I disconnected from nearly all social media about four years ago, and it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
I did not even notice the recent Facebook outage in my daily life, and wouldn’t have even been aware of it without HN.
I did not even notice the recent Facebook outage in my daily life, and wouldn’t have even been aware of it without HN.
I don't like Facebook, but I can't deny the value it has added to my life.
If you truly care about someone, you will call and talk to them. Or orient your life in a way that facilitates that relationship. Otherwise what you are doing is tantamount to slacktivism.
As for this: "Or are the fleeting superficial connections that you maintain through social media simply distracting you from seeking truly meaningful interactions"
I have more than enough meaningful interactions in my life, and having less intimate interactions with a broader range of people doesn't distract or detract from those more significant connections. Sometimes, those less personal connections are what have eventually led to some of my most important connections.
I was able to get out of Nicaragua during the big protests in 2018 because someone on the Nicaragua expat group told me they were letting foreign-plated vehicles through the roadblocks. I never would have had the nerve otherwise to walk up and say, "Hey, I'm an American, that makes me special, please let me through."
Several hiking groups here in LA have also been invaluable for me.
Not everyone has the same lived experience.
As for people dying, that for me has been far and away my most valuable use of Facebook in recent years.