I gave up social media, best idea ever

[Rekreant]

Just wanted to put this out there in the aether. I quit social media 3 months ago, and also stopped watching / reading news and paying attention to politics. To my surprise(sarcasm) turns out the world kept on turning and Im making as much of a difference now as I was then(none).

I have been in an overall better general mood since doing this. Sure, I talk with less people now, but most of those people were superficial "friends" who just wanted more numbers on their friend count to somehow feel connected to people who really dont care. I recommend everyone drop social media and start talking to their family. I still talk to friends too, we just use this archaic method of communication called phone calls and texting.

So thats it. Social media is toxic, and cutting it from my life has been quite freeing. Give it a try!

[TheLetterJ]

Aren't message forums social media?

[Rekreant]

Originally Posted by TheLetterJ

Aren't message forums social media?

Ooooo....Fair point ^^. I meant facebook/twitter/instagram tho.

[Greatscott]

Use them as the tools they are, when they start to dominate your life, its time to quit. I have noticed that those people who bitch about drama on social media are normally the ones that stir it up.


Twitter & Instagram... I get it, but I don't get it...

[Rekreant]

Instagram just sucks up time. you just keep scrolling through pictures over and over and over and over. Twitter is basically a public shouting match lol.

[high plains drifter]

Never have done FB, Twitter, or the like... never will. I understand the fondness... just never "needed" it enough to do it. Sadly and conversely, I have a sister that once told me that if I wanted to keep up with what she and her kids were doing, that I'd better get on board. Needless to say, we don't talk much and I have very little idea what the kids ( now adults) have going on. While that doesn't bother me too much anymore, I've gradually developed a bit of resentment towards her... in that talking/ texting just wasn't a sufficient means for us to stay in touch. She lives many miles away fwiw.

As for "news" outlets... Much of it isn't even news and of the actual journalistic content that DOES exist there, so much of that is ridiculously hyped and heavily biased. It just isn't worth the anxiety and aggravation. Same as OP... Most of it didn't directly effect me anyway. I was also an adamant follower of the stock-market many years ago and that too proved a fairly negative habit. Made me constantly uneasy and agitated so I eventually just allowed my investments to ride ( unless otherwise advised). I still keep an eye on my portfolio but I don't allow the stories and trends to guide my decisions.

I really enjoy certain forums because there generally seems to exist more integrity and accountability than elsewhere. Forums may be slower in some regards and certainly they aren't what they once were, but online communities like RCC are simply much more inviting to me than other forms of social-media. Back in my nitro days, forums weren't even a thing. You literally relied upon trial and error as well as the water-cooler talk at the LHS for direction and interaction. That's made me appreciate places like RCC even more and I really hope to some day meet up with some of y'all and have some fun. I would welcome any one of the members here into my home and that's not something that I think I'd ever feel comfortable saying about people on FB, IG, etc.

[wings_of_fire]

^ You turned into a mature investor.

[WHITE-TRASH]

I joined Facebook last year but all I do is rc there. I won't "friend" anyone not in the hobby. Yesterday I turned down a friend request from my mother.

As for the rest of it I totally agree, twatter, instamoron and what passes for news in the last 10 years or so isnt worth paying attention too.

[skinnyj]

I try to keep FB to people I know in real life, so I have under 100 friends. Even then, I could probably cull that even more if I felt like making the effort. I rarely post stuff unless I'm pimping my band or teasing my friends with pictures of BBQ off my smoker. I certainly don't use it as a soapbox to preach how I feel the world should be. That stuff is annoying and it's gotten a few people muted/blocked when they became insufferable.

As for Twitter, IG and Snap-chat, I've never had and see no use for them.

I watch my local news, mostly, as I think is important to know what is going on in your immediate surrounding.

[JatoTheRipper]

Social media is a tool and nothing more. If it affects you negatively or changes your life for the worse than maybe it's operator error and/or time to look inside...

If you try to get news from Facebook you will be inundated with their liberal agenda BS. They say that will change, but we all know it won't.

Adam VanOrd recently started an awesome thing on Facebook. Every Thursday night at 9:45PM EST he uses Facebook Live to stream an interview of a well known name in our hobby. He's done some people on here - EddieO (Team Brood motors), John Holmes (Holmes Hobbies) and more are coming. I highly recommend it.

Originally Posted by skinnyj

As for Twitter, IG and Snap-chat, I've never had and see no use for them.

I'd argue IG is as good for RC as Faceook if not better in certain areas. You get photos of peoples builds and finished RCs without the drama of Facebook groups.

[Rekreant]

The tool argument is pretty disingenuous. Credit cards are just a tool but it doesnt mean its a good method of spending money lol. Youre entitled to your opinion, but I am not somehow flawed because social media is toxic. Its just a screen to hide behind instead of talking to people in real life or at least over the phone. Try and remember that these technologies are only about a decade old.

[Rekreant]

Those shows are on Youtube too, and that is where I watch them. No need to give Facebook ad revenue.

[high plains drifter]

It's just human nature to allow negativity to influence us to some degree. As long as we can take things in moderation and not allow ourselves to become consumed, then for many of us... news and social media might not be an issue. I try to not allow myself to be influenced by pointless things. Most of the time it's easy. Just depends on how passionately I feel about something or whether or not I have strong convictions about it. I definitely keep up with news and current events ( especially local) but I typically don't allow those stories, trends, etc to dictate my mood nor cloud my common sense.

[skinnyj]

Originally Posted by Rekreant

Its just a screen to hide behind instead of talking to people in real life or at least over the phone.

Interestingly, a lot of people I know that spew their BS on social media tend not to say the same things in person.

[wings_of_fire]

Social media is a very important tool to earn money/expand business.

Don't take power of information technology for granted. Its potential is huge.

[wings_of_fire]

Originally Posted by WHITE-TRASH

Yesterday I turned down a friend request from my mother.

hehe.... It would have been gold to see her face when she realized her son has turned down her friends request.

[JatoTheRipper]

Originally Posted by Rekreant

The tool argument is pretty disingenuous. Credit cards are just a tool but it doesnt mean its a good method of spending money lol. Youre entitled to your opinion, but I am not somehow flawed because social media is toxic. Its just a screen to hide behind instead of talking to people in real life or at least over the phone. Try and remember that these technologies are only about a decade old.

Social media isn't toxic. The people on social media can be toxic. So maybe you need to cut certain people out of your social media or life rather than social media itself.

I have a crazy aunt that I had to unfollow because I couldn't stand the negative drama.

Originally Posted by Rekreant

Those shows are on Youtube too, and that is where I watch them. No need to give Facebook ad revenue.

They are now, but that only happened recently. And besides, they aren't live so you can't ask questions.

[59sled]

Originally Posted by JatoTheRipper

Social media is a tool and nothing more. If it affects you negatively or changes your life for the worse than maybe it's operator error and/or time to look inside...

This is true. Since i only use my Instagram for car shows pics and only follow those that are into cars. I've been more out going than I ever have. Started as just introducing myself and putting a Instagram name to a face when I saw them at a car show. Now to it's us recognizing each other at a show and hanging out talking about cars or whatever.

I still wouldn't call them true friends, but its more than what I did before Instagram. Before I would just walk through a large car show in a hour and never talk to anyone. Now I'm going through the same show in 4 hrs due to catching up with everyone from Instagram.

Now I got people willing to help me with my car. Which before I was on my own.

Social Media can work depending on the user.

[Alexander_0_1]

I know you all are on the let’s dump our social media accounts, but in the last year alone snap-chat has helped our community find an injured missing young man (hit/driven over by a vehicle). This young man snap-chatted the party he was last seen at, and was found at the location with tire marks on his clothing, and bruising on his body. After a few weeks in ICU he made a full recovery.

The second young man was found suffering from exposure in the forest cause he chose to hide from a man he accused of abducting, and shooting at him (found twice, on separate occasions). The first time he was found he told people that his captor had forced him to do crack, and meth, when he got away from his captor he reported hearing gun shots, but it was rumoured that this young man was known to have participated in the hard drugs consumption with the guy he went into hiding from. The story is, he did the drugs, he then had a bad trip?!, took off into the forest while his captor was shooting at him, when he got far enough away, or his captor gave up the chase, he snap chatted a pic of the road he could see. From there a search party was able to get general location. The second time he went into hiding was when the man he accused was released from jail, this time he went into hiding just a few km from his relatives house, and in this instance he snap-chatted a familiar rock pile (just a pile of rocks) a farmer made, again it gave the search parties involved a general location, but this time was a little weird, cause while we were looking for this guy...for the second time, someone burned a squatters shack in the forest that was known to have resembled a camper trailer belonging to the accused.

So, I guess social media has its uses, it certainly managed to save two lives.

But, I also have one instance where social media did more harm than good.

One weekend during the summer a few years ago a young man died, now I don’t recall exactly how, but before anybody could tell his father face to face, the fathers Facebook account was lit up with R.I.P, my condolences messages, and my prayers go out to you messages. Shortly after the father hung himself, long before any of his family heard about the passing, and could check on him, and keep an eye on him.

News like that deserves to be delivered in person and not through social media! And the dick holes that posted those messages, well I hope they realize what they’ve contributed to, and regret it for the rest of their social media encrusted miserable pathetic lives. Never tell anyone that a family member has passed through any text, or social media message!

[NoobCrawler]

It’s all your perspective & how you balance it. I’m only on Instagram & I limit myself to a few hours daily, first thing in the morning. People put far too much stock in the numbers besides their name that it’s really quite sad. I can’t count the number of times I’ve gotten the “you only have XX amount of followers, talk to me when you have ‘this many’ followers.” Like that is somehow supposed to invalidate my points.

I never take anything said to me to heart, which is also a big problem I see. People lose their humanity on there. I am definitely in a love/hate relationship with social media, bugger emphasis on hate. But I have met some pretty cool people in other states & countries.

I could go on & on about my hate for social media...but a little part of me enjoys it.