Comment by Zelphyr | Hacker News Reader

Comment by Zelphyr | Hacker News Reader

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I have kids that go to school and they don't use Facebook. They don't want to. I didn't even ask them to not have an account. (that one kind-of surprised me, honestly)

My Jiu Jitsu gym heavily uses Facebook but they're smart enough to recognize that not everyone (even the people that have an account) checks it regularly so they notify the members through other means. Lately they've been telling people to be on the lookout for a text message they're planning on sending so, it sounds like they're recognizing that Facebook use is waning in a meaningful way.

I haven't had a Facebook account in 12 years and haven't missed it one bit. I don't expect everyone else to do any extra work to accommodate my preferences. I didn't ask my gym to text me. The just started doing it.

Time and again for the last 12 years I've found that if there was something someone needed me to know, they found a way to contact me and, if I needed to get in touch with them I found a way. Just like we did for many, many years before Facebook started.

This is an excellent reply to the tired old "But nobody can possibly live without Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp" claim people keep making. I'm sure there are tens, maybe hundreds of thousands of people who, apparently by some great miracle, manage to live normal, healthy lives without using these apps. If businesses want to do business with you, they will find a way to be reachable outside of Meta. If your friends are actually your friends, they will communicate with you outside of Meta. If your school has a mandate to keep in touch with parents, they will find a way.

Not really, I think it's more the fact that Facebook use has dropped significantly.

Nowhere near as many people are using Facebook and therefore people are more accommodating and understanding of not using it.

> My Jiu Jitsu gym heavily uses Facebook...

This.

I do not use facebook anymore. Yes I do have an account but I cannot remember last time I logged in. Likely over 6 months ago. Whenever I do login it is to check my jujitsu gym. Thats it! Logged in and out with.. what.. 5 mins?

I had little friends list on my fb. It was ex co-workers, uni/college/school friends. I know people who would have hundreds and hundreds of "friends" on theirs, making out how difficult it would be to leave it. Truth is half of them they have never met or spoke in person.

There are other means to connect with my friends. I am just tired of the current world, believing they need these social media accounts which, under the disguise of being free, have flaws in other ways as well as their mental health!

It is a sad world to constantly see people on their phones, likely witnessing a teenager walking to school or work with neck injuries in 15 years time.

Some people just cannot put their phone down. They are back on forums, groups, etc, within 10 minutes. Of course this is not a social media problem - but it most certainly is part of the cause.

Rant Over.

Do your kids not use TikTok as well?

No. They asked to be on it but that was a hard line for us.

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