I struggle with social media. I'm on facebook only— I find the more I'm on the more anxious and crappy I feel so I limit my time there. I'm enjoying Substack to create/write and support folks who do the same. Thank you for sharing Mark.
I semi-quit social media several months ago and haven't looked back. I keep my Facebook account because I have a small business page and sometimes people use Messenger to get in touch with me. I could probably kill IG because I haven't checked it in a while. I did hop on Twitter yesterday (although I have not been active there in several years) to tell AT&T what I thought of their Halloween jokes after a multi-state, multi-hour service outage on Monday.
In all, my mental health state just feels better without social media. I'm enjoying the social aspect of Substack, but my priority here is 1) writing and knowing it won't be affected by an algorithm, and 2) reading others' writing and knowing I will actually see them because...no algorithm!
I deleted all of my social media accounts almost two years ago and never looked back. I have more time, more energy and am cultivating relationships that matter, both in my personal and business life, through other methods of outreach and connection (Substack being one of them). I know it sounds extreme, but leaving all social media has been one of the best decisions I have ever made for my mental health and life overall.
I couldn't cope with social media, and I'm no longer on any of the platforms I used to spend time on. I don't want to be spending time with people I don't know being horrible about other people I don't know. I'm not robust enough. My skin is too thin.
So far, so Substack. But I'm already beginning to struggle for breath.
Nov 2, 2022·edited Nov 2, 2022Liked by Mark Dykeman
Such a hot topic Mark! I feel social media is definitely evolving and many are exiting and seeking out spaces like Substack. Instagram was predominately my social of choice, but it has now turned into a very noisy circus with lots of demands from the algorithm! I'm still there a bit as I love the connections I have made with fellow artists, but I've lost my mojo for it. It's like an entirely different app!
My disillusion with social media is one of the reasons I moved to Substack. I'm loving this platform--slow growth, but I'm beginning to make some nice connections. I think one has to decide on what balance is best for them when it comes to spending time on social media. I find if I'm not careful being on social media too much can interrupt my creative flow and self doubt creeps in greater than usual (something most creatives face at times). I think people have grown weary of all the noise and games. Thanks for sharing Mark!
Reddit: I'm on reddit hiatus, after heavy use for many years. It was a bad pun that did it, a silly pun that was wildly upvoted while a thoughtful comment I had written for some poor schlub had been downvoted into oblivion due to its association with said poor schlub and his unpopular opinion. I get withdrawals occasionally, and go back for a day or two, but then I remember and leave again.
Facebook: It's a clubhouse and address book these days. I enjoy a group or two and use the messenger to stay in touch with friends and family, and that's about it. You get sick of the rabidly anti-Muslim high school guy and the mum of a million baby pics after a while.
Instagram has seen a recent revival in support of Substack and my Ride Into History project which is actually a good thing. Instagram, when used appropriately, is not all bad.
Twitter: Just no. Seriously, no. It's Twitter.
YouTube (Social Network?): YouTube's great. I honestly prefer homemade TV on YouTube these days, warts and all. It's authentic, obviously depending on who's making it.
My Twitter timeline is pretty good still, and it consists of the following:
linguistics people
podcast hosts and authors I follow
some Marxists
Lithuanian users who post funny stuff about Lithuania
Palestinian activists
Activists from Northern Caucasus
Middle East and Central Asia scholars
I source a lot of the stuff I talk about on Fictitious (including essays/poems/stories read within the Ray Bradbury Challenge) from there.
I used to be a heavy Reddit user, but it bores me to death these days. Maybe it's just because I had soaked in enough of it in the years wasted on the platform.
Happy more folks are joining the fediverse. It's been a viable alternative for years now. Remember, if you can't find a node you really like, you can make your own and then just follow people you like. It's a little more complicated than twitter at first, but I've had better engagement there than I ever did on twitter, and more positive interactions too.
I'm @guide@deadreckoning.cc there in case anyone is looking to follow more people outside mastadon.
I’ve always had a love-hate relationship with Twitter and will most likely delete my account (again). I, personally, don’t get much out of it. My go-to is Instagram with all its faults and issues. But as a photographer. I still find some use for it and do enjoy it to some extent.
In addition to the benefits you've described, I've found Twitter to be the quickest/easiest/best source for local news and events -- everything from road construction to new restaurant openings. That would be hard to replace -- I've never had a FB account but don't believe local media and businesses would be as present there as they tend to be on Twitter. And even if they continue on Twitter, how much more noise am I going to have to sift through to get it?
I'm torn. I'm muting and blocking so it's ok.....sofar. I have met so many and enjoy a good amount of mental health support(no, really) on there so it's hard to let go of a nice little peer support group.
Like I pithily tweeted: once Twitter is officially no more fun, I’m just going to ditch it and not replace it. I want to spend less time on social media and that is a prime opportunity for that. I’m on Facebook and Instagram. I used to be into Reddit, but not so much anymore - my relationship with it now is pretty light, and frankly what I’d like my other social media use to look like (quick check-ins once in a while, don’t use the app, don’t comment much). I have Discord but I’ve been invited to so many communities this week that I honestly feel exhausted thinking about it - though the intent is lovely.
After the 2016 election, I deleted Facebook and its evil twin, Messenger, a decision I never regretted. I was never on LinkedIn, tried Reddit for a minute and quickly “noped” my way out of that. Twitter used to be fun and helped me connect with other writers. NOPE. I’m down to Insta now and barely, mostly as a way to promote my substack, which is becoming far less important as I continue to engage in meaningful discourse with readers and other writers on substack. I just don’t want to be ruled by likes and algos anymore.
My most enjoyable interactions with strangers all happen on Substack. Well wait, they happen out on walks ...
We all should do what's best for ourselves where social media is concerned, no doubt. Sorry to see you go, but I'll see you around these parts :)
I struggle with social media. I'm on facebook only— I find the more I'm on the more anxious and crappy I feel so I limit my time there. I'm enjoying Substack to create/write and support folks who do the same. Thank you for sharing Mark.
I semi-quit social media several months ago and haven't looked back. I keep my Facebook account because I have a small business page and sometimes people use Messenger to get in touch with me. I could probably kill IG because I haven't checked it in a while. I did hop on Twitter yesterday (although I have not been active there in several years) to tell AT&T what I thought of their Halloween jokes after a multi-state, multi-hour service outage on Monday.
In all, my mental health state just feels better without social media. I'm enjoying the social aspect of Substack, but my priority here is 1) writing and knowing it won't be affected by an algorithm, and 2) reading others' writing and knowing I will actually see them because...no algorithm!
I deleted all of my social media accounts almost two years ago and never looked back. I have more time, more energy and am cultivating relationships that matter, both in my personal and business life, through other methods of outreach and connection (Substack being one of them). I know it sounds extreme, but leaving all social media has been one of the best decisions I have ever made for my mental health and life overall.
I couldn't cope with social media, and I'm no longer on any of the platforms I used to spend time on. I don't want to be spending time with people I don't know being horrible about other people I don't know. I'm not robust enough. My skin is too thin.
So far, so Substack. But I'm already beginning to struggle for breath.
Such a hot topic Mark! I feel social media is definitely evolving and many are exiting and seeking out spaces like Substack. Instagram was predominately my social of choice, but it has now turned into a very noisy circus with lots of demands from the algorithm! I'm still there a bit as I love the connections I have made with fellow artists, but I've lost my mojo for it. It's like an entirely different app!
My disillusion with social media is one of the reasons I moved to Substack. I'm loving this platform--slow growth, but I'm beginning to make some nice connections. I think one has to decide on what balance is best for them when it comes to spending time on social media. I find if I'm not careful being on social media too much can interrupt my creative flow and self doubt creeps in greater than usual (something most creatives face at times). I think people have grown weary of all the noise and games. Thanks for sharing Mark!
Reddit: I'm on reddit hiatus, after heavy use for many years. It was a bad pun that did it, a silly pun that was wildly upvoted while a thoughtful comment I had written for some poor schlub had been downvoted into oblivion due to its association with said poor schlub and his unpopular opinion. I get withdrawals occasionally, and go back for a day or two, but then I remember and leave again.
Facebook: It's a clubhouse and address book these days. I enjoy a group or two and use the messenger to stay in touch with friends and family, and that's about it. You get sick of the rabidly anti-Muslim high school guy and the mum of a million baby pics after a while.
Instagram has seen a recent revival in support of Substack and my Ride Into History project which is actually a good thing. Instagram, when used appropriately, is not all bad.
Twitter: Just no. Seriously, no. It's Twitter.
YouTube (Social Network?): YouTube's great. I honestly prefer homemade TV on YouTube these days, warts and all. It's authentic, obviously depending on who's making it.
My Twitter timeline is pretty good still, and it consists of the following:
linguistics people
podcast hosts and authors I follow
some Marxists
Lithuanian users who post funny stuff about Lithuania
Palestinian activists
Activists from Northern Caucasus
Middle East and Central Asia scholars
I source a lot of the stuff I talk about on Fictitious (including essays/poems/stories read within the Ray Bradbury Challenge) from there.
I used to be a heavy Reddit user, but it bores me to death these days. Maybe it's just because I had soaked in enough of it in the years wasted on the platform.
Happy more folks are joining the fediverse. It's been a viable alternative for years now. Remember, if you can't find a node you really like, you can make your own and then just follow people you like. It's a little more complicated than twitter at first, but I've had better engagement there than I ever did on twitter, and more positive interactions too.
I'm @guide@deadreckoning.cc there in case anyone is looking to follow more people outside mastadon.
I’ve always had a love-hate relationship with Twitter and will most likely delete my account (again). I, personally, don’t get much out of it. My go-to is Instagram with all its faults and issues. But as a photographer. I still find some use for it and do enjoy it to some extent.
In addition to the benefits you've described, I've found Twitter to be the quickest/easiest/best source for local news and events -- everything from road construction to new restaurant openings. That would be hard to replace -- I've never had a FB account but don't believe local media and businesses would be as present there as they tend to be on Twitter. And even if they continue on Twitter, how much more noise am I going to have to sift through to get it?
I'm torn. I'm muting and blocking so it's ok.....sofar. I have met so many and enjoy a good amount of mental health support(no, really) on there so it's hard to let go of a nice little peer support group.
Like I pithily tweeted: once Twitter is officially no more fun, I’m just going to ditch it and not replace it. I want to spend less time on social media and that is a prime opportunity for that. I’m on Facebook and Instagram. I used to be into Reddit, but not so much anymore - my relationship with it now is pretty light, and frankly what I’d like my other social media use to look like (quick check-ins once in a while, don’t use the app, don’t comment much). I have Discord but I’ve been invited to so many communities this week that I honestly feel exhausted thinking about it - though the intent is lovely.
LinkedIn?
After the 2016 election, I deleted Facebook and its evil twin, Messenger, a decision I never regretted. I was never on LinkedIn, tried Reddit for a minute and quickly “noped” my way out of that. Twitter used to be fun and helped me connect with other writers. NOPE. I’m down to Insta now and barely, mostly as a way to promote my substack, which is becoming far less important as I continue to engage in meaningful discourse with readers and other writers on substack. I just don’t want to be ruled by likes and algos anymore.