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I ditched all my social media after being a lifelong user. The biggest noticeable change for me is I suddenly forgot most of these random 'online' friends and

I ditched all my social media after being a lifelong user. The biggest noticeable change for me is I suddenly forgot most of these random 'online' friends and don't think about them at all anymore! If I'm not willing to pick up the phone or text somebody, I don't interact with them - that's it. I find I have more boredom, which is a good thing. I was quite bored as a kid and had to make do with my own devices. So I've been reading more, I even picked up some hobby programming outside of my job which I haven't done in years! The only place I still comment is actually hacker news!

ccsnags 6y ago
Same. HN is the best but even this was something I found from a random face to face in a hotel lobby. I have gotten most of my friends off of the social media feeds. All of them have seen benefits and a couple have seen such a drastic change that they equate it to taking an antidepressant.
- calvinmorrison 6y ago
  The benefit of the internet is that for niche subjects you can always find friends. The stupid part of social media is that many of those niche groups ended up using facebook/twitter/etc as a SSO/single place to discuss those things. But you don't need to - that niche can still exist. I use forums, email and IRC for those ends, so the internet still remains useful for me, for now.
sumtechguy 6y ago
When I was younger I tried every new internet service I could get ahold of. I however now do not add in new services unless they have been around a bit. They also must have some actual tangible benefit to my life. I have also removed a lot of the 'popup' services. These are the ones that like to notify you every 3 seconds about something. They beg for attention like a broken Tamagotchi. In my mid 30s I realized my monetary problems are fairly 'steady state' and not a big headache anymore. But what I do lack is time. Smartphones have an issue as most of the models of revenue for them are internet 'freemium'/'advert supported'. What I realized is that stuff had started to take up a significant amount of my time. Time I needed for other things. If you let these things in you will find yourself consumed by them. Every last one looking for engagement. I cut out all major news sources for the same reasons. They were attention machines that did not a thing to really improve my life. So given those conditions. My smart phone is ancient by tech standards. Has a very small handful of applications. My laptop desktop is setup with whatever the designer thought was a decent idea for the version of the OS I am using. Things I stay away from are social media, fermium games, or news. All three of those are little more than disguised skinner boxes. That try to make me feel good about myself but do not actually do that. Another annoying thing is no one really seems to want to sell you things anymore. They want to sell you a service. Then one day 'poof' that service is gone. I no longer have the cool utility anymore, and many times a pile of expensive paper weights. So I avoid any service where their pitch is 'it costs less than a cup of coffee per month'. If I have gone through the trouble to make your thing part of my life I do not want it suddenly 'going away' either by upgrade or bankruptcy. So I try to find better alternatives that will stick around.
XCSme 6y ago
I keep saying and believe that boredom and procrastination are the best ways to success. You can't get a good idea or create something awesome while you're busy with something else.
- calvinmorrison 6y ago
  unfortunately HN, reddit, etc fill those pleasure centers of the brain that also are rewarded by doing work. Or as my grandmother reflected on her first husband, who she divorced upon realizing he was a schlub: > We moved to Connecticut, out of Manhattan where he was going to work on the next "Great American Novel", instead he spent the entire time reading the New York Times.

ccsnags 6y ago

Same. HN is the best but even this was something I found from a random face to face in a hotel lobby. I have gotten most of my friends off of the social media feeds. All of them have seen benefits and a couple have seen such a drastic change that they equate it to taking an antidepressant.

calvinmorrison 6y ago
The benefit of the internet is that for niche subjects you can always find friends. The stupid part of social media is that many of those niche groups ended up using facebook/twitter/etc as a SSO/single place to discuss those things. But you don't need to - that niche can still exist. I use forums, email and IRC for those ends, so the internet still remains useful for me, for now.

sumtechguy 6y ago

When I was younger I tried every new internet service I could get ahold of. I however now do not add in new services unless they have been around a bit. They also must have some actual tangible benefit to my life. I have also removed a lot of the 'popup' services. These are the ones that like to notify you every 3 seconds about something. They beg for attention like a broken Tamagotchi. In my mid 30s I realized my monetary problems are fairly 'steady state' and not a big headache anymore. But what I do lack is time. Smartphones have an issue as most of the models of revenue for them are internet 'freemium'/'advert supported'. What I realized is that stuff had started to take up a significant amount of my time. Time I needed for other things. If you let these things in you will find yourself consumed by them. Every last one looking for engagement. I cut out all major news sources for the same reasons. They were attention machines that did not a thing to really improve my life. So given those conditions. My smart phone is ancient by tech standards. Has a very small handful of applications. My laptop desktop is setup with whatever the designer thought was a decent idea for the version of the OS I am using. Things I stay away from are social media, fermium games, or news. All three of those are little more than disguised skinner boxes. That try to make me feel good about myself but do not actually do that. Another annoying thing is no one really seems to want to sell you things anymore. They want to sell you a service. Then one day 'poof' that service is gone. I no longer have the cool utility anymore, and many times a pile of expensive paper weights. So I avoid any service where their pitch is 'it costs less than a cup of coffee per month'. If I have gone through the trouble to make your thing part of my life I do not want it suddenly 'going away' either by upgrade or bankruptcy. So I try to find better alternatives that will stick around.

XCSme 6y ago

I keep saying and believe that boredom and procrastination are the best ways to success. You can't get a good idea or create something awesome while you're busy with something else.

calvinmorrison 6y ago
unfortunately HN, reddit, etc fill those pleasure centers of the brain that also are rewarded by doing work. Or as my grandmother reflected on her first husband, who she divorced upon realizing he was a schlub: > We moved to Connecticut, out of Manhattan where he was going to work on the next "Great American Novel", instead he spent the entire time reading the New York Times.