You make a good point. Forums like this are focused and the material is usually useful, educational even. If you want to increase your learning you can even choose specific subforums to narrow the focus. You can also ask questions to narrow the focus even more, and people are likely to answer them with answers that build your knowledge.
Social media however, is like you described, somewhat of a cancer. As you said it's overly broad and mostly consists of people showing off, going to great lengths to portray unrealistic lives in some cases. Then that causes other people to either envy them or outdo them. It's not a pretty picture for society.
I feel bad because prior generations never had to deal with things like this. I feel worse for the kids, social media is like peer pressure on steroids. We had peer pressure discussions all the time in school when I was coming up, it was usually centered around drugs, alcohol and smoking. Just think of the stuff kids have to deal with now that aren't even in those categories.
There was a study I saw on the news the other day that parents with young kids who used Facebook ended up spending more money than those who didn't, because they saw other parents with young kids buying stuff for their children.
The politics talk is just poison too. It's not going to help anyone when people air their political beliefs. If it's not the politics, it's the religion. I know someone who tells me his Facebook feed is filled with threads of people arguing about politics, people he knew as extremely promiscuous now arguing as born again Christians, blah blah blah. Then there's Facebook Live and the fact that it encourages a culture of outrageous behavior as long as you can stream it.
Maybe they changed and are NOW born again Christians ? Jesus can do that .
I agree with you on that part wrytwister...
Certainly that can be the case.
One thing I believe is important though... Being an example is more important than posting stuff online.. And when people knew who you were and what you did prior.. maybe just maybe it is more important to be quiet for a long, long time with online stuff.. And then only private message people about what has changed in your life... And what it means to you.. That to me would be a far more humble way to handle that circumstance.
