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I'm quitting social media!

smashradio

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smashradio Grand Master

smashradio

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Yeah, so I decided to quit Facebook. Almost. I still have to use the damn platform to publish some content for one of my businesses, but other than that: I'm done. 

Why? 

Because social media is the biggest time-waster in the history of this species. 

Never in history have we spent so much time doing nothing. 

We're constantly out for the dopamine hit we get from instant gratification injections on social media.

We scroll. We comment. We like, dislike and click on stupid links to meaningless content that has nothing to do with improving our own lives. 

We live our life through others, like what they do means something. Let me tell you right now: it doesn't. At least not to me. 

If I count the hours I've spent on Facebook since I first signed up, I'd probably end up counting years of my life as wasted. Years! 

I used to spend 2-3 hours on Facebook every single day. Think about it. Since 2009 or something, I've spent maybe 3 hours per day on that crap. That's nearly 1,5 years. 

Being productive is about living your life to it's fullest potential.

You aren't doing that if your face is glued to your phone or a stupid website specifically designed to get you addicted to nothingness. 

We hear talk about influencers. Heck, they even count your "pro-ness" based on the amount of followers you have (among other things) if you apply for Fiverr pro.

Like having a bunch of mindless sheep living their life through you has anything to do with being good at what you do. 

(This isn't a rant about Fiverr Pro, nor the Pros who work on Fiverr! It's not about people - it's about the platforms where you and I become products in a machine.) 

Just wanted to share my thoughts on social media. I'm a bitter old man. :classic_ninja:

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smashradio Grand Master

smashradio

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1 hour ago, theratypist said:

Go bro monsieur, you have my full support! Haha. But it is true, being intentional with your time is quite a discipline and well needed kind reminder for most of us these days. 😄

Thank you dear madam sis! Indeed it is. I think my time is better spent doing real things. Social media has ruined what little quality time we have left. I actually think having meaningful conversations, digitally or otherwise, can be really rewarding. But in algorithm based social media it isn't even that. It's just "filler". And it doesn't provide me with any meaningful and useful way to grow as a person. 

1 hour ago, sabinespoems said:

Welcome to my world of social media absence! 🥳 Unfortunately I can't say not having social media made me the most productive person alive but mentally it's very freeing haha. 

Now the question is; what will you do with all that extra free time?!

Read. Sit alone and just be with myself. I wrote a post about that the other day, actually. About why I think it's important to be alone. That sort of sparked my whole social media is bullsh** train of thought. 

I'd also like to spend more time perfecting my craft, learning new stuff, and maybe watch some movies I've been holding off on. Lots to do! :D 

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melanielm Grand Master

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I'm a novelist in my non-Fiverr life, and I have whittled my social media use down only to a few high-quality fiction writing groups. You are correct in saying it's a huge time waster if you don't moderate yourself carefully. I can't imagine using it for non-career-related purposes at all. People post the most boring or super personal things I don't want to know!

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smashradio Grand Master

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55 minutes ago, melanielm said:

I'm a novelist in my non-Fiverr life, and I have whittled my social media use down only to a few high-quality fiction writing groups. You are correct in saying it's a huge time waster if you don't moderate yourself carefully. I can't imagine using it for non-career-related purposes at all. People post the most boring or super personal things I don't want to know!

Indeed. Yes, using it for work can be beneficial, but it ends there. I'm still a member of a few groups that is directly related to my carreer. Beyond that, I don't see the point. The more you scroll, the more you realize how much time you're actually wasting. 

 

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rachelbostwick Mentor

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I hear you. I deleted most of my major accounts a few years ago. It's almost impossible to interact with our world without social media accounts. For instance, the most direct way to contact our municipal building is to send them a Facebook message. So after I deleted all mine, I made new ones and just don't use them or actively grow them. I have a Facebook account but I don't post anything or add friends or like things unless it's really important. If I went back on there and tried to read everything that everyone in my very diverse group of friends and family had to say it would drive me nuts. It WAS driving me nuts.

I have gotten a lot of good out of this connected world, but the temptation to just get by on doomscrolling and pretty pictures is very real. Fiverr is for do-ers and most of us here have real things to do.

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smashradio Grand Master

smashradio

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1 hour ago, newsmike said:

The 800 pound gorilla in the room is that This very forum is social media. 

Indeed. But for me, this falls under the category "work", since it helps me connect with, learn from, and help other freelancers, thereby networking, and it's specific to Fiverr. 

I'm part of a few voice over groups on Facebook, and those are communities I don't want to let go of. But I'd rather have them off Facebook. It's the two hours spent scrolling through meaningless crap that bothers me. The time wasted. And if we're honest, most people end up doing a lot of that when they open up Facebook, even if the goal was just to ask a question in a group. 

All of a sudden it's 4 AM, you're deeply involved in a discussion about how to bake bread with 50 angry housewifes, and pissed off because a friend of yours had to tell everyone about his political point of view all day long in a series of memes created by people with no education. 

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smashradio Grand Master

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21 minutes ago, rachelbostwick said:

I hear you. I deleted most of my major accounts a few years ago. It's almost impossible to interact with our world without social media accounts. For instance, the most direct way to contact our municipal building is to send them a Facebook message.

Almost impossible? How so? You can just leave your house. Meet people. Call them if you have to. 

Yes, Facebook can be useful. But I'd rather wait a day longer for a response to my email, to be honest. 

23 minutes ago, rachelbostwick said:

Fiverr is for do-ers and most of us here have real things to do.

I couldn't have said it better myself. I think this applies to all my life, not just on Fiverr. I'm sick and tired of being unproductive because some algorithm has got a hold of my attention. 

Today, after deleting the app (I just kept the business app) I found myself trying to open the damn app several times. Picking up my phone to check Facebook. It took a couple of seconds every time until I realized that it's gone. 

Then I move on. Ten minutes later it's rinse and repeat. That shows you how addictive a habit of using such platforms can become. Even though I feel joy every time I remember that Facebook is deleted, because it frees up my time to do something meaningful, and actually makes me think... "What else is there to do?", it goes to show that the stupid habit is programmed into us. 

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ahmwritingco Veteran

ahmwritingco

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17 hours ago, theratypist said:

Go bro monsieur, you have my full support! Haha. But it is true, being intentional with your time is quite a discipline and well needed kind reminder for most of us these days. 😄

But where else can you see 50 Fiverr users spam their gigs under posts about deadly disasters? 

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smashradio Grand Master

smashradio

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38 minutes ago, rachelbostwick said:

Fine, it's mildly inconvenient 😂

Nuances, nuances. I love them. 

 

28 minutes ago, newsmike said:

Is it that you CAN'T read, or that you WON'T read?

Both?

4 minutes ago, ahmwritingco said:

But where else can you see 50 Fiverr users spam their gigs under posts about deadly disasters? 

Only on the Fiverr forum! But I'm staying here. I count the forum as work, and besides, I find it relaxing and enjoyable to help others here. I take pleasure in making a difference for people I find worthy of my attention. 

What I don't find pleasure in, is my aunt cousin bro-sis's dinner photos and invites to play "Pop Quiz Give Up All Your Information The Game 2.0"

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ahmwritingco Veteran

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4 minutes ago, smashradio said:

Only on the Fiverr forum! But I'm staying here. I count the forum as work, and besides, I find it relaxing and enjoyable to help others here. I take pleasure in making a difference for people I find worthy of my attention. 

Actually, you make a good point! Before covid, you had to go to news profiles on Twitter to see people shamelessly market their gigs under posts about distressing topics. But now, we're starting to see inappropriate ads on the FF posted alongside covid content. You can get the social media experience without leaving this forum!

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What I don't find pleasure in, is my aunt cousin bro-sis's dinner photos and invites to play "Pop Quiz Give Up All Your Information The Game 2.0"

Ugh, yeah, that stuff gets old very quickly.

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smashradio Grand Master

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2 minutes ago, ahmwritingco said:

Actually, you make a good point! Before covid, you had to go to news profiles on Twitter to see people shamelessly market their gigs under posts about distressing topics. But now, we're starting to see inappropriate ads on the FF posted alongside covid content. You can get the social media experience without leaving this forum!

Ugh, yeah, that stuff gets old very quickly.

Yeah I saw the post. Shameless. Absolutely shameless. And people are starting to spam with affiliate links to cash in on the forum, too, now. I just saw a post from some seller who is affiliate-spamming about voice-overs made by AI, while at the same time proving that he/she has no idea of what a voice-over actor truly does. All in the same post. I'm shooketh. 

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alphagev Mentor

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19 hours ago, smashradio said:

Because social media is the biggest time-waster in the history of this species. 

Never in history have we spent so much time doing nothing. 

 

19 hours ago, smashradio said:

I used to spend 2-3 hours on Facebook every single day. Think about it. Since 2009 or something, I've spent maybe 3 hours per day on that crap. That's nearly 1,5 years

I quit Facebook & Instagram in 2019 after something snapped in my mind. I've lost hours of my life just scrolling. It wasn't even like this Forum because I didn't help people on those platforms. I just blindly scrolled - for an enternity. And then I felt hollow and drained.
Maybe now I'm not as productive as I should (or aimed) to be, but at least I'm not passively looking at a website.

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smashradio Grand Master

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Just now, alphagev said:

 

I quit Facebook & Instagram in 2019 after something snapped in my mind. I've lost hours of my life just scrolling. It wasn't even like this Forum because I didn't help people on those platforms. I just blindly scrolled - for an enternity. And then I felt hollow and drained.
Maybe now I'm not as productive as I should (or aimed) to be, but at least I'm not passively looking at a website.

My feeling exactly! It just suddently snapped, and I realized that I'm wasting years of my life on a pointless activity that does nothing to improve my life. And I'm an avid gamer, so I know how to waste my time - and I really enjoy it sometimes! But social media didn't even bring pleasure. The reward of checking notifications is to not have that red dot. That's all. It's empty, shallow, and pointless. 

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yannisenglish Proficient

yannisenglish

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Good on you! Can't recommend quitting social media enough. I've been a much happier person ever since I got rid of my Twitter and Instagram accounts. I deleted the Reddit app as well so I don't get tempted to go in and scroll.

All the noise, grandstanding, bickering and showing off ended up being way too much. The worst bit was seeing posts from certain friends who were constantly yelling about one injustice or another. Don't get me wrong, wanting good in the world is nice and all but I don't need it in my face every other tweet.

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smashradio Grand Master

smashradio

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8 minutes ago, yannisenglish said:

The worst bit was seeing posts from certain friends who were constantly yelling about one injustice or another. 

Oh yeah! The worst thing is that they think they are making a difference when blabbering on about social issues and politics on these platforms. 

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