Deactivating/Deleting Social Media

[bubbletea123]

Has anyone else done it?

I do not have the Facebook or Twitter app on my phone. I deleted the apps years ago and it is so much better. I have the messenger app. If I didn't live overseas, I would delete it but I keep in touch with some family that way. I only use Facebook for our neighbourhood page. I basically unfollowed all friends on it so my timeline is empty.

I deactivated Instagram today. I unfollowed a lot of influencers a while back but in general I am just finding people's posts annoying. I spend too much time scrolling too. Not sure how long I will go without it. Hopefully I will read more books, haha.

 

[Dannie]

I first joined Facebook back in 2007 when a new friend I made sent me the Facebook link. It was all newish and I loved keeping in contact with friends etc especially as I lived away from home for a few years. After a while it become all about passive aggressive statues, competitiveness, fake attention seeking rubbish. I stopped using it and went over to Instagram but then my mental health started to decline massively. Because of social media - I constantly felt I did not have enough and I weren’t good enough. I developed extreme anxiety after joining Instagram. To the point I started to distrust my friends and close family as I was paranoid constantly that I was being judged. I stopped inviting people to my home and become reclusive. I believed all the Bullshit on Instagram etc and throughout the years I just got worse and worse where I would eat my feelings and ended up with a 5 stone weight gain and antidepressants to go with it. My hair started to fall out and I constantly came out in hives through stress. My Instagram as now gone for good but I did try to get back onto Facebook and made a couple of accounts over year or so ago but they were deactivated Within days as I just can’t cope with it anymore. I have tried to get my bigger social friendship group back numerous of times but unfortunately I have just outgrown them and I ain’t that person I was anymore. Social media - (mainly Instagram) damaged me massively. I have been in therapy for the last 12 months and even though I am better with my expectations of myself and I learnt though therapy that I am enough - I’ve also hardened and Ive realised I don’t need anyone or anything to make me a better person - I only need me in order to be a better person. I have also learned opinions are like arseholes - we all have one. I don’t get upset anymore over other people’s thoughts and opinions.

However I am no longer that social butterfly who’s trusting of everyone. I was so helbent on getting her back but to be honest I’ve now accepted she’s gone and I’m now really happy with the person in her place. Introvert is so 2020 . I don’t have or want social media anymore and I love my own company. I have two good friends that I enjoy being around but only see once every few months and we are all happy with that and that’s enough for me. I don’t want to live my life on social media or through other people’s lives. I want to travel, read books, go on long walks, bake etc and do everything that I was missing out on because I was too busy on my phone. Which comes onto my next part.

Tattle has been also a massive help to me as it’s helped me to see all the bullshit that’s on social media and that’s been a good thing too. It’s really helped me heal. Ive realised I’m no different to anyone else. No one is perfect with perfect lives as much as the fakes on Instagram want us to believe. Tattle as showed me that so I thank you as I feel more confident now to go and live a life in front of my eyes and not within my phone. I’ve babbled here but hopefully I’ve answered the question.

Happy new year x

 

[Lola UK]

I’ve just read this thread and deleted Facebook and Instagram apps from my phone I’m always comparing my life to others and it’s damaging I think. If I was born 50 years ago I wouldn’t have a clue what my classmates were up to and I wouldn’t care.

I’ve got people on there from school, who I didn’t even speak to and wouldn’t give me the time of day, and I’m updated with their life and children?! Why???!!!

 

[LaurieLaurie]

Facebook went years ago and I have just unfollowed anyone who isn’t friends or family on Instagram. I’m not following anyone I don’t like in 2020.

 

[bubbletea123]

I deactivated facebook ages ago because it was really boring. Twitter is a tough one because I was heavily involved in a community for a couple of years, and still have loads of followers but it’s a very heated environment with lots of politics (which has spread to email and whatsapp groups) which was doing my head in, so I’m on an indefinite break, just drop in every couple of months to sat hi. I wish I could completely leave it behind but I feel like I’d be letting everyone down. I have insta but spend no more than 10-15 minutes on there a day, and I unfollow any account that makes me feel shit. The only thing I watch regularly these days is YT, but there I mostly follow useful accounts and have now unfollowed all but a couple of “influencers”.

This is going to sound bad but I feel like i like SM less since family have been on it?! It seems to make them seem more narcissistic. I find the older people worse than younger.

 

[Fenella]

I gave up Facebook a few years ago- I first deactivated and then earlier this year I fully deleted it.

this week I’ve deactivated Instagram. This is going to sound dramatic but I feel like I have no idea who I actually am any more, I’ve got so moulded and changed by following certain things that I can’t really remember what I genuinely like.

I have twitter but that’s mainly to see events locally and what the buses are doing!

 

[SareBear]

I fucking hate how i feel my shitty little life is so consumed by social media! My kids even ask me when I’m on my phone - are you on Facebook!! It’s ridiculous! I need to get a grip with it all!

 

[House of Tea]

My attention span is terrible these days. I am also trying to get back into reading for longer periods.

The realisation for me is when I was reading a hard copy magazine and I did the finger gesture to enlarge print. I wish I was joking.

 

[Rainbow_rhythms]

Reviving this thread if that's ok. I've recently deleted all social media apps off my phone. I felt like I was spending way too much time flicking between Facebook and Instagram and it was taking up hours a day when I could be doing something like reading or going on a walk. Not sure how long it will last but I do feel calmer. Obviously can't give up Tattle though Has anyone else given up any social media accounts and did it have a positive impact on your life? Thanks

 

[Deleted member]

I used to read so many books and have Def found myself on SM more during the holidays. That's why today, I decided to get rid. Haha.

I used to read a book a week and now I probably read about 3 a year max. I cannot concentrate anymore to read unless I’m on holiday. I actually detest it and have seriously considered going back to a basic phone that I can only use to call or text from.

The mindless scrolling is frying my brain cells and makes me agitated yet I can’t seem to break the habit

 

[lilyannrose]

I feel like it benefits me as someone with ADHD/OCD not to know the thoughts and lives of a million people I don't know, or know but don't particularly have a relationship with. It was very, very overwhelming

I honestly do think, despite the good that can come from it, social media is one of the worst things to happen for humanity. I just don't believe we are meant to live like that, in each other's heads all the time. I do wish it had never been invented.

 

[Apple In My Pie]

I am cheating a bit I suppose as I have most social media (Facebook, Twitter) - but Facebook is for family (stripped bare, anyone negative blocked) and twitter is for fandom related stuff. Instagram was really bringing my mental health down so I deactivated my main account and now only use a throwaway style one - don’t follow any influencers or family members, and only use it for a nose at Rebecca Lamb/Hinch/Louise Pentland Instagram stories - the rest is asmr. It helps because my feed isn’t filled with people and ‘things’ to miss out on. Ditto snapchat - I follow no one and only use it for filters. I find my Mental health has improved massively - I turned into some sort of jealous bitter bitch with rock bottom self esteem and without them I was much better. My friends find it weird because they all talk to boys through snapchat and ‘omg how do you cope’ - very well actually because I CBA

 

[ShadesMint]

I deleted Facebook years ago, best thing I did. I felt like anyone could snoop on my private life and I felt pressured to share things about my life like photos of me, relationships, friends, nights out, workplace etc and its really just not necessary! I have whatsapp now and that's it. I'm alot happier, less self conscious, not comparing my lives to others as much. I just keep in contact with the people I want in my life now on whatsapp.

 

[FlipFlop0706]

I deactivated one at a time. So deactivated annd deleted Facebook app off my phone and then carried on looking at insta/Twitter etc. That way you aren’t completely cut off cold turkey if you know what I mean! Then after a month of two, delete Instagram and do the same.

Honestly, you feel so much better when you come off social media. You stop comparing yourself to other people and feeling shitty about yourself, when you see people physically you have so much more to talk about as they don’t just read about your life online. Persevere, it’s definitely worth it!

 

[nurseren]

I deleted all my social media back in 2017 when my son was born, and joined again in 2020. I felt as if I had to join again as his nursery would only communicate and show pictures of him via FB. Also other nursery mums making contact for play dates; they would know my name and that’s easier than finding my phone number.

We have just moved away (Nottingham to Birmingham) and I’m considering deleting it again to have a “fresh start”. I’ve had a really bad few traumatic months (losing my daughter, losing my grandpa, husband being made redundant) and I do feel as if everyone feels sorry for me and I want it to stop. However stupidly I’ve signed up for a charity gaming event for SANDS so I need to document that!

 

[Ashlgr]

I honestly do think, despite the good that can come from it, social media is one of the worst things to happen for humanity. I just don't believe we are meant to live like that, in each other's heads all the time. I do wish it had never been invented.

I fully agree, I got into social media when I got my first MySpace at 15, and then I've lived for 17 years deep in the trenches of social media addiction, as have so many people of this generation, and it's even worse for the newer generation who are practically given a smartphone as soon as they're born. It's been devastating in so many ways.

 

[emmer_moans]

I went down a rabbit hole this weekend looking at all my old statuses on facebook since 2007, it was weird going back in time but what struck me was how cringe I was in the early days when facebook was all about status updates rather than ads and videos. I posted hundreds and hundreds of times about the weather, being bored, moaning about bus drivers, moaning about uni, ahaha, I'm like, why on earth was I moaning so much, every thought was posted. I've deleted them now as I feel awkward about over 15 years worth of comments sitting on a server to be read, (nothing bad but just so cringe), and I'm still contemplating ditching facebook altogether but it is useful for finding out about local news and events so I may continue to keep it as something to observe rather than post much on. Notably in the past 5 years I barely posted anything, probably because now facebook is all about scrolling past the ads and pages rather than reading what your friends are actually up to. I've had it since 2007 and facebook is trash now. It used to be like an open diary for your friends but it's not like that anymore.

 

[IMissDi]

I got rid of my Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter and TikTok accounts last year. Was spending far too much time on them and it was interfering with my studies.

I still have Pinterest, WhatsApp and BeReal. I tried to join Digital Spy but am still waiting for approval. Joined Tattle today because it was recommended and not so horrible compared to some of the bigger sites

 

[Ellsbells123]

I deleted all of my SM a year ago, only have my insta to stalk my teenager and nip in on a few “influencers” best thing I ever did. I have never looked back/

 

[House of Tea]

I wonder if some of the posters on this site kept to their word?

I find Twitter useful to look things up like why is my banking app not working - you can see there is a general problem rather than specific to you. Other than that, I rarely go on Twitter. Also useful for complaining. Unfortunately some companies don’t respond to complaints or don’t handle properly, if you contact them over Twitter they are quick to react. But there is no nuanced debate on them - you are either for or against, no middle ground.

Instagram - never really a poster myself but occasional browser. I hate the rubbish ads, the false photos of people having great lives, the way it has made people into show offs. I rarely check on there.

Facebook - don’t think I have been on it, never felt the need. Tik Tok, not on there.

This site is a real time thief, the interface is so easy to use! And it is so fast moving. I am reducing my usage because I am neglecting stuff. Clean that bathroom, nah go on Tattle. Do life admin, let me just check TL. And I have neglected books, proper reading for pleasure. My attention span is shot. Even watching tv I keep an eye out on here, so rationing my time on here.

I do think social media has had a detrimental effect on society. Everyone wants to be seen, or want to document the fact they had beans on toast for dinner. We are being ruled by our machines!