One data point: I deleted my Facebook some time in late 2012 or early 2013. I have since deleted all my social media accounts / not join in on the rush to get new ones, with the exception of Mastodon (which I use very rarely) and HN. I don't go to news websites and just accept that I will find out about some things later than people who are more plugged in than me. When I need to know more about something in particular I will look that thing up, allowing myself to read about it on whatever source has a good piece on it, so I still consume some news but never passively.

I think even HN can be too reward-driven for me personally (I enjoy getting upvoted, etc). I've found that my relationship with all online information platforms was kind of destructive while I was doing it (things like autopilot opening Reddit in an elevator, not seeing anything and then opening another Reddit tab immediately). I've come to view information, especially on sites with an infinite feed, kind of like sugar: it's very good and can be okay in moderation, but if left to my own devices I would go overboard, so I have to specifically police myself.

I thought sticking to my "information diet" would be much harder than it is. I miss very little of what I used to consume: I reach out to the friends I want to keep up with, I look up the news I want to read, and I get to be relatively insulated from the constant torrent of negativity/targeted advertising/etc that happens on platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, etc.

I can't speak for others...but Facebook was my social media gateway drug in 2006. Maybe unsurprisingly, it was also the catalyst which led to me quitting most social media platforms (Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and others). Soon after, I made a commitment to only consume news on Saturday mornings. The combination of all of these things has helped immensely, and I honestly feel like I'm missing very little.

Personally I’ve changed to leveraging social media to pursue my work and some specific interests. No friends or family.

HN for stay current in my industry.

A very curated Twitter via a third party client for following specific tech creators.

No FB, IG or Reddit. No keeping up with the Jones’s or lusting after others lives.

If I want to talk to someone I make a habit of doing it regularly. I text friends and family at least once a week just to say hi. I attempt to maintain my relationships actively instead of the passive “likes” you can send through social media.

This seems backwards to me. FB is exclusively friends and family. Those are people I am close to. Why would that drive "keeping up with the Joneses"? Wouldn't following some celebrity or athlete or something drive jealousy more than following friends?

On Twitter, I've attempted to follow industry experts and "special interests" but it seems exclusively about people who I thought would provide insight into that special interest, saying mundane or inflammatory shit.

Maybe it's down to different personality types, but if I'm going to see random shit, I'd rather see it from people I know and love, than from someone I've never met lusting after engagement clicks.

> wouldnt following a celebrity drive more jealousy?

No. The whole premise for the keeping up with Joneses are that you know them well. They love in your neighborhood, they have similar jobs, etc. The phycological lie is that based on some things you should be able to keep up. Whereas with celebreties, you know that what they have in unachievable. They have so much you dont. The joneses are just like you, but with that one new thing. And then the next thing. Etc.

I do FB for hobbies... The groups can be pretty amazing, from tabletop RPG resources to ham radio hardware support to just watching a favorite musician like Haywyre uploading "musical sketches." There's a lot of good stuff.

I quit Facebook about 2.5 years ago but was still on Twitter and Instagram for awhile. About six months later I dropped Twitter, and then about a year ago I dropped Instagram. I found that having any of them just added to my anxiety, depression, and overall feeling of being dissatisfied with my life. I don’t currently miss any of them, and I find myself having a lot more time to read books and work on things I’m passionate about. I’ve also found that the people who actually care still keep in contact with me on at least a weekly basis, and it’s a lot more personal and rewarding because we communicate directly rather than through “the void” of social media.

I've also found other benefits of quitting such as spending less money because I'm not seeing as many ads for things I don't need, and not feeling influenced to visit/participate in some activity just because other people are doing it. Maybe it's my own lack of willpower, but I found myself doing and buying a lot of things that ultimately did nothing for me because of the constant flood of information from social media.

Obviously other experiences will vary and I don't judge anyone who feels like they need social media and gain something from it, but for me it added very little to my life and I feel a lot better without it.

Not me. Just FB. Removing just that is a big improvement. I'm still on IG. I don't look into Twitter much anymore, because it's not too different from FB.

Social media isn't news. Most of what we call news isn't. There's very little useful news out there. I read "The Information Diet: A Case for Conscious Consumption" by Clay Johnson which covered the topic quite well.

I deleted Facebook and Twitter at the same time in 2008 when I dropped out of University. It’s really been hell not owning social media, as it just cuts you off from everything. "just add/msg me on facebook", why can't I just text you? txting is free.

In the end, while it has made me more depressed not being part of it, it has made me a better person not being part of.

Reddit and HN are the only two online accounts I have. And even I am tempted to delete my Reddit account.

I still use LinkedIN, meetup (if that counts) and kept my rarely used Twitter account. Snapchat died on its own, that is, all of my friends quit posting on it - I assume they use Instagram now, but I won't touch it.

I try to keep all news on RSS feeds to avoid clickbait and ads pretending to be articles.

I haven't hard quit anything but vastly reduced all of these things. Yes, I have vastly reduced my visits to news websites, Twitter, etc. I have increased my consumption of monthly periodicals, books, and movies.

I only use HN and Reddit.

The only regret I have about deleting FB two years ago: not copying down friends' birthdays.

The solution? Ask them.

quit facebook about two years ago. i stopped using my real name on social media, use random names and gibberish for accounts.

i also stopped reading any news, it's all tainted bullshit anyway by whoever paid the most to have it written. i talk more with people around me to get the news.

I still use Twitter a lot.