Alternatives for when you feel like you need to use social media.

[Version]

I'm pretty sure everyone here has already seen the social media topic. A common theme I saw there, and that I can very much relate to, is that people saw a need to be distracted, and almost instinctively went on a social media site. To me, for a couple months, I even started using tumblr and youtube again just because I couldn't focus and needed to stop doing what I was doing.

The alternative I found was music. Whenever my thoughts feel cluttered and I feel like I need to take a break from what I'm doing, I just listen to whatever. It has the benefit where you can choose whether to actually pay attention to it, or to just let it be in the background. So it gives you a chance to organize your thoughts and regain your focus.

I feel like a good alternative has to be something where you, yourself, don't put in any effort. But it shouldn't be like social media where it occupies your head just enough so that you can't think of anything else. It should allow you to recompose yourself.

Anyone else have things that they used to scratch the "itch" of social media?

[Memory]

I found that I don't actually mind the concept of social media, I just mind these tired old paradigms like endless scrolling, like-dislike systems, and so on.

I have taken to going to forums, writing or reading blog posts, commenting on content, when I get the urge.

[manpaint]

I'm pretty sure everyone here has already seen the social media topic. A common theme I saw there, and that I can very much relate to, is that people saw a need to be distracted, and almost instinctively went on a social media site. To me, for a couple months, I even started using tumblr and youtube again just because I couldn't focus and needed to stop doing what I was doing.

The alternative I found was music. Whenever my thoughts feel cluttered and I feel like I need to take a break from what I'm doing, I just listen to whatever. It has the benefit where you can choose whether to actually pay attention to it, or to just let it be in the background. So it gives you a chance to organize your thoughts and regain your focus.

I feel like a good alternative has to be something where you, yourself, don't put in any effort. But it shouldn't be like social media where it occupies your head just enough so that you can't think of anything else. It should allow you to recompose yourself.

Anyone else have things that they used to scratch the "itch" of social media?

The best alternative that I've found for me is to listen to music on a device with no social media (I use Moonshell2 on a Nintendo DS) and I browse Yesterweb forums (Melonland, Yesterb forum).

I also sometime write articles for my Neocities site.

[Melooon]

Hmmm, social media did two things for me.

1. Its a convent way to communicate with people:
This is actually the only reason I still have Facebook account. My family use WhatsApp and Facebook for chats and so do most friends.. So I honestly don't have an alternative for that.. Sometimes I e-mail people but thats about it

2. It makes me feel connected to friends when Im lonely:
This ones more complex.. Discord and Forums do help, so does media like music and movies.. but I think it might just be self control.. when I feel like that I force myself out of it; Im not sure if thats a good idea though

The thing is social media is like a compression of some many things that are often hard.. like socialising and writing emails So kinda the only alternative is effort.

[wris]

Mostly the urge strikes when I’m doing something where I just have my phone and not my laptop, like when I’m waiting in line for something or have woken up but can’t be bothered to get out of bed yet. In these cases it’s still much easier to consume than create, so I do one of a couple things:

- Read an eBook. Depending on where you live, your library might offer free eBooks via something like Libby/Overdrive. Support your local library.
- I’m currently reading Berserk online. Horrible, gruesome, very good.
- If I have a thought that I’d want to tweet, I send it to a friend instead. If it’s so inane that I don’t want to do that, it probably wasn’t going to be a good tweet.

[boreal_cryptid]

first i needed to understand why i used them in the first place, and how i can replace it.

- communication with people
- reading things from people i like, just to know their thoughts, interests, opinions
- randomized unexpected stuff
- sometimes venting
- news

so, communication. actually, i've founds my three best friends in social media: one from instagram, somewhere in 2015. other two in ~2022. and, you know, once you find the person, you can move to the messenger to talk with them instead of using this social media.

reading things from them: the most tricky part. if they don't have a blog, and social media that they use is paywalled, it's impossible to read without an account. so i decided to just ask them to write to me in messenger if they want to share something. the only problem with it: they expect a reaction. it doesn't feel like i'm lurking with no obligation to react. those 3 friends don't have blogs. so... it is still kinda inconvenient, but they understand why i behave this way, and we're fine.

randomized unexpected stuff, especially visuals. i really needs it sometimes when i'm understimulated. and i think i successfully replaced social media with browsing pinterest or checking others' websites. it gives me enough stimulation. you could say youtube too, but i use NewPipe without account and check only videos from the people i follow, so there's no, like, super random stuff.

venting. big social media platforms are like the ocean, or an echo-chamber, but in a good sense. you just throw a bottle, and no one is obligated to read it unless they're interested. (this is one of the pluses of social media).
but the problem with "general" social media spaces is - you're being absolutely out of context. no established etiquette, or theme. also you often can't delete comments. sometimes random person can just go to you and say something strange, because they see your post out of context, and most will not read your profile to understand this context. plus you need to put TWs to your posts, because any person can randomly see it. and for some reason, people really really really love to give unsolicited advices there. overall, too little control.
i replaced it with blog. one CW for everything, no one can tag me or quickly comment it without any thoughts, it has a context, and no cluttered useless interface and social functions. it still feels like the bottle in the ocean, but it's just harder to find now, lol.

news. simple: RSS and fellow Ukrainian friends. i need to know all important news related to war. this one was simple.