Social network “suicide” is a strange kind of experience when you are doing it, not as a reactionary thing, but as a fully thought-out process with a staged approach.
I’ve killed Facebook and Twitter personalities in the past, right before I went sober the last time. I’d burned some bridges at both (and a few other sites as well) in the “wisdom” I found at the bottom of my bottle. Back then, I rage-quit everything (including earlier incarnations of WordPress sites). Delete. Delete. Delete. And then went full-on hermit to learn how to cope with being an alcoholic trying to dry up.
About nine years later, I finally reemerged on the social network scene. Reestablished contact with a few people I had not irrevocably pissed off with my drunken belligerence, didn’t bother with a few I had raged at, said a few mea culpas, and tried to fit in with a world that had changed dramatically since I left (and changed myself).
It didn’t stick and that’s fine.
About two years ago, I got tired of all of the angst that I was getting streamed into my eyeballs, so I resolved to visit only once every few weeks. That turned into every few months. Now I hardly go at all.
I recently decided it was time to close the accounts. I had started before the explicit decision by deciding that X was a cesspool after it had changed its name from Twitter and had already quit that platform. Then a few others followed suit. And all that remains now is the big one, Facebook/Instagram/Meta.
That’s the platform where I know the most people from my past. So I gave them additional warnings: Hey folks, if you want to keep in touch, share your contact info with me by the end of the year. I’m heading out of here. If not, sayonara. With my love.
I’m not surprised there has been little response. Social networks are designed to keep you leashed to the platform, so you can bet the AI algorithm has put my post on the furthest back burner imaginable so it doesn’t show up in anyone’s streams.
Because, if one person leaves — what are the chances that the others might act like human lemmings and leave as well?
And that’s not to say that I was ever very popular after my past history.
There are times I have considered adding WordPress to the list of platforms to leave. I probably won’t, mostly because I don’t consider it to be a typical social network (although it has network elements). But there are times that I ask myself if it shouldn’t be added to the chopping block and then I can largely quit the current internet entirely aside from conducting my personal research projects (which do not require me to be socially active).
What do you think? Are social networks on the way out in favor of more “immediate” platforms (such as Tik Tok)? Or is there something else you see on the horizon?
Have you considered closing your social networking accounts, committing “social media suicide”? If so, how did you do it — measured and thought out, or instantaneous and in a rage? Do you ever consider doing it now? What are your reasons?
24 responses to “Half-penny thoughts — 02dec25”
I’ve deleted them many times. I left X/Twitter a long time ago and never went back. I recently disabled FB & Instagram. Just need a break. I don’t miss them. WordPress I only left a few times just because I wanted to start fresh with new blogs. As you know I recently was going to trade it in for Substack, but, Substack is kinda weird and seems like it’s leaning toward “social media territory”. I like WP. I feel it’s a closer community, at least what I’ve experienced. So I’m just going to keep both and cross post poems. Seems like the better route because I’d miss WP and everyone here way too much.
Yeah, as I’ve said, Substack feels like it wants to be Tumblr, Medium and WordPress all at the same time. It was strange to explore for me.
I agree that WP tends to feel more community-oriented, but maybe that’s just the majority of people who visit the two of us. I know there are people who are out there trying to treat it like social media, but they are missing the point and don’t usually last very long as visitors (I don’t do reciprocal follows based on someone following me — if their content is not my speed, then I don’t follow back).
FB/Instagram has gotten so enshittified or politicized, neither of which has much appeal for me. I’m tired of the “two tribes” mentality of the politics and there are only so many cat videos I can watch.
I feel that. I’m overwhelmed enough most of the time so all the extra extra bs I just have to disengage from. Since my self discipline isn’t like it used to be I’ve realized “heck, I can just disable accounts for awhile” and come back when I’m ready.
That works too. It’s amazing what a break can offer when you take one.
First, I have to qualify my opinion because I am no social butterfly, or “influencer.” It seems to me that social media is largely political. It is a way for the crummy side of humanity to engage from a disingenuous and selfish distance. It offends people’s decency, and they don’t want any part of it anymore. The attempt at control and manipulation, the impostors who steal your info and exploit you because they can, the mob stupidity. There is no real community there. It is more a way to impose one’s message, whether others like it or not. It is sort of like the blogger with 100s of posts with 0-1 likes because they don’t engage with their fellow bloggers on a likable level; they just continually drop their servings into the stream, like it or not. It is when that person becomes the shithead who leaves fucked up comments to get attention that it starts feeling like Facebook.
Most of it is. Or just enshittification of the internet. I mostly kept visiting FB to keep in contact with old friends I knew from back in the day, but I’ve discovered that we’re not hanging out together all these years later because, well, most of us can’t really have a low tolerance for each other. In spurts, okay. Extended? Oh no. At least for me, with a handful of exceptions to that general rule.
But you are right, what little community is there is often more facade than genuine. And you have to weed through a lot of unsolicited rubbish to get to the stuff worth reading.
As we a lot of things a good idea usurped.
I ditched Twitter after about 5 minutes (ok, slight exaggeration) and simply don’t post on FB or Instagram, although I do keep them simply to keep track on some of those more obscure artists whom I like as these platforms seem to be their go-to.
As for ‘old friends’, well, there’s usually a reason why they are just that! Could be useful, I suppose, if you were desperate to track someone down, but the past is, as they say, the past.
WP always felt a little different, particularly a few years back – more of a connection of like minds, although it does seem a bit more ‘buy this’ these days. Still, not a bad place to find others with similar tastes (?) and share some thoughts.
Twitter had its charm, but it quickly became tedious. Unlike many people, I liked the tweet length constraints. I think too many people don’t realize the power of constraint. It teaches you to construct better communication — when people are actually trying to communicate; X is just people shouting or trying to be clever these days.
WP has gone through phases. It started off very community oriented, then the first “influencers” came through and ruined some of it. The “few years back” you reference was when there was a surge of writers realizing it was a powerful platform that was largely untethered from heavy monetization. Then the get-rich-quick folks found it and WP started charging for things that were formerly free to use. Now you have a lot of people who are trying to leverage it for less sincere reasons once again. I think it’ll go through another burnout phase, although I am not sure when that will be or how it will look. Probably when the self-publishing authors find something that they think will sell their books better and chase that instead. Then it will only be us sad sacks who write to write and read what others have written. 🤣
Agreed in that constraints can be helpful, certainly adding focus.
As for selling well, it didn’t do much for me, but then, hey-ho, there’s probably a VERY small audience out there for me anyway.🤣
You’ve achieved cult status! Congrats!
🤣🤣 There’s no accounting for taste!
At last! Minions!
🤣
I’ve stuck with FB–period. It allows me to stay in touch with people that matter to me. I never have big responses to what I post and that’s not the reason I stay with it, so it doesn’t matter. All the rest (twitter/X, bluesky, instagram, pinterest, etc.) were easy to quit because I weighed my options–stay and be bombarded with hateful posts or preserve my already fragile mental state. It was a no-brainer. Oh, and I unabashedly frequent the “block” option on FB to remove myself from overly hateful/political posts. Works like a charm.
As my usage went down on FB, so did the quality of my feed. It went from “friends” to primarily rubbish and sex workers keeping it just tame enough to keep from getting banned. I was being punished for not visiting more.
But I had similar reasons to rejoin previously. I could stay in touch with people I cared about. But I can feel my braincells screaming at what’s in my feed anymore. 🙀
And, because I refuse to engage on tribal politics online anymore, most of the people I connected with have faded into the background. Not much there, honestly.
I am on the receiving end of unwanted ads, as well. Nothing as salacious as you’ve described, but equally annoying. When it becomes unbearable, FB will be nuked, as well. Right now the good outweighs the bad, especially with the invaluable block function.
Sadly, I don’t think you can block “reels”. That’s where the sexy leg and near-peek shows seem to reside. Then it is ads galore! Or wood-turning videos.
I just checked. You can click on the offensive Reel, then click on the 3-dot menu. Select “see less” and this presumably removes Reels from that particular source from your feed. It’s worth a try.
Thanks, I’ll keep it in mind when I go back. It’s not so much that it is offensive as it is all rather silly.
I’ll admit freely that I only ever went on social media once I became a (self) published author and was advised that this was the place to get my work out there and find readers. Five and a half years down the line I’ve tried all the big platforms except Twitter, and I won’t be going there. I’ve made some ‘friends’, fallen out with some, held on to a few good ones and found a small readership. It’s hard work, and I wonder at times. If it weren’t for the books it wouldn’t see me for dust; no offence to the people I’ve met with whom I actually get on and am pleased to know. So I admire your resolve to keep as free as possible. Best of luck with it. 🙂
I just can’t see any positives that it has contributed to my life, either in the past or more recently. The best I can say is that I got reacquainted with a few faces of people I had lost track of, but it was so ephemeral that I’m not sure that was a good thing.
And now that only 1 in 10 posts is by someone I even know, what’s the point?
I can see a point for those who seemingly don’t have too many friends in real life, perhaps, as I’ve observed people who clearly need the contacts. If you’re self-sufficient enough to not need it, I guess that’s a positive, so in that case there is no point. 😐
Ugh I logged back into my personal FB & ended up with a 2 day migraine….so that was shit! I really am finding it hard to find a reason to keep FB other than for occasionally catching up with ppl….not that they bother if I don’t…which is why I never associate FB with friends! I deleted my instagram & was giddy with glee when I got the official ‘deleted’ email! Honestly I’m lost on substack but enjoying that fact to as I’m only reading who I’m following. Twitter I left years ago. I enjoy Pinterest but I don’t interact with people on their so I don’t see it as social. I think the place I talk to people the most is WP 😊 I did ponder making a bookclub on FB but….ugh. I might see into making a Goodreads bookclub – I considered Twitch for a bookclub – I love the idea of just having a silent reading hour, you know people just hanging out reading or writing…without any pressure to chat but I don’t know how that would work yet. Wowza that was one looooong reply – I guess having 2 days screen free made me chatty 😅
Really cool ideas. You should figure out how to do it. I know that NaNoWriMo groups were having online writing sessions before they went defunct. I never attended any but I gather it was like a writing cafe. You could use Discord for something like that because they have free chat channels.
I felt the same way when I quit Twitter/X. Giddy with relief that I wouldn’t have to see any more of the one-upmanship of many of the writers on that platform. What a racket.
I, for one, appreciate it when you leave lengthy comments. 😊 Thanks!