Social media

[vraiblonde]

I'm noticing a distinct decline in social media interest/participation. Not just on these forums, but on Facebook, Twitter, and to a lesser degree Instagram. Are we just getting bored with constant communication or is there some new trend I haven't heard of?

I see younger people - young adults, that is - on their phones ALL THE TIME but the young people I'm FB friends with and follow on Twitter/Instagram have greatly reduced their number of posts in the last few months. Is anyone else noticing that or is it just me?

 

[PsyOps]

I don't do twitter, snap, insta-whatever, and all that crap. I barely post anything on FB. I'm fed up with all the unsolicited ads on FB. I really only go there to post my music and watch the cat videos.

It seems my son barely uses FB anymore. He mostly does snapchat and instagram. For so many people life and communication has been reduced down to 140 characters. Anything beyond that it just too much effort.

 

[libertytyranny]

I noticed as well. There seems to be a bit of a backlash against sharing personal information and too many updates etc. However, I've also noticed a distinct increase in posts from media and news sources. So people are ON facebook, just reading professional/celeb/news posts rather than posting their own. I'm seeing a lot of "sharing" from these sources and much fewer personal posts.

 

[Vince]

:shrug: I come here and facebook to keep up with stuff.

 

[vraiblonde]

I noticed as well. There seems to be a bit of a backlash against sharing personal information and too many updates etc. However, I've also noticed a distinct increase in posts from media and news sources. So people are ON facebook, just reading professional/celeb/news posts rather than posting their own. I'm seeing a lot of "sharing" from these sources and much fewer personal posts.

Good, I was hoping to hear from the younger (than 50s and 60s) crowd

I, too, have noticed a lot more sharing and reposting going on, rather than original posts. "Trending" FB stories are usually some stupidity, like today's breaking news that Justin Bieber might be dating Kourtney Kardashian. YAWN!!!

 

[DEEKAYPEE8569]

I noticed as well. There seems to be a bit of a backlash against sharing personal information and too many updates etc. However, I've also noticed a distinct increase in posts from media and news sources. So people are ON facebook, just reading professional/celeb/news posts rather than posting their own. I'm seeing a lot of "sharing" from these sources and much fewer personal posts.

It's actually pretty smart to not post every.....little.....thing on FB etc.. Things like: "Going to the store....." or "YAY! Vacation is only days away."
Too many people post stuff like that, and in some extreme instances come home to a ransacked house, garage, vehicle(s). If FB, Instagram etc. are becoming more of an information source, that's not necessarily a bad thing. JMHO

 

[Hank]

I think Facebook's honeymoon/reunion period is over with. Everyone has reconnected with all these people from the past and now we learn about a little too much from all these "reconnections", such as their politics or religion by posting their views or news pieces supporting their views. Although you are able to see the true colors of these peeps, I'm just not interested. I would rather see pics of your families or what music you are listening to, what movies are good, etc....The debating/personal view aspect, has cut my time from FB considerably.

 

[lucky_bee]

I use my social media just as I have since Day 1, that is when Facebook was only available to college students with a verifiable college email address (I was a freshman in college when FB still did this!) I look, read, notice, take in, but rarely participate. I don't use social media to voice my political opinions, my lunch every day, or much of my personal business. I almost never share articles I'm reading either. I mostly post snarky pics of my dog, random things that visually caught my interest, a rare group pic of me and the girls before we go out...that's seriously about it. I only have facebook, instagram, and sometimes use snapchat for the occasional inside joke pics between my best friends, BF, and brothers. I don't do twitter, never have. I'm always on pinterest when bored with those 3 but I don't consider that "social" media as I'm not really interacting with anyone.

When I'm looking thru FB and insta, I follow quite a few companies, people/artists, a couple celebrities, and various organizations of my interests (Country Living Magazine, Miranda Lambert, many photographers, Tinder Nightmares, etc.) so I'm not just stalking my friends constantly I'm not someone who "likes" everything, even if I actually like it. I'll like my close friends' posts...that's it. Same for comments. I'm a visual person so I enjoy looking at everything, following people that do the same. I genuinely like looking/reading fun things. I don't like when my newsfeed is full of serious things and arguments. I read several news venues almost every morning before I start work for that.


But I'm the same way in person: I'm a people-watcher. I'll go to a party, lightly socialize and then have more fun watching everyone else But to summarize, I am on my phone quite often using these apps but leaving a very small social media footprint.

 

[MichelleLea]

I think people are starting to "get" that even if your set to private; people can still stalk and know how to work around things. Nobody's information is private when your public.

 

[libertytyranny]

There are so many divisive things right now..no one wants to be in the middle. We can either be cop haters, or racist; white privileged or racist; hate guns or hate liberty; hate muslims or want them ALL; a Trump fan or a Hillary fan. There seems to be no where for people in the middle to safely voice their opinions..everything gets attacked because you are supposed to pick one or the other. Way safer to share some stupid meme. I like the personal stuff from my friends. best case its fun and interesting and I learn something about them, worst case im entertained by their stupidity. What I can't stand is constant reposts of blatantly untrue and easily debunked info that everyone posts around like truth. I don't even bother correcting people anymore, its pointless. I used to post snopes links and links to articles but people still continue to post and believe it. If more people used their own words to post opinions instead of memes or viral "letters to" and then listened to each other and actual real opinions we would probably all be better off. Those memes and blatant lies seep into shallow thinkers' minds and convince them that is their opinion because its popular and like, everyone else agrees and stuff. its so frightening.

 

[Grumpy]

I can't stand is constant reposts of blatantly untrue and easily debunked info that everyone posts around like truth. I don't even bother correcting people anymore, its pointless. I used to post snopes links and links to articles but people still continue to post and believe it.

 

[Pete]

I think the younger crowd use something until it becomes mainstream then abandon it to newer things. Myspace died and went to Facebook and now instagram. Twitter fell out of vogue and now they use snapchat.

 

[Misfit]

We’re all casting the pod now.

 

[GWguy]

I think the younger crowd use something until it becomes mainstream then abandon it to newer things. Myspace died and went to Facebook and now instagram. Twitter fell out of vogue and now they use snapchat.

I've read that the younger generation stopped using Facebook because their parents started using it. The kids couldn't post without the parents reading it, no "privacy".

 

[GWguy]

We’re all casting the pod now.

I'm still emailing. No facebook, twitter, etc........ Even texting is limited.

 

[Restitution]

I call people when I want to talk to them, get updates, find out the latest family news.

Remember when people used to use their phone as a telephone?

 

[Merlin99]

I call people when I want to talk to them, get updates, find out the latest family news.

Remember when people used to use their phone as a telephone?

I quit using it because I have so much ultra liberal family in Michigan that I don't want to offend by unfriending. so I just quit using it until the election season is over. There's only so much Trump is the devil that one person can take.

 

[lovinmaryland]

I think Facebook's honeymoon/reunion period is over with. Everyone has reconnected with all these people from the past and now we learn about a little too much from all these "reconnections", such as their politics or religion by posting their views or news pieces supporting their views. Although you are able to see the true colors of these peeps, I'm just not interested. I would rather see pics of your families or what music you are listening to, what movies are good, etc....The debating/personal view aspect, has cut my time from FB considerably.

I agree w/ this. I go onto FB to get away from news, politics, religion, etc... I enjoy seeing pictures of friends/family, where people are eating or having drinks at, etc... The excessive sharing of political & religious/anti abortion/pro abortion crap really turns me off to FB so I usually spend most of my time on instagram.

Now in regards to Vrai asking about the younger crowd all three of teenagers/young adults for the past year now has said FB is lame and only old people still do FB & Instagram is slowly heading that way too. They spend most their time on Twitter or Snap Chat.

 

[kom526]

On here, the vitriol over things out of our control prohibits any semblance of civility between (alleged) adults. I may disagree with you on an issue or not share the same opinion as you, but I am not going to turn into a raging, petulant toddler screaming, "I know you are, but what am I." To me that is a manifestation of the downward spiral we are allowing ourselves to be trapped in. As much as I hate to say it, the Religion forum brings out the absolute worst in people on here. The BAC's constantly beating down on the RCC, the RCC firing back. To what end? What have you accomplished? You sure as hell aren't winning over any converts on either side of Christianity.

As for FB, I post on there all the time. Usually just pics of the house, my waterfront light shows, the kids and my wife and I when we get gussied up for an event. I think the lower traffic on FB has to do with all the ads (previously mentioned) and the stupid 'trending' feeds. That and the "Say AMEN for this disfigured child" and "If you don't say Amen, you are filled with Satan." (Got that one today) I like to see the photography my friend Nupe shares and I enjoy reading about my friend Dani and how her son's HS football team made it to the TX state semi finals and I actually use it to keep in touch with friends and family members around the country, you know, like its original mission.

 

[CRHS89]

Although I spend as much time on fb as ever, I rarely post personal statuses now. I have also recently weeded down who I "follow". While I don't necessarily unfriend people, I do stop following those that are always complaining, post offensive stuff, are attention-seeking, etc. A lot of my fb viewing consists of reading news, watching funny animal videos and looking at my friends and family's pictures. As far as my forum reading, I generally stop reading when one of the frequent back and forth spats start. I probably used to average an hour or more a day on the forums, but now it is more like 10 minutes.