Do you detix from social media?

I have deactivated my facebook and instagram for over a week due to anxiety and i feel so much peace and feel more productive with freetime... When i first did it i would go to check the apps... Feel better for this break. Might just not log back on!

Whats your experience? Detox... Yeay or nay?

Anyone removed permanently?

You don't have to detox from things you use in moderation. However if you feel as though you're wasting too much time on it, it may be a good idea. Although the best approach would be to simply clean up all your social media.

Get rid of dead weight "friends", followers, etc. Completely reset your privacy settings to include only those people who really are friends. Don't post every single thing in your life.

Turn mindless notifications off your devices and reset things so that you have control and check when you feel like it, not when dot com billionaires decide you need to look, so that you are bombarded with a few more useless ads. Take control of your life by controlling the default social media settings and who can see your media.

Everything Wiseman said.

I don’t need to detox because I’m just not on that much. I check once, maybe twice a day if I’m watching TV or waiting in a line somewhere (some days I’m not on at all)... I just don’t respond to things if it looks like it’s going to be dramatic, etc...

Change the push notifications on your phone so as not to be notified when people post and unfollow people who are

dramatic.

It’s easier to ignore all that stuff when you aren’t being notified every 2 seconds.

I have been off social media for years. Don't miss it at all!

I dont feel a need to detox, tho I am not wired to it like many are. I like to keep up with a few friends and relatives overseas but that's about it. The drama and general BS does not appeal to me at all. I think many people would be happier and more productive if they got off of social media a lot more.

Anyone removed permanently?

Me.

Been off for 6 years now.

God, I love it.

Many years ago, when Instagram was just taking hold, I remember a weird moment: getting a "like" from a total stranger in addition to the 11 friends who generally liked by photos of cats, pool tables, and landscapes. Weird because I was in ways more curious about that than I was the reactions from people I knew—a little feather tickling the ego. It was the moment when I realized that, if you're not careful, the whole thing can become a performance of life (at the expense of real life) rather than simply a kinda trivial, kinda fun documentation of life.

So I deleted the app from my phone, because I didn't even want to be bothered with thinking about it, let alone more interested in framing and filtering the steak the waiter just dropped in front of me than cutting into it. That was nice. Reminded me that it means nothing. I'll still do that from time to time, but for the most part my brain just isn't wired—or was de-wired by me—to put a lot of stock in it. I still have Facebook, but haven't logged on in years. I look at Instagram once or twice a week, don't post much, and keep most things of meaning—my friends, my girlfriend—off of there. My attitude is that, were it to just vanish one day, I won't care—unlike, say, novels, my friends and girlfriend, which if they vanished I'd be devastated. Better to put stock in the things you don't want to lose.

I think social media is basically no different from drugs or cigarettes. Two cigarettes a year? Not so bad for anyone. Problem is very, very few people can only smoke two cigarettes a year, which is why they're so bad. Ten, twenty years from now? I suspect we'll be talking about social media much the way we talk about smoking: a net negative for human health, something that does far more bad than good, and will be treated more along those lines. I'd say it's doing far worse things to the collective mental health, today, than cigarettes are doing to lungs and hearts.

So that's kind of how I treat it—as a vice, and not even a particularly satisfying one.

Why did social media cause you anxiety?

I really like Facebook because I can keep in touch with friends and family. I comment - never ever about politics - and I post no photos including not of our child - in ten years I posted one - a newspaper photo of my son and me from the back. I rarely post and don’t use it as a way to give people news about me. I do that by calling, texting and emailing friends - usually one at a time. So no need for me to take a break. What does upset and stress me are the hateful political posts from both sides and the number of people who ask for help - like help meeting people or help finding a good or better job - and who flake when I take the time to respond. So I’m training myself to restrict my time to people I know well or to do volunteer work or give $ to groups I really believe in. Certainly if it’s making you anxious then why participate ?

I was once off the FB grid for 2 years! Surfing the Net is nothing but a time trap.

I had more time to workout, socialize with my friends in person, became industrious at home, very productive overall, immersed myself into hobbies and my days were meaningful and joyous.

I've since whittled my 'Friends' list by deleting people from my past whom I have nothing in common with today nor will I ever see them again in my lifetime.

This is my experience, which I hope will be helpful to you.

To be very honest, I'm rarely on social media. I mainly keep it to stay in touch with acquaintances or some friends who live far away. It's certainly useful to promote a cause or something relevant. Anyway, I've noticed that once you're on it you can easily waste quite some time.

So, to minimise any time wasting, here's what I do: I follow a bunch of informative & fun stuff on social media that way my feed will be flooded with interesting & productive content. However, I only log on from home as my phone is social media free. The only exception is a messaging app, as where I live most people don't SMS any more.

Every now and then (leaning towards rarely) I may like something or post just so people know I'm still alive. But quite frankly, those who are close to me know how to reach me outside of social media.

Yes Cherlyn you are right. It’s a time suck and also I’ve made great and meaningful connections so I try to practice self restraint when I’m on there. Also OP you can literally time yourself so you don’t get too invested.

Yes Cherlyn you are right. It’s a time suck and also I’ve made great and meaningful connections so I try to practice self restraint when I’m on there. Also OP you can literally time yourself so you don’t get too invested.

Yes Batya33. I agree, too.