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Are there any fellow teens that have de-Googled and removed all social media? (midwest.social)

submitted 1 year ago by clark@midwest.social to c/chat@beehaw.org

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Hello.

I am part of the younger side of Lemmy, and I wonder if there are any teens or otherwise young people that have de-Googled and/or removed all social media.

I notice, that everybody around me in real life uses Snapchat, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, what have you… hundreds of notifications and messages from other people… and I cannot really relate. I deleted Instagram for my mental health, as some posts were greatly affecting my self-esteem. If somebody were to ask me for my social media, I’d probably just give them my number.

I don’t really know a lot of people around me that have this interest of online privacy (let alone people my age). So, will the (young) users of Lemmy enlighten me?

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[–] emptyother@programming.dev 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Good for you for not having gone cynical yet!

I refused to join social media and blogs back when I was a teen. Why have your own content under control of these companies when there was always ways you could own it yourself (through open chat protocols, self-hosted forums, and regular websites). But everyone followed these companies and soon I had too if I wanted to be in communication with anyone at all. I've given up. People are following whatever is advertised. And advertisers know how effective it is too hook us with promises of community, friendship, social contact, stock-photos of laughing people, etc. And theres always some people claiming they are going "clean". A lot jumps back. Or just find another social-marketed community.

So I've stopped de-anything. I still got a reddit account. I registered at snapshat and instagram. I am available mostly anywhere I can. Turn on email notifications in case someone tries to chat with me. But I only uses what I find fun. And are aware that what I'm giving away is probably used and sold (even here on Lemmy). And ads arent fun. I rarely use reddit anymore because of all the ads on their only available android app, and now also on their website pretending to be regular posts and bypassing my adguard. I've never gotten into tumblr for the same reason, even though the community there seems right up my alley; their only native app has been ad-filled for as long as I've been knowing about it. Mastodon and Lemmy is fun. A bit slow content-wise though. So I try to get people over here. But I dont have much hope for it. It doesnt have an ad company behind it and people forget it.