262 réponses à ce sujet

[mybudgee]

*** This is NOT a troll thread ***

 

I am honestly curious about the possible reasons social media could be of any benefit to anyone (who isn't selling crap). I am done with it myself, and I barely had my toe in the pool. 

Can anyone enlighten me?? I am dumbfounded

 

I personally despise false friendships, the type in which people will pretend to be friends, but at its heart the relationship is MAYBE an acquaintance. I am the type to have very few GOOD friends rather than a thousand phony ones. 

 

Discuss

 

[A Crusty Knight Of Colour]

Social media can be a very good thing. It allows for a flow of information that is difficult to stop once it starts snowballing. One example was how sites like twitter were utilised by protesters during the Arab Spring. But it also caters to our inner narcissist. So there's that to consider too.

[Why Yes of Course]

It's fascinating to watch people project a certain image of themselves - it tells you so much about who they wish they were and who they want people to see when they look at them....versus who they actually are deep down. I love it.

 

As to why it is of benefit, there are probably lots of reasons but i'll give you one:

 

I have friends I have known most of my life, where we have moved in some cases thousands of miles away, yet we can share the day to day details of our lives that cannot be shared by monthly letter or yearly visit.

[mybudgee]

It's fascinating to watch people project a certain image of themselves - it tells you so much about who they wish they were and who they want people to see when they look at them....versus who they actually are deep down. I love it.

 

This makes me sad

[Why Yes of Course]

Everyone projects and image of themselves, at work, with friends, online, how they dress - everyone does it. Literally. It isn't anything to be sad about, it is part of the human condition.

[mybudgee]

Everyone projects and image of themselves, at work, with friends, online, how they dress - everyone does it. Literally. It isn't anything to be sad about, it is part of the human condition.

Accepting it is the tragedy. Seeing it as inevitable and/or trivial.

 

There are enough situations in which "white lies" or half-truths are necessary or implied to save someone's feelings. Let's keep them to a minimum.

 

When was the last time you guys had conversation with someone, face-to-face, which was so brutally honest (but still somewhat pleasant) that when you walked away you were a bit shell-shocked?? You were surprised to learn something about them, and they discovered something about you that you were fairly certain would be taken to your grave. This is the kind of exchange that makes my heart race. These are the interactions I cherish.

 

Sadly they are so very rare today...

 

[Why Yes of Course]

I think we just see this differently, it isn't inherently positive or negative in my view, it just *is.*

 

Beyond that, your statement about keeping white lies to a minimum implies that people really know themselves. That people can articulate that they do x/behave like y/dress like z (or whatever) because they want to look/feel/hide something. My experience is the opposite, nobody is totally self aware and people act on instinct whether it is in real life or how they portray themselves on social media. Further, I would argue that everybody has the right to promote whatever image of themselves they like, provided it isn't harmful to them or others. I don't want to get into a specific debate about that, because I am sure people could prove me wrong, but as a general principal if I want people to think i am cool like Fonzy, then I am free to make him my avatar and say "AAAAAYYYYY."

 

As for you question I am not sure I have an answer. I have conversations all the time of varying levels of brutality, pleasantness and secret divulging but I think that is different from what you are asking.

 

It is interesting though and I am enjoying the discussion - a question for you, Mybudgee: (Roughly) How old are you? Is it possible that the change in type of conversation, the rareity of that type of conversation, are features of the fact that it tends to happen more when you are younger and you and your peers are getting older? I haven't thought this through, but I have a theory that the layers we add to our projected image thicken and increase over time, becoming more subtle in some ways, and less like to be pierced by conversation the way you describe.

[L. Han]

If something can do bad, it can do good as well. Social media just offers an environment that can allow bad things to fester. Unless you are someone prominent, their is virtually very little consequence to spout out things on twitter.

[RZIBARA]

Nothing wrong with social media. It can be a useful way of communicating with class mates, as well as other things as well. 

 

And to the people saying it's sad how people use it: No. The only thing that is sad is you. Aren't you technically on a social media site right now you hypocrites?

[Degenerate Rakia Time]

Aren't you technically on a social media site right now you hypocrites?

thats actually a good point......guess im out of here

[Why Yes of Course]

Nothing wrong with social media. It can be a useful way of communicating with class mates, as well as other things as well. 

 

And to the people saying it's sad how people use it: No. The only thing that is sad is you. Aren't you technically on a social media site right now you hypocrites?

 

Calm down, one person said he wasn't a fan and preferred the days of face to face communication.

[Kaiser Arian XVII]

People are addicted to one or more kinds of Social Media. Twitter, Facebook, BSN, YT & Google+, Cell-phone social media (so many of them), Yahoo messenger and similar stuff.

 

And it affects their life for worse, because it's addictive and dat "trollism".

The few good things about it are information, spreading dead serious stuff and not being alone.

[mousestalker]

It depends very much on how you use it. My family and friends use Facebook primarily for sharing recipes, funny pictures and news (whose birthday, biirths, deaths and illnesses)

My sister lives on Twitter. We both like pinterest very much for crafty things. Social media are means, not ends. As long as you do not forget that, and use the one that is best suited for your purpose, then you're fine.

[mybudgee]

 

It is interesting though and I am enjoying the discussion - a question for you, Mybudgee: (Roughly) How old are you? Is it possible that the change in type of conversation, the rareity of that type of conversation, are features of the fact that it tends to happen more when you are younger and you and your peers are getting older?

I am in my mid-thirties

[Johnnie Walker]

I have good friends who live in other countries, so social media helps with that.

This. Most of my close friends do live in different countries.

 

It depends very much on how you use it.

And this. Anything can become toxic to you. Even water.

 

I agree with not wanting too many friends. Quality over quantity tbh. My fb is for close friends and family mostly. Been having fb since I joined the Army back in 2010 and I have never exceeded 43 friends.

As far as on here, I don't worry about my FL much because my BSN account isn't as personal as my fb obviously. But I have met 7 BSNers in real life and sadly, some of those people turned into false friends. But that's why you just gotta keep on rolling along.

 

I think everyone despises false friendships, I know I do anyway.

[mybudgee]

That is why I enjoy the BSN. Such   better sensibility

[vometia]

I know people from all over the place, and I'm bad at writing letters, just as bad at writing emails, and I hate using the phone, so it's a handy way of keeping up with everyone's news! I guess it's a convenient means of socialising for the irredeemably disorganised.

[mybudgee]

Anyone truly think it has made the world a better place??

(i doubt it)

[Dobby]

Anyone truly think it has made the world a better place??

(i doubt it)

 

No, but it has made some thing easier. Like communicating with friends or family that are far away.

 

That's the only reason why I have a FB. To be able to communicate with friends and family that live in another country and to see their pictures they post.  I only add very few people on there and only people I've met recently or are old good friends. It's funny to see people with thousands of friends on there and know that they are all mostly complete strangers. It's like a popularity contest for lots of them to see who can collect the most friends. It's silly really.

[Sigma Tauri]

Accepting it is the tragedy. Seeing it as inevitable and/or trivial.

 

There are enough situations in which "white lies" or half-truths are necessary or implied to save someone's feelings. Let's keep them to a minimum.

 

When was the last time you guys had conversation with someone, face-to-face, which was so brutally honest (but still somewhat pleasant) that when you walked away you were a bit shell-shocked?? You were surprised to learn something about them, and they discovered something about you that you were fairly certain would be taken to your grave. This is the kind of exchange that makes my heart race. These are the interactions I cherish.

 

Sadly they are so very rare today...

 

 

I think Why Yes Of Course puts the issue more eloquently. So, I'm just going to reinforce what he said.

 

The social sciences I think have a term for this behavior - impression management. And all human beings engage in it constantly, including yourself. It's really not a negative thing either. I have to create an air of confidence towards patients to ensure I do my job performing certain clinical skills. I can't show hesitance, or I get denied to perform a critical clinical skill. In the same way, you may automatically change the way you talk without being self-aware.

[BronzTrooper]

I've made very, very good friends here on BSN.  Better than a lot of my friends irl.

 

Although, I don't even touch FB, Twitter, Tumblr, etc.  Haven't been on FB in a year.  2-3 for Twitter.  Never been on Tumblr.

 

Depends on who you are, I guess.  I'd rather have a few friends that I actually talk to quite a bit than have a 100 'friends' that I don't even know.