is still useful though and increasingly used by so many people.

 

[Randomface74]

I mostly just use Facebook for a local residents' group - so I bookmark that and never visit the wall. I unfollow everyone so I don't get notifications, and I don't read anything they post.

I have a twitter, but only for following local traffic news.

I have LinkedIn for finding jobs.

 

[malachi]

This is the power of social media.

I had issues with HomeServe acting like idiots when my boiler broke down in the cold snap and my daughter was suffering from suspected Chicken Pox.

One post on Facebook slating them and tagging them and I had a phone call and a complaint handler sorting things out for me.

Ended up getting preferential appointments to fix it, 2 x brand new fan heaters as an interim solution that they've never asked to have back and £470 in compensation.

I don't have Facebook, Twitter ,etc or anything like as I don't like to broadcast my business to the world but this is a clear example of the benefits of social media when used correctly.

 

[No1newts]

So a bit like here?

Not really noticed that here but tbh I rarely post like I used to and mainly only in a few threads so if people do, I don’t see it.

 

[dowie]

I do drop the odd post on there but rarely. It’s people just posing about how “perfect” their lives are when in reality they are anything but. It’s pathetic but each to their own, I don’t want any real part of it.

Well surely most people will inevitably tend to post about good things/positive stuff and won't post as much about the not so good stuff - I'm not sure why that is anything to get wound up about...

sure there are some people who are very narcissistic but quite easy to choose not to see their content if it winds you up... some people even make a living from this stuff - others try in vain to do so - the wannabe influencer/models/fitness model types... quite a few of them are so desperate to get trips to Dubai/photos on some yacht/flash car/private plane/first class seat etc.. that they'll basically turn into sex workers for anyone willing to provide/sponsor such opportunities since their day job in Harrods and occasional appearance in a music video/catalogue modelling doesn't really fund the lifestyle they'd like to show off

edit - spelling

 

[No1newts]

Well surely most people will inevitably tend to post about good things/positive stuff and won't post as much about the not so good stuff - I'm not sure why that is anything to get wound up about...

sure there are some people who are very narcissistic but quite easy to choose not to see their content if it winds you up... some people even make a living from this stuff - others try in vain to do so - the wannabe influencer/models/fitness model types... quite a few of them are so desperate to get trips to Dubai/photos on some yacht/flash car/private plane/first class seat etc.. that they'll basically turn into sex workers for anyone willing to provide/sponsor such opportunities since their day job in Harrods and occasional appearance in a music video/catalogue modelling doesn't really fund the lifestyle they'd like to show off

edit - spelling

It did wind me up, more because I know the people personally and one to one they have X, Y, Z problems but then on social media it’s all gravy. It’s just hypocritical narcissism and I don’t enjoy that. Hence why I now limit my usage to contact with more distant friends.

It’s fine if people want to do it, clearly a lot of people want to and others enjoy reading about it or the platforms wouldn’t be successful but as I said, not for me.

 

[SexyGreyFox]

I mostly just use Facebook for a local residents' group - so I bookmark that and never visit the wall. I unfollow everyone so I don't get notifications, and I don't read anything they post.
I have a twitter, but only for following local traffic news.
I have LinkedIn for finding jobs.

It's wonderful when I actually come across somebody who knows how to do it.

 

[Efour]

I'm gonna delete my telephone.

Self control is all you need. If delete is the only way you can not do something then ok.

Telling people here that you have deleted is a bit ironic ala status updateish.

 

[Telecaster]

snip.

TBH if I ever get to the stage in life where being signed up to some form of online group is essential then I need to have a word with myself.

 

[wingman]

I deactivated my Facebook last year, I'm about six or seven months clean.

All I use now is Twitter and Reddit.

 

[dowie]

TBH if I ever get to the stage in life where being signed up to some form of online group is essential then I need to have a word with myself.

Why do you need to have a word with yourself - it isn't necessarily something you'll be in control of... do you have any hobbies/interests? Do you work for an employer*? etc..etc.. if everyone else is a member of the group and relevant information you either need or could really do with accessing is shared within that group then that isn't something you've necessarily got control over