Leaving Social Media Behind

listener1987 · Sep 4, 2016

I think most people know these, but I do think unfollowing people or blocking them can cause more issues if you aren't careful. It's much easier to just deactivate and set up another account and only include certain people you wish to have one.

The reason I say this is because you can get caught out when someone says, "Didn't you see my post?" and you have to admit that you unfollowed them or make up something. People get offended when they are blocked or unfollowed, so sometimes saying you just deactivated is easier and causes no offense.

The reality is you have control and like a new email address, just set up a new account and be more careful with those you add.

I can guarantee most people don't know about the last option!

And actually, I have to disagree with you about unfollowing! Facebook's algorithms are selective about what they let you see. Your newsfeed doesn't actually show every single post from every single one of your friends that you're following! So you're "missing" posts every single day. There's a perfectly legitimate excuse for not having seen someone's post.

Cheers!

Amber

Alex · Sep 4, 2016

listener1987 said:
I think most people know these, but I do think unfollowing people or blocking them can cause more issues if you aren't careful. It's much easier to just deactivate and set up another account and only include certain people you wish to have one.

The reason I say this is because you can get caught out when someone says, "Didn't you see my post?" and you have to admit that you unfollowed them or make up something. People get offended when they are blocked or unfollowed, so sometimes saying you just deactivated is easier and causes no offense.

The reality is you have control and like a new email address, just set up a new account and be more careful with those you add.

Click to expand...

I can guarantee most people don't know about the last option!

And actually, I have to disagree with you about unfollowing! Facebook's algorithms are selective about what they let you see. Your newsfeed doesn't actually show every single post from every single one of your friends that you're following! So you're "missing" posts every single day. There's a perfectly legitimate excuse for not having seen someone's post.

Cheers!

Amber

We will have to agree to disagree, as from experience (which maybe greater) lead me to these conclusions from real life situations. As for using a browser extension, most people even if they do know about it won't use it as what is the point? The point of social media is to interact, and if you need to use an extension they why bother using the platform in the first place.

I won't use one, because it's a waste of time. The purpose of the OP was how social media made them feel, and not picking and choosing what bits to see or not. The thread was about the impact of social media on someone who has anxiety and depression.

As for legitimately 'missing' a post, well, again that's down to experience. Let's say it's much harder to wriggle out of a situation for some. After deactivating my main account, it's easier as I no longer have to be accountable to anyone.

listener1987 · Sep 4, 2016

listener1987 said:
I think most people know these, but I do think unfollowing people or blocking them can cause more issues if you aren't careful. It's much easier to just deactivate and set up another account and only include certain people you wish to have one.

The reason I say this is because you can get caught out when someone says, "Didn't you see my post?" and you have to admit that you unfollowed them or make up something. People get offended when they are blocked or unfollowed, so sometimes saying you just deactivated is easier and causes no offense.

The reality is you have control and like a new email address, just set up a new account and be more careful with those you add.

Click to expand...

I can guarantee most people don't know about the last option!

And actually, I have to disagree with you about unfollowing! Facebook's algorithms are selective about what they let you see. Your newsfeed doesn't actually show every single post from every single one of your friends that you're following! So you're "missing" posts every single day. There's a perfectly legitimate excuse for not having seen someone's post.

Cheers!

Amber

Oh my goodness, the browser extension is awesome! I can choose keywords I want to block from my feed. For example, I don't like seeing all the political posts, so I block out the words "trump" and "clinton." Presto, I don't have to see those posts anymore, which improves my social experience immensely! Isn't it a little harsh of you to downright say it's a waste of time for me, or anyone, to use it, when I (and thousands of others) have improved our Facebook experience with it? I feel like maybe something happened to make you a little bitter about what I'm saying! Did you have a bad experience?

I know many people don't know what browser extension is, which is why I suggested they google how to add it, and to ask me if they needed help.

I also checked a box on FB Purity that hides the news stories from my side bar. They were depressing me.

I think my post totally related to the OP! Indeed, they talked about how social media made them feel, so I made suggestions about how to avoid some of the negatives while still enjoying what you choose to! It gives you more control over your experience, so of course it's ideal to get to cut out the bits you don't want to see and get the positive social experience you came on Facebook for!

pwarbi · Sep 5, 2016

I think most people know these, but I do think unfollowing people or blocking them can cause more issues if you aren't careful. It's much easier to just deactivate and set up another account and only include certain people you wish to have one.

The reason I say this is because you can get caught out when someone says, "Didn't you see my post?" and you have to admit that you unfollowed them or make up something. People get offended when they are blocked or unfollowed, so sometimes saying you just deactivated is easier and causes no offense.

The reality is you have control and like a new email address, just set up a new account and be more careful with those you add.

I do agree to some extent hat some people can get offended if you say to them that you have deleted them, but at the end of the day it's your social media account and so you can do what you want with it, as can they. It seems to be a lot more important to some people than it actually should be, and just because you have unfollowed or unfriended them online, that doesn't mean that you have fallen out with them in the real world, and surely that should be more important.

sidney · Sep 5, 2016

That's the reason why I don't want to make an account, since I know that Facebook is some sort of unspoken bragging tool where you post your accomplishments, and it just might make you feel bad about yourself. Sometimes it can also get petty when someone posts a pic of sardines because that's what they are about to eat, and I think that's so petty. Or just selfies that get monotonous with time. Also, if you're a privacy freak then Facebook is definitely not for you.

HappyKoi · Sep 6, 2016

I like Facebook because it lets me stay in touch with people and see events that are going on, so it encourages me to socialize and talk more. I hate using the phone to call someone, and it's nice to be able to send a message. It's also nice to see what your friends are doing and to keep up with the news. Some really good group discussions have started over a comment on a picture or an article, and it's a good way to meet new people.

I have had to delete and block people, and I ignore friend requests if it's someone I don't know or have nothing in common with. Sometimes I do get anxious about the things I see, or I'm scared to friend someone or message them, but I try to look at it as an opportunity to confront what is making me anxious, figure out what my trigger is, and work through it. Even then, sometimes you just have to set it aside for a bit until you're ready to deal with some of the stressful things. I like to think that it's really not any better or worse than other ways of socializing.

pwarbi · Sep 12, 2016

I think that especially when it comes to Facebook, people are well aware these days that what a person puts on there, isn't exactly what is happening in their life so to speak. People have a tendency to over exaggerate how good their life is and it is a platform for people to try and show off more than anything else. That might make them feel better about their life, for the people reading it, if they actually believe what's being written it can lead them into a sense of anxiety as you wonder why other people seem to lead fantastic lives and you don't.

Best thing to do is to treat everything you read on social media with a pinch of salt, and just like everything else on the internet, don't always believe what you see on there as often it's as far away from the truth as you can possibly get.

kelden · Sep 12, 2016

Indeed. Social media can become a oppressive void of procrastination. And I found they're not very helpful when it comes to improve your anxiety issues, Why? Google and Facebook set themselves to show you what you want to see, not what you should or shouldn't read or watch. Is not uncommon to see people using these multimedia as "safe" environment where they enter into a vicious circle of self pity and hunger for instant gratification.

Aree Wongwanlee · Sep 14, 2016

Stay out of social media? Or, specifically, stay out of Facebook? And stay out of a market of more than a billion people? No, not me. If I stay out of Facebook, it would be akin to staying out of the highway, just because there are lots of cars there. So what? There are lots of cars there, true, but if it takes me to where I want to go, then I am getting on that highway. Same with Facebook. I am working on building up a business presence on the Web. Facebook has got more than half the Web users in the world. So being in Facebook puts me, potentially, in touch with all those people. Of course, I will not be able to get to all of them. However, even just one hundredth of one percent of the Facebook users is a lot of people.

pwarbi · Sep 14, 2016

Well that's going to depend on 'where you want to go' as you put it. Many people use social media for business purposes and without the platforms such as Facebook and Twitter for example then they would be missing out on a lot of the market and the potential custom, so giving up social media for them is impossible to do. What I was talking about though is for the personal side of things, and not business. There are a lot of people on Facebook that tend to live their lives through it, and can be on there for 10 hours a day and more, now surely that can' be an healthy way to live your life?

In recent times people have started to become addicted to gaming and I think that's now starting to happen with social media as well, and people are getting stuck in the virtual world instead of living in the real one. Use social networks as much as you ant for business and if it's the best way for you to make a living, but as far as personal use goes, I would be tempted to limit myself and certainly not believe everything I see on there.

sidney · Sep 14, 2016

Consider me as one of those privacy freaks who doesn't like sharing everything about my life on social media. This is why I have set my account as private as can be and I'm not really fond of uploading pictures every now and then. A lot of people have already been scammed or had their identities stolen because of Facebook and I'm just so wary when it comes to this kind of thing.

True, we should be mindful of that. Plus, I have just discovered that I have a "secret hater" a former friend who is now backstabbing me that's trying to get more info about me so that she can make up more slanderous stories about me, so that's another good reason not to have Facebook. You don't want your personal info falling into the wrong hands, right?

Zeesi · Sep 15, 2016

Like most things in life, there is a good and a bad side to social media. It is a tool, and with any tool it depends on who is using it, whether they use it for good or bad. I like looking at social media to stay current with things that are going on, I like to see what my family and what my acquaintances are up to. However, I'm not on social media, for all of the reasons listed in this thread.

To me, Facebook is just a braggart's playground. People love to lie in order to try and make you feel bad and make themselves look good. I have friends whose relationships are terrible, but you wouldn't know that to look at Facebook. No, on Facebook they are all 'hugged-up' with their significant other, taking trips, spending money, smiling for the camera, kissing for the camera. It's like give me a break, you were just on the phone with me yesterday telling me how the two of you were close to breaking up. I find a bunch of the posts distasteful at best.

Zeesi · Sep 15, 2016

That's the reason why I don't want to make an account, since I know that Facebook is some sort of unspoken bragging tool where you post your accomplishments, and it just might make you feel bad about yourself. Sometimes it can also get petty when someone posts a pic of sardines because that's what they are about to eat, and I think that's so petty. Or just selfies that get monotonous with time. Also, if you're a privacy freak then Facebook is definitely not for you.

I'm a privacy freak too.

Facebook really irritates me with all the bragging. So fake and phony. I agree with you about it being petty posting pictures of what they are about to eat, like nobody else in the world has eaten a can of sardines before, give me a break

. I mean, it can be okay to a certain extent, I just think that these days, people take things too far.

sidney · Sep 15, 2016

@Zeesi It gets really repetitive and annoying at times. I actually thought that the person who posted that was just following the "trend" of people posting food, and she happened to just be eating sardines at that time, so she went ahead and posted it with the hashtag, "don't be choosy". The food that I see on my account (I have a Facebook with the wrong name and no photos so that I can browse other people's profiles) are the better ones, like the ones bought in the malls or in hotels, lol.

And it is a big time waster as well. I'd rather use my time online to make money rather than browse other people's photos. Seems like people also are getting into the habit of having their photos professionally done, complete in formal attire too for their profile or cover photo. Nothing wrong with that, buy you know that they want their profiles to look "grand".

JAW1988 · Sep 16, 2016

I also stopped using Facebook, and even blocked it from my laptop, now only using it to post photos or liking anything which I am tagged in. I realised that it was a large cause of anxiety for me and once I cut it out, I felt much better. I've been cyber-bullied on Facebook before and felt terrible reading about other people's seemingly perfect lives but felt like I couldn't quit because the rest of my family decided that they would only use Facebook for communication. But then they started oversharing and even posting racist stuff that made me super uncomfortable. I also frequently ran into news stories or political stuff that made me even more depressed. But then I realised I don't have to put up with that just because of them so I finally blocked it. I was going to do the same for Twitter but now I only use it for work stuff and just avoid any political hashtags or accounts. It's so weird that I know that looking at Facebook and its hate pages made me feel depressed, but it was just so easy to do it.

Countryhalli · Sep 16, 2016

Social media has and most likely always will be hard for me to be active in. Even though I am only 23 years old, I am quite old fashioned and feel like social media adds to the already corrupted regular media. Its full of people bragging about things that make others feel bad about, they share how they are going away for weeks, weekends, months, with their home now open to robbers. I just don't think social media helps people, or is doing anything to help our country. I am guilty of getting on pintrest about 5-6 times per day, but even that is just supporting our country, or food stuff, or gardening.

Zeesi · Sep 19, 2016

@Zeesi It gets really repetitive and annoying at times. I actually thought that the person who posted that was just following the "trend" of people posting food, and she happened to just be eating sardines at that time, so she went ahead and posted it with the hashtag, "don't be choosy". The food that I see on my account (I have a Facebook with the wrong name and no photos so that I can browse other people's profiles) are the better ones, like the ones bought in the malls or in hotels, lol.

And it is a big time waster as well. I'd rather use my time online to make money rather than browse other people's photos. Seems like people also are getting into the habit of having their photos professionally done, complete in formal attire too for their profile or cover photo. Nothing wrong with that, buy you know that they want their profiles to look "grand".

Professional photos? I didn't know about that being done, it doesn't surprise me though because facebook is a playground for phony people to sell their phony wares. Don't get me wrong, I like to look at facebook from time to time to see what's going on, but for the most part, I think it is full of fake people trying to impress other people by telling fake stories.

Although this is my first time hearing it, I don't like that 'don't be choosy' hashtag when it comes to sardines or any other type of food for that matter. Some people 'like' sardines, so they don't consider themselves eating below a certain standard just because they have chosen to eat them.

As a matter of fact, they are being choosy because they actually chose those sardines, does that make sense what I'm saying here?

People seem to be so narrow-minded about certain things, and need to get over themselves already, lol.

I know a woman who doesn't want her kids to eat ramen noodles because growing up she had to eat them because her family was poor. So, to her, ramen is poor people's food, but... her kids love ramen. I told her to go ahead and let her kids enjoy eating ramen, don't try to give them a complex over those noodles just because you see them as food for the poor.

I, myself, eat ramen on occasion because I like it, not because I can't do any better. That's what that hashtag 'don't be choosy' post about sardines reminds me of.

sidney · Sep 19, 2016

Zeesi, I see lots of photos that look that they hired a photographer to take their photos. Well, some are obviously wedding photos, so no wonder they wear gowns, but if you are wearing a gown with make-up in the middle of a beach sitting on some rocks and it was nicely shot, then you know a professional photographer might have taken the photo.

Ah I get your point now, well I guess it's hard for some people not to stereotype things, since there will always be a stigma for cheaper food, regardless if you actually like eating it or you're just forced to eat it. I do not know the girl who posted the sardines pic, but she seemed poor based on the pictures of her house, like the background of her house.

rikka · Oct 5, 2016

I never tried to deactivate my Facebook account, but once, I tried to stay away for a week but I couldn't. I wanted to be updated because my sister lives far away, and Facebook is the only access I have to her, as sending text message abroad is expensive.

Instead of ranting and being jealous of people who showcase their "good lives" on Facebook, I changed my mindset on how I should react online. I stayed away from commenting on news in news sites, especially when dealing with politics, because it's where stress builds up and where all the quarreling is. I tend to only comment on pages about cats because I love cats, and even photos of cats are therapeutic to me. I share health tips from sites, cat photos, or any articles that can send good vibes. I realized doing so made me less stressful and less envious of people who post selfies and food.

Leaving Social Media Behind

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