There was a time when I was active on discussion servers. This later gave way to the lure of social networks. Yet, I never found myself fully sold on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. Looking back, I think Last.fm, with its music recommendations, was the social site that offered me the most value. GoodReads attempted something similar but never delivered.
Until recently, I got real-time updates from Twitter and Reddit. But in 2023, that all changed. Death of Twitter, and Reddit 3rd party clients changes started it all. Out of a habit I thought Mastodon has to be the replacement. But then I realised I don't need it. Tried to join AllTrails to get that community vibe. But couldn't be bothered in long term.
At this point I have no active account on any social network service. I have no social network application on my phone. I'm not longer being marketed to. Either via companies directly, or those personal brands type of accounts. Most of my contacts with the people I actually care about are done via messaging apps or in-person. Guess that only confirms the trend.