(08-30-2018, 06:54 AM)sbarrera Wrote: There is something ridiculous and vain about social media, especially when seeking approval in the form of likes on posts. But it is also fun. Personally I am a heavy user of social media and enjoy the feeling of connection with people spanning the country (even the globe, a little bit) and also staying connected with social groups that I left physically many years ago. It is not a substitute for real socialization but it is an enjoyable use of time.
I think in bold is what bothered the teens in that story, they felt like these platforms were a lie. They felt that it was not about being "connected at all" but rather only gave that allure. It ever was really about people having the tools to be better liars. They can make their own lives appear so adorned and perfect.... yet as you say, isn't that a vain thing? And isn't every teen a vain creature... giving them things like fakebook (to put all their photoshopped images up for the jealous) and making their lives seem like the most important thing that ever happened with twitter, we should hang on their every thought - as messed and incoherent as it may be. In fact, when the world carefully constructs their messages into 140 characters... each character of their message has value! - I have laughed.
Who is even paying attention to them? Why does anyone care about what Scott from Jeruth, MT feels about NASA budget or that they wanted prop 44 or to raise taxes or that they love the Kardashians who are welcoming a new baby with rapper lil pooper.
Still, the platforms are ready-made feedback loops, training humans TO exist in bubbles, not to expand. Reflecting back to them the presence of only those already listening/participating.
As you say "being connected" -- well, the hardware for access to others thank god exists. Wonderful thing. When the Internet first came on, we all used it for expanding into territories of things we were interested in, and met others of similar interests. That seems now inverted to the extreme. We congregate with others BECAUSE they have interests similar views on how a life should APPEAR TO OTHERS. Then whoever crafts it the best sits at the Mean Girls table. All the rest form concentric rings around that table to stare at them and covet them/their lives.
And none of it is real. Some of it may be. This may have something to do with perception instead of others trying to fake it, but I think at some point there was a "last real person" on the Internet, and it became something other than was used for before the "general populace" (I use that loosely) had access to it or interest in it.
I find it so entertaining how those using a PRE "socialz" version of the Internet would never ever have been sucked into the faux and clamorous platforms like fakebook and twitter. Did I ever imagine people would be posting messages of their own thoughts to the world thinking it actually mattered to the larger scope? n-e-v-e-r
We didn't look at it that way. It was about pure exploration. The first taste of a visual Internet came with Mosaic, of course (the first visual browser) followed closely after by Netscape. However, I recall a INTERNET YELLOW PAGES where you could look up websites by subject matter and themes. And if anyone asked for personal information, the immediate response was to not give it where now, it is given almost automatically, and almost begged to be given away. Fakebook can help me "connect" with more? All it needs is some more information/permission/participation from me? DON'T EVEN ASK! Set it to auto-accept function.
The experience was more about us expanding our interests with the access to information ON those interests.......... now, the experience is about us conforming our interests to those around us as best as possible and giving away personal information/permissions for the sheer privilege to have a platform to do so.
So, I find it good people are beginning to at least question: hey IS this preempting my authentic interaction with others? Is it stunting my growth as a person instead of helping it?
I'd love to know if the "nazis" (national socialz) would battle so hard for the bullying, suicides, stunted growth and sheer depressions caused on users as has been lately made for the case on ABUSE OF OPIOIDS LEADING TO DEATH. What's the ratio? How many people died due to using xanax and percocet together, thus incurring respiratory failure VS suicide, murders, overdoses from the daily devastating daily harm of the "nazis" through described above in this post. We are at war right now against pain management. People going in for SURGERIES are having a hard time convincing doctors to prescribe realistic levels of pain medication. It's almost like we want ppl to suffer.
So, that's a national emergency and people who need medication are being denied - even the tough-as-nails patients with Advocates and Doctor referrals and actual real, tangible reasons why they need the medication.................. nope nope! You cannot have Mental Health because people are dying from the combination of 2 prescription drugs. But the horrors of "nazis" play out every day, someone just died RIGHT NOW statistically from being harassed on fakebook. They hung themselves in a cupboard doorjam because a semi-nude pic they gave to their gf/bf in confidence is now making the rounds.
ONE SERVES GDP, THE OTHER DOES NOT. ONE AFFECTS STOCK MARKET NUMBERS AND ONE DOES NOT. I keep concluding at the part where America and Capitalism ...... it's close to the time when Apple Pie will not just be for patriotism but also for Corporate inflation (not inflation but rather "promotion and usage"(?)). For a while there, I imagined kids' walls containing a fakebook sticker, or their car or bike or something.............. where Corporate Loyalty and Corporate Appreciation is on par with some kind of twisted National Anthem.
Am I really so far off base? Isn't overlord "empire" really just boiling it down to who rules and how? Corporatocracy with Big Box for-profit corps and politics/politicians.... working together to form a more perfect union. The twin pillars of American civilization, Corporation and Political Process. Odd, isn't thhat what this whole Russia thing is about? Corporatocracy being accused of influencing votes to one candidate over another?
hope that made sense
