Getting off Facebook

[frugalone]

I'm sure there have been threads on this topic before. I've been thinking of quitting the big blue F, or at least trying to vastly cut down on my time there.

Found this article the other day:

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/dana-...b_6011106.html

I'm trying some of the steps and they are working out for me. Over the years, I've gotten disillusioned with FB (and social media in general). The other night, I got in a political fight with someone and ended up blocking them and leaving the group we were both in. I try NEVER to get in political arguments with anyone, both IRL and on the 'net. I ended up yelling and crying to spouse that I hated FB.

I have noticed over the past couple of days, more of a sense of peacefulness and well-being. I've dropped into FB just to see what's going on, and to check Messenger (my best friend's brother-in-law is seriously ill and she has been updating me on Messenger). I've also stopped following a couple of people.

It seems that the crap FB is throwing at me is overwhelming--all these posts they think I would like, suggested friends, etc. etc. I only joined it b/c at the time, I had intentions of selling my handmade jewelry, and let's face it: it's one of the only places you can advertise that sort of thing for free. There are also some cool trade/sell groups for art supplies, and other stuff. Lots of my art friends were on there, so I joined up.

I don't sell my jewelry anymore, so that is not a reason to stay. My excuses have been 1) boredom; and 2) keeping in touch with friends. I gotta ask myself, though: How did I keep in touch with friends before Facebook?

Have you weaned yourself off FB (or any other social media)? How did you do it? How has your life improved? Or do you regret it?

I'm interested to know about your experience.

[Float On]

I've taken time off FB at various times. Like Lent. Yes, life improves greatly. I'm more content when I'm not seeing everyone's latest trips or big purchases.
I'm at a point where I check it once or twice a day but I haven't made a post in over a month and I go back through my timeline and delete a lot of things.
I do plan to keep it because I use it at lot at church for getting quick responses from people. They won't check email but check facebook messenger.
I did a lot of hiding people during the last election. I remove anything that gets me boiling. I don't engage in conversations - political, religious, etc, that might upset me. I try to post an encouraging comment on other's pages when needed.
I've given up on feeling like I have to wish happy birthday to 17 people a day.

[catherine]

I gave up social media--including SLN--for Lent a couple of years ago. Reason: I was wasting a lot of time.

Facebook is really losing its appeal for me. It's gotten so commercial. There's one post from a friend for every 5 "sponsored post"s. Even though those sponsored posts are for things I might be interested in because FB is the champ at targeted advertising, it's ridiculous. My son keeps telling me to migrate to Instagram.

As for the political banter, I make it a point not to engage. I blocked the posts of one of my friends because she was a nasty, rabid liberal and I couldn't stand her rants anymore. And I'm a liberal! Conversely, I haven't been moved to block the posts of my conservative "Share if you think Donald Trump Deserves More Respect" friends. I just can't stand it when it escalates from opinion to vitriol.

So, I never, ever respond to political posts, whether I agree or not. I'd rather keep a friend than splinter over political views.

But you have me thinking about redoing giving up FB for Lent again this year.

[frugalone]

Yes, society has done a significant shift. I used to talk on the phone a lot to friends; now I never do. It's all done through Messenger. Ditto for email. I've got friends who never check email anymore.

I've taken time off FB at various times. Like Lent. Yes, life improves greatly. I'm more content when I'm not seeing everyone's latest trips or big purchases.
I'm at a point where I check it once or twice a day but I haven't made a post in over a month and I go back through my timeline and delete a lot of things.
I do plan to keep it because I use it at lot at church for getting quick responses from people. They won't check email but check facebook messenger.
I did a lot of hiding people during the last election. I remove anything that gets me boiling. I don't engage in conversations - political, religious, etc, that might upset me. I try to post an encouraging comment on other's pages when needed.
I've given up on feeling like I have to wish happy birthday to 17 people a day.

[SteveinMN]

Facebook is really losing its appeal for me. It's gotten so commercial. There's one post from a friend for every 5 "sponsored post"s. Even though those sponsored posts are for things I might be interested in because FB is the champ at targeted advertising, it's ridiculous. My son keeps telling me to migrate to Instagram.

Why Instagram Is Becoming Facebook’s Next Facebook . I'm sure the folks at Instagram are plotting and planning over how to better monetize users on that site.

Not defending Facebook in this instance; I find my time on it has decreased as well for all of the sponsored content and for the nonsense too many people post (the clickbait "Everyone couldn't believe it when he..." and the "Which friend will help you steal a car?", not to mention the political trash on both sides). I'm not yet willing to give it up, though. It still lets me keep in (sufficient) touch with people I want to keep up with at least a little, in a way that twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and schedules can't touch.

As for the political banter, I make it a point not to engage. I blocked the posts of one of my friends because she was a nasty, rabid liberal and I couldn't stand her rants anymore. And I'm a liberal! [snip] I'd rather keep a friend than splinter over political views.

My BiL is a prime offender with this. Apparently cannot see a single post on Fb without "sharing" it and does a really poor job discerning real issues and information from outraged fake news. Sadly, Facebook's tools for filtering what you see are pretty crude, so I can't unfollow him without also missing out on what he and SiL are doing in their lives (which actually interests me). Yes, we can catch up with them a couple of times a year through visits or cards/letters/email. But it's not the same. There's a lack of involvement from not being engaged so often. So, for now, Fb it is and I skip a lot of posts.

As for the Trumpistas still out there in my friend pool, though, I think I'd rather know now they still lean that way than have it come up in a F2F conversation with them.

[frugalone]

I have deleted Twitter from my tablet, as I rarely checked it and have never really liked it.

I've got a problem with Pinterest. Now all of a sudden, it seem like every other photo is "promoted." How did this happen?

I'm not a big Instagram user either.

I used to spend a lot of time on flickr, but I've noticed it's not being used as much as it used to. For instance, I take a couple of online art classes each year. They used to have flickr groups; now it's all a "private" Facebook groups.

[Williamsmith]

I belong to only two social sites. I used to belong to a forum of baseball minded people who primarily helped mentor young kids through the process of building a career in baseball and obtaining a college scholarship. I maxed out at ten years. The site owner started selling advertising space on the home page and I quit immediately because I felt the hours and hours of volunteer advice was not his to exploit and I told everyone so in rather flamboyant language. Well, I cussed him out pretty harshly.

I took a little time off and surfed around looking for another site without much luck. And then I stumbled across this forum. I really never know from day to day what my level of participation will be and I’m not sensitive about it. I do what I feel like doing. If that means my priorities change and I seem hypocritical or undisciplined....meh. I like that this site lives up to its name in a big way. Really never experienced the kind of tolerance the members here have for conflicting views on this kind of format. It speaks to the character of the people who belong here. I am appreciative of that more than you know.

i also belong to a forum of firearms owners from my state. It is what it is. To quote somebody. There are a lot of jackbutts, lots of ignorance, and intolerance. Just the way we firearms owners like it. Hmmmm.

Oh yeah, I do have a clandestine Facebook account for my wife which we use a couple times a year when we want to get intelligence on our own kids and my mother. But for the most part I think Facebook is responsible for the reduction in productivity of the entire US workforce. I think the Russians are behind it.

[frugalone]

Williamsmith, you may be right about the workforce thing. I have noticed that after 5 p.m., Facebook kind of shuts down. But boy is it humming during the day!

[Tammy]

I only use Instagram and Twitter. And I only follow about 20 accounts on each.

The was a time I had Facebook and LinkedIn. But they became ridiculous.

If the only way to keep up with someone is on a social site that I don't want to join, then they don't really want a relationship with me do they ...

[jp1]

I've taken facebook breaks but never quit it entirely. mark zuckerberg and I seem to have a brokeback mountain relationship (I just can't quit you.) Mostly I'm ok with that. I've got "that friend" that Steve mentions, the one who posts EVERYTHING they come across that pisses them off whether it's fake news or not. And I've had the endless arguments with friends of friends who are trump supporters. At least I'm now aware enough to be able to take a step back and disengage. I imagine that twenty years from now people will be dealing with social media like it's nothing. And I'll be that old man screaming "get off my lawn, ya damn kids!" and griping about how the world went down the toilet as soon as social media came on the scene and ruined "life as we know it".