Have you ever felt like social media might not actually be this great thing? Ever feel it might be damaging in some way? Well, I've gathered some information that might make a case for no longer supporting it or at least, cutting back on it. I'm not an expert, I don't claim to be, but I am a person who has been addicted to different types of social media and have grown more and more cynical of it over the years. I think the older I get the more I can see how clearly social media damaged my mental health and the mental health of my peers. I think a lot of the social media that has been causing damage has been what can best be called "corprate social media" or "profit-driven social media". I support the individual online tying to make a living, but I am suspect of the entity driven by only growth and maximizing profit. I am always trying to keep an open mind in this changing internet landscape, and there's so much I have to learn. Here's what I've learned so far. Enjoy! 
Social Media critique(aka my thoughts on modern social media):
Social media is not self-expression
Narrative Collapse
"In late-stage capitalism, there is little space for imperfections." Especially regarding our percieved moral purity online. "
"We tend to think that the internet is a communications network we use to speak to one another—but in a sense, we’re not doing anything of the sort. Instead, we are the ones being spoken through."
I should let it be known that I don't want to make you feel bad for using social media. The way I wouldn't judge or look down on anyone who had a dependance on something. I get it, because I've been there. Hell, I might have gone back there and am there right now. But not unlike alcohol is fine on occasion to most, but concerning on a daily basis, it's the excess and a culture that encourages that excess that I feel skeptical about. Honestly, why is it so wrong for someone to abstain? I don't even think a prior social media addiction is needed to want to cut it out of your life completely. To go back to the alcohol thing, none is always better than a small amount, so let's not foget that. It's become such an expected thing for people to engage with the main social media apps that it's extremely concerning for the mental health of the population. Just because something is normal doesn't mean it is good. I just hope maybe I can persuade someone to disconnect for a while and think about what they really want out of the internet, and maybe life. I know cutting social media down to nothing and the occasional almost nothing has vastly improved how I look at my life and the world. I love myself more, I love being on my own more, and I get to love the people in my life and the people I meet even more than I already did. Nothing helped my lonliness more than facing and embracing it without comparing myself to others. I'm not saying you have to do things the way I did, but find your own way to do this. I'm not here to sell you anything, or beg for views or subscriptions, or clicks, I just want to share the joy I've had. Look at the facts and dicide for yourself if social media is something you need in life to improve things, or if it's in the way. And thanks for listening to what I have to say. 
Links of places to go where you may find other likeminded folks(I'm still working on this so please have mercy on me lol):
Youtuber Reject Convenience's forum (please join and help them grow!)
Spacehey, a Myspace revival site (obviously this may stretch into being no different than other social media to some)
Paid social media site meant to give a more quality, ad-free experience.
Discord alternative communities. Still growing.
An imageboard you have to send a letter in the mail to post in. Fun idea!
