I quit twitter about 20 days ago - the account is deleted. I do not miss it one bit. I tend to use HN in the same way. I wish I could delete this account as well. I suppose the best I can do is change my password.
I used to fear being a nobody, then I left social media
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Re: I used to fear being a nobody, then I left social media
#92I quit social media for a long time too. And then I noticed how disconnected I was from all my old school friends and contacts. Even close family that still uses Facebook but I otherwise don’t talk to much directly (brother’s wives posting about their kids and stuff like that, maybe even more extended than that). Really, I’m starting to think that opting out of social media altogether is a bit like opting to be a her…
Don't conflate the medium with the quality of interaction. Not on FB != hermit, that's just what Facebook wants you to believe. I prefer deep personal relationships with few over hyper connectivity. Others may want a broader, shallower network; neither is wrong just define happiness for yourself.
I gave up facebook in 2014. It was a good decision. Some contacts I've lost. Others I picked up on email.
My sister now posts her baby pics to me via whatsapp (yup: facebook owned) and email. Mom SMSes me when she wants to contact me. Dad emails me from overseas bi-weekly.
Other people, I meet over a beer, or a coffee. And the best of it all? You have actual stuff to talk about. No! I did not know you had a second child already. Wow! Do tell!
Re: I used to fear being a nobody, then I left social media
#93Earlier quoted context omitted.
One giant learning experience. We're adapting. It's kinda gross, but hopefully we'll all come out the better for it.
There was a tipping point for me when I decided that all the negative things that come from social media far outweighed the good it does. I have a Twitter account. I log in about once every couple of months. Nothing changes. The cancel culture hasn't died off, it's just gotten stronger, more pervasive and more corrosive than ever before. This has lead me to believe we are on a downward spiral with no bottom in site.
Social media is very much what you make it.
I use facebook to keep in touch with hundreds of people that I would never normally keep in touch with.
I use it to plan events like birthdays, bachelor parties, and vacations. I fully believe it enriches my life.
Re: I used to fear being a nobody, then I left social media
#94In LinkedIn, I get the opposite feeling. It seems that a lot of people spend a considerable amount of energy pumping their profiles with lots of achievements, professional photos and blog posts, but it feels like everybody is talking to themselves. Nobody cares.
Do people actually interact with each other over LinkedIn? The only people I've every talked to are recruiters. I thought it was just a directory of potential employees for recruiters. If people actually do social things on LinkedIn then that's news for me.
I see some people using LinkedIn in an attempt to boost their public relevance in their fields, but I only see recruiters interact with their content. Hence, nobody cares about the content.
Re: I used to fear being a nobody, then I left social media
#95I gave up FB and Instagram posts because my political view (conservative) and got 2 banned and harassed by relatives and strangers. Life is way better without FB/Insta
Try being a Libertarian on social media... I get hammered from the "left" because of my "taxation is theft" and "defend the #2A at all costs" mindset, and get hammered from the "right" because I believe in strict separation of Church and State, don't glorify the police and military, oppose all drug laws, am pro-choice, and oppose the death penalty. Basically, every political conversation I get involved in is a negati…
If you describe each of your beliefs as a preservation of individual liberties then you may get farther in helping others understand your position.
Re: I used to fear being a nobody, then I left social media
#96I used to excessively post on Facebook. I started to worry that it was unhealthy- why do I need the constant validation from strangers? What is wrong with me psychologically that I crave that more than my own privacy? So I quit last year and I've felt good about that choice. Now I have 17000 HN points and I'm starting to feel like I gave up meth and replaced it with cocaine. Maybe better, but still not good. Going to…
maybe just turn off the upvoting bots
Re: I used to fear being a nobody, then I left social media
#97I quit social media for a long time too. And then I noticed how disconnected I was from all my old school friends and contacts. Even close family that still uses Facebook but I otherwise don’t talk to much directly (brother’s wives posting about their kids and stuff like that, maybe even more extended than that). Really, I’m starting to think that opting out of social media altogether is a bit like opting to be a her…
>Many people just go through Facebook and create a private event and invite their Facebook friends when they have a birthday gathering nowadays. You will miss out on these if you opt-out completely. I did.
This has been my experience. It's a valid pragmatic argument for staying, and a valid principled argument for opting out.
Re: I used to fear being a nobody, then I left social media
#98I used to excessively post on Facebook. I started to worry that it was unhealthy- why do I need the constant validation from strangers? What is wrong with me psychologically that I crave that more than my own privacy? So I quit last year and I've felt good about that choice. Now I have 17000 HN points and I'm starting to feel like I gave up meth and replaced it with cocaine. Maybe better, but still not good. Going to…
In an interview, Evan Spiegel described Facebook with the single best succinct description in my opinion: “Facebook is a market for attention.” HN can be too, and I like to think that I am asynchronously contributing stuff that may lay off the typical radar of the Venn diagram of typical HN readers.
Most of the Internet’s economy is a market for attention. HN in particular tends to glorify this as the vast majority of people here make their money from other peoples attention in some respects.
Re: I used to fear being a nobody, then I left social media
#99I deleted FB from my phone about 2 years ago and have not once regretted it. I still stay in touch with my closest friends via phone, text, and the good ole' fashioned physical meetups.
No more fake celebratory comments. No more fake photos. No more fake LIVES portrayed by others (early on, I participated in this).
I must say that one of the best things you can do for your mental health is to delete these social networks off your devices. I've actually gone so far as to block all these sites network-wide via my pi-hole so nobody can mindless scroll through content while in my home.
My quality of life has improved as a result; I can now live in the moment and be grateful for not only where I'm at, but also where I am going (i.e., goal(s)) and what I will learn on the way there.
Re: I used to fear being a nobody, then I left social media
#100I used to excessively post on Facebook. I started to worry that it was unhealthy- why do I need the constant validation from strangers? What is wrong with me psychologically that I crave that more than my own privacy? So I quit last year and I've felt good about that choice. Now I have 17000 HN points and I'm starting to feel like I gave up meth and replaced it with cocaine. Maybe better, but still not good. Going to…
You can check out of Hacker News but you can never leave. No seriously, you can’t delete your account.