Why I decided to unplug from social media

[Katty]

This is by no means me saying that others should do the same. Everyone's circumstances are unique and it's something that has personally benefitted me. If I see benefit and less risk in replugging, I might do so. Also I am on Skype and discord, but I'll get into that in a bit

 

So the main thing I unplugged from was Facebook. For me, Facebook made it way too easy to find association with people in the world. I hate to say, but I dated an unbeliever and then talked to others regularly. Pretty much all were people I met or were contacted by on Facebook. When I decided to put my worldly association behind me, I decided the best thing was to eliminate my Facebook profile once and for all.

 

Instagram was a different situation. It wasn't so much affecting my association negatively so much as it was affecting my self esteem. Idk how it is with others, but for me, it's difficult to not compare myself negatively to other people when faced with situations like that. Now I did watch the "be social network smart" video and I recall it touching on that. But when I see things, it's sometimes hard to see that it's not the whole reality. Maybe some of the single ones can give their thoughts on ig too, because I find it's also a lot of images that, while not bad in themselves might make me feel more jealous of people in relationship and how much fun they seem to be having, than I would otherwise be, because all that's shown is the dates, and the flowers and the gifts and not the mundane things or the arguments etc. I mean, it's understandable but it's easy to get a warped view of reality that way.

 

I was never much involved with Twitter and Pinterest  often drives me mad. It's just too much muchness.

 

So what are y'all's thoughts on social media? Anyone else felt many of the negative effects of it or have learned to master it like the video taught us XD

Edited July 25, 2018 by Katty

[Brother Arellano]

You are totally correct on the phenomenon that causes us to perhaps be jealous of what people are doing on social media. Because in general people only show the positive things they do there. If we were to believe social media people would always be happy in love, buying new cars and going on fancy vacations. It can cause us to idealize others situations and in make us feel we are missing out. Even though we know this isn't true it doesn't do much for our selfesteem. And by putting aside distractions I think you are making the right choice. Part of building a bible trained conscience is deciding what does and does not work for us. Keep up the good work. 

[hatcheckgirl]

Katty, I can see from a young person's perspective, it would be hard to not have feelings of missing out.  I'm the next gen or two up, and I limit those I add to fb.  I too had to get rid of worldly association that had crept in on fb.  Now it's just brothers and sisters, not a lot, just those I can keep in touch with.  But I'm using social media mainly to keep in contact with my family (they're sadly in the world).  That's challenging, cause of unsavoury posts.  I delete a lot so I modify my feed.  Can't be bothered with Twitter anymore.  Instagram is some select friends too.  So, I manage by paring back the friends lists and not having notifications switched on.  I just check in when I want to, catch up with family and it's easier.

[Guri]

6 hours ago, Katty said:

This is by no means me saying that others should do the same. Everyone's circumstances are unique and it's something that has personally benefitted me. 

 

I’m on Facebook and not intending to unplug from it.  

[Ahuvah]

I've unplugged from everything except facebook and jwtalk ... but facebook i'm going to less and less ... I too feel like you Katty ... it's too easy to get involved with worldly family for me ... I've been slowly dropping them off my friends list.  A big distraction for me.  Not that jwtalk isn't haha at least its spiritually positive.

[New World Explorer]

I love Instagram, have brothers and sisters only as friends. 

Facebook I mainly use to chat and post photos to my mom in Poland. (close group)

Social media needs to be controlled to enjoy it!

 

[Omoyeme]

With the exception of JWT, I dropped social media long time ago.  I prefer meeting and developing new friendships, while keeping the ones I already have offline - in real life.  I don't miss Facebook not. one. bit!

[Guri]

36 minutes ago, Gregexplore said:

I love Instagram, have brothers and sisters only as friends. 

Facebook I mainly use to chat and post photos to my mom in Poland. (close group)

Social media needs to be controlled to enjoy it!

 

Greg, amigo, 

 

 

[BibleSteve]

Instagram is the one for me. I have plenty of brothers and sisters as friends from all around the world i.e. Australia,peru,italy,poland,russia,Uk,france,carribean,Usa,and many other countries, and I find so many encouraging experiences and photos from them.

 

What do I love about it? its quick to view, short and to the point text with encouraging short answers (mostly) and I have my account locked so you have to ask to join/view my own page. Have blocked/deleted a few over the years as I didn't think their pics were entirely in line with Jehovahs thinking. I keep in touch with some who have moved to other areas and some from my very first congregation. And I don't have to view it every day just a few times a week keeps me satisfied.

 

Facebook though? not for me but I won't condemn it as it suits some folks 

[Tortuga]

5 hours ago, Omoyeme said:

With the exception of JWT, I dropped social media long time ago.

Same here...

...unless TV is considered social media...

[Greg Dent]

I only friend people I personally know on FB. and Even limit Brothers and Sisters I know personally. I have my account locked down so only my friends can see what I post. Outside of that no one needs to see what I post. I don''t want to see them. Outside of that my Business page is public for obvious reasons. 

[Guri]

4 hours ago, Tortuga said:

unless TV is considered social media...

What if tv too will be considered social media? Will you bin it?  

[jwhess]

12 minutes ago, Guri said:

What if tv too will be considered social media? Will you bin it?  

Other than news and weather once a day, I don't really watch "broadcast" TV.  I have a USB port and a digital player to watch recordings or movies of my choice.  I can access digital content if I remember which buttons to push on my remote, I guess.

 

EDIT": I should point out that I don't have cable, a "dish" or satellite access or anything like that.  I only have an outside TV antenna (remember those?) and we are out at the 50 mile limit or fringe area.

Edited July 25, 2018 by jwhess

[Hope]

I've participated on Witness discussion boards (and one worldly one) since 2002.  I've made incredible friendships thru them - one sister I consider one of my very best friends, and social media is part of a main reason I'm even living in Portland.

 

I joined Facebook in 2012.  I was initially suspicious of it, thinking I'd have nothing I want to talk about that I couldn't already do on the discussion boards I was on.   But I grew to really enjoy the format - and the photos!  Also, it's come to be where I get most of my news; I subscribe to several news pages (CNN, BBC, NYT, etc.) and I enjoy the travel pages and so forth.  It's also quite easy to have fine, detailed conversations about things that I cannot get feedback on in real life.  I don't find it to be very braggy or distressing *more on that below...

 

In my Friends list, I do have worldlies -- family members, some co-workers -- and I monitor them closely.  I also have a list I've created for topics JUST for Jehovah's Witnesses and those sorts of conversations are for them only.  I like the opportunity to post spiritual things, advertise the Conventions, etc. to the worldly ones on my list and I've had wonderful conversations with a few - even a study or two.

 

Instagram?  I don't like it that much.  To me, it IS braggy, a bit shallow and distressing at times; it's funny - most of the reasons many like it are the reasons I don't.  I joined that in 2012, as well -- however, I honestly thought it was a photo enhancing app, not a social media. 😕   When I realized what it really was, I blocked anyone following me without my permission and I have NO followers.  I don't post anything there.  I do follow others; most of my local friends only do Instagram, so that's the only way to see what they may be up to and I enjoy the pictures posted by those "jw" handles from the international conventions and other work.  Instagram gives me the feelings that @Katty described.  Especially since many local friends are on and they do a lot of things.... I'll just say that viewing such tends to make me feel resentment, which is a disgusting emotion.  So, I will let many weeks/month or so go by without checking on Instagram.  Plus the fact that it is not conducive to conversation; it's too "one way" feeling.  I'm one who likes to talk but I don't always want to post pictures.  Facebook is the media that works best for me; most things I post there are words, not pix.  And it fills a void that would just "be there" were I to quit it.. I'd be more isolated than I already am.

 

JWTalk and the Z0ne are the boards I'm part of now.  I don't do the Z0ne as much as I used to but I've been a member there since 2002; it's how I met @Shawnster and I believe @Dismal_Bliss was on there, too (or one of the other defunct boards of the '00s).

 

It's true - social media can be a danger and a time waster.  One must be careful and wise.  But if you are, I think they can bring valuable interaction to a person's life.  Just gotta be cool about it.   

Edited July 25, 2018 by Hope

[New World Explorer]

Many of my dear friends are now travelling... thanks to Instagram we are keeping in touch, have laugh...together..etc

My good friend is now in Athens and updating me on the fires in Greece ... 

Some others travelling trough Scotland and sharing experiences from past Oslo Norway Convention 

Another friend is currently in South America... enjoying her posts as well. 

When you have right people in your group Instagram is fun. 

Ability to use Social media is like driving a car ... one can be good responsible driver ... another “does not stop at the red light” 

 

 

[Hope]

18 minutes ago, Gregexplore said:

Many of my dear friends are now travelling... thanks to Instagram we are keeping in touch, have laugh...together..etc

My good friend is now in Athens and updating me on the fires in Greece ... 

Some others travelling trough Scotland and sharing experiences from past Oslo Norway Convention 

Another friend is currently in South America... enjoying her posts as well. 

When you have right people in your group Instagram is fun. 

Ability to use Social media is like driving a car ... one can be good responsible driver ... another “does not stop at the red light” 

 

 

 

No - I hear what you're saying... but I get those same sorts of updates on Facebook, for the most part.  Those who post them on Instagram I *wish* would post on FB because I'm keen to have conversations with my friends about what they're up to, not just see the pictures of where I am not... (hence the sad resentment I need to avoid  ).  I'm grateful when those IG posts go to FB; then I can more easily see and comment.  I don't find the IG format suitable to conversations or keeping up with past threads, etc.

 

If all one wants is photos and quick comments, IG *is* the preferred format (fun group or not). If one wants topical discussions/information with or without photos, FB is the place for that.

 

Good thing there is something for everyone these days.   

[Ahuvah]

1 hour ago, Guri said:

What if tv too will be considered social media? Will you bin it?  

Haha just had to answer this ... we binned TV three or four years ago. Don't miss it at all. Actually that's a little wrong miss keeping up with the local news but we get all our news from a combination of BBC, Aljazeera, RT.

Edited July 25, 2018 by Stormswift

[SueFrog]

19 hours ago, Katty said:

 

 

 

19 hours ago, Katty said:

So the main thing I unplugged from was Facebook. For me, Facebook made it way too easy to find association with people in the world. I hate to say, but I dated an unbeliever and then talked to others regularly. Pretty much all were people I met or were contacted by on Facebook. When I decided to put my worldly association behind me, I decided the best thing was to eliminate my Facebook profile once and for all.

I'm in agreement with you Katty. I've never been involved with other forums but I used to be on facebook. I felt like it was taking up too much time and if I'm honest it was like a back door way of keeping in touch with worldly associations that I was trying to leave behind. It provoked negative feelings in me that I didn't like and even though I wasn't actively commenting on what people were doing,  or where they were going, and who they were associating with, you can be sure that in my head I was commenting! 

I also found it interesting what you said about Instagram. I've no experience of it, but I can relate it to facebook. I used to post photos and stuff, but like many other people, I only posted pictures when we went out somewhere for the day of if something special had happened. As my Christian conscience became a little more finely tuned, I started to wonder "Do I sound like Im bragging or showing off" by my posts? I had to question myself deeply about what I wanted others to feel when they saw my posts and I'm not proud to admit that there was an element of smugness on my part which is not an attractive quality. 

I can see that for some people social media can be very helpful and a great way to keep in touch with family and friends. For me personally, I have no family on Facebook and the friends who I want to keep in touch with I can do so by e mail or even by putting pen to paper and writing letters. It's funny that even in this day and age people love getting letters or postcards in the post. 

I should add that I'm of the generation that wasn't brought up with social media, so for me it's a case of, "tried it but decided its not for me"

[Guri]

1 hour ago, Stormswift said:

we binned TV three or four years ago. Don't miss it at all. Actually that's a little wrong miss keeping up with the local news

[New World Explorer]

[Meditate!]

58 minutes ago, SueFrog said:

 

I'm in agreement with you Katty. I've never been involved with other forums but I used to be on facebook. I felt like it was taking up too much time and if I'm honest it was like a back door way of keeping in touch with worldly associations that I was trying to leave behind. It provoked negative feelings in me that I didn't like and even though I wasn't actively commenting on what people were doing,  or where they were going, and who they were associating with, you can be sure that in my head I was commenting! 

I also found it interesting what you said about Instagram. I've no experience of it, but I can relate it to facebook. I used to post photos and stuff, but like many other people, I only posted pictures when we went out somewhere for the day of if something special had happened. As my Christian conscience became a little more finely tuned, I started to wonder "Do I sound like Im bragging or showing off" by my posts? I had to question myself deeply about what I wanted others to feel when they saw my posts and I'm not proud to admit that there was an element of smugness on my part which is not an attractive quality. 

I can see that for some people social media can be very helpful and a great way to keep in touch with family and friends. For me personally, I have no family on Facebook and the friends who I want to keep in touch with I can do so by e mail or even by putting pen to paper and writing letters. It's funny that even in this day and age people love getting letters or postcards in the post. 

I should add that I'm of the generation that wasn't brought up with social media, so for me it's a case of, "tried it but decided its not for me"

perhaps because I'm of a similar generation; i see thing similar in my own short experience or  'dip' into Social media... I tried a facebook account specifically for a work related reason only to find myself (naively) deluged almost instantly by 'friends' most of whom were only in my address book as having emailed once perhaps. I then ran the risk of upsetting people who wanted to be included... even people I am very friendly with in the congregation. I found it overwhelming and knew instantly I just didn't have the time for 'any' of it. around the same time I tinkered with Instagram only to be distracted/annoyed by constant pings of the 'few' who posted seemingly all the time.. (it wasn't but it felt like it.) You made a good point about the reaction of some who might see posts.

 

In a similar vain this can happen anywhere; not just social media. We live on a tight budget. We think twice when out whether £8.00 for two coffees is worth it next to the food I know we could buy. We're not skint and don't make it a plan to tell everyone what we think of as possibly wasting money; it's just that we don't see it as 'worth it' for us.. With that mindset in place it was a little embarrassing when a brother threw a question at me at an end of field service coffee break in a sisters home. 'Which restaurants do you use?'...   'We don't' I spluttered out. 'Hmm; well they can be expensive can't they' he said quickly and changed the subject. Neither of us were too embarrassed to carry on any conversation. I do know of a few though who really are on the breadline and that could have been thoughtless in front of them.  So when posting 'look at this I bought' can be taken very differently by different people.

2 minutes ago, Gregexplore said:

Fabulous Greg.. Thanks for posting it.

[Hope]

Oh yes -- I'm on LinkedIn... but that's purely professional as far as I'm concerned.  I've made fantastic business contacts there that have generated interviews and even job offers.  Excellent site.

[Meditate!]

2 minutes ago, Hope said:

Oh yes -- I'm on LinkedIn... but that's purely professional as far as I'm concerned.  I've made fantastic business contacts there that have generated interviews and even job offers.  Excellent site.

Well the organisation don't make any sweeping remarks/laws on Social Media and I won't dissuade anyone to go on or come off it either. I have my own experience; it will be different for other. I cannot control it enough for me to use. other will be able. Their choice.

 

I don't really see Linked in as SM somehow.. just my perception. My thanks to Greg was in irony and made me smile: was not a statement from me

[SUNRAY]

I like Instagram because we are homebound a lot and enjoy following needgreaters in many countries plus see special and regular conventions around the world. Some are videos of the friends singing or special convention activities for delegates. I make day text pictures and post a video of several at a time with mostly kingdom music played by friends. My page is private for Witnesses only who request. I am "uhoohello".

[Saffron]

I unplugged from Facebook years ago and do not regret it. Don't miss it one bit. JWtalk fills that void in a much better way.

 

Up until a year or two ago, I had a personal Instagram account where I had mostly friends from my congregation and others near here. That was going pretty well until some people I had a problem with decided to use this platform in ways that created more problems. Plus, I'll confess, there were other things that made life unpleasant. Like this sister (wife of one of my closest friends) who is always too busy or too ill to come to any of my gatherings.. I saw pictures of her at another person's gathering and felt hurt. I had no right to feel that way, but I did.. That was it. I decided that it was more trouble than it was worth and left it. 

 

All I have now is a business page (my art). It's public and I'm going to be working it a bit more now to up the followers for my newest project. There have been no problems with this IG account other than occasionally running across apostate garbage. It's pretty cool, actually. I've gotten to know some very talented sisters this way. 

 

All in all, I say that the decision about whether or not to participate on social media is a personal one and depends on the individual. Great application of Mark 9:47 and Proverbs 22:3, @Katty. 😊