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Have You Wanted to Quit Social Media?

news.ycombinator.com

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Re: Have You Wanted to Quit Social Media?

#41

Post by cloudedcordial »

Yes, but the fact that people don't respond to unsolicited door-knocking and pick up cold calls anymore prompt that I need social media as a way to stay in touch with others.

My Facebook account is only for the messenger and some local buy-and-sell groups.

My (private) Instagram account is for my friends.

My LinkedIn is for recruiters reaching out to me and contact my former managers for references. Former manager could've changed jobs so the old work email isn't any good anymore. A side effect is to research the companies and teams for my job interviews: Some recruiters did send me the LinkedIn profile of the interview panels.

Long lost friends and colleagues still have some way to contact me without knowing my phone and email. I don't have to proof myself through posting what I eat today and how excited about my work.

Re: Have You Wanted to Quit Social Media?

#43

Post by Peroni »

cloudedcordial wrote: post #41

Yes, but the fact that people don't respond to unsolicited door-knocking and pick up cold calls anymore prompt that I need social media as a way to stay in touch with others. My Facebook account is only for the messenger and some local buy-and-sell groups. My (private) Instagram account is for my friends. My LinkedIn is for recruiters reaching out to me and contact my former managers for references. Former manager co…

I really wish LinkedIn would stop trying to be a social network and would stick to being a professional network.

Re: Have You Wanted to Quit Social Media?

#44

Post by cloudedcordial »

Peroni wrote: post #43
cloudedcordial wrote: post #41

Yes, but the fact that people don't respond to unsolicited door-knocking and pick up cold calls anymore prompt that I need social media as a way to stay in touch with others. My Facebook account is only for the messenger and some local buy-and-sell groups. My (private) Instagram account is for my friends. My LinkedIn is for recruiters reaching out to me and contact my former managers for references. Former manager co…

I really wish LinkedIn would stop trying to be a social network and would stick to being a professional network.

Word. So many people felt compelled to post and wrote meaningless gibberish on LinkedIn. See the subreddit r/LinkedInLunatics/.

Re: Have You Wanted to Quit Social Media?

#45

Post by TRiG_Ireland »

BOOSTERHIDROGEN wrote: post #29
TRiG_Ireland wrote: post #7

As much as everyone hates it, Facebook is the only social media site with an actual clear use case. If you drop out of general interest group pages, and join only pages with people you know in real life, mostly dedicated to planning events you'll attend in real life, Facebook is a mostly pleasant experience. There's far too much advertising, of course, but I've developed some tricks to deal with that, too. I was on T…

What is the most impactful you get from AskAmanager?

AskAManager exists to be interesting (and occasionally helpful), not impactful.

Re: Have You Wanted to Quit Social Media?

#46

Post by mejutoco »

purple-leafy wrote: post #15

I already have if you don’t count HN. You don’t need social media, and I think less of people who need the acceptance of others. I quit all social media about 10 years ago, when I wasn’t yet 20. I don’t watch or read the news either. People are sheep though, so they thought that odd. But I’m not a sheep. You soon learn the important relationships, and the pointless ones. I have nothing but HN. I don’t even have a Lin…

> I don’t watch or read the news either.

I could agree with everything you said except this. I believe it is important to have some source of news. Even if it is just reuters news or some conscious choice, one needs to be informed of certain events in daily life.

Re: Have You Wanted to Quit Social Media?

#47

Post by _hcuq »

mejutoco wrote: post #46
purple-leafy wrote: post #15

I already have if you don’t count HN. You don’t need social media, and I think less of people who need the acceptance of others. I quit all social media about 10 years ago, when I wasn’t yet 20. I don’t watch or read the news either. People are sheep though, so they thought that odd. But I’m not a sheep. You soon learn the important relationships, and the pointless ones. I have nothing but HN. I don’t even have a Lin…

> I don’t watch or read the news either. I could agree with everything you said except this. I believe it is important to have some source of news. Even if it is just reuters news or some conscious choice, one needs to be informed of certain events in daily life.

Ideally you read the news like you check the weather forecast.

Re: Have You Wanted to Quit Social Media?

#48

Post by _hcuq »

Desafinado wrote: post #35
_v9nk wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> To me the real enlightened view is to use social media as a tool while not letting it consume your life. That's where the trouble starts. You don't have control when you use social media. By its very nature, it draws you in like a vortex. You can't get out.

I think it can depend on who's using it. Personally, I live in a city with no natural community. I'm married but have no family here and only a couple acquaintances. I tried to quit Instagram a couple years ago but just ended up more isolated than I already am. I think this type of situation is common for a lot of people. Social media is the glue that ties us to friends in distant places, which is why it's successful…

I think the problem starts when you have no real life community. You are prey to the algorithms with nothing to balance them out.

You may be ok, but I know a few people who have been possessed by the algorithms and influencers. They have one thing in common, they live in isolation with no community.

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