Social Media - how do you manage it?

I avoid all social media.  It's the devil's work.

battybats said:

I mostly stick to sites like Tumblr where there's no algorithm and I have to specifically seek out content I like.

battybats said:

I've found that if I stick to the places where there's more long-form content and niche interests, I'm less likely to feel bombarded by nonsense and more likely to feel there's room to make friends.

Same: I use sites that don't use algorithms. It's more honest that way. I always think algorithms just encourage overuse like gambling but worse because "like chasing" is more addictive to the social animal that is homo sapiens.

Y3T said:

need to kind of semi-connect with other humans?

Quality not quantity! 

Yeah I guess, but I still differentiate it from the app types. 

Isn't this forum 'social media' ?

I only really visit the odd message board and Reddit right now. I used to be all over Twitter, Instagram, Facebook etc but I came off them, although I didn't really have a choice.

I realise now that I used to put too much of myself out there on Twitter. Too much personal matters that I should have saved for therapy or talked to a friend about in confidence. I realise now it's okay to be private where the internet is concerned.

I've never felt the need to have any social media accounts (facebook, twitter, etc). 

Any need I may have to semi-connect with other humans is met by forums such as this. I much prefer forums as that's what I'm used to. I can dip in and out when it suits me and do not feel bombarded.

I do watch some YouTube videos by autistic content creators. However that is just passive watching, not engaging or communicating. 

Reading this was like a breath of fresh air. It's not just me then?! 

I mostly stick to sites like Tumblr where there's no algorithm and I have to specifically seek out content I like. When things get pushed on you as recommendations all the time it stresses me out, and I often don't like what's recommended anyway, so I never signed up to TikTok (for example) and have no intention of ever doing so.

I've found that if I stick to the places where there's more long-form content and niche interests, I'm less likely to feel bombarded by nonsense and more likely to feel there's room to make friends.

Y3T said:

So, in the context of social media, how do you manage to juggle the feeling of being bombarded and swamped with a kind of need to kind of semi-connect with other humans?

I treat Social Media as a bit of a parasite - there may be some symbiotic benefit but on the whole is just sucks the life right out of you so it best avoided.

I tend to make my interaction strictly time limited but will do a batch of posting on subjects I'm active in (I'm currently doing a bunch of YouTube videon on properties I'm developing) and then give it a break for a few weeks.

My experience of peoples posts are that they are most often fake, hateful, banal or pushing some agenda, so filtering through a tsunami od dross to find an occasional interesting post is just not worth the effort.