Is too much social media bad for us?

[AJ_Radio]

I never cared much for social media, and this is coming from someone who remembers the Myspace heydays.

 

Facebook turned into a platform for 50 - 70+ year old farts to bitch, whine and complain on politics, they're merely there to stir up the pot and try to meet up with old high school friends in decades past. The 2016 elections were proof Facebook had turned into a very toxic environment.

 

It is also the destination for viral home videos to make it onto the internet. Youtube pretty much dropped the viral videos that were a centerpiece of the early years so Facebook had to come in and provide entertainment for those who enjoy viral videos.

 

Facebook became melodramatic, too serious and too sensitive for it's own good. It's basically a platform for people to bitch and moan when they had a bad day at work.

 

Myspace is dead in the water. Once the Facebook of the mid 2000s, nobody cares about Myspace now and it's name has nearly no value when it comes to money. Instagram is today's Myspace.

 

Girls love to post photos on Instagram. I've seen as many as 5,000 - 7,000 posts on some female's Instagram pages. If that isn't being obsessed over a website that hosts mobile photos and random comments, I don't know what is.

 

Twitter is a platform for younger people to post their quick feelings and thoughts on various topics. Twitter isn't Twitter without hashtags. You can't post past a certain character amount. It encourages people to write in quick hand (U See Tht Gurl?) because Twitter doesn't want long elaborate posts. It's a website that attracts kids and is merely on the go.

 

Reddit can vary on a daily basis. Some people post elaborate discussions, others post in quick hand. Some of the worst trolls are on Reddit though, and I wouldn't recommend getting involved with them.

 

Youtube is a little bit of everything from the above. That's one thing I enjoy about the website as it doesn't cater to a certain demographic like pretty much all the ones I listed.

 

These are my quick thoughts on the popular social media websites. I don't care for any of them except Youtube. They're basically platforms for people to boast about what they had for dinner, what Will Smith wore at the Oscars, what Donald Trump said at the White House yesterday, etc etc etc. It's mostly crap.

[Z1MZUM]

I use facebook to upload photos and videos for forums like this one. Apart from that I'm social media free, I honestly don't give a shit what any of my friends are doing right now, As long as it's not bad. People tend to say what they are too scared to say in public (the real world) and just crap on, it really just shows how stupid some people are, check any of the Trumps Twitter accounts as an example.

 

With that said, twitter is quite useful if you're following a band or comedian etc etc etc, you'll know exactly where they are playing next.

Edited May 31, 2017 by Z1MZUM

[ProfBambam55]

Most of the posts in this thread barely make any sense to me...made me laugh..."I don't use social media"...proceed to list all the "problems" with it...how would you know about them if you weren't into it is what i'm wondering?...then this bs wisdom of "anything in excess is bad" or "everything in moderation"...so I should stop wasting my time loving my kids and putting effort into a job and hobbies that I love as they could certainly be considered excessive and perhaps cause a few traffic accidents and poison some people just to keep a good balance?...the funniest part is that this thread could in fact be considered social media as far as I'm concerned...to address op question and add thought...if you are so independent or above social media then why care how other people use it?...why bother bragging that you don't use it?...insecurity?...is not using social media "good"?...and what defines "too much"?...if a person spends every waking minute participating in social media and loves it who are we to judge them?...where did you find the vid in the op?...haha...social media, right?...I see a ton of irrational judgemental thoughts and ideas within this thread...kind of sad in a sense but to each their own state of evolution...I'll be the first to admit that what I thought was truth a year ago, I now laugh at and have a new truth which hopefully I'll be able to laugh about next year...if "too much social media" wasn't meant to be then it wouldn't be but it is so must've been meant to be...haha...all I got...until next year...

Edited May 31, 2017 by ProfBambam55
Typos...

[Z1MZUM]

^ An example of social media gone wrong.

[HaSoOoN-MHD]

On 5/31/2017 at 7:33 AM, Spaz said:

I never cared much for social media, and this is coming from someone who remembers the Myspace heydays.

 

Facebook turned into a platform for 50 - 70+ year old farts to bitch, whine and complain on politics, they're merely there to stir up the pot and try to meet up with old high school friends in decades past. The 2016 elections were proof Facebook had turned into a very toxic environment.

 

It is also the destination for viral home videos to make it onto the internet. Youtube pretty much dropped the viral videos that were a centerpiece of the early years so Facebook had to come in and provide entertainment for those who enjoy viral videos.

 

Facebook became melodramatic, too serious and too sensitive for it's own good. It's basically a platform for people to bitch and moan when they had a bad day at work.

 

 

I say this as someone who hasn't used FB in years and harbors no love for the platform: FB just mirrors society. Everything surrounding the 2016 election was confrontational because that's really the state of the nation at that time and to this day. 

 

Anyways:

For me personally, I use Reddit, Twitter and a few forums but nothing else.

[kusuriuriPT]

well i stopped using fb a few months ago, i use the messenger part of it on my phone and thats it.

i dont think people realize how much addicted they are to social media until they drop it. You gain the habbit to open fb multiple times a  day for no reason and becomes the first thing you do on your phone when you wake up.

fb always was a "empty fridge at 3 am" for me...you get up...you know that fridge its empty but you still go check it to see if you missed a piece of cake from last night.

[RabbiAndy]

Social media isn't inherently bad. It's a good way to network and find likeminded people when they aren't around in real life. The problem is that it gets abused.

 

Nowadays people crave attention, and are so desperate for validation that they'll turn to social media because it's an easy way to get noticed. Just like the people on Instagram who have 30k followers and post every 10 minutes about things that aren't even remotely interesting. It's come to the point where a person will feel so lowly about themselves that they'll post a heavily filtered/photoshopped selfie on social media and feel better about themselves depending on how many people "like" the picture when in reality it's just a person scrolling through their feed, hitting a button, then scrolling some more, not actually pouring any form of true appreciation to whatever status or picture they just "liked". There's nothing satisfactory about that, yet people seem to get off to that kind of stuff. That's why I got rid of my Snapchat and Instagram a while ago. People are so wrapped up with their own matters and need to broadcast it to everyone for approval.

[DrBloodmoney]

"Too much" of anything is obviously bad, that is inherent in the question. 

 

The question is, by definition, impossible to answer in the negative, as if the amount in question was not a problem then it would not be defined as "too much."

 

the question should read "is a lot of social media bad for us?", or perhaps "how much social media is too much?"

 

[AJ_Radio]

11 hours ago, HaSoOoN-MHD said:

I say this as someone who hasn't used FB in years and harbors no love for the platform: FB just mirrors society. Everything surrounding the 2016 election was confrontational because that's really the state of the nation at that time and to this day. 

 

This is why young people don't really go on Facebook anymore. I rarely see anybody in the 13 - 24 age range post there regularly anymore and I don't blame them. 

 

Do you think they appreciate a 70 year old fart talking down to them? No they don't. But that's what Facebook turned into. It's a platform for old people, including a few younger ones to moan and bitch about politics and anything else they want to twist their arms around. I can literally start an argument with a guy in their 60s or 70s who is a lifelong conservative, and this old fart would likely send me political cartoons saying Trump is better than Obama, conservatives were always right, etc etc etc. 

 

The one thing I miss about MySpace is it didn't seem to have such a hostile attitude towards politics. Granted arguments still erupted but not at the frequentcy you see on Facebook. The only social media platforms I use are YouTube and a few forums. Everything else turned into a shitshow.

 

I could of gone with Twitter but I'm not the sort of person who likes hashtags and writing short sentences. That's the only way to communicate on Twitter but it's not my style.

 

4 hours ago, RabbiAndy said:

Social media isn't inherently bad. It's a good way to network and find likeminded people when they aren't around in real life. The problem is that it gets abused.

 

Nowadays people crave attention, and are so desperate for validation that they'll turn to social media because it's an easy way to get noticed. Just like the people on Instagram who have 30k followers and post every 10 minutes about things that aren't even remotely interesting. It's come to the point where a person will feel so lowly about themselves that they'll post a heavily filtered/photoshopped selfie on social media and feel better about themselves depending on how many people "like" the picture when in reality it's just a person scrolling through their feed, hitting a button, then scrolling some more, not actually pouring any form of true appreciation to whatever status or picture they just "liked". There's nothing satisfactory about that, yet people seem to get off to that kind of stuff. That's why I got rid of my Snapchat and Instagram a while ago. People are so wrapped up with their own matters and need to broadcast it to everyone for approval.

 

It's a problem with young women. I don't see older women posting the same material because they probably think it's outright silly. Girls in their teens and early 20s? It's fairly common to see 2000 - 3000 posts to some of their names. 

 

This wasn't much different on MySpace. Girls cluttered their pages with crap and gif files to grab attention, because many of them, including some girls I knew in person, had a lackluster home life. So they take their attention to the Internet so they can feel good when people notice how attractive and attentive they are. This is all good for them until they decide to get married and have kids. All activity drops from that point on. 

[HaSoOoN-MHD]

There's nothing inherently wrong in seeking validation and it sure as hell isn't a woman thing. We all do it in some form or another, whether we admit it or not. 

[AJ_Radio]

1 hour ago, HaSoOoN-MHD said:

There's nothing inherently wrong in seeking validation and it sure as hell isn't a woman thing. We all do it in some form or another, whether we admit it or not. 

 

I've been on social media platforms for over 10 years and I more often than not usually see younger women post very frequently. Plenty of guys do the same especially when they're still in high school,  but overall on average I haven't seen as many post at the rate I've seen girls post. 

 

There are all kinds of reasons people want and need validation. We are humans and we need communication. You seem to take this differently than me, which is perfectly fine as long as we're not getting into an argument about it. 

[RabbiAndy]

On 6/1/2017 at 7:29 PM, HaSoOoN-MHD said:

There's nothing inherently wrong in seeking validation and it sure as hell isn't a woman thing. We all do it in some form or another, whether we admit it or not. 

 

Can't say I fully agree either. If I wanted any form of validation I'd seek it from people close to me in my life like family and friends. Keeping count of how many strangers on the internet click "like" does nothing for me, and in my opinion, is just a cheap form of attention for those seeking it.

[AJ_Radio]

On 6/3/2017 at 6:04 AM, RabbiAndy said:

 

Can't say I fully agree either. If I wanted any form of validation I'd seek it from people close to me in my life like family and friends. Keeping count of how many strangers on the internet click "like" does nothing for me, and in my opinion, is just a cheap form of attention for those seeking it.

 

Exactly. I am somebody who is perfectly good with only 25 - 50 friends on my Facebook, Instagram or whatever.

[mysticmosh]

I used to play in a pool league on Wednesday nights and had done for years. That stopped one day when instead of all my teammates watching whomever was playing, they were all sitting there, heads down flicking fingers across mobile phone screens. A bunch of electro social media zombies had replaced my (long standing) pool playing mates!. I have a mobile; I use it for actually speaking to people. I don't feel the need to tell faceless 'friends' my every action, or check out the latest stupid cat videos. I can't link any social accounts to psn and that's because I don't have any. This forum here is the start and the finish of my voice online socially. And, the last time I checked, I'm still alright (and have no sore neck from looking down; I still look forward and can cross a road without the chance of being clattered because I looked both ways instead of for a pokemon.

 

[starcrunch061]

Too much of anything is bad for you. That's why you say it's too much.

 

Other than that, though, social media is like anything else. There'll always be some "get off my lawn" types that talk about how bad it is, how big of losers the users are, etc., and there will be people that defend it to the death. The truth, as usual, lies in the middle somewhere.

[AJ_Radio]

On 6/15/2017 at 7:43 AM, starcrunch061 said:

Too much of anything is bad for you. That's why you say it's too much.

 

Other than that, though, social media is like anything else. There'll always be some "get off my lawn" types that talk about how bad it is, how big of losers the users are, etc., and there will be people that defend it to the death. The truth, as usual, lies in the middle somewhere.

 

In moderation. Like someone drinking alcohol in moderation, although I will suggest to everyone who does drink to stop drinking and pursue more healthy alternatives. Because there is nothing healthy in alcohol.

 

This is different than say fast food because truthfully fast food and junk food should only be eaten sparingly.

 

I don't mind people checking their social media profiles every day. I do this on a daily basis and it doesn't bother me. The problem starts when people get all upset what Donald Trump wrote in his tweet on Twitter, what Beyonce and Jay Z did at the Grammy Awards, etc etc etc. It's like they want to live a superficial life where it's a fantasy world where nothing bad can ever happen. That couldn't be farther from the truth.

[Fing3rButt3r3]

maybe, but it helps me know wtf is going on in the world

[ElektrickRage]

Yes, the Chinese and world governments are spying on you. And scammers and telemarketers get all your information.

[PHIL_DADDY1]

I use it, and I try to spend less & less time on it, but it's just hard to put the phone down when you're idle.

 

It is definitely a time waster...

[audiopile]

@Fing3rButt3r3 - another necro?  You must be bored. 

[olliebear66t]

28 minutes ago, audiopile said:

@Fing3rButt3r3 - another necro?  You must be bored. 

People can reply to what they want. Ain't no rules.

 

But yeah I deleted Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat because I didn't like how much time I was spending on them. There's no reason to have those apps. Life's too short.

 

The apps and social media are designed to be addictive and trigger certain emotions and warp your sense of reality by what content they show you. Sorta feels like brainwashing. Though I still use YouTube and keep an eye on these forums when I get a little bored. But yeah I never liked Twitter cause it just made me pissed off all the time it's too political and noisy. In the end I just like to be quiet 

[SoliDeoGloriaIHS]

I'm not on any social media and I don't miss it.

[ReverzerO-]

Before it s fun to customize using html, css and js😊 

[Dry]

Too much of anything can be negative and social media is certainly no exception.

[Property_Damage]

The answer is a resounding yes

Social media is legitimately the downfall of modern society as we once knew it to be in every aspect

we used to have legitimate college educated journalists feed us the news, now anyone with internet access can publish a story wether its authenticity is legitimate or not, more often not, were surrounded by fake news, spoon fed algorithms that push other peoples agendas for the sakes of clicks and views

i could go on and on but the more you think about it, the more you can put the pieces together yourselves

And kids nowadays wanna be tiktok influencers and youtubers or twitch streamers as a career path, sitting infront of a computer screen playing video games or making annoying 6 second videos where the Chinese government steal all your personal information and basically 99% of your revenue, society is doomed all thanks to man and his technology, look at AI for instances, people are using it to scam other people out of money, etc.