Does anyone else find social media boring?

[moneytree3006]

I don't mean as a business/marketing tool. For that I can understand its use.

Sometimes I feel like I'm the only person who doesn't care about social media.

I'm in my late 20s.

Anyone have any comments or thoughts on this?

 

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[Xeon]

In fact, Id say a big contributor to me going vegan was the information and perspective shifts I found on Instagram.

 

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[Andy Black]

Took my 21 yo stepson to a Facebook/Instagram for Business workshop last week.

Everything went over his head because him and his buddies meet up if they want to chat. He said he can’t see the point of social media, except for business.

There’s hope for us yet.

 

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[lowtek]

Social media is worse than boring, it's destructive to society. It's literally breaking down the fabric of society.

Society is built upon the niceties we show each other in our interactions. Social media removes even this thin veneer of civility and interactions escalate into levels of hostility that individuals would never engage in face to face. The amount of alienation and division along arbitrary lines (i.e. liberal vs. conservative, where each side is little more than a loose collection of corporatist positions).

Second order effects include:

It's allowed disaffected n'er do wells to organize for the purposes of "protesting", which is just an excuse to be violent (ala Antifa)

It provides a mechanism for bullying companies into complicity with the desires of vocal minorities. How many people have been fired for wrong think?

Our data has been sold off to the lowest bidder for stoking the fires of consumption.

It has provided a permanent record for lapses in judgement, that will certainly come back to haunt the person.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Anyone have any comments or thoughts on this?

Maybe you're not following the right accounts?

My IG feed has all kinds of great information that makes me seek out new information and see things in a perspective that I might have not thought of before. In fact, Id say a big contributor to me going vegan was the information and perspective shifts I found on Instagram.

That said, I'm not on it longer than a few minutes per day.

And when I see "lifestyle posts" of stupid shit, I quickly unfollow.

 

[lowtek]

@lowtek Are there any positives to social media? Are forums not social media too?

Of course, it's not all bad. I reconnected with some long lost family members on Facebook, for which I am eternally grateful. Of course, now I simply call them and don't bother messaging them on Fedbook.

However, on balance, they are a force for social ill. The anti social aspects of it are only the top of that rabbit hole. They are inherently designed to be addicting; to keep the user on for as long as possible (so they can be advertised to as much as possible). They appeal to the narcissism in us, and allow people to paint a portrait of their lives as they wish it to be. This in and of itself isn't so bad, but the end result is that many people feel as if their lives are somehow not as worthwhile by comparison. At a time when almost half the population is on mind altering drugs to regulate their mood, I really don't see how this is a good combination.

You can make the case that forums are a type of social media, sure. There is a significant difference, however. This is a gathering place for a community. We're aligned along a common goal and shared values. We also regulate ourselves to keep toxic behavior in check. This regulation is both horizontal (i.e. if I see people acting out of hand I speak up, as do other members) as well as vertical (i.e. moderators chosen for their enduring contributions). The combination of these factors make this forum, and others like it, an oasis of civility in a desert populated with barbarians.

Forums like Reddit (for the most part, I'm sure there are some good subreddits) are a cess pool due to multiple factors. Moderators are often power tripping, and with no benevolent dictator at the top to keep them in check, they can squash the voices of those who dissent and try to mess up the echo chamber. I get the impression that many of them have little going on in real life and try to compensate by climbing the social hierarchy of Reddit through virtue signalling and adhering to their programming.

The greatest value of social media, to us, is in its ability to help us build our businesses. Beyond that, I really couldn't care less if all of them disappeared tomorrow. I uninstalled Fedbook from my phone over a year ago and rarely visit it on the desktop. I hardly use Twitter, because it's one of the most insane places on the internet. LinkedIn is tolerable, but every time I get a connection request from a "web developer" it's nothing more than a cut and paste weak a$$ pitch for their shitty $25 / hr coding; no doubt outsourced to the lowest bidder in the third world.

I spend way more time on this forum than any other social media outlet, and my life is much better for it.

 

[Zcott]

You're not alone. It is absolutely awful. I'm 26 and I'm so tired of it.

It's a world full of fake people where context doesn't matter. It's no wonder young people are more likely to be depressed and have anxiety.

You just scroll through your feed aimlessly. You're like a zombie.

Thing is, we think we are getting updates from our feeds, but the reality is our brain is just looking for a hit of sweet, sweet dopamine and social media is the source. Every time you scroll you get a hit of it. You know when you pick up your phone to look on facebook for 20 seconds for no real reason and then close your phone... that's your brain seeking a hit of dopamine.

Delete social media from your phone and you will find yourself reacting somewhat confused because your brain no longer knows where to get dopamine from. You unlock your phone and you're like 'oh... right, yeah... ah, uhm...' After a week you don't really think about it anymore.

Deleting social media from my phone last month was a great thing. I'm not going to act like I'm now a super human but I don't waste as much time as I used to. I still have it on my computer, and after a few minutes I realise how bad it is and I go back to focusing on something a more important. Wish I deleted it years ago.

That turned into a mini-rant... Apologies. But yes, to conclude, social media is stoopid.

 

[Tha Juice]

I'm a 22(M). Deleted every single social media account I had about 3-4 years ago. People thought I was crazy lol. The only thing that I kept was LinkedIn, because I use that strictly for business purposes.

 

[Rabby]

It's totally boring, but I think people use it either to live vicariously through others, or to get positive feedback signals so that they can convince themselves they're "doing it right." Whatever "it" is.

 

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[Xeon]

Leaving social media for a week last week when I went for a short holiday.......was liberating.

It feels like I've come back to living in the real world, instead of a fantastical world where everyone is on some sun-soaked beach with always-happy-vibes eating some vegan smoothie while wearing yoga leggings.

 

[Ninjakid]

I deleted my personal social media accounts and don't miss them at all. Yeah social media in general is pretty boring

 

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[Andy Black]

Of course, it's not all bad. I reconnected with some long lost family members on Facebook, for which I am eternally grateful. Of course, now I simply call them and don't bother messaging them on Fedbook.

However, on balance, they are a force for social ill. The anti social aspects of it are only the top of that rabbit hole. They are inherently designed to be addicting; to keep the user on for as long as possible (so they can be advertised to as much as possible). They appeal to the narcissism in us, and allow people to paint a portrait of their lives as they wish it to be. This in and of itself isn't so bad, but the end result is that many people feel as if their lives are somehow not as worthwhile by comparison. At a time when almost half the population is on mind altering drugs to regulate their mood, I really don't see how this is a good combination.

You can make the case that forums are a type of social media, sure. There is a significant difference, however. This is a gathering place for a community. We're aligned along a common goal and shared values. We also regulate ourselves to keep toxic behavior in check. This regulation is both horizontal (i.e. if I see people acting out of hand I speak up, as do other members) as well as vertical (i.e. moderators chosen for their enduring contributions). The combination of these factors make this forum, and others like it, an oasis of civility in a desert populated with barbarians.

Forums like Reddit (for the most part, I'm sure there are some good subreddits) are a cess pool due to multiple factors. Moderators are often power tripping, and with no benevolent dictator at the top to keep them in check, they can squash the voices of those who dissent and try to mess up the echo chamber. I get the impression that many of them have little going on in real life and try to compensate by climbing the social hierarchy of Reddit through virtue signalling and adhering to their programming.

The greatest value of social media, to us, is in its ability to help us build our businesses. Beyond that, I really couldn't care less if all of them disappeared tomorrow. I uninstalled Fedbook from my phone over a year ago and rarely visit it on the desktop. I hardly use Twitter, because it's one of the most insane places on the internet. LinkedIn is tolerable, but every time I get a connection request from a "web developer" it's nothing more than a cut and paste weak a$$ pitch for their shitty $25 / hr coding; no doubt outsourced to the lowest bidder in the third world.

I spend way more time on this forum than any other social media outlet, and my life is much better for it.

I like Facebook groups. Some are very well run, have a good culture, and are formed around an interest I have. They have the benefits of a forum, although they’re more “messagy” in nature and content disappears quickly - which I find a bit frustrating.

I log into Facebook a lot to check various groups I’m in. If I could turn off the newsfeed on my phone then I would.

Facebook groups can be different from consuming all the random content in our newsfeed.

Facebook is apparently putting more emphasis on groups and messaging, and less on the newsfeed.

 

[ChrisV]

Social Media is poison. People just sit there and mindlessly consume content they don't even care about. I stay away for the most part.

 

[astr0]

You're not alone, I'm 31 and also don't care and never cared.

Maybe we don't like to show off?

P. S. I do have a LinkedIn profile and answer most messages there, also have a facebook profile made only for watching videos and that's all.

 

[Andy Daniels]

People only post their life "highlights" and that's all we see. It's all BS.

I really try to avoid most social media if I can, but sometimes it's fun.


If you just accept that most of what you see if total BS, you'll be just fine

 

[Adelaide]

YES! It is boring.
If I wasn't using it to my advantage, I would delete it.

Years ago, I deleted my social media accounts for around 3 years. When I got back on, I knew why I was doing it. I had learned about more about myself and the world. I knew how I could use social media to my personal advantage (it's not a monetary objective).

So now I continue to use social media for my own purposes. But if it wasn't fulfilling my agenda, I wouldn't have it at all.

 

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[Adelaide]

I love this! I agree social media can be so useful if it is for a purpose but so many people don't approach it from that angle. You make a really excellent point.

Also, hello fellow Aussie!

Woohoo! Stoked to see another Aussie here! And, hey - I see we've both recently joined!
I'm still getting the hang of this forum. I've never used anything like it.

I see social media as a drain that people pour their time and emotion into - often with little to no pay off. Without being conscious of a reason for being on there, it can easily leave one susceptible to some nasty side-effects. So absolutely I use it (and honestly, more than I'd like to admit!) - but I definitely know WHY.

From time to time I notice that the drawbacks outweigh the benefits (eg, If I catch myself mindlessly scrolling or suddenly noticing that an hour has passed whilst perusing LinkedIn) - I delete the apps for a bit. I don't need to get dopamine hits in this way!

 

[Madame Peccato]

I am 27 years old and I have never really used social media. I just checked my FB account, my profile pic is from 2012, my last post was on the 4th of june 2018, and it was a shared post I found funny. I post about twice a year. My Twitter account has maybe 15 posts total, and I don't even log into it anymore, and Instagram is on the same boat.

Instagram is the only exception, I just quickly go on to watch the daily video a certain account I follow posts, I don't scroll through my feed except when I am EXTREMELY bored and I have 5 minutes to kill, which happens less than 2 times per week.

I must say, the big red notification icon is super addicting to me, if I see any notification I quickly go and check it. This happens for WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, and even regular SMS. Hell, I check notifications instantly when I get them on here. Big and red = you have got my attention! Luckily, not many people talk to me privately through my phone, because if that was the case, I'd have to get rid of these programs entirely.

Discord has been the biggest problem for me in recent years I must say, and I am trying to tone it down. I don't just keep it open all day (despite the fact I sit at my pc for most of the day). I still use it way too much, I'm working on reducing my time on it.

I just don't care.

My best friend does not have a Facebook or Instagram account, and a lot of my closer friends also don't use social media that much, maybe that contributed to my low interest on them? Who knows.

 

[Xeon]

I must say, the big red notification icon is super addicting to me, if I see any notification I quickly go and check it. This happens for WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, and even regular SMS. Hell, I check notifications instantly when I get them on here. Big and red = you have got my attention!

Thanks for the insight. I can already see how to make use of this to engage with visitors.

 

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[MickeyNicks]

I canceled my Facebook and Twitter because I stopped caring about the lives of the people who were posting lol.

Only have Instagram now.

 

[LuckyPup]

I don't mean as a business/marketing tool. For that I can understand its use.

Sometimes I feel like I'm the only person who doesn't care about social media.

I'm in my late 20s.

Anyone have any comments or thoughts on this?

It's heartening to see that several of you younger guys eschew social media. I've been hoping the pendulum would swing away from it's use for some time. Hat tip to you all!

 

[Tourmaline]

In all fairness, forums like this are old school social media.

I use social media for groups that talk about things I'm interested in talking about, typically related to my niche or for wisdom.

There's a lot of noise on social media for sure, but there's also a lot of ability to talk about different ideas too. It's an evolution of forums in my view.

 

[Suzanne Bazemore]

I took a break from it and now it’s not as appealing. I still use it just to sell things on Marketplace.

Same thing happened to me - I took a break two years ago because I was on a camping trip and didn't have wifi access. It was so peaceful. Now I hate getting on, especially facebook. It's amusing to witness how addicted people are to it.

 

[Matt Hunt]

I've tossed around the idea of creating a time lapse travel YouTube channel as a creative outlet but haven't decided if it's worth it yet.

If it's just to do something creative, I'd say go for it. If you're trying to make money, you may be disappointed. Though there are certainly ways to monetize. I have 2k subscribers on my mountain biking YouTube channel. The YouTube ad revenue just pays for my Adobe suite. Really the best way to monetize on YouTube is to have a product or service you're selling. Then YouTube is actually just a marketing tool.

 

[StellaArt]

For me, SM isn't boring. There I can communicate with my friends, family, watch different videos and also find out much interesting info.

 

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[moneytree3006]

You're not alone, I'm 31 and also don't care and never cared.

Maybe we don't like to show off?

Yeah, maybe? I just don't see why I should spend my time posting images or words about myself for no purpose other than for people to like it or provide an unnecessary comment. It's the ultimate waste of time. Give me a specific topic to discuss and that's fun and interesting.

Instagram is the one that really gets me. I remember thinking when it came out.. "Why would I care about looking at small square images that scroll down?"

I am a member of an extreme minority it seems

 

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[astr0]

I am a member of an extreme minority it seems

A minority of people who value their time and don't need regular dopamine dozes from otherwise useless activities.

Where's the world going?

 

[moneytree3006]

Thing is, we think we are getting updates from our feeds, but the reality is our brain is just looking for a hit of sweet, sweet dopamine and social media is the source. Every time you scroll you get a hit of it. You know when you pick up your phone to look on facebook for 20 seconds for no real reason and then close your phone... that's your brain seeking a hit of dopamine.

Delete social media from your phone and you will find yourself reacting somewhat confused because your brain no longer knows where to get dopamine from. You unlock your phone and you're like 'oh... right, yeah... ah, uhm...' After a week you don't really think about it anymore.

I've never experienced this so called "dopamine" effect. I find constant notifications and ding ding dings endlessly frustrating. Also people saying "how can I keep in contact with you without social media?"

... uhhh. Talk to me??!?! Remember that..... thing??!?!

Maybe everyone has really low self esteem and needs constant validation from people who most likely actually don't give a sh*t about them.

 

[moneytree3006]

A minority of people who value their time and don't need regular dopamine dozes from otherwise useless activities.

Where's the world going?

^ bwahaha love this so much

It is a real concern.........

 

[moneytree3006]

I think people use it either to live vicariously through others, or to get positive feedback signals so that they can convince themselves they're "doing it right." Whatever "it" is.

Yeah, you're probably right with this point here. I guess a larger issue here in that there is no clearly defined "doing it right" in life anymore... so that is why validation is sought.

Entrepreneurs embrace this aspect of modern day life whereas the majority of others find it confronting and/or confusing.

This just points to a much larger issue...