On a social media cleanse. Any good apps to keep me updated on my interests?

The Infectious Paradox

The Infectious Paradox

Gold Member
So I'm trying to pull back on my social media usage. Just not something I'm interested in much these days. However, I was apart of many groups and pages regarding things I'm interested in such as gaming/movies/news. Does anyone use any apps or sites that provide news or updates on interests I can select?
 
Not my business, but I don't think giving up social media, to only look for something else to fill that void that basically serves the same thing as social media is a good idea. The solution I think is to stop absorbing so much information, and try to cut back on all app usage, and live in the moment more. Things happen in the world worth reading or hearing about, but it's gotten so bloated. We are not meant to know everything going on everywhere at all times.
 
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Power Pro said:
Not my business, but I don't think giving up social media, to only look for something else to fill that void that basically serves the same thing as social media is a good idea. The solution I think is to stop absorbing so much information, and try to cut back on all app usage, and live in the moment more. Things happen in the world worth reading or hearing about, but it's gotten so bloated. We are not meant to know everything going on everywhere at all times.
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Yeah I get that perspective. I guess I just sort of wanted some sort of news app so I could keep up with my interests. But I hear where you're coming from.
 
Sometimes social media is tolerable.

Then on days like today I want to fucking drop a massive nuke on like 98% of Twitter.

OP if you have an iPhone the Apple News app is really customizable and avoids the clickbait you'd get on the Bing homepage.
 
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ManaByte said:
Sometimes social media is tolerable.

Then on days like today I want to fucking drop a massive nuke on like 98% of Twitter.
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Yeah never been a big Twitter guy but I hear it's a cesspool. But that's a good example. I know people see social media cleanse and think just get off your phone, but I still want something to keep me up to date lol
 
The Infectious Paradox said:
Yeah never been a big Twitter guy but I hear it's a cesspool. But that's a good example. I know people see social media cleanse and think just get off your phone, but I still want something to keep me up to date lol
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If you have an iPhone setup Apple News for the subjects you want and the outlets you trust and it's pretty good.
 
The Infectious Paradox said:
Yeah never been a big Twitter guy but I hear it's a cesspool. But that's a good example. I know people see social media cleanse and think just get off your phone, but I still want something to keep me up to date lol
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That's putting it mildly

I'm on some sort of cleanse as well. I'm limiting how much time I spend on social media. Its actually dropping off slowly as I keep myself busy with trying to pick up new hobbies. The latest one being automotive detailing which is actually quite a lot of fun since i get to move around a lot more than just sitting on my fat arse with my phone in my hand.
 
Hawking Radiation said:
That's putting it mildly

I'm on some sort of cleanse as well. I'm limiting how much time I spend on social media. Its actually dropping off slowly as I keep myself busy with trying to pick up new hobbies. The latest one being automotive detailing which is actually quite a lot of fun since i get to move around a lot more than just sitting on my fat arse with my phone in my hand.
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I feel that. I've recently found such a satisfaction in power washing. Thanks power washing simulator 🤣 Not really but I do actually love that shit. I'd make it a business if I ever wanted to.
 
Power Pro said:
Not my business, but I don't think giving up social media, to only look for something else to fill that void that basically serves the same thing as social media is a good idea. The solution I think is to stop absorbing so much information, and try to cut back on all app usage, and live in the moment more. Things happen in the world worth reading or hearing about, but it's gotten so bloated. We are not meant to know everything going on everywhere at all times.
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I don't think you're in line with what the op is talking about.

If a person is tired of twitter when all they want is an app that sends them an update every time one of my favourite artists releases a new album, would you consider that serving the same thing as social media?

I think that's more what the op is asking for.

And to the op:
- A lot of music streaming apps have options to send you a notification whenever an artist you listen to drops something new
- For games, wishlist + steam mobile app is your friend. You can customise steam news by following a game so you receive developer updates and so on
- For more general coverage, a lot of websites and groups have newsletters you can subscribe to, so you could, for example, get a weekly summary of the major tech topics and so on
- I don't believe there's a news service that's completely unbiased, but a lot of news apps allow you to set filters and follow specific outlets and topics you're interested in (sports, tech, politics, so on)
 
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All I need is GAF.
We have members who post the minute something relevant or important happens. General news, current events, Mia Khalifa updates, entertainment or gaming.

I don't give a crap about social media.
A narcissistic cesspool waste of time.
 
kicker said:
I don't think you're in line with what the op is talking about.

If a person is tired of twitter when all they want is an app that sends them an update every time one of my favourite artists releases a new album, would you consider that serving the same thing as social media?

I think that's more what the op is asking for.

And to the op:
- A lot of music streaming apps have options to send you a notification whenever an artist you listen to drops something new
- For games, wishlist + steam mobile app is your friend. You can customise steam news by following a game so you receive developer updates and so on
- For more general coverage, a lot of websites and groups have newsletters you can subscribe to, so you could, for example, get a weekly summary of the major tech topics and so on
- I don't believe there's a news service that's completely unbiased, but a lot of news apps allow you to set filters and follow specific outlets and topics you're interested in (sports, tech, politics, so on)
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Yeah, you summed it up well. I think dude has a good point with getting off the phone in general, but everyone should these days. I just still want an option that doesn't bring me into comments sections and people's bs as much. I know it's still there, but hopefully you know what I'm getting at. Thanks for the tips
 
For daily news updates without the drama/insanity of a billion idiots, just get an RSS feed reader, eg Feedly, or gReader.
 
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The Infectious Paradox said:
I feel that. I've recently found such a satisfaction in power washing. Thanks power washing simulator 🤣 Not really but I do actually love that shit. I'd make it a business if I ever wanted to.
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I feel the same about detailing. I have so many tools now and know-how that I could start a small mobile business. Then there's the feeling of being more active in my daily life.
I'm starting to miss social media less and less these days and I'm planning to close down my Facebook account in the near future. I watch Tik Tok for some interesting tips/tricks on detailing and photography which has become another hobby.

I mean nowadays its just the same old stuff on Facebook. People posting pics of their kids, birthdays, meme's and jokes that you've seen a hundred times over. It's just boring. I'd rather spend that time watching a short 30 second clip where I'm learning something new or interesting. Who knows, that 30 second clip might spark your interest in that subject or topic because my obsession with detailing started by watching some guy hand wax his car :messenger_tears_of_joy:

Just recently bought a power washer and foam cannon for our cars so might just follow you OP with the power washing lol
 
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RSS feeds.

Most websites still support them. You can then setup filters (if your reader is good enough) to avoid what you don't want.
 
The Infectious Paradox said:
Yeah I get that perspective. I guess I just sort of wanted some sort of news app so I could keep up with my interests. But I hear where you're coming from.
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Hear it from Dwight D. Eisenhower:

"Important things are rarely urgent, urgent things are rarely important". You don't need a constant barrage of news, you don't need 24/7 news channels, you are not missing anything.
 
You're better off purging your account and only following people you're actually legitimately interested in.
 
Only social media I have now is Reddit/Twitter and here along with a couple other non gaming forums (sports and tech).

On Reddit/Twitter I don't post. I just lurk and keep up to date with stuff and look at stupid/funny/cat photos.

I won't ever go back to the likes of Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok. For years it fucked with my head and now I'm done with them.
 
You can just look at all the various news agencies. But take their reporting with a grain of salt.
 
Here is pretty good for games and general chat.

Otherwise, find a forum for wherever it is. Generally people in them are very into whatever it is. Sure, there are often little lords on many of them, but you can just ignore them.
 
Tams said:
Here is pretty good for games and general chat.

Otherwise, find a forum for wherever it is. Generally people in them are very into whatever it is. Sure, there are often little lords on many of them, but you can just ignore them.
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Yeah the more I come to general the more I like it here. May keep frequenting. Good community here.
 
Even though I never seek out what's happening in the world, I absorb it through GAF osmosis and have things to say when they come up in real-life conversations.

Even when big happenings slip through the cracks, I find it doesn't matter, really. The world immediately around me is basically unaffected. 24/7 news cycles prey on fear and put on an illusion of importance, and it's not essential to living your day-to-day
 
I got rid of my smart phone last November, and it's been a very good thing so far. More present with my family, more productive at work, etc. Before that I wasn't really active in social media though, with the exception of this site and Reddit (which I admit is horrible and I should quit visiting). The worst parts are when you need a smart phone to do a certain task. For example, I visited a Chipotle that was short staffed. Sorry BlakeofT, we're short staffed so we're only doing mobile orders only. Fortunately I told the dude that I didn't have a smart phone and he made an exception, but I can imagine that it wouldn't happen that way if he was having a rough day.

Anyways, enough rambling. I recommend quitting it altogether and reading more. Or playing more video games if you have a big backlog. The news that you really care about will find its way to your attention one way or another for the most part.
 
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sono said:
Actually this is a good idea.

Where do I register
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they would never allow that to happen, because they need to explore things you might not be interested in. "Oh, you like this? well maybe you'll like this too...." *link to article about how and why one of the Kardashians is depressed* or something like that
 
I advocate for dropping most social media. I dumped Instagram in 2016, Twitter in 2017, and then the end of 2019 hit. I realized that when I run into someone I know, I know everything they're going to talk about, because people post everything on Facebook. So I got rid of it. Sure, i've unfortunately lost contact with some people but people kept in touch before things like Facebook. They should be able to now. And my interactions when I bump into someone I know, the experience is so much more enriching.

Granted I do keep Reddit and Snapchat. That's it. Although, I was playing Fortnite last week with an online friend, and he had a friend of his in the party chat with us. He was extremely high/drunk but could hold a conversation. He asks about my Facebook and Instagram. After I tell him I don't have them anymore, he goes "I find it weird and a bit unsettling that you don't have any social media. What the hell".

I have it! It's just Reddit and Snapchat haha. But I find not having the others brings my daily stress down quite a bit.

Again, I advocate dropping most social media. You'll be better off for it.
 
staying "informed" is a big lie everyone fell for. if something is important enough, someone will tell you. for PC games, steam is good enough for me to let me know what's new. for movies, I just can't take them anymore so I don't watch them.
 
Whoops misread the thread.

Just get your info from the horses mouth and parse some RSS feeds to yourself with some webhooks.

I personally just have news channels in my discord for the latest news on gaming and movies etc.

You can link to a reddit sub like gamingleaksandrumors or just as I said straight from the horses mouth. Like get from the PSblog directly for playstation news for example

If you are just getting started and aren't into programming I'd recommend IFTTT. You only get 5 free hooks but it's laid out in a fairly readable way if you aren't taught in such things
 
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If you're not going for physical books...the Kindle app. So many great books.

I cut off social media in 2019 and only keep WhatsApp for coworkers and immediate family. Oh, still have my decades old email domains too.
 
You can use a news aggregator and build a bespoke collection of sites of interest. I use Feedly as my main news aggregator.

There's always Reddit.

Substack is a new option. It's a mix of professional writers attempting to attract subscribers along with random bloggers just writing about topics that interest them.
 
Feedly is a bit limited if you don't get the subscription, and it's not that cheap, especially when they don't produce any of the content themselves.
 
If you want news, then there's Artifact.

It's from Instagram's creators and had recently added the ability to comment on articles, but you can ignore that.
 
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