I believe I've mentioned before since I became a Weight Watcher leader, after losing 50+ lbs, & keeping it off for over 25 yrs now, I've followed the Meditteranean diet. Good stuff.
& I just finished reading this:
Social Media on the Wane
Thursday, October 9, 2025
Social Media on the Wane
The UK Financial Times paper commissioned a global survey to find out what’s going on with social media use— with “social media” meaning Facebook, TikTok, Twitter/X, Threads, YouTube, and so on. The study finds that social media outlets appear to be losing their grip on the public.
Online denizens from around the world are spending about 10 percent less time surfing social media than in 2022, when social media use crested.
From the article:
In many ways, Meta and OpenAI’s new platforms (AI-generated content is already rife on TikTok and YouTube) are a fitting endpoint for social media’s warped evolution from a place where people swapped updates with friends and family, to one with less and less human-to-human interaction. We have now witnessed the transformation of social media into anti-social media with the progressive disappearance of most people from active participation on the platforms and the steady displacement of real-world interactions by scrolling.
Additional data from GWI trace the shift. The shares of people who report using social platforms to stay in touch with their friends, express themselves or meet new people have fallen by more than a quarter since 2014. Meanwhile, reflexively opening the apps to fill up spare time has risen, reflecting a broader pernicious shift from mindful to mindless browsing.
Read the whole thing.
They argue that online people are beginning to grow aware of being manipulated for clicks and doom-scrolling—and are beginning to resent it. But the kicker comes at the end: North American users were still holding out against the global trend, as addicted to social media as ever.
---
I was curious about why the difference w/ the US, so used AI:
I used AI to ask the possibility of why:
Greater regulation and enforcement outside the US
The European Union's Digital Services Act (DSA): This law, which tech companies must comply with, has led to significant changes in online platforms within the EU. As a result, companies are forbidden from targeting minors with personalized advertising and can face fines of up to 6% of their worldwide revenues for violations.
China's strict laws: China has implemented cybersecurity and minor protection laws that restrict online content for children and impose daily time limits on internet usage.
Active government intervention: Other countries, like Sweden, have advised against screen time for young children and set limits for older youth, based on research into negative effects on health and sleep. France, Finland, and England have also implemented restrictions in schools, with some students reporting better focus as a result.
Wondering if you can help me understand something? Sometimes you mention your husband and recently you mentioned your wife reads this Substack. Do you both comment from the same handle?
What? Where did I mention "wife who reads this Substack"...???
I c/p Bill's comment about HIS wife who reads his newsletter about when she read about the possibility of when/if they need to take that road-trip.. then I commented "Do it, don't wait"
guess I presumed those reading Bill's note saw his (Note to my wife who reads this newsletter; I think a trip like this will be in our future, someday.) so would automatically know I c/p...
like I've said previously, I'm not a journalist, don't wanna be, etc., etc., so don't follow all the rules...
yes, I knew you would use that assumption BS, thus I left that word out deliberately because I was an a$$ & assumed this neutral topic wouldn't turn into a head-butting contest with you. I thought Bill's reference to his wife was very clever & thought most of his readers actually read it, would remember it, thus when I referred to it in my comment, would see how it was directed.
But let me go back to my known belief that you, as a narcissist, compete against Bill, who is a well-developed journalist, & you cannot read his clever notes, you skim past any such writings, thus don't remember them.
so, there ya go, this topic which I thought was a neutral topic, once again turned into such crap full of your BS... entertain the crowd, Darrell... it's your show & I'll predict you WILL have the last word, as narcs always do & say something like "Oh, can't you take a joke, or why are you so defensive, blah, blah, blah" 'cause that's what a narcissist does - gaslighting. We've seen Darrell do it so often when he's losing. Then he'll call me the narcissist. The blame game, try to turn the tables.
1. Crap indictment probably won’t make it far. As of this afternoon, Hannibal now has indicted Tish James for real estate fraud that they were told last week that there was no “There” there.
2. That Palisades fire was set by a nutty Floridian. Hope he gets life.
3. Try as he might to hide his disastrous numbers from everyone, trump has no control over the many institutions that make economic and employment numbers their business. Silly man.
4. That bill in FL is another piece of legislative insanity. I cannot, for the life of me, understand how people live in DeSantis’ state. It used to be nice but that was long ago.
5. Smart Denmark. I wish them luck.
6. NCAA decision is insane but why do I care? I guess I’m just too dumb to see where athletes and athletic department staff to bet on professional sports. These people need to fall into gambling debt?
I believe I've mentioned before since I became a Weight Watcher leader, after losing 50+ lbs, & keeping it off for over 25 yrs now, I've followed the Meditteranean diet. Good stuff.
& I just finished reading this:
Social Media on the Wane
Thursday, October 9, 2025
Social Media on the Wane
The UK Financial Times paper commissioned a global survey to find out what’s going on with social media use— with “social media” meaning Facebook, TikTok, Twitter/X, Threads, YouTube, and so on. The study finds that social media outlets appear to be losing their grip on the public.
Online denizens from around the world are spending about 10 percent less time surfing social media than in 2022, when social media use crested.
From the article:
In many ways, Meta and OpenAI’s new platforms (AI-generated content is already rife on TikTok and YouTube) are a fitting endpoint for social media’s warped evolution from a place where people swapped updates with friends and family, to one with less and less human-to-human interaction. We have now witnessed the transformation of social media into anti-social media with the progressive disappearance of most people from active participation on the platforms and the steady displacement of real-world interactions by scrolling.
Additional data from GWI trace the shift. The shares of people who report using social platforms to stay in touch with their friends, express themselves or meet new people have fallen by more than a quarter since 2014. Meanwhile, reflexively opening the apps to fill up spare time has risen, reflecting a broader pernicious shift from mindful to mindless browsing.
Read the whole thing.
They argue that online people are beginning to grow aware of being manipulated for clicks and doom-scrolling—and are beginning to resent it. But the kicker comes at the end: North American users were still holding out against the global trend, as addicted to social media as ever.
---
I was curious about why the difference w/ the US, so used AI:
I used AI to ask the possibility of why:
Greater regulation and enforcement outside the US
The European Union's Digital Services Act (DSA): This law, which tech companies must comply with, has led to significant changes in online platforms within the EU. As a result, companies are forbidden from targeting minors with personalized advertising and can face fines of up to 6% of their worldwide revenues for violations.
China's strict laws: China has implemented cybersecurity and minor protection laws that restrict online content for children and impose daily time limits on internet usage.
Active government intervention: Other countries, like Sweden, have advised against screen time for young children and set limits for older youth, based on research into negative effects on health and sleep. France, Finland, and England have also implemented restrictions in schools, with some students reporting better focus as a result.
Wondering if you can help me understand something? Sometimes you mention your husband and recently you mentioned your wife reads this Substack. Do you both comment from the same handle?
What? Where did I mention "wife who reads this Substack"...???
I c/p Bill's comment about HIS wife who reads his newsletter about when she read about the possibility of when/if they need to take that road-trip.. then I commented "Do it, don't wait"
You failed to mention this was a cut & paste from Bill:
“(Note to my wife who reads this newsletter; I think a trip like this will be in our future, someday.)
Bill, & wife --- DON'T wait - do it!!!!!”
guess I presumed those reading Bill's note saw his (Note to my wife who reads this newsletter; I think a trip like this will be in our future, someday.) so would automatically know I c/p...
like I've said previously, I'm not a journalist, don't wanna be, etc., etc., so don't follow all the rules...
Well, you know what happens when you assume/presume. The rules allow us to paddle in the same direction.
yes, I knew you would use that assumption BS, thus I left that word out deliberately because I was an a$$ & assumed this neutral topic wouldn't turn into a head-butting contest with you. I thought Bill's reference to his wife was very clever & thought most of his readers actually read it, would remember it, thus when I referred to it in my comment, would see how it was directed.
But let me go back to my known belief that you, as a narcissist, compete against Bill, who is a well-developed journalist, & you cannot read his clever notes, you skim past any such writings, thus don't remember them.
so, there ya go, this topic which I thought was a neutral topic, once again turned into such crap full of your BS... entertain the crowd, Darrell... it's your show & I'll predict you WILL have the last word, as narcs always do & say something like "Oh, can't you take a joke, or why are you so defensive, blah, blah, blah" 'cause that's what a narcissist does - gaslighting. We've seen Darrell do it so often when he's losing. Then he'll call me the narcissist. The blame game, try to turn the tables.
Lighten up! It was humor but now you’ve made it about you and turned things into yet another dustup. And you call ME the narcissist.
1. Crap indictment probably won’t make it far. As of this afternoon, Hannibal now has indicted Tish James for real estate fraud that they were told last week that there was no “There” there.
2. That Palisades fire was set by a nutty Floridian. Hope he gets life.
3. Try as he might to hide his disastrous numbers from everyone, trump has no control over the many institutions that make economic and employment numbers their business. Silly man.
4. That bill in FL is another piece of legislative insanity. I cannot, for the life of me, understand how people live in DeSantis’ state. It used to be nice but that was long ago.
5. Smart Denmark. I wish them luck.
6. NCAA decision is insane but why do I care? I guess I’m just too dumb to see where athletes and athletic department staff to bet on professional sports. These people need to fall into gambling debt?
Hannibal is inducting Tish James?? Damn autocorrect!! I know I didn’t enter that-too many letters 🥴.