I've never been on Facebook, nor been inspired to join. I was, however, on Instagram and quite active, following and followed by users from Kyoto to Moscow. I actually made real friends, architects, designers and photographers, both locals and others who've visited me from NY, Atlanta, Austin, Portland and Tokyo, and Europeans whom I've visited in London, Seville, Rome and Athens, and had inquiries from potential clients in South Carolina and Tennessee, whom I ultimately turned down. I showed very little of my own work (perhaps no more than 1%) and no selfies; the site was primarily places I'd visited, art and history. Additionally, DM provided an opportunity to coverse in French and Italian, which I found helpful in learning colloquialisms. About a year ago I suffered a Russian hack and was unable to access my account, followed by ransome offer, which I declined. I was unable to shut the site down--I have the sense, without knowing for sure, that Instagram may now have done so. More than a few IG followers with whom I've exchanged texts have messaged me saying I'm missed--and I'm thinking of starting up again. I did screen shots of my pages, and periodic shots of my list of followers, so with a substantial commitment of time--which I haven't had--I could actually rebuild my site. But, after being hacked, I'm wary. Such is my social media experience.
Which, I'd like to emphasize, was overwhelmingly positive. It expanded and enriched my world.