Look, if your "connections" require you to engage in the social media slop, they are not worth it. If your family forces you to be on FB, your family is dysfunctional. If you have lost your friends after deleting your account, you had no friends in a first place.

Yes, we can live without social media. I know it is possible from my own experience. And when everyone has a phone and e-mail address, you can stay connected without FB or other account.

It will require more effort, but valuable things rarely come without it.