[Disconnected User] Social Media Experience Blasphemy

thebadmachine on 29/12/2020 - 23:41
Last edited 30/12/2020 - 00:06

Disconnected user here (in private life and internet) and so zero “common” social media accounts.
Only make website account when it is absolutely needed (complete opposite to family member who makes accounts every single day but another story) so even the number of current website accounts is minimal.
Always was the one who avoided “modern” technology & popular services, but recently have started changing, and now more open to modern futuristic social idea.

So recently started wondering maybe this behaviour is too paranoid, there is opportunity to experience new wonderful experience by creating ALL social media account (twitter / facebook / instagram / tiktok / youtube) and being more active on the internet.

Ozbargain proposition (same as vote options):

  1. You vote here and promise to delete all apps & will stop using social media now (we will be same experience / better off staying disconnected). OR

  2. You vote to continue using social media forever (will make accounts on all social media and be more popular / accepted by society / try best to engage and use them find hidden benefits).

Result will affect behaviour on 1/1/2021.

(Disclaimer: previously made facebook account 16 years ago when it released, account had zero friends and just a few photos uploaded, never used maybe it is deleted by now, if option 2 wins will make brand new facebook account)

Poll Options expired

  • 156
    1 Will stop using social media and you can live without (you are avoiding lot of junk)
  • 60
    2 Will continue to use social media (one of us one of us)
Internet

Comments

  • El cheepo on 31/12/2020 - 10:13
    +1

    Your not missing anything, social media is the junk food equivalent of unhealthy recreation.
    Fine in small doses, but addictive and bad for you in large ones.

    I haven’t had any for years but recently made a burner FB basically for marketplace. Despite that been the only purpose, it quickly lured me back in to massive time wasting and pointless scrolling. And thats just one social media app…

  • capslock janitor on 31/12/2020 - 10:23
    +2

    hey OP you are beautiful no matter what they say

    • thebadmachine on 31/12/2020 - 18:30

      Thanks very much appreciate it.

  • bargain huntress on 31/12/2020 - 11:36
    -1

    remember that social media isn't the only way to connect with people. and that you don't have to use it even though it feels that way sometimes.

    ps i'm curious what your AQ score is; https://www.wired.com/2001/12/aqtest/

    • thebadmachine on 31/12/2020 - 18:32

      Prefer avoid all tests, like IQ test. Either result good or bad (high IQ low IQ) rather be ok (prefer) with mystery.

      • spackbace on 31/12/2020 - 21:43

        AQ is not IQ…

        Good thing it wasn't a reading test 😂

  • srhardy on 31/12/2020 - 11:38
    +1

    As the 1st is near, let me remind you that your actions matter not to the algorithm! It has a ghost version of you from everyone else’s account as they have shared photos , locations and history with the algo already.

    My old man was paranoid and never had an account on anything so as a test I registered his mobile number and it found dad from b&w photos for the 1950s, his education and friends as they had all shared their contacts with the algo and the algo had noticed this invisible person and it had a name, history and proposed friends list ready to go.

    So it matters not. As long as you share your name with any identifiable info like an email, mobile or group photo with another then sorry your already on the grid as they say. Privacy is non existent (from thousands of satalites overhead to all the cameras on streets/shops) your goose is precooked!

    • thebadmachine on 31/12/2020 - 18:39

      ghost version of you from everyone else’s account as they have shared photos , locations and history with the algo already.

      Yes maybe true. But probably very old ghost version, maybe young ghost version only. Once bumped into someone many years ago and they said “thought you died in highschool”.

      so as a test I registered his mobile number and it found dad from b&w photos for the 1950s, his education and friends as they had all shared their contacts with the algo

      Yes heard recently this story, adopted person did DNA test, DNA company matched them with birth mother. DNA company shared all details with birth mother, and birth mother started to harassing them online (want to meet over and over). Person is very angry at DNA. Waow story.

      Privacy is non existent

      Yes I agree, it is ok they have past ghost sleeve. It is ok to update it. But sending your DNA that is too extreme.

  • Hangryuman on 31/12/2020 - 13:30
    +1

    none of the above - somewhere in the middle

    social media is fantastic for instant communications

    hey - I just sent a picture of some mushrooms I saw growing in a local park after the rain to ask if they were edible …

    but tends to create echo chambers of 'like' behaviors - where any disenchantment is simply unfriended and blocked, leaving only those who don't disagree with you, so crazies can end up feeling lots of people support their murderous ideas

    I use WhatsApp mostly with friends - but I don't use Facebook - I know what Mark Zuckerberg called people who joined up with that …

    https://www.indiatoday.in/technology/news/story/mark-zuckerb…

    • thebadmachine on 31/12/2020 - 18:44

      disenchantment is simply unfriended and blocked, leaving only those who don't disagree with you, so crazies can end up feeling lots of people support their murderous ideas

      dangerous… yes it can be worry if you are only join one interest especially online.

  • MessyG on 31/12/2020 - 21:05
    +2

    I think if you're someone who has grown up in a situation where you've not been connected to others in a way that you deserve, i.e. a close family unit, or close relationships in school, then social media is very good for 'finding your tribe'. But it really is just a tool and if you're vulnerable to the #engagement algorithms, then it can be very very bad for your mental health. I had a hard time growing up, fractured family, hardly any friends in school, and the Internet saved me socially as a teen. I found the Star Trek fan club and met friends there, later I found friends on IRC, and then Livejournal, then Tumblr…and these days I'm in all sorts of fun Facebook groups around gardening and other various hobbies. Lots of them have meet and greets, and the people you meet are just nice regular people who've probably had a hard time too.

    As humans we are all, and should be, connected. Whether you do that in person, or on social media, or in some other way, is up to you. But just make sure you have some way to connect. To be disconnected from the human condition is the most painful of isolation and your mind leads you out of the world and into places that aren't real. Social media isn't 'evil', it just is and it does matter how you use it. Max your privacy settings, don't use your real name, don't post anything that could get you fired - but if you've no one else to connect with, join your version of a Star Trek group.

    • Mysterious on 02/01/2021 - 17:34

      I think you have a positive outlook on social media. Although I think the intentions of social media companies actually are evil as they use methods to promote addiction and turn a blind eye on privacy, if you use social media in the right way then it does offer benefits. Not everyone chats by text message anymore. Social media messengers are accessible and free to use, so it definitely makes staying in touch a lot easier. I think it becomes a problem when you're aimlessly browsing/scrolling. That sort of addiction is extremely debilitating. When looking back, whenever I've gone through low periods or when I wasn't busy with work or study, I was scrolling through Facebook and Instagram for hours a day, even though I knew it was wrong. All those hundreds of hours, scrolling through tens of thousands of posts, and I can't recall one single video or share at all. Personally I find social media more addictive than alcohol or drugs mainly because of it's accessibility.

  • Randolph Duke on 31/12/2020 - 22:09

    Whilst I understand the question and request for feedback, basing your future habits on the votes of others is… odd.

    Do whatever works for you.

  • Kiro on 01/01/2021 - 00:59

    i have disconnected myself from social media, the main issues are:

    1. broken friendships - most of my friends think that we dont need to get together as much due to the fact that they upload a lot over social media thinking that we are there with them through the phone.
    2. too much time taken away from socializing although this can be taken back and use in moderation although the number of friends if high can be daunting and you can miss out on some good stuff.
    3. cant be F'ed.
    4. always looking at technology.

    i never really was into the whole social thing online, i didnt get hooked on it and the friends i had (past tense) were the same. i do think that it did destroy a lot of my friendships and it was hard to make contact again…. to the point where no one was making the effort.

    i do have life long friends that i actually see every few months, the age gaps are pretty high and we do have lives of our own, they are great and im happy with that.

    back onto the topic, i dont think it is warranted. but if you feel like needing to try it out.

  • DiscoJango on 01/01/2021 - 10:45
    +1

    I know plenty of people in the 25-35 age group who are moving away from insta, fb etc

    Apps like 'screen time' quickly and easily show you just how much time you spend/waste per day on social media, it can get scary.

    Eg: we can make excuses, i dont have time to go to the gym or go for a walk, im just so busy, and then screen time shows you spend at least an hour per day mindlessly scrolling on instagram.

    While it has some good content, especially in the self learning/motivational segment, it also has a lot of interesting fluff, eg: cute cats, russians doing crazy things.

  • Mysterious on 02/01/2021 - 17:42

    Damn OP, noticed some insensitive comments on this thread after reading it all, if you end up reading this ignore their hate dude, I uninstalled my social media yesterday because of your post. like another user said you are beautiful no matter what they say 😎😎

  • kmwa on 10/04/2021 - 17:37

    Dear OP, my Ozbargain proposition is to use social media - but on my terms.
    I’m a late adopter of mobile phones and Facebook, so I’m still on a learning curve, sorry.
    I’ve watched people on trains thumbing their way through endless pages of stuff on their phone and I recently discovered that this was their Facebook newsfeed.
    I’m finding my newsfeed useful but I was getting upset by the distracting posts that Facebook stuff in there.
    Unfortunately Facebook has no way of turning off the “Suggested for you” crap, but you can use an extension/add-on with web browsers that allows you to turn off the unwanted rubbish and make your Newsfeed useful again. This free app is called F.B. Purity and you can find it at https://www.fbpurity.com/
    “It filters out the junk you don't want to see, leaving behind the posts and page elements you do wish to see. The list of story types that FBP hides is customizable to your taste.”
    I am also cautious about putting birth dates and other personal information onto social media. Did you know that your mobile phone number can be ported (stolen), potentially giving access to your email accounts and bank accounts? All a scammer needs is your mobile phone number and your date of birth.
    [Dear mod, I know this post looks like spam, but it’s genuine - my newsfeed was upsetting me with all the clickbait and the “You won’t believe what happened next” time-wasters. Now, I only see posts from friends and from pages that I follow].

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