[rahulpandita]

Just Youtube, Team-BHP and Whatsapp.
Deleted Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn long back. I started to realise I was spending way too much time on them without any benefits.

I tend to use Youtube more as a listening tool. I purchased a family subscription for Premium and since then I just load a video and turn the screen off. Probably suited to the content I usually watch (podcasts and music most of the time).

[cdrajeevkumar]

Nice thread!!

I've been averse to social media (so to say) for time immemorial..! I've never held accounts with any of them like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter (Now X) etc. However, over passage of time, it became a necessity & I had to start my profile on LinkedIn. My time spent on social media :

WhatsApp : 15 Mins - 30 Mins
WhatsApp for Business : 30 - 45 Mins
LinkedIn : 20 - 25 Mins.

I never bother to click links on WhatsApp that have a FB / Insta content.

[FAIAAA]

Great thread idea!

I got off most social media apps several years back and quality of life ( more time, less distraction /clutter, improved ability to Centre / focus on the present moment) has significantly improved -

The only social media platforms I am on -
1. Team Bhp - 15-30 mins daily
2. WhatsApp - 10-15 min daily
3. LinkedIn - 5-10 min 2/3 times a week

As and when I do retire (sooner than later - early retirement, am in my mid 40s), LinkedIn will go. It's degenerated from a professional network platform to a social media platform.
WhatsApp may go or stay. Not sure. Keep it for family and friends.
Only Team Bhp will remain - love for cars, driving and road trips. Also the biggest differentiator I think is the curated/ genuine/ trustworthy content thanks to effective content moderation and member governance.

[Jeroen]

In my case it has changed considerable for various reasons.

I'm retired so I don't use LinkedIn anymore. In fact I deleted my account. I was still getting endless request for all kinds of stuff and I am just not interested.

A little over three years I started suffered from an ailment that impacted several of my cognitive abilities. It also meant it just became too difficult for me to use a computer or other device. So my use of the internet as a whole dropped considerably.

Things have improved somewhat, so I can read and post again on various media. I still need help on editing though, or none of my posts would make it past the mods.😀 GTO suggested an excellent speller and grammar check tool, which I am using nowadays. Without it you would not be able to read this message!

Althoug things have improved somewhat compared to what they were, my presence on social media is pretty limited compared to what it was. I only use Facebook. Most of our friends and family are still on it. So it is a convenient way of staying in touch.

I am also on WhatsApp. Very convenient. Our most cherished chats are the ones dedicated to our grandkids. Every day we get a stream of images and videos of those little people growing up.

We live in a tiny village in the Netherlands, with less than 900 inhabitants. But there is quite a lot of social interaction. And an App group for everyhting. I think I am part of at least 15 village App groups alone. It does show the positive impact of social media. Our village is in the middle of the Bible belt, very conservative. There are plenty of people who don't have television here, for religious reasons. But they are in the various village App groups. Many of the folks on these groups are a lot older than me. None of them hardcore Internet users, but all of them manage WhatsApp.

I am using the traditional internet for looking up things. I am still a member of various classic car groups, but you won't find me doing elaborate posting as I used too. These days if anything I post links to whatever I post on TeamBhp. Post once, share from there on.

I still enjoy writing on the various threads, uploading photographs, but it takes a lot of effort these days. Takes a lot of time, trial and error. Not a problem, because I have the time and I always enjoy the end result and the subsequent responses.

Jeroen

[amitayu]

Interesting topic:

Facebook: been highly active at one point of time. Still engage daily given I am a moderator in a couple of groups.

Twitter/X: Honestly was rathered pissed with the entire trainsition from Twitter to X. DOn't like the new interface as well. So, technically dropped out though i still have an account.

Insta: still not on Insta! frankly see not much value in it.

Whatsapp: the most important platform for me. Today, much of official communications are via whatsapp. By far the max engagement platform.

[Old_Salt]

You don’t have to post it, to prove it.

From posting a lot, to now realising that the best moments of my life do not make it to social media.

So Facebook, LinkedIn completely deleted. Instagram only used when I am travelling/working 6 months every year to post travel pics, no faces. App is basically deleted from the phone the moment I land in India so I can devote my time to my family.

Twitter was good, but like every social media, losing interest in the platform.

Have subscribed to e paper of ET, and get most of my news from there.

[fhdowntheline]

My social media usage is as follows:
1) Facebook- removed due to non usage.
2) X- just kept on, never active.
3) Linked In- another borefest. Just kept on to check on my organization's feeds.
4) Team-BHP- you guys know me !
5) WhatsApp- only essential groups (a few colleagues, ex-colleagues, ex-collegians, family, extended family, housing society).
6) Instagram- whats that ?

[GTX+]

My social media usage has reduced with age, not that am old, but slowly getting there

Facebook: Total junk. I just scroll through once or twice a day.

Whatsapp: Since am part of few groups, apart from occasional banter sessions with friends or when discussing something important, I generally scroll through once in the morning and around evening. However, for me the most important use of Whatsapp is that I do video calls with my mom and other relatives almost everyday.

Instagram: Am very active on Instagram. Since I like to capture pics and short videos, I post them on my account and also follow my friends and few pro videographers.

Linkedin: Similar to FB, scroll through once or twice a day.

Twitter/X: I was on Twitter/X, but never really used it, was more of a reader than a poster. But when it became a place for people to simply abuse, troll and spread hate, I quietly exited.

Do not have any other social media app installed.

[Sammy_wOah]

Personally i use these two apps the most :-
Youtube- If one looks beyond clickbait and cringe , i think there's so much more this platform shares for free. DIY, Learning and entertainment all packed in one app.
X(formerly twitter) - I agree its filled with toxicity and trolls but if you follow some niche personalities that share their wisdom and knowledge in a written concise manner, its the most used app for me. Tip (Follow people whom you really want to hear, And on app switch to "Following" section from "For you", This way you only get update from people you follow.
I feel I'm old soul trapped in young body, I stopped using Facebook and other social media platforms 7 years back, I install Instagram for like 15 min check what's happening around and uninstall it , i do this once a month.
I was never addicted or had hard time controlling it , in-fact contrary to common belief that if you're not active on social media you are introvert is not entirely true, I enjoy real life experiences more. i think social media is a great place to be in touch with what's happening around. I partially blame my finance background of research, Once you delve into the study of various businesses, you begin to understand how you, as a consumer, are considered a product. You also start to recognize the strategies these businesses employ to ensure your continued engagement and loyalty, nothing wrong with that honestly, Wisdom is realizing how the world truly works. Its only catering(algorithm) to your need. Everything now is so data driven that i consciously seek randomness.
I always remember a particular scene from movie "Into the Wild" where the protagonist "Christopher McCandless" after exploring Adventure realizes "happiness is real when Shared". We all need validation , and i often find great personalities who have control over this validation feeling do great in life. How can i keep it to myself and just enjoy. Cheers

[Mystic]

Social Media is like an essential evil. With the smart phones becoming accessible to all, the usage of social media went through the roof for many ( I remember when smart phone was very costly and only very few people could afford it).

An equivalent analogy for petrol heads is that friction is an essential evil for automobile tyres (Friction is said to be a necessary evil because it is useful as well as harmful. Friction helps us to walk, write, hold things, lift objects. So it is necessary for our lives. Without friction, many essential processes can not be done).

When I took volunteer retirement around 6 months back from a very busy 18 hour working days and 100% travel to 0 working hours, I am using i phone or MacBook extensively in these 6 months. I also spend a lot of time watching documentaries on TV channels. I have big size Sony TVs installed in all the 4 bed rooms in a 3 storied villa even though we are only 2 people living in the house now.

I do not have a Facebook account ever. LinkedIn account has been dormant with “Retired “ word added after retirement. I have a Twitter account with only 2 followers who are my wife and son. Twitter is the only place where I can track my son’s movements ( in which country he is in ) and he updates by hour on his academic Twitter account with thousands of tweets and thousands of followers as it is mandatory for his kind of work. He tells me that it is an academic account and all followers are of the same clan and not general public.

Whatsup has become a nuisance with good mornings etc from family groups. I am just waiting for Nokia phone to save me.

My game plan after one year of my retirement is to buy the Nokia phone with 2 buttons. I would depend on my wife’s smartphone for any urgent works and Google maps in car. I am working for this to happen as there are a lot of things related to my finances which need smart phone for one year after retirement.

My father never touched a smart phone in his life even though he retired as Chief Engineer of Andhra Pradesh Government reporting directly to CM in 1995. In those days, a Nokia phone , News on Doordarshan, fleet of PAs like stenos, land lines, FAX, news papers etc are good enough to do his job.

[Night Raven]

Facebook: I do have an account, but I haven’t posted anything there for over 5 years. I don’t visit unless I have to. Recently I had to open the profile because one of the study groups I was involved in requested me to join but most of the interaction happened over WhatsApp only. I honestly hate Facebook for the amount of junk in it.

Twitter: Don’t have an account, don’t use.

Instagram: Don’t have an account, don’t use.

YouTube: I watch videos, mostly automobile reviews. Follow a few channels like autocar India, mentor pilot, mrwhoistheboss etc. I don’t comment, only watching.

LinkedIn: don’t know what this is about

WhatsApp: yes, inevitably. Check messages in the groups once a day before I sleep.

Teambhp: this is where is spend most of my free time. The webpage is permanently open in safari.

[vb-saan]

YouTube: Main channel for content consumption –cars, news, entertainment, and travel.

Instagram: The primary social platform for me now.

Facebook: Almost redundant; I cross-post from Instagram to Facebook as well because a lot of family (especially from parents’ generation) are still in there.

Twitter/X: Account is active, but logging in is quite rare.

LinkedIn: Random glance through, once or twice a week.

Reddit: Log in almost everyday; extremely resourceful

[dipdawiz]

My social media usage is avg of 3 hours a day.

Facebook: deleted my account 5 years back.

Instagram: I used to be quite active around 2-3 years back, but now occasional posting, no reels though. Use it couple of minutes a day, many times it's skipped altogether.

X (Twitter): My main SM usage is twitter, now X. My source of news and verification of some current affairs happens through this significantly. I spend anywhere between 1 ~ 2 hours depending on events around the world.

Whatsapp: Mainly close friends and family. Removed myself from even school or college groups.

Telegram: Only for RWA notifications and apartment related posts.

YouTube: Mostly everyday, I like watching DIY, restoration, wood work, science related videos. 30min to 1hr on an avg.

Team-bhp: daily 30min at least. More if I am posting something or researching. Though it might be open in one tab for whole day.

[nova.19_exe]

Okay, the usage of a 17 year old!

WhatsApp : limited number of people have my number, so not much there. Only actively use it to share links which my mom receives from my study centre.

Team-BHP : Minimum of atleast 20 mins devoted and my parents have no problem with it!

FB/Messenger : Honestly, only reason I still have my FB account is because of the birthday reminders I get on my mail! I don't even remember the last time I logged into my FB account.

Instagram : I'm not much of a reels person. Just go through my feed most of the time, answering DMs (most importantly, my girlfriend's DM) and just go about my day!

Twitter : Or should I say X? My account is just there! I don't even use it. I don't see why I still need it. Might delete it in a bit!

Threads : Useless. Twitter copy.. No option to disable that account without disabling my Instagram. So it's just there without me using it..

YouTube : Very rarely. Only watch cars, tech and occasional stand-up! (check out Anubhav Singh Bassi's Bas Kar Bassi highlights!)

LinkedIn : no account. boy, am I glad!!

[three10]

Slight deviation - To everyone who’s quit social media, how did you do it? I have an insta / fb account but don’t have the apps installed. Visit them maybe 1-2 times a day on the web.

LinkedIn - I’ve basically unfollowed all of my contacts (to escape the content spam), so my LinkedIn feed is just ads . I’ve got the app, but maybe open it once or twice a week.

X / YouTube is where I spend most of the time, but I’m trying hard to reduce and eventually cut down completely.