According to reporting by theWall Street Journal, fewer and fewer people are posting about their lives online.
Here’s what they had to say:
2.
“I have scaled back social media use because I got tired of the constant advertising posts.
I mostly see random posts from community groups rather than from human friends.
I now read a global news app when I enjoy my morning coffee, rather than social media.”
cindy_schneider16
3.
“I deleted Snapchat because I absolutely hated what it was doing to my mental health.
I sort of miss the days before I had it when I didnt think about those kinds of things.
It will change your life, and you will feel so much happier, I pinky promise!”
famoustrash57
5.
However, I am real.
Im right in front of you.
I feel free experiencing moments fully present.
My camera roll is full of memories, just for me."
freshmule674
6.
I got rid of all the accounts at once.
I am way more content now.
I’m better at reaching out to people in my life and having fulfilling social interactions.
I don’t suffer FOMO because I don’t know what people are doing without me.
I love really being there for others and being engaged and present.
“I also now have a dumb phone.
I can pretty much only use my phone as a tool to call and text.
I like the ‘friction’ of not having access to anything/everything on my phone.”
user924
7.
“I used to be, for lack of a better term, a social media addict.
I had Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Threads, Bluesky, TikTok, and whatnot.
I was a prisoner of the various algorithms.”
I dont miss any of it.
Brenda, 43
9.
“I used to share a lot about my life.
Maybe more than the average person did and not just life updates, either, but personal issues.
Tough situations that maybe I shouldn’t have opened the doors to for everyone.
“It wasn’t a conscious decision to pull back.
Waderick, 34
10.
Just in time, as all of that has gotten much worse since COVID-19.
I kinda see the good stuff, as I still scroll Reddit and BuzzFeed.
I can honestly say that I have had MUCH better mental health in the intervening years.
“I worked in social media management for four years, and it absolutely wrecked my mental health.
Upon switching industries, I deactivated my accounts, and Ive never felt better.
I get to enjoy everything in real time instead of having the urge to record it for content.
M, 29
12.
Suddenly, social media didn’t seem as important.”
When I stopped looking for such outside validation, it improved my mental health.
xy8lu
13.
“I got on Facebook to keep up with my niece in another state.
I rarely posted, but I made a post about gun control after the movie theater shooting.
Instead, I closed my account and haven’t spoken to him since.
I loathe any social media and refuse to engage.”
“I removed Facebook during the first Trump election.
It was far too toxic.
I removed Instagram because I spent too much time just scrolling through.
I removed LinkedIn because the toxicity was hidden but would appear at the most random times.
I removed TikTok because I felt I was wasting too much time just scrolling through it.
Im happy to be the weirdo who has no social media presence.
I dont miss it, and it surely does not miss me.”
wickedghost77
15.
“I feel more connected with my own life.
And indeed, out of sight, out of mind.”
Its been three months, and I havent put it back on the home screen yet.
Not sure I will.
I dont want to be a scroll zombie craving mindless distraction.
Time is, after all, our most precious gift.”
Dani, 32
16.
“I stopped in 2020.
I just couldnt deal with the negative garbage anymore.
After I stopped posting, I realized how much better it was to just be in the moment.
I have way less anxiety now that Im not on social media anymore.”
I nearly made a life-altering choice that would have devastated both.
Hunter, 37
tortillachips
19.
It just really freaked me out, and I deleted everything and never went back.”
“My mother passed away.
It was a long, drawn-out cancer battle that started during COVID.
Being baby boomers, my parents and much of their church were heavy Facebook users.
But I stuck around because it was one way to help support my mom.”
“She was very sad at this time.
When she passed, her memorial service was so large that the church couldn’t accommodate everyone who attended.
We had to turn people away; she was so beloved in her community.
Ryan, 42
21. kkat22
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.
