I have Facebook still because I'm an admin for a client, but thankfully I don't do much with that ever. I have LinkedIn still, and while I made a push on there in 2023, it just kicked up bad vibes, so I know I'm going to delete that in the new year. That's it! Deleted Twitter last summer, deleted IG on 1/1/2024... feeling good!
And I'll say this - I'm the sort of person who can get lost on social media for hours, so I can't just have an account and post every now and again. I appreciate and love everyone I met on there, but none of the platforms were healthy for me, and none with HELPFUL in terms of getting people to my site or newsletter, and I'm 100% fine with that.
I still have FB for group uses, linked in (not sure why) & currently on mu second pause on instagtam, which i dont miss at all.
Still wondering how to promote my work in a sustainable & nourishing way; but happy to find more people struggling and acting in consequence. Thanks for the company ✨
I’ve had no personal social media for over two years (except LinkedIn) and put my podcast pages to rest in 2023. I could get a lot of people to like a photo or watch a reel on Instagram but that didn’t translate to more people listening to the podcast and getting rid of social media didn’t dry up the people already listening to the podcast. The gains of being of social media were so limited that it didn’t make sense anymore.
The best way for anything to grow is word of mouth and people sharing what they love and I’ve seen that pay bigger dividends for the podcast.
And last week I deleted my LinkedIn profile. I have been there for a decade and it hasn’t helped my career at all, so bye.
You know what happens when Gizmo eats after midnight? The same thing happens if I look at social media before noon.
I still post on Instagram, but heavily monitor my usage because it drains my time and cognitive energy I need to draw and write! I share 3 - 4 posts a week and stories when I can. I NEVER open the app in the morning. I try to not even think about social media before noon. If it pops in my head, I tell it to go away and let me focus.
I still have the logins for my social media accounts (apart from TikTok, which was an abortive experiment that I deleted yesterday), but I walked away from them. I still like the idea that someone can message me if they really need me and don't have my email or phone number, and I can log in once in a blue moon to catch it, but I enjoy not being beholden to social media in spending so much of my life in those timesucks.
I still have FB, but I only have people I know in real life there. I have worked and lived internationally for many years and have amassed a lot of friends and acquaintances that I like to look up and occasionally stay in touch with. I keep the FB Messenger. I guess I use FB as originally intended.
I have LinkedIn for work.
Was all too happy to delete my Instagram forever 4 years ago.
Deleted Twitter 4 years ago too.
Never got on TikTok.
I see Substack notes becoming a bit addictive for ne now.
I’ve walked away from TT and IG. I was doing really well on IG when I walked away and straight up deleted the app. It started as an experiment to see how much of a time sink it was and wow. I love not having IG. Not checking and scrolling is amazing.
I do t think I’ll join IG again until after I’m done writing my next book. So months.
Everyone says to market on social media but it’s so much work. I’d love to not have to jump back in but I’m not sure how to do that.
The main socialI use is Instagram, and boy, do I hate it! As much as I’d like to cut out the Metaverse altogether, I’ve made several meaningful connections with other artists in the last year there, and it’s currently my only means of getting traffic to my comics and zines. Substack gives me hope for a route out!
I still have my Instagram, Facebook, and even Threads accounts but rarely post on those platforms. The reason: it is no longer fun. The only use of Facebook for me is the groups to gather info/tips etc. (I live in a foreign country and it is a good way to connect with the expat community). Most of my energy goes into my own website (and recently to Substack) - I sure check Google Analytics to track which posts get more visits but it feels a lot less anxiety-inducing than the social media likes/comments.
I haven't closed down any accounts (yet), but I haven't posted since the last time I released (October 2023). I have Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, TikTok, and Twitter. And still peek at the three former daily while the rest are barely being touched. I find I have no interest in "returning."
FB is forever annoying, but I still lurk there and sometimes post. I follow lots of artists, bands and musicians, and authors there and am a group admin. for my favorite Swedish band. I also have my own art page there, GrimalkinArt. I've never tweeted or used instagram.
I quit IG & FB for 4 months last year and then got all excited thinking it was gonna be so much better when I got back on, but it truly wasn’t. Ha I guess I just needed to confirm…so now I am off both platforms and feeling much better meeting people IRL and supporting writers on Substack.
Hello, I've used mainly instagram for the past ten years. Originally I posted records which has turned into a full time job of collecting, cleaning, sharing and archiving rare country records by getting donations through patreon. Instagram has been my main way of connecting with people and spreading what I do. Essentially I've gotten tired of the facebook thing where they add a new feature, tell everyone to use it, then nerf your engagement with every other type of post, and then they repeat it with the next new feature. I'm so tired of having to try to figure out an algorithm of how and when to post or what to post when I think it's inherently disrespectful to not just show my posts to people who follow me specifically to see my posts. I have a a decent amount of followers but my posts regularly get shown to less than 10% of them. But since I built my brand on there I feel like I can't disconnect and I don't know exactly what to do. My patreon is relatively successful, but I'm worried that if I don't try to keep using instagram that it will eventually dwindle.
I haven't wanted to use social media for a couple of years but have continued to see it as a tool worth using, despite it's constant drawbacks and the way it makes the user experience worse to try to get you to pay for sponsored posts. I just don't know how I would connect with new people without it.
I sometimes post in tandem on tiktok, facebook, threads, or blue sky but most of them haven't shown much promise. Tiktok shows some, but not much.
I created my Twitter account when I was 11 years old (yes, I was one of those underaged kids) and had it for about eight years before I finally deleted it. The peace I’ve felt since then is surreal.
I also deleted my Instagram in 2019, but recently created an anonymous one so my siblings and friends can send me funny videos and I can follow cool artists. But I don't post anything at all on it.
I also have an anonymous Tumblr account where I follow more cool people and artists, lmao. I've found that anonymity on these platforms takes off the pressure to perform and impress for me. I can simply exist.
I've never had Facebook and I went through a LinkedIn phase last year where I attempted to be active on it, but that was a flop.
I have a rule where I don't have any of these apps on my phone, though. So I can't mindlessly click on apps and doom scroll.
I still have a lot to figure out but I love the way things are now. People tell me I need Twitter to promote my work as a writer and reach a larger audience. But that app messed me up so much, I know I'm never going back.
Drifting somewhere between #2, #3 and #4. My partner and I got all excited in the beginning when I was just starting out in music... we set up about 8 social media channels all at once for me, because I was a late starter and thought I needed to catch up with everyone. Biiig mistake. Fun at the beginning when the algo wasn't around, but it soon became unbearable. Now it feels like we're talking out into the void. If I had a dollar for every hour I've spent (wasted?) on the socials instead of making music!
I've completely quit all social media after having tried almost all of them when they were new. First it's fun, then...not. I have a Pinterest account that I don't look at much but it doesn't feel "social" in there's no liking and such. Overall, it's been a good move!
I was happy doing the socials for years. Always seemed fine to navigate, have my purpose and context, and enjoy what I did.
Several years of unexpected illness meant I deliberately moved away from most online stuff while I recovered. Coming back in recent months, I see way more platforms, way more private communities, way more forums and Discord servers, and all sorts. It's cosy in some spaces, silent in others, cliquey in some areas, and hard to understand at all in some corners.
I'm still up for these extended socials, so long as I keep that valid purpose and context for doing so. Count me as feeling blessed for not feeling drawn to the socials or having a sense of FOMO. It's why I could (thankfully) just stop when I first got ill.
My way is to go on or not go on, simple as that. I don't mind if that means I'm "leaving money on the table" or being inconsistent with posting, etc. There will always be stuff to come back to and explore...Or, in this case, SOOOOOOOOO MUCH to come back to!
I'm a musician, so I have to have a social media presence. Instagram is still the only way that some musicians communicate with one another and when I pitch to a venue or a streaming platform or a publication, etc., they want to see my IG. But since I've had absolutely no success on the platforms themselves and want to kill myself when I'm on them, I view them as portfolios rather than the top of my funnel. I never scroll the news feeds and I only post on IG and let it cross-post to FB for me. And I have a YT channel. I also regularly run ads on Meta which is the only way I can reach anyone (and even that's becoming less effective). I believe social media algorithms have become the bane of our society. I do only what I have to on them because I must, but I hate every second of it and dream of the day they go away.
After 10 years of running my creative business and being an artist, I got off of Instagram on Jan 31. I’m feeling really confident with this choice, and with the belief that we are more supported than we realize and once we snap out of the social media spell that tells us we need to be on it in order to have success, there’s a whole world of creative possibility that doesn’t make us feel so manipulated, drained, fragmented and psychologically messed with ◡̈ Looking forward to hearing your perspective here!
I took social media off my phone last year, and it opened up a creative portal when I downloaded Substack instead.
I shared a lot in my instagram stories, but didn’t get many responses at the time. However, people who met me in real life, or people would tell my friends or kids that they loved my content (my teenage and adult daughters friend’s followed me 😅)
When I came here, it was such a warm and responsive community.
I don’t go on instagram or facebook often. The only downside is that I nearly missed a birthday party when they changed the date at the last minute, and my best friend shares all her news on instagram stories, so I’m a little behind sometimes. Haha
I deactivated my personal Facebook page and now have only a spare page for some art groups, where we share work. IG has always been a small account for friends and family, I barely post there anything. I have LinkedIn, but more as a part of my career in academia and I am not really active there, mostly just update it as a CV. A year ago I started sharing stuff on Substack and I feel it suits me better, I don't have any amazing results here, but I enjoy the platform, even though I mostly write into the void. Just trying to show up, share and find my way. Really like your approach to running a business without social media!
I don't like that Substack sometimes feels like [ insert Social ], but I'm glad it connected me to this newsletter!
I took a year off from Instagram and Facebook in 2021. Best "social" and connected year of my life.
Last year I read Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport, and purchased Freedom Tools. Since then, my usage of Instagram (which happens to be my kryptonite) has been reduced by like 80%. I now look at it maybe once a week for less than 20 minutes.
I have Facebook and sometimes need it to post on my organization's page. That's annoying, but thankfully my boss doesn't care for social media and never asks me to get more engagement there (we're a church).
I hate Instagram and dream of fully walking away. I have a personal profile there and one for my newsletter, Leading Ladies. In a few months, I would like to have deleted it altogether.
I hate what Instagram has turned into (paid ads) and I hate how cynical it makes me toward other kind human beings (my brain is like "why would you post that?" FAR TOO OFTEN when I'm on there).
Sharing photos is in my blood since I got FB when I was 13 and Insta when I was 20. I'd like to have it completely deleted before I have children and am massively tempted to post photos of them there.
I finally booted up a personal newsletter where I plan to occasionally share photos to family and friends who would care to see them. Otherwise, trying for a mindset shift to PRINT MY PHOTOS and look at them on paper.
I've hated social media for a long while now. I ONLY still have Facebook because of the memories. When significant people in your life pass away, memories are all we have.
As for the rest of it....meh. I'm just not interested in the colossal waste of time.
I am still on Facebook mainly for some coaching groups I'm in. I still have Twitter and LinkedIn accounts, but I don't really use them. I was an early adopter of BlueSky, but again, haven't used it much. I've gone back and forth on deleting all of them except for Facebook, which I do use for business connections.
I think I spend more time on Facebook than I should; it is easy to get in a pattern of "doomscrolling" and lose oneself in it. I'm made aware of my own failings based on observing friends and coworkers get totally lost inside TikTok. For hours. "Hehehe did you see this video on TikTok?" No. I did not. And I'm not going to. I witness kids sitting on the couch all day, watching various streaming programs on TV, while watching TikToks at the same time on their phones. I am fascinated by this level of overstimulation.
The 64,000 dollar question is "What do I really gain from social media?" When I dig deep and really try to answer that question, apart from business connections gained on Facebook, nothing.
The luddite movement is slowly gaining traction; disconnecting from the networks and devices and getting outside more. As a GenX'er, this was my way of life growing up, and over time it has eroded to an unhealthy reliance on technology. I am glad to see people are starting to disconnect again. I have begun to return to the old ways... and I shall continue.
Apart from substack for writing and Facebook for family, I’ve pretty well walked away from social media for the foreseeable future. I’d rather write or receive a letter than a DM. I’m so tired of superficial instant communications and the constant invasion of notifications. The “mindfulness” focus setting has been on my phone from wake till sleep, and the “sleep” focus overnight. It feels like a deep inhale for the first time in a while. It makes me wonder why I ever got on social media in the first place, and how I can step even further away.
I used to be an IG influencer, back when the term didn't exist. I was the first Indonesian who had a Twitter account, at least that was what our national newspaper claimed. As a Tech Geek I was very active in Social Media, I had account in almost every single Social Network. I blogged professionally too, until I sold it 4 years ago. I still have those accounts, I never deleted them. But I am not active in all of them. Today my focus is in Substack and LinkedIn. I am semi active in X, Threads, Bluesky, Facebook and Instagram. I recognised that there is a real danger in getting addicted to these platforms and made a conscious decision to limit myself, especially after my children has grown up. I need to protect them too. In my last post I wrote about practical tips that I'm doing to balance my relationship with my tech. I think everyone should start thinking about theirs too. https://lifeapprentice.substack.com/p/11-tips-to-fight-social-media-addiction
I only had Twitter for a couple of weeks a year or so ago. The format lends itself to shallow 'hot takes" and nastiness IMHO. It isn't long enough to develop a coherent argument, but it is long enough for a mean tweet.
I'm developing my long neglected LinkedIn account for job hunting purposes.
Facebook I loved, but I have had enough of the censorship. I used to post multiple times a day... far more than was healthy; but I finally got sick of being throttled and shadow-banned, especially over jokes. The algorithms and "fact checkers" not only lack any sense of humor, they lack any sense of context. Being censored is bad enough, but being censored by a moron is even worse.
That being said, I found I missed the writing, especially jokes and gags, which is why I came to Substack.
I am a member of a small community of poets, writers, and artists.
It is our aim to support what could be described as an off-line culture.
We are interested in what writers and visual artists create in solitude, that stretch of time when distractions fade, and deep wells of thinking and feelings emerge.
We aim to spark conversations between those who find artistic expression, philosophical comment, and reverence for the natural world a critical counterweight to the racket and fragmentation of what is deemed as modern-day living.
We want hopefully to preserve as much human contact as possible, in what is fast becoming an increasingly digital world.
I keep it at arm’s length and look at IG once a day and FB once or twice a week, purely to stay connected to a few people that matter to me there. I almost never post anymore. I’m pretty happy with this approach.
I have joined the Social Media Escape Club! Will it work? I have an addition to X(Twitter) and hate it, but like all addictions, keep returning for another hit. It used to be fun, it's not now. I actually spent money on a hypnotherapist to try and quit it but it didn't work. Plus publishers like you to have active social media accounts (I've had to give numbers when signing publishing contracts) and I spent years building up to 20,000 followers (now 17,000) and don't want to just delete it! Facebook is tolerable/necessary but I'd rather not really. Instagram I still quite enjoy and at least it doesn't constantly threaten to take over my life/make me unproductive.
I use SM to share my music and writing. Stay in touch with fans and friends via FB, IG, Threads, and X. And, I most definitely avoid the snake charmers and grifters.
...have a twitter started 12 months ago, not touching it...have a substack post daily notes, weekly writings...have a linkedin (thinking of doing comedy there)...no other social footprint online outside of art/music/etc. in various varieties...looking to make friends and collaborators online and to scale personal businesses through whatever are the most appropriate methods...i think i need to spend more time outside (like maybe all the time)...appreciate what you are doing here...
I guess I’m using Facebook as a billboard still since I put my Substack posts there and get a few likes from folks who already subscribe to the newsletter. I’ve taken it all off my phone and I only do it in the computer, and I have feed blockers to keep me from scrolling. I built up a decent size audience on Facebook, about 6000 followers, but unless I pay for ads they don’t see anything anymore. I want to delete that and my Instagram account but I just can’t seem to do it yet. It has REALLY helped to not have them on my phone.
Holding pattern! as a photog, i have a love/ hate relationship with ig.. its a great connector but increasingly impersonal. I’m trying to move to having a mailing list (via substack) to take back some control over my interactions with friends and people who follow my work. It’s been a surprising and encouraging process. Taking it slow but it feels nice
I haven't closed my accounts but I have left social media since January 2024 (minus LinkedIn, which I don't hate). Sadly, I can't get totally rid of social media as I work as communication manager because I am not a full-time author 😢
I started a digital declutter (a la Cal Newport) on April 1. No, not an April Fools' Joke. I'm tired of being addicted to my phone and the way that constant checking of social media makes me feel, and takes away my productivity. I do believe that social media can be for good - such as raising global awareness around social justice issues - but I want to get to a place where I control it, vs the other way around.
I was an avid IG user until FB took over. I've seen a massive downward spiral of engagement. Saw a video yesterday of another IG user who has been experiencing the same thing. I'm not quite ready to leave it, but neither am I sure I will stay.
I have a best friend who is off of social media and has been for almost a decade and she is thriving. A part of me is envious, because every time I think of doing the same something ropes me back in whether it’s a fear of missing out, losing out on a new recipe, a book recommendation, commentary on pop culture… connecting with a community of like minded people who don’t exist outside of social media… it’s a true conundrum.
Social media. I love/hate it! LOVE staying in touch with people I otherwise don't see from my very nomadic life. LOVE posting paddle boarding videos for my friends. Hate the dependence on the hit of likes, especially as an artist posting links to web series, performances, written work. LOVE your post suggesting there are other ways.
I'm on Facebook because that's where my people are. I still like the medium. I can post anything there - written, photo, video, short or long. It's versatile. I share my posts from Substack over there.
I have an Instagram page that's more like a static web page in case folks look me up there. I really enjoy engaging with other's content on Instagram because I successfully curated my feed to whales, comedy, hair videos, planner stuff, and food.
And I'm here. I consider this social media as well because it's a medium and with commenting and notes and DM'ing it's social. I like it here because it feels like all the posturing is gone. Feels like I'm at an Indie bookstore and we're making genuine conversations. It feels intimate.
I have Facebook still because I'm an admin for a client, but thankfully I don't do much with that ever. I have LinkedIn still, and while I made a push on there in 2023, it just kicked up bad vibes, so I know I'm going to delete that in the new year. That's it! Deleted Twitter last summer, deleted IG on 1/1/2024... feeling good!
And I'll say this - I'm the sort of person who can get lost on social media for hours, so I can't just have an account and post every now and again. I appreciate and love everyone I met on there, but none of the platforms were healthy for me, and none with HELPFUL in terms of getting people to my site or newsletter, and I'm 100% fine with that.
I still have FB for group uses, linked in (not sure why) & currently on mu second pause on instagtam, which i dont miss at all.
Still wondering how to promote my work in a sustainable & nourishing way; but happy to find more people struggling and acting in consequence. Thanks for the company ✨
I’ve had no personal social media for over two years (except LinkedIn) and put my podcast pages to rest in 2023. I could get a lot of people to like a photo or watch a reel on Instagram but that didn’t translate to more people listening to the podcast and getting rid of social media didn’t dry up the people already listening to the podcast. The gains of being of social media were so limited that it didn’t make sense anymore.
The best way for anything to grow is word of mouth and people sharing what they love and I’ve seen that pay bigger dividends for the podcast.
And last week I deleted my LinkedIn profile. I have been there for a decade and it hasn’t helped my career at all, so bye.
You know what happens when Gizmo eats after midnight? The same thing happens if I look at social media before noon.
I still post on Instagram, but heavily monitor my usage because it drains my time and cognitive energy I need to draw and write! I share 3 - 4 posts a week and stories when I can. I NEVER open the app in the morning. I try to not even think about social media before noon. If it pops in my head, I tell it to go away and let me focus.
Holding pattern. I feel like I “need” it. And I’ve gotten some folks from FB to read and subscribe to my newsletter in December, so that was cool!
I still have the logins for my social media accounts (apart from TikTok, which was an abortive experiment that I deleted yesterday), but I walked away from them. I still like the idea that someone can message me if they really need me and don't have my email or phone number, and I can log in once in a blue moon to catch it, but I enjoy not being beholden to social media in spending so much of my life in those timesucks.
I still have FB, but I only have people I know in real life there. I have worked and lived internationally for many years and have amassed a lot of friends and acquaintances that I like to look up and occasionally stay in touch with. I keep the FB Messenger. I guess I use FB as originally intended.
I have LinkedIn for work.
Was all too happy to delete my Instagram forever 4 years ago.
Deleted Twitter 4 years ago too.
Never got on TikTok.
I see Substack notes becoming a bit addictive for ne now.
It’s always something.
I’ve walked away from TT and IG. I was doing really well on IG when I walked away and straight up deleted the app. It started as an experiment to see how much of a time sink it was and wow. I love not having IG. Not checking and scrolling is amazing.
I do t think I’ll join IG again until after I’m done writing my next book. So months.
Everyone says to market on social media but it’s so much work. I’d love to not have to jump back in but I’m not sure how to do that.
I use X for news. Tried to build a following but forget it. It's SO HARD to catch attention. Just leave it to the big dogs.
Facebook, I use it to see what my actual friends are up to but the public content is the content of a vomitorium.
Instagram, that stuff will melt your brain.
TikTok: haha. No.
The main socialI use is Instagram, and boy, do I hate it! As much as I’d like to cut out the Metaverse altogether, I’ve made several meaningful connections with other artists in the last year there, and it’s currently my only means of getting traffic to my comics and zines. Substack gives me hope for a route out!
I still have my Instagram, Facebook, and even Threads accounts but rarely post on those platforms. The reason: it is no longer fun. The only use of Facebook for me is the groups to gather info/tips etc. (I live in a foreign country and it is a good way to connect with the expat community). Most of my energy goes into my own website (and recently to Substack) - I sure check Google Analytics to track which posts get more visits but it feels a lot less anxiety-inducing than the social media likes/comments.
I haven't closed down any accounts (yet), but I haven't posted since the last time I released (October 2023). I have Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, TikTok, and Twitter. And still peek at the three former daily while the rest are barely being touched. I find I have no interest in "returning."
I have reduced my sm footprint but can’t let go of IG or TT…I dream of deleting.
FB is forever annoying, but I still lurk there and sometimes post. I follow lots of artists, bands and musicians, and authors there and am a group admin. for my favorite Swedish band. I also have my own art page there, GrimalkinArt. I've never tweeted or used instagram.
I quit IG & FB for 4 months last year and then got all excited thinking it was gonna be so much better when I got back on, but it truly wasn’t. Ha I guess I just needed to confirm…so now I am off both platforms and feeling much better meeting people IRL and supporting writers on Substack.
I still have facebook, dont know why, havent posted anything on there in years.
I do have X, mainly for sport news. Other than that, not interested in the rest. I will probably delete facebook at some point this year.
Agree that we spend to much time on these platforms and not much time on ourselves. Need to change that.
Hello, I've used mainly instagram for the past ten years. Originally I posted records which has turned into a full time job of collecting, cleaning, sharing and archiving rare country records by getting donations through patreon. Instagram has been my main way of connecting with people and spreading what I do. Essentially I've gotten tired of the facebook thing where they add a new feature, tell everyone to use it, then nerf your engagement with every other type of post, and then they repeat it with the next new feature. I'm so tired of having to try to figure out an algorithm of how and when to post or what to post when I think it's inherently disrespectful to not just show my posts to people who follow me specifically to see my posts. I have a a decent amount of followers but my posts regularly get shown to less than 10% of them. But since I built my brand on there I feel like I can't disconnect and I don't know exactly what to do. My patreon is relatively successful, but I'm worried that if I don't try to keep using instagram that it will eventually dwindle.
I haven't wanted to use social media for a couple of years but have continued to see it as a tool worth using, despite it's constant drawbacks and the way it makes the user experience worse to try to get you to pay for sponsored posts. I just don't know how I would connect with new people without it.
I sometimes post in tandem on tiktok, facebook, threads, or blue sky but most of them haven't shown much promise. Tiktok shows some, but not much.
I created my Twitter account when I was 11 years old (yes, I was one of those underaged kids) and had it for about eight years before I finally deleted it. The peace I’ve felt since then is surreal.
I also deleted my Instagram in 2019, but recently created an anonymous one so my siblings and friends can send me funny videos and I can follow cool artists. But I don't post anything at all on it.
I also have an anonymous Tumblr account where I follow more cool people and artists, lmao. I've found that anonymity on these platforms takes off the pressure to perform and impress for me. I can simply exist.
I've never had Facebook and I went through a LinkedIn phase last year where I attempted to be active on it, but that was a flop.
I have a rule where I don't have any of these apps on my phone, though. So I can't mindlessly click on apps and doom scroll.
I still have a lot to figure out but I love the way things are now. People tell me I need Twitter to promote my work as a writer and reach a larger audience. But that app messed me up so much, I know I'm never going back.
Drifting somewhere between #2, #3 and #4. My partner and I got all excited in the beginning when I was just starting out in music... we set up about 8 social media channels all at once for me, because I was a late starter and thought I needed to catch up with everyone. Biiig mistake. Fun at the beginning when the algo wasn't around, but it soon became unbearable. Now it feels like we're talking out into the void. If I had a dollar for every hour I've spent (wasted?) on the socials instead of making music!
I've completely quit all social media after having tried almost all of them when they were new. First it's fun, then...not. I have a Pinterest account that I don't look at much but it doesn't feel "social" in there's no liking and such. Overall, it's been a good move!
I was happy doing the socials for years. Always seemed fine to navigate, have my purpose and context, and enjoy what I did.
Several years of unexpected illness meant I deliberately moved away from most online stuff while I recovered. Coming back in recent months, I see way more platforms, way more private communities, way more forums and Discord servers, and all sorts. It's cosy in some spaces, silent in others, cliquey in some areas, and hard to understand at all in some corners.
I'm still up for these extended socials, so long as I keep that valid purpose and context for doing so. Count me as feeling blessed for not feeling drawn to the socials or having a sense of FOMO. It's why I could (thankfully) just stop when I first got ill.
My way is to go on or not go on, simple as that. I don't mind if that means I'm "leaving money on the table" or being inconsistent with posting, etc. There will always be stuff to come back to and explore...Or, in this case, SOOOOOOOOO MUCH to come back to!
I'm a musician, so I have to have a social media presence. Instagram is still the only way that some musicians communicate with one another and when I pitch to a venue or a streaming platform or a publication, etc., they want to see my IG. But since I've had absolutely no success on the platforms themselves and want to kill myself when I'm on them, I view them as portfolios rather than the top of my funnel. I never scroll the news feeds and I only post on IG and let it cross-post to FB for me. And I have a YT channel. I also regularly run ads on Meta which is the only way I can reach anyone (and even that's becoming less effective). I believe social media algorithms have become the bane of our society. I do only what I have to on them because I must, but I hate every second of it and dream of the day they go away.
After 10 years of running my creative business and being an artist, I got off of Instagram on Jan 31. I’m feeling really confident with this choice, and with the belief that we are more supported than we realize and once we snap out of the social media spell that tells us we need to be on it in order to have success, there’s a whole world of creative possibility that doesn’t make us feel so manipulated, drained, fragmented and psychologically messed with ◡̈ Looking forward to hearing your perspective here!
I took social media off my phone last year, and it opened up a creative portal when I downloaded Substack instead.
I shared a lot in my instagram stories, but didn’t get many responses at the time. However, people who met me in real life, or people would tell my friends or kids that they loved my content (my teenage and adult daughters friend’s followed me 😅)
When I came here, it was such a warm and responsive community.
I don’t go on instagram or facebook often. The only downside is that I nearly missed a birthday party when they changed the date at the last minute, and my best friend shares all her news on instagram stories, so I’m a little behind sometimes. Haha
I deactivated my personal Facebook page and now have only a spare page for some art groups, where we share work. IG has always been a small account for friends and family, I barely post there anything. I have LinkedIn, but more as a part of my career in academia and I am not really active there, mostly just update it as a CV. A year ago I started sharing stuff on Substack and I feel it suits me better, I don't have any amazing results here, but I enjoy the platform, even though I mostly write into the void. Just trying to show up, share and find my way. Really like your approach to running a business without social media!
Hi!
I don't like that Substack sometimes feels like [ insert Social ], but I'm glad it connected me to this newsletter!
I took a year off from Instagram and Facebook in 2021. Best "social" and connected year of my life.
Last year I read Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport, and purchased Freedom Tools. Since then, my usage of Instagram (which happens to be my kryptonite) has been reduced by like 80%. I now look at it maybe once a week for less than 20 minutes.
I have Facebook and sometimes need it to post on my organization's page. That's annoying, but thankfully my boss doesn't care for social media and never asks me to get more engagement there (we're a church).
I hate Instagram and dream of fully walking away. I have a personal profile there and one for my newsletter, Leading Ladies. In a few months, I would like to have deleted it altogether.
I hate what Instagram has turned into (paid ads) and I hate how cynical it makes me toward other kind human beings (my brain is like "why would you post that?" FAR TOO OFTEN when I'm on there).
Sharing photos is in my blood since I got FB when I was 13 and Insta when I was 20. I'd like to have it completely deleted before I have children and am massively tempted to post photos of them there.
I finally booted up a personal newsletter where I plan to occasionally share photos to family and friends who would care to see them. Otherwise, trying for a mindset shift to PRINT MY PHOTOS and look at them on paper.
Slowly but surely moving toward the ANALOG LIFE.
Thanks for all the encouragement to do so!
I've hated social media for a long while now. I ONLY still have Facebook because of the memories. When significant people in your life pass away, memories are all we have.
As for the rest of it....meh. I'm just not interested in the colossal waste of time.
I am still on Facebook mainly for some coaching groups I'm in. I still have Twitter and LinkedIn accounts, but I don't really use them. I was an early adopter of BlueSky, but again, haven't used it much. I've gone back and forth on deleting all of them except for Facebook, which I do use for business connections.
I think I spend more time on Facebook than I should; it is easy to get in a pattern of "doomscrolling" and lose oneself in it. I'm made aware of my own failings based on observing friends and coworkers get totally lost inside TikTok. For hours. "Hehehe did you see this video on TikTok?" No. I did not. And I'm not going to. I witness kids sitting on the couch all day, watching various streaming programs on TV, while watching TikToks at the same time on their phones. I am fascinated by this level of overstimulation.
The 64,000 dollar question is "What do I really gain from social media?" When I dig deep and really try to answer that question, apart from business connections gained on Facebook, nothing.
The luddite movement is slowly gaining traction; disconnecting from the networks and devices and getting outside more. As a GenX'er, this was my way of life growing up, and over time it has eroded to an unhealthy reliance on technology. I am glad to see people are starting to disconnect again. I have begun to return to the old ways... and I shall continue.
I'd quit LinkedIn if I were retired or felt confident I could grow a profitable newsletter business without it. Looking forward to either.
I haven't used Facebook or LinkedIn for years.
Never got into Snapchat or TikTok or the newer ones.
I don't use Reddit much.
I limit YouTube to when I'm on the treadmill, and I don't use the comments part of it.
Substack is new for me. It has pros/cons. It feels the least toxic, probably.
Apart from substack for writing and Facebook for family, I’ve pretty well walked away from social media for the foreseeable future. I’d rather write or receive a letter than a DM. I’m so tired of superficial instant communications and the constant invasion of notifications. The “mindfulness” focus setting has been on my phone from wake till sleep, and the “sleep” focus overnight. It feels like a deep inhale for the first time in a while. It makes me wonder why I ever got on social media in the first place, and how I can step even further away.
I used to be an IG influencer, back when the term didn't exist. I was the first Indonesian who had a Twitter account, at least that was what our national newspaper claimed. As a Tech Geek I was very active in Social Media, I had account in almost every single Social Network. I blogged professionally too, until I sold it 4 years ago. I still have those accounts, I never deleted them. But I am not active in all of them. Today my focus is in Substack and LinkedIn. I am semi active in X, Threads, Bluesky, Facebook and Instagram. I recognised that there is a real danger in getting addicted to these platforms and made a conscious decision to limit myself, especially after my children has grown up. I need to protect them too. In my last post I wrote about practical tips that I'm doing to balance my relationship with my tech. I think everyone should start thinking about theirs too. https://lifeapprentice.substack.com/p/11-tips-to-fight-social-media-addiction
I only had Twitter for a couple of weeks a year or so ago. The format lends itself to shallow 'hot takes" and nastiness IMHO. It isn't long enough to develop a coherent argument, but it is long enough for a mean tweet.
I'm developing my long neglected LinkedIn account for job hunting purposes.
Facebook I loved, but I have had enough of the censorship. I used to post multiple times a day... far more than was healthy; but I finally got sick of being throttled and shadow-banned, especially over jokes. The algorithms and "fact checkers" not only lack any sense of humor, they lack any sense of context. Being censored is bad enough, but being censored by a moron is even worse.
That being said, I found I missed the writing, especially jokes and gags, which is why I came to Substack.
"Follow your dreams - And make them happen".
I am a member of a small community of poets, writers, and artists.
It is our aim to support what could be described as an off-line culture.
We are interested in what writers and visual artists create in solitude, that stretch of time when distractions fade, and deep wells of thinking and feelings emerge.
We aim to spark conversations between those who find artistic expression, philosophical comment, and reverence for the natural world a critical counterweight to the racket and fragmentation of what is deemed as modern-day living.
We want hopefully to preserve as much human contact as possible, in what is fast becoming an increasingly digital world.
I keep it at arm’s length and look at IG once a day and FB once or twice a week, purely to stay connected to a few people that matter to me there. I almost never post anymore. I’m pretty happy with this approach.
I have joined the Social Media Escape Club! Will it work? I have an addition to X(Twitter) and hate it, but like all addictions, keep returning for another hit. It used to be fun, it's not now. I actually spent money on a hypnotherapist to try and quit it but it didn't work. Plus publishers like you to have active social media accounts (I've had to give numbers when signing publishing contracts) and I spent years building up to 20,000 followers (now 17,000) and don't want to just delete it! Facebook is tolerable/necessary but I'd rather not really. Instagram I still quite enjoy and at least it doesn't constantly threaten to take over my life/make me unproductive.
Only Notes and LI.
I use SM to share my music and writing. Stay in touch with fans and friends via FB, IG, Threads, and X. And, I most definitely avoid the snake charmers and grifters.
...have a twitter started 12 months ago, not touching it...have a substack post daily notes, weekly writings...have a linkedin (thinking of doing comedy there)...no other social footprint online outside of art/music/etc. in various varieties...looking to make friends and collaborators online and to scale personal businesses through whatever are the most appropriate methods...i think i need to spend more time outside (like maybe all the time)...appreciate what you are doing here...
I guess I’m using Facebook as a billboard still since I put my Substack posts there and get a few likes from folks who already subscribe to the newsletter. I’ve taken it all off my phone and I only do it in the computer, and I have feed blockers to keep me from scrolling. I built up a decent size audience on Facebook, about 6000 followers, but unless I pay for ads they don’t see anything anymore. I want to delete that and my Instagram account but I just can’t seem to do it yet. It has REALLY helped to not have them on my phone.
Holding pattern! as a photog, i have a love/ hate relationship with ig.. its a great connector but increasingly impersonal. I’m trying to move to having a mailing list (via substack) to take back some control over my interactions with friends and people who follow my work. It’s been a surprising and encouraging process. Taking it slow but it feels nice
I haven't closed my accounts but I have left social media since January 2024 (minus LinkedIn, which I don't hate). Sadly, I can't get totally rid of social media as I work as communication manager because I am not a full-time author 😢
Holding pattern for now …it can be such a time sink.
I started a digital declutter (a la Cal Newport) on April 1. No, not an April Fools' Joke. I'm tired of being addicted to my phone and the way that constant checking of social media makes me feel, and takes away my productivity. I do believe that social media can be for good - such as raising global awareness around social justice issues - but I want to get to a place where I control it, vs the other way around.
I was an avid IG user until FB took over. I've seen a massive downward spiral of engagement. Saw a video yesterday of another IG user who has been experiencing the same thing. I'm not quite ready to leave it, but neither am I sure I will stay.
I have a best friend who is off of social media and has been for almost a decade and she is thriving. A part of me is envious, because every time I think of doing the same something ropes me back in whether it’s a fear of missing out, losing out on a new recipe, a book recommendation, commentary on pop culture… connecting with a community of like minded people who don’t exist outside of social media… it’s a true conundrum.
Social media. I love/hate it! LOVE staying in touch with people I otherwise don't see from my very nomadic life. LOVE posting paddle boarding videos for my friends. Hate the dependence on the hit of likes, especially as an artist posting links to web series, performances, written work. LOVE your post suggesting there are other ways.
I'm on Facebook because that's where my people are. I still like the medium. I can post anything there - written, photo, video, short or long. It's versatile. I share my posts from Substack over there.
I have an Instagram page that's more like a static web page in case folks look me up there. I really enjoy engaging with other's content on Instagram because I successfully curated my feed to whales, comedy, hair videos, planner stuff, and food.
And I'm here. I consider this social media as well because it's a medium and with commenting and notes and DM'ing it's social. I like it here because it feels like all the posturing is gone. Feels like I'm at an Indie bookstore and we're making genuine conversations. It feels intimate.