Going NC with Facebook, the gift that keeps on giving

[openskyblue]

After months of considering this move, I finally went NC with Facebook. It's been 2 weeks now living the FB-free life -- and I'm so glad I I did it.

The benefits have been many:
-- I have hours back in my life that I used to waste online
-- I'm buying less stuff, no longer prompted by those helpful ads popping up in front of me
-- My confidence has gotten a big boost. I'm not besieged by all those posts by perfect families taking perfect and expensive vacations abroad together. Rather, I can just look forward to my own affordable vacation with my adult kids who can come this year. Good enough!
-- Those constant political arguments between my friends and family? Well, they can keep on having them. I'll just read the paper every morning and decide for myself if the world is ending this week.

Seriously, I never realized just how much time and energy Facebook took AWAY from me. One of the things I did when I quit was make a list of all the people I hadn't seen or talked to in a while -- and I called and emailed them. I'm having lunch with an old college friend this week -- instead of commenting on her feed -- and looking foward to some IRT interaction.

So...have any of you quit the social monster marketplace?

[Starboard Song]

I did this: I began posting to instagram and letting those cross-post to Facebook. I have a large extended family who see my own home as a role model. They enjoy seeing what we are up to. So I can share unilaterally with them, via the instragram-Facebook bridge, but not have to engage with the ads and arguments.

[coyote]

I don't care for social media. So I don't have a smartphone. I don't tweet, snap, chat, burp, or whatever else is popular. I do text with my flip phone and only do that because I have a lot of clients that text. My W set me up a facebook so I would quit asking her to show me what the kids are doing. I check it maybe twice a week or when she says I need to see something and am on there for maybe 10 minutes.

[1footouttadefog]

I quit two or three years ago.  I also found that I felt worse after spending time on Facebook. 

I have more time and less fake interactions with folks who are not actually in my life.

[Associate of Daniel]

I've never had or looked at facebook. I don't have a clue of how to tweet, snap, insta or whatever - or even what any of those mean.  I can barely work out how to turn on my laptop or tv.

But I am addicted to Out of the FOG on my phone!

Seriously though, the horror stories I hear of facebook and social media in general just make me shudder.

So good on those of you who've decided to quit.

AOD

[blues_cruise]

Well done, I think staying off Facebook if it triggers you or makes you feel unhappy or inadequate in any way is a really good thing. I haven't entirely given up with it as it can be handy now and again (usually if I'm trying to find some information) and I also don't want to lose the means of communicating with one or two people on there, however it starts to feel invasive if I use it too much. I can never keep up with what people are up to either and get upset if I see my father's name on there, so I've distanced myself away from any 'unsafe' content a lot these past few months. Healthy boundaries. 

[SaltwareS]

It took me so long to quit facebook, I would unfriend batches of 10 friends at a time over the course of one or two years. I almost had to hold my breath as if going under water, and do a quick "unfriend" pass through a batch.

I worked in software, specifically ads, and I could see how manipulative that place is. It's so manipulative at getting you to log in. And when you're a member it's manipulative making you seek the algorithm's approval.

Now this couple I know that were never big facebook users before, have become Facebook zombies. Instagram is owned by Facebook too. I wish everyone would quit. Yes it means you'll miss out on a few things and feel left out, but you have to endure those stretches. It's causing a lot of problems in the world and it works with a tipping point effect - if enough of your contacts are on it, it's good at making you feel left out if you're not on it. People inside the company know this they said "leaving needs to be a pain" otherwise their network will fall apart.

Instead of saying "good for you for quitting" I'm instead saying "thank you for quitting". Seriously. We need as many people who can quit, to quit.

[xredshoesx]

i'm good with the bookface, but i'm also not friends with anyone in my blood family on their either, which probably makes it a lot more pleasant of an experience.

the one thing i do love about it is that i signed up for FB  right before i met my husband, and it's chronicled our life together over the last ten years.  he's actually in FB jail right now and i was like 'dude don't compromise your account-  all those pictures will be lost!!!

but i totally understand and support anyone who elects not too b/c of the way someone with a PD/ uPD may use it.

[mdana]

I have never had Facebook or any social media account.

I have friends that live their lives around it, which seems to work for them.  My life is rather simple and I'm afraid any post I made would seem so boring!!

I'm more of an introvert anyway. Maybe it appeals more to extroverts?

M

[Goldielocks]

I recently de-activated my account on facebook and I'm glad that I did it. I wish I had deleted it but I'm not going back to change anything. It tends to be addictive and some people end up posting about every tiny detail in their lives. It comes across as being quite adolescent really. There are quite serious privacy issues with it also.

[moglow]

I still use FB but have backed way off on engaging with some longtime friends who persist with rants on things that have nothing to do with them. Or the vaguebooking posts designed to have everyone asking what's wrong. Then they complain about the drama and people being in their business. I'd rather just ... not.

Unfollow has become a great boundary enforcer for me - it's my soft path to agreeing to disagree when someone refuses to let it go! Be who you are and feel how you feel, but damned if it's going to be spewed all over me.
For me it's strictly social and either playful or encouraging, depending on my mood. I've made some friends, identified some who were not, tightened some ties - and joined some fun cat, goat, and MINI lover groups! Its truly been a lesson in boundaries - and my lack of same. 

[coyote]

Funny thing, I have one friend on FB that is a friend of DW's BIL. He's from Mexico and lives close to us S. of SA. I invited him to our Easter party but never heard from him. So he shows up Sunday and was the nicest gentleman ever. Couple of years younger than me but it don't matter much when you get past 60. He is divorced and kids were at ex's, had nothing to do and came on over. Anyway funny to have a FB friend end up being a real friend.

[openskyblue]

How wonderful! That's really how holidays should work.