It has been a little over 10 years since I deleted my Facebook account.
No long post. No explanation. I just logged out and never went back.
I never joined Instagram either. Or Twitter. Or Snapchat. Or any other social networking platform. That always surprises people, but honestly, it never felt like something I needed.
And after all these years, I can confidently say this
I do not miss it at all.
The peace that came with logging out
Back then, Facebook just felt loud. Everyone was sharing everything. Opinions, achievements, arguments, perfectly happy lives. I would scroll and somehow feel worse than when I started.
Deleting it gave me something I did not even know I was craving. Quiet.
No constant comparison. No endless updates from people I barely spoke to. No pressure to react, like, comment, or keep up.
Once that noise was gone, I never felt the urge to go back.
Yes, I do have LinkedIn
I do have LinkedIn, but my usage is very limited.
Mostly because even there, comparison sneaks in. You see people announcing promotions, new roles, startup wins, big milestones. And even if you are happy for them, a tiny part of your brain goes
Should I be doing more?
Am I behind?
That jealousy is human. I feel it too. So I keep my time there minimal and intentional.
How I found dev.to
I enjoy technical writing. I always have.
For a long time, I would write technical articles and share them on LinkedIn. That was the only place I knew. Around that time (close to six years ago), a friend of mine suggested I try dev.to instead.
Their reasoning was simple
If you enjoy tech, share it where it helps the community
Let others learn from your experience and you will learn from theirs too
That idea stuck with me.
Why dev.to feels different
dev.to feels like a completely different space.
It does not feel like a highlight reel. It feels like a shared journey.
People celebrate each other when things work. And when things break, people are genuinely heartbroken together. Builds fail, ideas flop, bugs refuse to die and everyone learns from it.
There is honesty here. You see what worked and what absolutely did not. And that makes success feel real, not staged.
It feels less like performing and more like sharing.
A small New Year resolution
This year, my New Year resolution was simple
Be more socially active on dev.to
Comment more. Engage more. Participate in conversations instead of just reading quietly.
At the same time, I promised myself I would keep an eye on my well being. If it ever starts feeling heavy or competitive or draining, I step back.
So far, so good.
No anxiety. No doomscrolling. Just learning, conversations, and the reminder that everyone is figuring things out as they go.
Final thoughts
I do not miss Facebook.
I do not miss Instagram.
I do not miss being everywhere.
What I value now are smaller, intentional spaces where people show up as humans, not brands.
And dev.to feels like one of those rare corners of the internet where that still exists.
If that ever changes, I know I can log out again. And that is a pretty comforting thought.
Top comments (105)
Same here! DEV is honestly a special place. Posts really travel far, even the SEO gets nicely boosted (even though I do nothing for it 😄), but inside the platform it still feels cozy like a good old niche forum from 15 years ago 🙂
That balance is what keeps me coming back. Reach without pressure, visibility without feeling on display. It’s rare to find a space that manages both so well.
I feel you. I intentionally try to reduce as much as possible the 'noise' from social media. But this platform feels like a genuine space where people share learnings. Not to boast or compare, but to discuss openly and share knowledge.
Exactly. That noise creeps in so easily, even when you do not invite it. What I really like here is that learning feels collective, not competitive. People show the messy middle, not just the polished outcome. That makes all the difference.
❤️
This made my day 🥹
hi,
recently i find myself checking dev.to more and more.
I like reading stuff here and also preparing in the background to start writing, again here and of course on my portfolio page.
I think it is really nice to share knowledge and of course it has real benefits to some, like networking, like learning while transmitting knowledge, but, in the end, it is sharing.
I learned so much from such platforms, posts etc, and not all are technical. So i really value it.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts
Absolutely. When a space feels comfortable, showing up regularly just happens.
yeah, social media takes a real toll and sometimes it's unbearable. I have written a lot of personal (unfiltered) posts in my obsidian but I have never published them on devto/medium.
I found this community 3 years back I think and it's been great. most of the time, I just read posts silently lol.
Haha, what's more! I guess you guys are native speakers, but I can really polish my English here 😁
There’s something grounding about spaces that reward curiosity and patience. Slower conversations, deeper thinking. That atmosphere makes learning feel enjoyable again.
I always come back to dev.to. After my personal blog, it's my go-to space to share my coding ideas and read about what others are doing. I still use social media (LinkedIn specially) but I've set really strong rules. I even use a timer, otherwise I could end up scrolling there for hours.
That sounds like a healthy approach. Having clear boundaries really changes how these platforms feel. I like the idea of being intentional about where and how you share, it keeps things enjoyable instead of exhausting.
I also stepped away from most social media a long time ago, and I’ve never felt the urge to go back. The noise, the comparison, the constant pressure to be seen... it quietly drains you.
dev.to feels different in a way that’s hard to explain unless you’ve experienced it. It feels slower, kinder, and more honest. Less about showing off, more about sharing what you’ve learned (or struggled with) and finding people who actually get it.
I’ve found a real comfort zone here, a place where I can exist as a developer and a human, without feeling like I’m behind or not enough.
Thank you for putting words to something a lot of us feel 💙
Thank you, Hadil. Reading this made me smile. It’s reassuring to know this space offers that kind of comfort to others as well.
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