November 3, 2025
No apps, big feelings
No Socials November
Dump the apps, save your brain? Users feud over YouTube, HN, and what "socials" even means
TLDR: A blogger kicks off “No Socials November,” logging out and nudging others to swap scrolling for blogging. Commenters clash over whether YouTube’s algorithm ever truly stops, if Hacker News counts as social media, and whether tools or philosophy are the fix—making digital detox feel harder than it sounds.
“No Socials November” is here and the internet is not quietly logging off. The blogger vows to ditch the algorithm and even plugs a blogging alternative with a coupon, but the comments erupt into a full-on identity crisis: is quitting social media actually possible, or just wishful thinking? One user snaps that YouTube “still suggests based on usage,” implying the algorithm never really lets go. Another pokes the hornet’s nest: does Hacker News count as social media? Cue existential dread from folks who ditched Facebook and Instagram but still check HN and YouTube “multiple times daily.”
Practical minds roll in with tools: browser extensions like Focused YouTube that nuke recommendations and the “just one more video” trap. Language nerds derail the thread asking if “socials” means parties or platforms, sparking a mini culture war over slang. And then comes the philosophy bomb: one commenter calls social media a “simulacrum of the world,” basically a funhouse mirror masquerading as reality. Meanwhile, the blogger suggests swapping doomscrolling for blogging (even offers a code), but the crowd’s split: some want a clean break, others want training wheels, and the rest want definitions. The only consensus? Logging off is easy. Staying off is the boss level.
Key Points
- •The author is undertaking “No Socials November,” a month-long break from social networks.
- •Steps taken include logging out of all personal accounts and disabling YouTube’s algorithmic suggestions.
- •The author notes being logged out of Reddit as part of the effort.
- •Readers are encouraged to try the break by logging out and deleting social apps to disrupt habits.
- •Blogging is suggested as an alternative, with Pika offered alongside a 15% off coupon code (NOSOCIALSNOVEMBER).