American's wierd feelings about social media

Lack of options. I think if there were alternative social media platforms that people could use, it would reduce people clustered on FB and Twitter and maybe group with their "own".

I wonder what would happen is a platform were designed that was truly open and people could develop their own apps to access the platform. It would be like all the different messenger apps accessing one central platform. It would be similar to the cellular network but for social media. This way there couldn't be one group that censored others, shadow banned them or out right banned them from the network. I think if something like this were created then people might have less negative view of social media. People might not like what is being said on it, but the might feel it is more "open" and free speech is actually protected there.

a reply to: oloufo

but most people around the globe use social media to connect with others and make new friends.

But why are we seeing so many stories about people feeling more isolated then ever??

a reply to: lakenheath24

Yup dopamine

a reply to: rickymouse

I think the lies are on MSM, but of course, MSM has people to deflect this to make it appear that those on Facebook are causing all the bad stuff. Nothing usually seems to happen on facebook, people are using their own name, everyone knows who you are.

But you have the leader of FB coming out and saying that there should be regulation of FB.

a reply to: American-philosopher

Yeah, when he had to go defend himself on Capital hill he made a few agreements and one of those was to try to stem back BS on Facebook. Who decides what is BS? I think the Democrats are into that pretty deeply at this time.

a reply to: toolgal462

Your user name.....weapons?????.

a reply to: American-philosopher

If they performed a poll then it was an agenda,who did they poll? could of been bought stooges like most media fodder

I go back to AOL group chat days when I think about the why behind this.

In the late 90’s I was a preteen. Just understanding that there’s a whole world out there besides me and my immediate family and circle.

In public school, you’re stuck in classrooms with the same people of the same age group, all day, but yet you still run into acquaintances in other areas like maybe you pass this person everyday on the way to gym... but there’s never opportunity or time to really talk or interact as there is the people you’re kinda “stuck with” the rest of the day.

The beauty of that AOL instant messenger and profiles was that you could put in a common search term like “insert name of high school” and find a list of people that also go there.

Suddenly you enter these chats and get to know the people you never had time to in real life, because schedules and obligations. That person you pass everyday becomes a friend, because you chat on the internet at night after school hours.

It gave us freedom to interact with people in a different, less confining way.....

We (my generation, I’m in my early 30’s) liked this.
We flocked to social media platforms as they advanced and gave us more than just text... MySpace could share photos and music tastes.. blogs.... Facebook then Instagram and Twitter.... it fed into our desire to interact with people that real life confinement’s didn’t give us access or time to do.

We grew up, we went into the real world, and we kept the habit.

It played right into many traps yes, but I think the idea behind why many people my age did it was simply intrigue and interest in there being many new options to socialize that weren’t there for the generation before us.

I remember after 9/11, looking up people from across the world to instant message on AOL and ask their opinions on what was happening. As a 15 year old when 9/11 happened, war was as distant from reality for me and my peers as dinosaurs.

Think about that. So to be able to seek out a person from across the world and discuss something like that gave me so much insight.

I still have a girl on my FB friends that I found right after 9/11 that way. We’ve watched each other grow up from across the world. We’ve messaged back and forth about the loss of parents, marriage, the birth of children, the love and loss of our pets, etc.
she is from India.

Anyways, for as many bad things about social media I can counter it with positive. It’s all in your intent.

originally posted by: American-philosopher
I was watching Meet the Press and Chuck Todd talked about data having to do with American's feelings toward tech and also social media. The data revealed that we have in general good feelings towards Amazon,Google,Apple. But now go to feelings about social media and the feelings are not so good: the data said that only 24% of American's have a positve feeling towards Twitter and 36% good feelings towards Facebook.

The list of the negatives were that 55% percent belive that these social media platforms spread lies and flasehoods. 61 percent believe they spread unfair attacks and rumors, 57 percent say the platforms divide us, and what shocked me was 82% believe its a waste of time.

But get this 69% of American's use social media at least once a day.

WHydo we participate in such a destrcutive platform? Or at least if we believe it is a destructive platform why do we participate in it??

I can understand why Twitter is not so popular and I never use it:

When Americans have talked about online radicalization in the recent past, most of us tended to think of it in terms of radical Islamists from groups such as Islamic State, who have been known to leverage the technology to their advantage, particularly social media. But a study by terrorism expert J.M. Berger published way back in 2016 found that white nationalists were far outstripping their Islamist counterparts: "On Twitter, ISIS’s preferred social platform, American white nationalist movements have seen their followers grow by more than 600 percent since 2012. Today, they outperform ISIS in nearly every social metric, from follower counts to tweets per day."

www.vice.com...

Hey I love my social media, but if it was to all disappear tomorrow, it would be the single best thing to happen to the planet in the last 50 years.

originally posted by: Oldtimer2
a reply to: American-philosopher

If they performed a poll then it was an agenda,who did they poll? could of been bought stooges like most media fodder

Absolutely. People don't bother to put out poll results that don't support their agenda. The average guy is waking up to the nonsense game being played.

On another note... I've got a great idea for a new app. Could be a billion dollar idea. An app that allows people to send pictures and text on their mobile phone!

originally posted by: American-philosopher
I was watching Meet the Press and Chuck Todd talked about data having to do with American's feelings toward tech and also social media. The data revealed that we have in general good feelings towards Amazon,Google,Apple. But now go to feelings about social media and the feelings are not so good: the data said that only 24% of American's have a positve feeling towards Twitter and 36% good feelings towards Facebook.

The list of the negatives were that 55% percent belive that these social media platforms spread lies and flasehoods. 61 percent believe they spread unfair attacks and rumors, 57 percent say the platforms divide us, and what shocked me was 82% believe its a waste of time.

But get this 69% of American's use social media at least once a day.

WHydo we participate in such a destrcutive platform? Or at least if we believe it is a destructive platform why do we participate in it??

probably because you can express yourself in a lot more creative ways on social media ... it's good ... but you can also have too much of a good thing ...

a reply to: SouthernGift
NOt trying to take away form your opinion and your experience that you shared but you mentioned that you used AOL on other platforms to cnnect with others that you might not have had a chance to. But I think once you are at least out of school you have more opportunities to connect with others out side of social media. It just comes down to do we really want to? Do we really want to take a gamble and be vulnerable. I think online and social media gives us this shiled and this protection that maybe I am not putting the ral "me' out there or not showing all of who you are. And you can effectively hide until you feel comfortable to whomever you are conversing with to take of the mask.

a reply to: usernameconspiracy

What would the withdrawal symptoms be for everyone who had to stop using social media?

a reply to: American-philosopher

But get this 69% of American's use social media at least once a day. WHydo we participate in such a destrcutive platform? Or at least if we believe it is a destructive platform why do we participate in it??

You could well define ATS as a type of social media. Whats your beef now.

:-)

Yes, you make good points. I think I was more speaking of how it’s inception came about at a critical developmental point in my personal experience, and my social habits have been molded into what they are greatly due to the social media factor. There’s a generation of us- (I’m 33) that lived an “old school” childhood but also grew up with the internet. We’ve been submerged into both worlds. We remember life before this, but it came about at a time in our lives where it’s deeply rooted and ingrained also. I think we have a unique insight into it, is all. Many younger than me, know not a world without this type of interaction.

Imagine the generation of folks who had daily interactions with the mailman, the milkman, neighborhood block parties, doctors who made house calls, etc.

One day we’ll be described as the transitory generation.

I think your point about hiding behind a mask has some truth to it, but don’t let it be lost on you that sometimes there is more freedom to be who you really are on the internet, where societal norms wouldn’t allow it in “person”

When we write words and others read them without an image of who it is saying them, we are more likely to make our judgments based on the content of that persons conversation, without the distractions of what their appearance portrays to us.

It forces you to read the book if you want to know what’s inside of it, because you can’t see its cover.

Thanks for the reply! I appreciate others viewpoints.

a reply to: American-philosopher

a reply to: American-philosopher

I use it to communicate with my nieces that I raised from birth to 8 yrs old, otherwise avoid it like the plague.

I do not believe anything truly positive has happened since social media hit the big time.

social media can be bad all depending how one decides to use it..