I lately find myself really disinterested in consuming online content and engaging with online stuff, and it doesn't feel bad at all. I've started this journey back in May 2023 with SilentFootPrint project, aiming to minimize digital footprint and remove social media usage.
I have no Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, Reddit, Tumblr, Youtube, Mastodon, Bluesky or TikTok accounts, so I usually see funny memes or videos through friends sending them to me. I am just on a tiny number of small groups, and organization-related communication platforms, such as Slack and Whatsapp. Also some other groups which move slow and don't generate any fear of missing out and don't usually keep me distracted. But even then, I noticed recently I don't care for properly looking at the latest Instagram post or story at the point of deleting the accounts. When I check HackerNews or similar sites, I spend about 5-10 minutes at most on it. So many times when I open those websites, I end up closing them again almost immediately, without clicking anything.
There were times when I was really excited for new communities and social networks popping up or discovering new niches of the internet, lurking on them or trying them out. But right now, I feel really comfortable with being offline a lot, or at least only on the known small sites, proceeding with my own little projects at my own pace, working on myself and on my full-time job. I completely gave up on keeping my online identity up - my website is being reworked since October now. It's all happening without the pressure to perform or put something online.
We all well-know that the rise of social media and other online platforms has led to a culture of instant gratification, where users expect immediate results and constant stimulation, decreasing attention spans and increasing difficulty concentrating on tasks that require sustained effort. This is something I can't keep wasting time on, so it really needed to end.
That might not be easy... as much of the online platforms employ algorithms designed to keep us engaged by providing an endless stream of content tailored to our interests. Leads to addiction-like behavior and difficulty breaking away from the platform.
This is a decision I made in May 2023 and I've been applying slowly until I remove all my social media and most online presence. Me and some close friends from the organization created some kind of dashboard and tools to help with this task, and get a track of your progress. It was called SilentFootPrint. Two years later, I can proudly say I not only helped myself with my social media kind-of-addiciton, but also held many others who struggled with this.
I see more and more people going through a similar thing, like it's a disillusionment with how we usually use the internet, which is amazing. I hope you all get back your offline time to do what you love most, having time for what really matters.