Giving up a Part of Social Media

It's refreshing to me to see young people recognize this, and it's only going to get more complicated because it's constantly evolving software.

What I noticed is so few people engage in an actual dialogue on social media, they just post stuff - I mean how is that social? The effect as we can clearly see from so many examples is focus on the self. To me, that's an erroneous view in the first place - because from there one proceeds to judge, be it good or bad, high or low, but it's just a self-image. But even if you went on an awesome trip and had nice pics of some nice clothes or whatever, the truth is that's an image, and even if the trip was truly great that is an experience in time only - it doesn't make for a persons character does it? So once again, how is that social in any meaningful sense? We have to remind ourselves not to buy the hype. Some of it involves superficial thinking already in the culture, the technology essentially amplifies and magnifies it.

 

yes socials became a race for the one who shows the better life(I'm rich, I'm muscular, my girlfriend is better than yours and bullshit like these) but like linkin park used to sing "in the end it doesn't really matter", celebrities have their life and you have yours... it's not the same but it doesn't have to be and that's why a week ago i deactivated all my social profiles, to learn to enjoy what i have without thinking of what others have and i think that's the point you'll enjoy socials in the moment you'll really enjoy your life bc you'll watch stories just out of curiosity not to compare theirs lifes to yours

 

You're absolutely right RockIt... Social media has a terrible effect on ones' self-image. Good work on cutting out most of the accounts you're subscribed to, etc.
Awedouble's right on as well, the software is constantly evolving (and soon enough will involve hardware, eg virtual/augmented reality crap,) which is going to be catastrophic for peoples' engagement with the real world... Social media has become the biggest voluntary pool of experimental manipulation, of both data and psyche, ever conceived, and I am full-on 100% double-insulated tin-foil-hat convinced that once it goes VR, we're by and large fucked... Unless we make a conscious effort to disengage, which is probably right up there with abstinence from porn in regards to difficulty level.

The craziest thing is... We all voluntarily participate in and add to it. The more people who restrict and eliminate the data they're feeding into those algorithms the better imo.
I think a lot of people underestimate how complete the data profile they present through their internet usage is, and how much money goes into analysing and manipulating the dataset as a result.

I deleted my FB account 4.5 years ago and can say... I've never looked back. The idea that you're going to lose contact with everyone is a fallacy. The people who matter will stay in contact, or you'll stay in contact with them. The only thing I've missed out on is invitations and directions to outdoor raves, which is a good thing at the end of the day. I do find it funny and a bit face-palmy that the 'underground' raves are pretty much exclusively promoted on FB these days-- a scene (psytrance,) founded on anarchistic ideals is now only accessible to those who voluntarily give an alarmingly complete personality profile to The Man™ -- but such is the way of the lemming.

 

(Anti)social media has become one of our times' biggest and simultaneously most disastrous experiments on a massive human scale. In general, the people who are frequently using it and putting up new pictures and status-updates daily are in general those who are the least happy with their lives. Just a few of the reasons are:

-The comparison game where heavy users tend to compare themselves to everyone else, hence feeling they are falling short and live miserable lives in comparison. In fact you just get a glimpse of their highlights and never see all of the trouble and misery that exists during the remaining time.

-It only gives short-term ego-boosts and upcoming narcissism-issues for the people who brag the most, especially for women who look for approval and flatter from people to feel good about themselves, even if the people giving it are fake or not real friends. As soon as all the likes from a pretty picture start to fade, the circle containing feelings of emptiness, sadness and self-loathing begins again.

-Heavy (anti)social media use diminishes and neglects the really meaningful and fulfilling things in life that can only be experienced and nourished in the real world (family, real friends, relatives, food and drinks, nature and its animals, etc)

-It takes a lot of time for the people who use it the most. Some of them spend hours every day updating statuses, posting pictures and comparing themselves to everyone else. Hence neglecting the time that can be lived in the real world instead.

As a result of this (in combination with stupid-phones) people have become semi-depressed, antisocial, emotionless, and narcissistic zombies who engage in various escapist-behaviors by looking down at their phones, listening to something and totally unable to focus on some reading or just being through meditation.
The groups of people who will reap the biggest success during the upcoming decades (without question) is those who are: frequent book-readers, good listeners, at peace with themselves, possess social skills, self-control and who can be present in the moment.