This phone obsession I hate!!

I have a smart phone but am not in the least bit interested in social media. I do calls, texts, WhatsApp, weather and emails. I use my laptop for GN, the reading of which can be a terrible time waster without all the other sites. I carry the phone with me at all times but most of the time it stays in my pocket! Call me old fashioned but I am happy that way!

I don’t do Facebook or other social media, GN is as far as it goes, and I have a WhatsApp thread for family.
Would be brutal and come off social media and try to stay off.

I am the same. No social media, WhatsApp groups, or FB.

Blondiekins
At least you’re honest. By that I mean according to GN it’s only young people who are addicted to their phones.

Maybe get an easy "smartphone". eg Chattie seems to be the easiest by far (I'm not able to use smartphones myself). That seems to have only what one actually wants - so I have bought one...but confess to not having tried it yet.

I don't know whether it "spies" on you - like other ones do - or no. I should think there's a reasonable chance your privacy will be respected on one like that.

Mt61

I am the same. No social media, WhatsApp groups, or FB.

One might argue that GN is a form of social media, no?

Gransnet is a social media site. If it’s not ( according to the above) what do you think it is🤷‍♀️

Most Facebook groups also use Messenger groups, this cuts out having to use Facebook and may be a useful alternative if you feel you are getting swamped on Facebook. You may also find online forums a helpful alternative to Facebook and some group users may be able to suggest some they use if you ask.

O f course GN is social media, ditto MN. I don’t mind admitting that I spend too much time on both.
I find WhatsApp v useful for keeping in touch with family, sharing photos, etc., but I allow v few others.

I don’t really use FB except for a charity craft group.
Whatsapp is calso brilliant for phoning - I can ring my sister in the US and a friend in Stockholm for free, ditto anyone else on my WhatsApp.

The only social media I use daily is Pinterest to publicise my business. I cant recall the last time I logged into Farcebook.

I mostly use the phone for texts, emails and - phone calls!

Ive always felt that these adictive little machines were evil.

If you go into your Facebook settings, you can set a time limit as to how long you are on it. Currently mine is set at 45 minutes per day. I also use the Sleep Mode setting to make sure I do not go on Facebook at night. I did this due to realising that I was spending far too much time scrolling. I've told family and friends I'm not doing Instagram, Snapchat or anything else. These all consume your time. I do have Whatsapp but seldom use it.

I use WhatsApp mainly to send photos to family….
No Facebook, nothing but WhatsApp..

Homestead62

If you go into your Facebook settings, you can set a time limit as to how long you are on it. Currently mine is set at 45 minutes per day. I also use the Sleep Mode setting to make sure I do not go on Facebook at night. I did this due to realising that I was spending far too much time scrolling. I've told family and friends I'm not doing Instagram, Snapchat or anything else. These all consume your time. I do have Whatsapp but seldom use it.

This is a very helpful post, I'd forgotten you could do this.

Homestead62

If you go into your Facebook settings, you can set a time limit as to how long you are on it. Currently mine is set at 45 minutes per day. I also use the Sleep Mode setting to make sure I do not go on Facebook at night. I did this due to realising that I was spending far too much time scrolling. I've told family and friends I'm not doing Instagram, Snapchat or anything else. These all consume your time. I do have Whatsapp but seldom use it.

Such a useful tip, one I didn’t know but will use. Thank you!

You guys are only on my tablet, likewise my Twitter, Instagram etc. All that's on my phone is WhatsApp and texts.

So to look at my social media I have to sit down (with a cuppa) and switch on my tablet

Take the apps off your phone?

I had a dream the other night that I had gone to my old church, ( not a regular attendee these days) it was very full but I kept picking my phone up to look at different things, I remember thinking shut your phone down or the priest will tell you off😂😐

Iphone , texts , e-mails, telephone calls. Only Social Media is Gsnet.
I had MSN news for a while . I deleted it after I realised what clickbait rubbish it was.

I'm sure that our ability to concentrate is being affected by a lot of switching from one media source to the other.

I’m the same as shysal although I agree with others that GN is social media.

Blondiekins

Every morning I wake up and switch on my phone. Firstly I go to my whattsapp messages then emails then perhaps the news or the weather all thats fine but then I click on Facebook. Half an hour or more later Im so annoyed at myself for the time Ive just wasted watching reels and being sucked in by click bait articles and Ai generated stuff. I HATE it! Facebook was great when all you saw was your friends and could share photos etc but its not the same now is it. I probably speak for most of us that we have become addicted to this hand held device in our lives. But for the forums I follow Id gladly delete Facebook on my phone. Trouble is the forums I follow are diet and drug tapering advice ones so very important to me. I know there are ways to stop getting things but you have to click not interested in each individual topic which takes the time I dont want to spend but then annoyingly something else just turns up in its place. What can we do? I feel trapped and not IT literate enough to stop the cycle. Facebook of course is great for forums & advice so I dont want to delete it. That said my phone via goggle is also great for answering questions but Im starting to HATE my phone because its listening all the time and it seems like theres no escape. Can anyone relate.

Be careful what you wish for. I’ve been banned from my Facebook account and I miss it so much. Part of me felt it would free up my time but I depended on messenger to contact people and I loved sharing pictures on pages I was interested in; Ladybird books, old toys, old books etc. I stupidly tried to log in when I was tired and had forgotten my password; too many attempts and I was banned for life.

I am on Facebook but I generally don't participate - I just observe.

However, I am sure like a lot of people, I do sometimes waste an awful lot of time scrolling through stuff, often starting with looking for some specific information and then being lured in with all sorts of miscellaneous stuff. I can quite see how children become transfixed by their phones and I think it is really concerning.

Chardy

You guys are only on my tablet, likewise my Twitter, Instagram etc. All that's on my phone is WhatsApp and texts.

So to look at my social media I have to sit down (with a cuppa) and switch on my tablet

Take the apps off your phone?

Most people don’t realise how much battery power is taken up apps. Those little critters are on all the time collecting details of everything you buy, look at, and where you are.

MayBee70
If you really want to join FB again there are ways.
www.reddit.com/r/facebook/comments/1ca8fql/how_to_start_new_account_after_being_banned_by/

I have just been trying to get the Daily Mail+ on my iPad……..thought, can’t go wrong for £1.99/month. I have tried for over an hour . When it came to payment, I was going round in circles, literally.
I will try later, I won’t give up.

petra

MayBee70
If you really want to join FB again there are ways.
www.reddit.com/r/facebook/comments/1ca8fql/how_to_start_new_account_after_being_banned_by/

I can still, for some reason, access it on my computer at home ( I think) but that’s no good to me when I’m not ( may be having a TKR at some point and can’t hobble into the computer room all the time). I stupidly tried to log in a few months ago when Iwas tired from travelling and used the wrong password several times. Then a friend of mine had a friend request from me which she wasn’t sure about and reported it so they seem to think I’m hacking myself. It’s messenger I miss the most, especially if I might be hospitalised for a while. My next door neighbour whizz kid computer expert came found today to help me and he doesn’t know what to do; he was my last hope. I’m away from home so don’t know if my computer Facebook page is still working.