deleted social media

bearblastbeats

Senior Member
How many unplugged from the internet and social media world?

I have been an avid user since the beginning of MySpace (deleted years and years ago) Facebook and Instagram. I had my FB and IG account since their inception and just today, as I write this post, have decided to delete them both.

What a weird and almost scary feeling I am going through. No more are the days of posting pictures of my dogs, drums, or sharing shameless self promotions, or feeling the warm fuzzies from thumbs ups, likes, and hearts.

I don't know how long this will be but for now it feels right.

Have anyone of you removed yourself or stopped using them? What did you find to pass the time outside of watching cat videos or liking your friends baby pictures?
 
I’m playing with the idea of deleting FB, but a lot of family is on mine and we literally use it as a means to communicate, so I’m not sure I can. We’ll see how much I curb usage. I did stay off drummerworld for three weeks, and what was scary about that was that the longer I stayed off, the desire to jump on got less and less.
 
I’m playing with the idea of deleting FB, but a lot of family is on mine and we literally use it as a means to communicate, so I’m not sure I can. We’ll see how much I curb usage. I did stay off drummerworld for three weeks, and what was scary about that was that the longer I stayed off, the desire to jump on got less and less.

I kept the messenger app because there are still a few who I do talk to daily but for some reason or another we don't have each others phone numbers.
 
I stay off of the vanity sites. I have a blank LinkedIn profile so my professional contacts can find me if they need to. Aside from that, I like my friends and family, and if I read their SM posts, I'm afraid that would change, so why ruin a good thing.
 
I never did jump on the facebook thing. To me it's a very weird place. Most people on there are projecting some weird sanitized/badassed version of themselves or the opposite where they get off on the sympathy replies for the bad stuff they post.

Just read another article that facespace is named as a serious contributor to divorce the vast majority, upwards of 80-90% of the time these days.

I think the article said something about it being a "buffet of easy-access exes, single people, flirtation and melting pot for jealousy".

For almost everyone I know, more measurable harm than "good" comes of it, and the worst part is that when you get really sucked in, your life revolves around it. Everything you do or don't do starts to go through a filter of "is this good for facebook"? I know people who felt that amazing trips to the beach or other cool place were a "waste of time" because they couldn't get any facebook-worthy pictures to post. Never mind that they might have had fun if they weren't so worried about that issue.
 
I have a Facebook account, but haven't posted to it or edited it in probably 5 years. I'm not on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Tumblr, Snapchat, Reddit, Grindr, etc... I don't have time for all the BS of social media. I'm on a few drum websites, I have a YouTube account (but don't really post many videos or comments), and I have email. That's the extent of my socializing on the internet.
 
It completely depends what you want to give or get via the Internet. There are some aspects that have become essential, such as email, and the ability to use web sites (and apps) for shopping, bill-paying, and gathering info.

I've been online since early 1993. Forums were still bulletin boards, there was no SM yet, and web content was still in its infancy, so personal domains & sites were rare (not to mention the limited storage space allotted, and the super-slow 56k dialups!)

So, I've kinda grown with the Internet experience, and have always been accessible. It never occurred to me to delete any of my presences, however redundant they might be. With the exception of Myspace, which became really difficult to manage after they made some unfortunate and detrimental interface changes. I really can't believe they still exist when there are far more elegant and navigable personal music promotion platforms available.

I do have Twitter and Instagram accounts, but I don't use them much. I literally do one tweet a year to let my few followers know I'm still checking once in a (great) while. Same with Instagram, just a handful of photos dating back 3 or 4 years. No Pinterest... I'm just not pinterested. :)

Bermuda
 
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Never ventured in the social media world. And from what I’ve observed... not missing a much... except a lot of BS. I’m doing just fine without it.
 
If I wasn't in a local bar band, I probably wouldn't use Facebook. 20+ years ago, we promoted our local shows with paper flyers in the local record store. Now that those are obsolete, Facebook is the best way to get people to follow your band, attend shows, etc....(especially when many venues do minimal, if any advertising for the shows YET expect the band to bring a crowd if they expect to be booked again in the future.)

I run my band's Facebook page and do all the promoting and spend WAY more time than I'd care to admit. But I feel like it's a necessity as a dive bar band.
 
Sounds like I’m at home among friends right here...wait, doesn’t this site constitute social media? I mean, we post stuff, get approvals or shredding. If disapproved, we get our shorts in a wad and if approved, the warm and fuzzy. Yup, social media! That said, it’s nice to have a narrow focus. It keeps us liking each other. Without sites like this, I’m not sure how we’d get info on specifics these days.
 
I’ve still got a MySpace account although lord knows what the password is and I haven’t looked at it in about 8 years.
I reactivated my Facebook account a few months back because I’d discovered that messages I was sending to pubs via Facebook Messenger weren’t being picked up unless I was a “friend” or had “liked” the pub. I have been slightly sucked back into it but with my hand on my heart it’s for literally minutes in a day or slightly more if I’m reposting a gig advert for my bands. I’ve muted many “friends” news feeds due to the sheer volume of rubbish they post. I actually think it’s a bit sad that they feel the need to live so much of their lives through Facebook and I think future generations will reap the consequences. I’m already saddened seeing babies and young children in push chairs craving communication while their parents either talk about nothing on their mobiles or update their statuses.
Just yesterday I unfollowed a load of people on Twitter. The only people I follow are a small handful of bands and that’s only so that I can learn when concert tickets etc go on sale. My experience of Twitter is that people tend to follow people they don’t like so that they can bitch and moan against them, plus things which are THE MOST IMPORTANT THING ON TWITTER mean nothing once you’ve logged off. As an aside I tend to switch off from news articles that quote “a twitter user”. Someone probably thicker than me has a Twitter comment picked up, so what? I also deleted almost every Tweet I’d made or retweeted in the last 6 years. The latest England Women’s Football Team Manager has been getting major negative attention in the media based on tweets he made in 2012. They were crass and ill advised and best, however they may well have been taken right out of context because everyone who knows him has him down as a humble, helpful gentleman so I thought “there but for the grace of God go I” if I’m ever up for a job interview.
I rarely listen to news in the car despite being in it all day, I avoid the BBC news app and programmes like the plague. In my opinion they’re a once great organisation reduced to virtue signalling instead of news broadcasting.
I was on another drum forum for nearly 15 years and deleted my account only last week due to a rebranding and move to a new platform that resulted in many of the embers either not being able to reactivate their accounts at all or having so much trouble doing so that they just gave up.
I have a LinkedIn account that I have never posted on in about 6 years but on which I connect with employment agencies when I get a request because may need to use them at some point.
 
I unplugged mainly due to not using FB at all. Seems nothing is done without facebook or youtube anymore.
 
As Bermuda has said, it is what you make of it. And yes forums like this are social media as well. This one, unlike Twitter and Facebook is very closely moderated to keep the trolls in line snd the negativity at a minimum. Facebook is so big it would take a thousand people, a whole staff to moderate it. My Facebook account is public but i have the ability to block whomever I want and have many times.
 
I deleted my Facebook in the heat of the election season. My feed was basically a political message board with lots of nasty things being said. That was pretty much the exact opposite of what I wanted/needed to see at the time.
After I deleted it I kind of just never went back. i don't miss it and wish I could have the time back I spent on it practicing drums, or spending actual time with friends!
Instagram has taken longer to get rid of because there's little confrontational content on it. But, I have been realizing that it's unnecessary in my life. Seems like there's betting things to do in your downtime than scroll through your phone looking at pictures of puppies!

If you're curious about it try it for 1 solid month! And don't just "Not do it." Plan on things you can do to replace the time you spend doing it. Download ebooks, practice drums, phone a friend, setup a date or be content with just collecting your thoughts here and there.
 
If I wasn't in a local bar band, I probably wouldn't use Facebook. 20+ years ago, we promoted our local shows with paper flyers in the local record store. Now that those are obsolete, Facebook is the best way to get people to follow your band, attend shows, etc....(especially when many venues do minimal, if any advertising for the shows YET expect the band to bring a crowd if they expect to be booked again in the future.)

I run my band's Facebook page and do all the promoting and spend WAY more time than I'd care to admit. But I feel like it's a necessity as a dive bar band.

Exactly my situation. Joined FB two years ago to promote a new band. Have since discovered lots of old school and uni friends, but don't post often.
 
My first night without it was peaceful. I had an appointment with my barber, so that was essentially me going out for the night. It was a quiet evening for the most part aside from a few texts messages.

They opened the gym back at my apartment so I can get back to my schedule there, also my speaker is fixed so I can practice on my ekit at the apartment between actual practices.

The only thing I seemed to miss right now and the ability to promote for tomorrows show, which the other members can do.

I might reactivate it so I can see when bands I like come to town, but most of the time if I get invited somewhere I ignore it.
 
My first night without it was peaceful. I had an appointment with my barber, so that was essentially me going out for the night. It was a quiet evening for the most part aside from a few texts messages.

They opened the gym back at my apartment so I can get back to my schedule there, also my speaker is fixed so I can practice on my ekit at the apartment between actual practices.

The only thing I seemed to miss right now and the ability to promote for tomorrows show, which the other members can do.

I might reactivate it so I can see when bands I like come to town, but most of the time if I get invited somewhere I ignore it.

Create a new FB account that exists solely for the purpose of band-related activities. It will have very few friends and only the essentials on your feed.
 
Create a new FB account that exists solely for the purpose of band-related activities. It will have very few friends and only the essentials on your feed.

I could make a 'business' account for Instagram and Facebook and only have it revolve around drumming and work related posts.
 
I started using my wife’s FB, but she insisted I start my own after some confusion. I initially liked it and able to keep up with family (it was fun fluff) however over time and “friending” old grammar and high school classmates you start to realize some are batshit crazy. Then too now it’s gotten all political and that is a big turnoff to me. I still enjoy reading and seeing but rarely comment now. Now don’t be mistaken that I’m jaded against batshit crazy cause that would make me a hypocrite LOL.
 
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