Tell me about how/why you quit social media

[Anonymous]

If you have quit any social media site (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, mainly), when did you do it and why? Are you glad you did it, or do you regret it?

[Anonymous]

I quit Facebook 2 years ago because I was on it all the time but it actively depressed me. I'll tell people it was for privacy reasons and because it's a bad company (which is true), but the truth is that it made me feel bad about myself. I'm still on Instagram, which is also owned by Facebook, so obviously I don't hate the company enough to truly quit it. But IG doesn't depress me, probably because I don't spend as much time on it and I'm not connected to as many people.

[Anonymous]

I quit Facebook a couple of years ago after it became clear the company was not at all concerned about the extremism and disinformation it was promoting. Deactivated and deleted and haven't looked back. I don't get to see updates from people I wouldn't otherwise be in touch with but I don't miss that. If anything it's allowed me to focus on myself and my own happiness, not keeping up any particular lifestyle or appearances.

[Anonymous]

I was always very much against social media and FB specifically because of privacy concerns. I joined FB two years ago because a friend received a very bad diagnosis and was posting updates there; I realized that this is her preferred way of communication. But after joining FB I realized that privacy is not the only issue, their business model encourages behavior that I personally do not want to see. I was shocked to see how some people whom I know IRL interact there. So, no more FB for me and no regrets.

[Anonymous]

I have never had a single social media account. I guess I don't know what I am missing. I am 50 with 2 college kids, social life, close family.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have never had a single social media account. I guess I don't know what I am missing. I am 50 with 2 college kids, social life, close family.

Same here. I’m 48 and no social media accounts either. Very happy without it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have never had a single social media account. I guess I don't know what I am missing. I am 50 with 2 college kids, social life, close family.

Same here. I’m 48 and no social media accounts either. Very happy without it.

Honestly, how do you manage? I despise Facebook, but it’s how parents in my kids’ classes and some activities share info, so I don’t feel like I can quit.

[Anonymous]

I have deactivated my FB account numerous times and I always go back. A lot of people in my industry use it for shameless self-promotion.

I loathe the company but I feel like people won't remember me if they don't see me on social media. After typing that sentence, I realize how pathetic it sounds (and is).

[Anonymous]

I have no issue with social media....but my problem is DCUM.

I can break away for a week and feel SO much better mentally. But then I think "I'll just check in for a second...." Next thing I know, I haven't showered in 3 days, my kid hasn't been fed, and my H has to pry my phone from my fingers.

[Anonymous]

My late 20's coworker just quit about six weeks ago. He figured out how much time he was wasting and deleted them all. He said it was REALLY hard for the first two weeks and now he does more around the house, works out and cooks more. His wife must be loving him!

[Anonymous]

I haven’t posted a status update to FB in over a decade. But I love the groups. I’m active in the groups.

[Anonymous]

I quit all social media last November. I really didn’t use it to post anything about myself, and got sick of hearing about what my junior high boyfriend had for breakfast.

[Anonymous]

All y’all realize dcum is social media right? I also don’t use the big 3 but my addiction here is real.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have deactivated my FB account numerous times and I always go back. A lot of people in my industry use it for shameless self-promotion.

I loathe the company but I feel like people won't remember me if they don't see me on social media. After typing that sentence, I realize how pathetic it sounds (and is).

I very much relate to this and I don't think it's pathetic. In fact, after quitting Facebook a couple years ago, I've realized it's true -- there are absolutely people who will just kind of forget about you if they no longer see you on Facebook.

I also had several friends who said something like "Oh, I didn't realize you weren't on Facebook anymore," but then I realized this was something at least some people say to make it look like they are on FB less than they are (they are looking at everyone's profiles all the time and realized I wasn't on FB almost immediately, but then embarrassed to admit it because that would mean admitting that they were looking for me...). Finding that out really reaffirmed my decision to quit because that's the kind of think I used to do and it is such a dumb time suck.

And regarding the people who forgot about me: eventually I realized that if FB was the only think keeping them in my life, they weren't actually my friends. I have a lot fewer "friends" without FB, but am also happier and more confident in my actual friends.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have no issue with social media....but my problem is DCUM.

I can break away for a week and feel SO much better mentally. But then I think "I'll just check in for a second...." Next thing I know, I haven't showered in 3 days, my kid hasn't been fed, and my H has to pry my phone from my fingers.

I definitely get sucked in on DCUM but to me it's a totally different thing because it's anonymous. I can read posts and talk about things on DCUM and never experience jealousy or FOMO or worry that I don't measure up. Even when people post about stuff that might make me feel that way if it was a member of my social circle, like their income or their kid's accomplishments or the stuff they buy, I just don't find myself comparing on DCUM because I don't know these people. So I can actually just... talk about stuff and never feel competitive.

Social media is the opposite for me. Even when I go into it with the goal of not comparing myself to others, I can't help it. I really do think the platforms are designed to cause that feeling in order to encourage you to post more and "engage" more. I hate the feeling like I'm being trained to feel insecure in service to their algorithms. Whereas DCUM has no algorithm. It's weirdly pure.