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Thread: Time for a break from Social Media?

  1. #1
    Lead Moderator calikid's Avatar
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    Time for a break from Social Media?

    Is social media becoming a burden instead of a positive influence in your life?
    Consider a "Social Media Detox".


    I quit Instagram and Facebook and it made me a lot happier — and that's a big problem for social media companies.

    By: Christina Farr.

    The first time I truly took a break from social media was in 2015, at a summer camp for burned-out adults called "Camp Grounded."

    There were three rules: Take a camp name of your choosing, like Luna or Huckleberry, avoid talking about "W," meaning work, and ditch all electronics at the door. At an arrival ceremony deep in the California Redwoods, volunteers in hazmat suits zipped up our devices into brown bags, leaving them locked away in a so-called "Robot Decontamination Area."

    That might seem extreme, a total gimmick.

    But it prompted some deep discussion among my campmates. I recall arguing with friends about whether our experience was essentially a PG version of Burning Man, or a harbinger of something bigger, a growing discontent among millennials with social media.

    At that time, social media companies seemed unstoppable, a daily part of life. Instagram and Facebook were a habit that very few people questioned, with a few notable exceptions. I had well-meaning friends who worked at these companies who believed with an almost cult-like fervor in the positive impact of bringing the world closer together.

    That's all starting to change.

    Social media companies, most notably Facebook, have faced a reckoning in the past year, with reports surfacing about an infiltration of Russian propaganda to influence elections, misuse user data, and countless other examples of the platform being used for ill.

    As a society, we're starting to lose faith in our technology icons, especially in light of the questionable decisions made by the once-beloved Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, and reports about early Facebook employees who got rich and now have the luxury of preventing their own kids from using social media.

    #DeleteFacebook, once unthinkable, is now a very real trend. And it poses a growing threat to Facebook's bottom line, and its future.

    Against this backdrop, in August I made a big decision. I removed Facebook and Instagram apps off my phone, and logged out on the web. Story Continues
    The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but
    progress. -- Joseph Joubert
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  2. #2
    I,m so glad I never signed up for any of those social media companies.

    I've seen businesses crash and burn, and families debilitated in all matters in schools, courts and just inter- family relationships. Many vindictive statements for as many reasons as you can imagine.

    Mean while . . . I'm a happy guy . . .lol

  3. #3
    Lead Moderator calikid's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by epo333 View Post
    I,m so glad I never signed up for any of those social media companies.

    I've seen businesses crash and burn, and families debilitated in all matters in schools, courts and just inter- family relationships. Many vindictive statements for as many reasons as you can imagine.

    Mean while . . . I'm a happy guy . . .lol
    I think the question is, can you limit Social Media participation to small doses.
    If you spend 5 min. Checking Facebook for friend's new photos each morning.
    No problem.
    If you check every hour all day long, might be an issue.
    Put down the smartphone once in awhile, need to enjoy IRL while you can.
    The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but
    progress. -- Joseph Joubert
    Attachment 1008

  4. #4
    Quote Originally Posted by calikid View Post
    I think the question is, can you limit Social Media participation to small doses.
    If you spend 5 min. Checking Facebook for friend's new photos each morning.
    No problem.
    If you check every hour all day long, might be an issue.
    Put down the smartphone once in awhile, need to enjoy IRL while you can.
    FWIW, most social media allow you to set a limit on daily usage in the settings.

    because I also use social media for professional purposes, I check 3 times a day: morning, lunch, evening, in sessions that are limited to max. 20 minutes.
    The exception to that is that I follow a lot of people for professional reasons, all of whom are added to lists. So, on top of my 'normal' visits, three times a week, I spend half an hour just going through what other people in my field of expertise have been up to. It's one of the easy ways to keep track of current affairs.
    An opinion should be the result of thought, not a substitute for it.
    - Jef Mallett

    Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge.
    - Charles Darwin

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    Senior Member newyorklily's Avatar
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    I'm a news junkie. I need to know what is going on, where it's happening, and I need to know about it as soon as possible. I don't have a TV or cable and the news I get on my radio is very limited in scope. Facebook and Twitter is where I get my info or, at least, the start of it. If I want more information about a story, I'll Google it to get information on from different perspectives. And then I'll post it.

    Sent from my moto g(6) using Tapatalk
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    Disclosure begins at home so start a conversation about UFOs.
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  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by newyorklily View Post
    I'm a news junkie. I need to know what is going on, where it's happening, and I need to know about it as soon as possible. I don't have a TV or cable and the news I get on my radio is very limited in scope. Facebook and Twitter is where I get my info or, at least, the start of it. If I want more information about a story, I'll Google it to get information on from different perspectives. And then I'll post it.

    Sent from my moto g(6) using Tapatalk
    I'm news junkie as well...

  7. #7
    Senior Member newyorklily's Avatar
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    In addition to posts on Facebook and Twitter, I can't be without my Citizen App.

    https://citizen.com/

    It lets me know where the robberies, stabbings, shootings, and fires are in my neighborhood. I don't usually chat on there but I watch people's live videos of the incidents.

    Right now it's only available for New York City and San Francisco.



    Sent from my moto g(6) using Tapatalk
    www.disclosurebeginsathome.wordpress.com
    Disclosure begins at home so start a conversation about UFOs.
    "Debunkers are like school yard bullies." - Kevin Smith to Leslie Kean, August 31, 2010

  8. #8
    Also worth mentioning: on average 1 in 5 visitors of my professional blog comes from social media.
    An opinion should be the result of thought, not a substitute for it.
    - Jef Mallett

    Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge.
    - Charles Darwin

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