This is a great point. I've been stressed over the year or so I've gotten into "degoogle" and stuff because finding an alternative isn't easy or available. But slowly I started thinking, why do I need an alternative? Just give me back by BB Bold with a browser, clock, calculator, calendar, notes, phone, and some email/texting. We don't need all this social media.

I suppose, as a life long drug user and ex alcoholic I suppose it's a bit difficult for me to imagine being addicted to an app like that, but if it's providing a dopamine hit every time or something like that, it's all the same in the brain

One huge problem is how Facebook marketplace dominates that space. Craigslist is useless now because nobody uses it.

Signal is a pretty good alternative. It took me a year or so to convince all the people i want to talk with, to make the move. But totally worth it.

Whatsapp is really hard to migrate off of ... not because of its features. There's hardly anything special there (at least in my usage). It's mostly about who it allows you to connect with.

I've cut off Facebook and my Oculus Quest 1 sits in the dust (I bought it before it was acquired by Facebook) ... I don't use Instagram or Threads.

Email, sms, signal, telephone, in person, just existing quietly without a feed for a while...

My usual advice is to start on all the products that aren't social media first - browser, search and email specifically.

Regarding WA, there is birdy.chat that lets you slowly migrate off of WA by using a compatible client. That said, they recently pivoted toward a more business-focused approach, which is disappointing.

why does there need to be an alternative...

I wish I could say, I've been masquerading as an introvert due to my depression and dysphoria for a lot of years so I haven't used a lot of their stuff. I never used any of those things to begin with so it's easy for me not to use them I guess

I have most of my friends chats and a shitton of channels in Telegram, all the features are there and it's at least not Meta.
(It usually happens when tg is mentioned, but please don't start the "it doesn't have encryption by default, Signal has" - I know, it's just high security is not in the top of my priorities:) )

I had to install W10 on a laptop to use some specific software the other day and the default install now looks like it was designed by a day trader, I can't imagine what 11 looks like

And yet here we are on Lemmy. It's the same addiction just without the corporate control.

40 years ago it was BBS's and fidoNet.

I’m speaking of the intentionally addictive nature of social media and the short.

Addictions can consume anyone, even the educated. Though unless it’s food, going cold turkey is always a possibility.

We all still have choices. In terms of dopamine, those dopamine hits are available elsewhere. Shorts aren’t the only source.

Feels like watching ads to me. But I’m old, so I know what an ad break (usually 3-4 ads in a row, unskippable) on tv felt like. It’s almost the same head feel watching TikTok’s as those ad breaks from back in the day.

I’m not sure why you’re angry at me about shorts. I didn’t create the advertisement adjacent format, nor do I encourage its consumption. Pointing it out is like saying: Look! Sky! Blue!