I vowed to uninstall all social media off my phone on Jan 1 and did just that. It's been pretty interesting, seeing what's changed in my brain and in my day to day. It's definitely been a positive experience and was the right call.
I quit doing much with my FB account in 2016 after a death threat based on my ethnicity. I check in with 2 or 3 friends there about every month. I stopped interacting on Twitter (I refuse to call it X) when Elon took it over and broke it. I pop in to check out some of my remaining friends there (most have moved to Bluesky or Threads) for a few minutes once a month. I filtered my Threads and Bluesky accounts for news updates and people I interact with somewhat regularly. It’s only about 15 people. I don’t have the apps on my phone so it forces me to use a browser to check in. I also do not have notifications turned on. So I haven’t quit entirely, but having a light social media footprint works for me. Anyway, my experience disengaging - FWIW.
Ugh, sorry to hear about your experience on FB. That just sucks. It really feels like social media has enabled some of the worst people to be awful with no consequence.
I organize groups so I'm not going to quit my social media networks (Facebook, Reddit, and Meetup) BUT what I have been doing and intend to be even more mindful about this year is using social media with more purpose. I should be using them, they should not be using me. So I've uninstalled social media apps from my phone, am modifying Reddit and Facebook with browser addons so I can't have endless scroll or sponsored/suggested posts, and am using them with a focus on local issues (Reddit, BlueSky) or to meet up with people IRL (Meetup, Facebook Groups/Messenger). I spoke at a city council meeting this week because of an issue I learned about via social media so I think it's working for me. :) I think the most important thing is to take a step back and decide what exactly you want from these social networks and how/if you can get it.
I do still have the BlueSky app but I'm just not sucked into that one and only occasionally take a look.
That's another reason I still kept my account around, because sometimes you just have to use Facebook to access details for some sort of group/meetup (especially stuff related to school and sports for my kids).
"I think the most important thing is to take a step back and decide what exactly you want from these social networks and how/if you can get it." 100%!
Congratulations & thanks for mentioning my post here! I'm coming up on 3 months since I last went on social media and it has become even easier lately. I hope this choice brings you more peace and allows you to show up to life more intentionally. Welcome to the other side!!!
Absolutely - thanks for helping inspire me to take the plunge! I love that quitting social media ironically made you more social. Hoping for the same. 😅
More peace and intentionality sounds just fine to me.
Yeah, building it with a buddy of mine. Hoping we can get an early usable version very soon so people can start trying it out and we can gather feedback.
I have a social media based business that’s been running since 2020. I just announced over the weekend that I’m quitting Instagram starting this Saturday! People have asked me if it’s a marketing ploy, and nope. It’s not. Have you ever heard of any marketing expert, coach, or course material suggesting you get off socials to boost your business? I haven’t.
My only explanation as to why I’m doing it is because it’s messing with my brain in a way that is more negative than positive. And I just have a gut instinct that I should try it. But now that you mention it, I resonate with everything you said are your “why’s” too! And I had no idea other folks were leaving too! Something happened at the turn of the new year, and maybe us ADHDers are just tapped into something no one else is.
I’m actually excited for the potential of my business now. Doing things on my own terms rather than feeling like I have to follow a strategy someone else is telling me is the right way. Bringing confidence and control back into my own life already just by committing to it, and I haven’t even left yet!
I've reduced my social media usage and I seem to be doing a bit better as a result, I think I'm still in the transition phase and I do sometimes find myself mindlessly scrolling.
Substack is new to me, and feels like a better use of my time as it's given access to some things that actually are my interests and that I want to learn about.
I actually joined Internet & Tech Addicts Anonymous at one point because things were out of control for me, but they expect "no unnecessary use of tech" which feels like overkill to me.
Anyway, Jesse, I think I found your book from a Facebook or Instagram ad and I'm really glad that I bought it! Love that you can really just open any page and always find something useful!
Thanks for being a 'distant mentor' in helping me learn more about my ADHD.
I slowly reduced my Twitter usage, I only use tiktok to send someone a few vids for a streak, i only frequent like two websites (maybe three for gmail), and I only check in a few discord servers.
Addendum: I don't have IRL friends I can talk to and visit so I rely on chat apps to communicate to my online friends. I am alone IRL but the people I interact with makes it less lonely for me.
This post really resonates and comes at a tricky time for me professionally. My first book, a cookbook for folks with ADHD is out on submission. The immediate feedback I’m getting from publishers is it’s “exactly the kind of book we are looking for, love the writing and recipes…”
But then the fact that I haven’t built a social media following comes up, and it’s a record scratch. I’m really excited to share this book, and certainly want feedback from a community to be sure I’m giving the most value, but I want to believe there’s a way to do that that feels authentic, and I’m not sure it’s on social media. It’s so impressive what you’ve built here Dave, and I’m excited to explore the archives, learn, and connect, as I figure out what’s next for me on (or off) the socials! Thanks for creating this space.
Ugh, I’m in the exact same boat. I’m working on a memoir, not submitting yet, but I know when the time comes my lack of a SM following will be an issue, if I don’t figure out a way around it. It might be the biggest mark against me, which sucks because i really believe in the project.
I’m sorry to hear that! I’m making headway with some editors who get my plan to plug into existing influencers/podcasters/media who are interested in the topic and can help promote/benefit from me making some content for them , so if your memoir has a strong adhd platform I’d suggest leaning into that angle! Also, some editors are really excited about Substack and “see it as the future” so if you’re able to build something here I think that can be helpful. My recipe Substack, Smart Cooks is still quite small but growing every day, which give me hope .
Man, did this resonate with me! I quiet quit social media years ago when I realized that I almost always felt worse after checking in. It’s a bummer not just because it used to be more fun but also because even curating a feel-good stream became increasingly difficult. At this point, it feels mostly cheap dopamine and drama that far outweighs the good reasons to be there. I set Screen Time limits, hide the apps I still want to use occasionally and mostly stay away.
Thankyou 4 this. I have deleted the Facebook app off my phone and deactivated it whilst I download my info. I will permanently delete my threads and inst of which i only scroll mostly and don't engage much with people on there. I deleted my account and the app x anyway when it became a cesspit xx
I have joined adhd writers and if I'm not bogged down with people and stuff that doesn't concern me maybe my adhd brain can finally put pen to paper on the book I wrote one page of last year "diary of an adhd nurse"
I vowed to uninstall all social media off my phone on Jan 1 and did just that. It's been pretty interesting, seeing what's changed in my brain and in my day to day. It's definitely been a positive experience and was the right call.
I quit doing much with my FB account in 2016 after a death threat based on my ethnicity. I check in with 2 or 3 friends there about every month. I stopped interacting on Twitter (I refuse to call it X) when Elon took it over and broke it. I pop in to check out some of my remaining friends there (most have moved to Bluesky or Threads) for a few minutes once a month. I filtered my Threads and Bluesky accounts for news updates and people I interact with somewhat regularly. It’s only about 15 people. I don’t have the apps on my phone so it forces me to use a browser to check in. I also do not have notifications turned on. So I haven’t quit entirely, but having a light social media footprint works for me. Anyway, my experience disengaging - FWIW.
Ugh, sorry to hear about your experience on FB. That just sucks. It really feels like social media has enabled some of the worst people to be awful with no consequence.
Thanks for the shout-out, Jesse. I celebrate everyone making this change, whether it's quiet-quitting or not! 🥳
I organize groups so I'm not going to quit my social media networks (Facebook, Reddit, and Meetup) BUT what I have been doing and intend to be even more mindful about this year is using social media with more purpose. I should be using them, they should not be using me. So I've uninstalled social media apps from my phone, am modifying Reddit and Facebook with browser addons so I can't have endless scroll or sponsored/suggested posts, and am using them with a focus on local issues (Reddit, BlueSky) or to meet up with people IRL (Meetup, Facebook Groups/Messenger). I spoke at a city council meeting this week because of an issue I learned about via social media so I think it's working for me. :) I think the most important thing is to take a step back and decide what exactly you want from these social networks and how/if you can get it.
I do still have the BlueSky app but I'm just not sucked into that one and only occasionally take a look.
Ahh, yeah so many groups require Facebook.
That's another reason I still kept my account around, because sometimes you just have to use Facebook to access details for some sort of group/meetup (especially stuff related to school and sports for my kids).
"I think the most important thing is to take a step back and decide what exactly you want from these social networks and how/if you can get it." 100%!
Ironic that you are feeling more and more lonely on social media yet your Instagram posts make me feel less alone.
Congratulations & thanks for mentioning my post here! I'm coming up on 3 months since I last went on social media and it has become even easier lately. I hope this choice brings you more peace and allows you to show up to life more intentionally. Welcome to the other side!!!
Absolutely - thanks for helping inspire me to take the plunge! I love that quitting social media ironically made you more social. Hoping for the same. 😅
More peace and intentionality sounds just fine to me.
Form competed. Are you working on a specific app ?
Yeah, building it with a buddy of mine. Hoping we can get an early usable version very soon so people can start trying it out and we can gather feedback.
I have a social media based business that’s been running since 2020. I just announced over the weekend that I’m quitting Instagram starting this Saturday! People have asked me if it’s a marketing ploy, and nope. It’s not. Have you ever heard of any marketing expert, coach, or course material suggesting you get off socials to boost your business? I haven’t.
My only explanation as to why I’m doing it is because it’s messing with my brain in a way that is more negative than positive. And I just have a gut instinct that I should try it. But now that you mention it, I resonate with everything you said are your “why’s” too! And I had no idea other folks were leaving too! Something happened at the turn of the new year, and maybe us ADHDers are just tapped into something no one else is.
I’m actually excited for the potential of my business now. Doing things on my own terms rather than feeling like I have to follow a strategy someone else is telling me is the right way. Bringing confidence and control back into my own life already just by committing to it, and I haven’t even left yet!
I've reduced my social media usage and I seem to be doing a bit better as a result, I think I'm still in the transition phase and I do sometimes find myself mindlessly scrolling.
Substack is new to me, and feels like a better use of my time as it's given access to some things that actually are my interests and that I want to learn about.
I actually joined Internet & Tech Addicts Anonymous at one point because things were out of control for me, but they expect "no unnecessary use of tech" which feels like overkill to me.
Anyway, Jesse, I think I found your book from a Facebook or Instagram ad and I'm really glad that I bought it! Love that you can really just open any page and always find something useful!
Thanks for being a 'distant mentor' in helping me learn more about my ADHD.
I slowly reduced my Twitter usage, I only use tiktok to send someone a few vids for a streak, i only frequent like two websites (maybe three for gmail), and I only check in a few discord servers.
Addendum: I don't have IRL friends I can talk to and visit so I rely on chat apps to communicate to my online friends. I am alone IRL but the people I interact with makes it less lonely for me.
This post really resonates and comes at a tricky time for me professionally. My first book, a cookbook for folks with ADHD is out on submission. The immediate feedback I’m getting from publishers is it’s “exactly the kind of book we are looking for, love the writing and recipes…”
But then the fact that I haven’t built a social media following comes up, and it’s a record scratch. I’m really excited to share this book, and certainly want feedback from a community to be sure I’m giving the most value, but I want to believe there’s a way to do that that feels authentic, and I’m not sure it’s on social media. It’s so impressive what you’ve built here Dave, and I’m excited to explore the archives, learn, and connect, as I figure out what’s next for me on (or off) the socials! Thanks for creating this space.
Ugh, I’m in the exact same boat. I’m working on a memoir, not submitting yet, but I know when the time comes my lack of a SM following will be an issue, if I don’t figure out a way around it. It might be the biggest mark against me, which sucks because i really believe in the project.
I’m sorry to hear that! I’m making headway with some editors who get my plan to plug into existing influencers/podcasters/media who are interested in the topic and can help promote/benefit from me making some content for them , so if your memoir has a strong adhd platform I’d suggest leaning into that angle! Also, some editors are really excited about Substack and “see it as the future” so if you’re able to build something here I think that can be helpful. My recipe Substack, Smart Cooks is still quite small but growing every day, which give me hope .
Thanks for the advice! Your plan sounds like a good one!
And it’s probably not as dire a situation as I imagine, it just stresses me out. 😄
Man, did this resonate with me! I quiet quit social media years ago when I realized that I almost always felt worse after checking in. It’s a bummer not just because it used to be more fun but also because even curating a feel-good stream became increasingly difficult. At this point, it feels mostly cheap dopamine and drama that far outweighs the good reasons to be there. I set Screen Time limits, hide the apps I still want to use occasionally and mostly stay away.
Thankyou 4 this. I have deleted the Facebook app off my phone and deactivated it whilst I download my info. I will permanently delete my threads and inst of which i only scroll mostly and don't engage much with people on there. I deleted my account and the app x anyway when it became a cesspit xx
I have joined adhd writers and if I'm not bogged down with people and stuff that doesn't concern me maybe my adhd brain can finally put pen to paper on the book I wrote one page of last year "diary of an adhd nurse"