Social media holdout.

[Drew99GT]

Originally Posted By: Stelth
I have a Facebook account. I thought I needed it to "keep in touch" with people. I don't. I de-activated it, which means if I change my mind (not likely), I can re-activate it. Now I don't get emails saying that someone "tagged" a picture of me, or wants to be my "friend." FB is way too personal for me.


I'm the same way. I initially started a Facebook page because all my cousins and uncles and family have their little clique, of which I'm basically not a part of. They wanted me to join so i could keep up with all the latest family goings on. It's usually the same old FB stuff - pictures of the dog, how great their lives are (but I hear the real story from my aunt when she calls my mom...) bla bla bla. I said screw it. If any of them wants to talk, or I want to talk, we're all a phone call away. FB is window dressing for people's lives I've found. Obviously it can be anything that people want it to be, but for that's how it is with my family.

 

[jimbrewer]

Originally Posted By: Pablo
"social media" = another made up opiate for the masses.

Really just don't have the time. Enough email, texts, vm's, etc

Besides isn't that what BITOG is for?


Never really was what you would call an early adopter. But social media always seemed like a huge invasion of privacy. If nothing else, this stuff gets expensive, real fast. I consciously keep it as simple as possible. When I took a job that didn't require a cell phone, I let it go. I did without until it reached a point three years ago when I realized that travel is impossible without a cell phone. I got a prepaid cell phone from the grocery store. $10 bucks per month, and I overpaid (the internet deals are even cheaper). Kept the cathode ray TV until they went digital and I couldn't get the box to work. Have a rock bottom $40 plan from comcast that provides internet. I'm not a huge sports fan. This post is on a salvaged Dell laptop about 10 years old, running Linux Puppy on a USB.

 

[buster]

Give it a shot, if you enjoy it stick with it. Just don't let it ruin your relationships and life.

 

[Samuraidog]

Not a facebook user. IMO, there is nothing good that can come from it. Life is complicated enough without social media. I prefer to stay away.

 

[NHHEMI]

Originally Posted By: RF Overlord
Wow...until I read this thread, I thought I was the only person in America who isn't on FB, doesn't Tweet, and has a cell phone with texting blocked (it belongs to the company I work for).


Hardly. I am with you man 100%. Never have and never will FB or Tweet and I too have texting( incoming )blocked on my cell.

FB, Twitter, and the rest is just for 12 year old little girls and people with an over inflated opinion of themselevs that think the world really cares about what they think and do.

As the other member said earlier...

If it's not really necessary, I'll send an email.
If it's very important, I'll make a phone call.
Otherwise, it's not important at all.

 

[aquariuscsm]

Originally Posted By: NHHEMI
Originally Posted By: RF Overlord
Wow...until I read this thread, I thought I was the only person in America who isn't on FB, doesn't Tweet, and has a cell phone with texting blocked (it belongs to the company I work for).


Hardly. I am with you man 100%. Never have and never will FB or Tweet and I too have texting( incoming )blocked on my cell.

FB, Twitter, and the rest is just for 12 year old little girls and people with an over inflated opinion of themselevs that think the world really cares about what they think and do.

As the other member said earlier...

If it's not really necessary, I'll send an email.
If it's very important, I'll make a phone call.
Otherwise!, it's not important at all.




AMEN Hemi!! I agree with you 200%!!

 

[97tbird]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Wow, tons of negativity.

I have a Facebook account, never had twitter or MySpace.

Is there a lot of garbage? Sure.

But it's the same as the garbage on the net. And it's easily avoided/ignored.

Sure I'm friends with lots of folks that I haven't seen in years, and perhaps wouldn't see otherwise, like folks from HS.

But it's interesting to see what people I know/knew are up to, and share tidbits as well.

This stuff is only a problem at the level that folks want to get neck-deep into it. It's easy to have a minimal "presence", take minimal time, not have drama or garbage gossip show up, and be involved with minimal involvement...


+1
Just like FB users can get annoying, if you don't know how to filter things and adjust your settings so that it is exactly what you want it to be (or close), it has become cool/a style (or "manly") to bash FB and social networking. ("only bored housewives use FB to post about their kids" cliche)

I only have FB - same as my wife (we both work full time, and we don't have kids, so we don't use it to post about kids

- it can be VERY useful when one has family and friends overseas for sharing things (that matter) and keeping in touch and to organize get-togethers etc. Of course one has to manage it in a decent, educated manner and not get sucked into the K-r-a-p stupid people use it for.

Like most things, one can make a mess of it, or make it a useful tool for certain purposes.

 

[uc50ic4more]

If and when you use social media, *you are* the product: Information about you - specifically your purchasing and surfing habits - is extremely valuable to advertisers; and by using social media you are providing them that information.

 

[wrcsixeight]

Thanks for the replies. Little surprised at the negativity toward Social media, good to know I am not alone.

I might just do a token account and share little of myself.

Targeted advertising is highly annoying to me, makes me very suspicious and less likely to consider a product. I'd probably delete cookies before signing on, and right after.

Adblock on Chrome has been a treat. I am always amazed how much slower, yet more colorfully annoying, the internet is with it disabled.

 

[dailydriver]

Originally Posted By: RF Overlord
Wow...until I read this thread, I thought I was the only person in America who isn't on FB, doesn't Tweet, and has a cell phone with texting blocked


Same here! I REFUSE to text OR 'tweet', don't even care what TF the "cloud" is, and would promptly sell a "smart" phone IF it was given to me.

I just view all of this as another popular culture/populist societal 'requirement', like watching American Idol, listening only to top 40/Clear Channel radio, being into G-rap/ghetto culture, HAVING to drive a foreign nameplated car, putting those stupid little family member/pets caricatures on my back window, etc.
I also view it as the realm of those (12 year old little girls and otherwise) who walk around (or drive around

) bumping into things because they are CONSTANTLY on and playing with their "smart" phones.

NO THANK YOU!!

 

[97tbird]

Pretty much all our close friends use FB and/or have smart phones and NONE of them behave the way you described, and for that matter, they can't be further from your description. Those people and us hate stuff like American Idol.

really shouldn't make baseless generalizations.

 

[antiqueshell]

It does depend on how you use it.

Most folks leave the door wide open and don't exclude the public from seeing at least some of that personal material.

Of course the more nefarious element is how fb has started to cross reference such personal data many times without folks even knowing about it.

Stay clear. You can accomplish the same or similar goals using other safer methods.

 

[Mr Nice]

dailydriver,

How old are you ?

 

[morepwr]

I pass on all that stuff.

 

[andyd]

I have a work cell phone. I consider this post to be social media enough for me. I didnt go "online" until 2K. I am 61.

 

[Propflux01]

Originally Posted By: wrcsixeight

....I might just do a token account and share little of myself.


Another turns to the dark side!!!

 

[Pop_Rivit]

Social media such as facebook I'll leave to the the sheep that mindlessly use it and think that people there are "friends". I really don't care about their status, and I'm sure they don't care about mine since it's none of their business. I have no desire to reconnect with high school friends. If I choose not to maintain a friendship over the years, there's probably a good reason why.

The obvious privacy issues aside, my friends are people that I have coffee with on Saturday mornings. My friends are people that come over for dinner and enjoy good conversation. My friends are people who I'd help out in a pinch, and who would help me out if I ever needed it. My friends are not e-friends who would disappear in a puff of electrons if I pulled the plug on my computer.

I don't care much for what blithering idiots have to say or "tweet" about themselves-in the very rare case it's something important I'm sure I'll find out in due course. Otherwise it's nothing more than a bloated sense of self worth to assume anyone cares. I'll leave twitter to the twits that think what they have to say is actually important.

And texting? No thanks. If you want to contact me pick up the phone and call rather than hide behind a text. If I don't answer the phone take it as a hint that I probably don't want to talk to you.

 

[97tbird]

Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit

The obvious privacy issues aside, my friends are people that I have coffee with on Saturday mornings. My friends are people that come over for dinner and enjoy good conversation. My friends are people who I'd help out in a pinch, and who would help me out if I ever needed it.

These are the kinds of friends we have too - but they're also on FB

 

[sleddriver]

Quote:
FB, Twitter, and the rest is just for 12 year old little girls and people with an over inflated opinion of themselevs that think the world really cares about what they think and do.

+1 I went to eat with a friend in another city recently. We don't see each other much, but talk on the phone occasionally. He's now in his mid-60's. As I was returning to the table, I noticed he had his phone out, taking a picture of an ice-cream/cola float he'd just made...and was sending it to someone. I laughed to myself. Talk about gone over the edge. . . . just addicted.

As for me, I don't use any SM, despite pleas from relatives to 'join in'. They're just obsessed and addicted to it. Rather disturbing. I wonder how long they could go without 'checking in' before experiencing a full-blown panic attack?

To the OP: You're certainly not alone friend!

 

[dailydriver]

Originally Posted By: LT4 Vette
dailydriver,

How old are you ?


I'm almost 58, what has THAT got to do with anything??!

The people I've described as NOT wanting to be like are ALL ages, almost as many 'addicts' OLDER than I as younger.

BTW; I'm told that I look almost HALF my age (except for the lack of hair), and feel much younger than how I hear 30 year olds describe themselves, own not ONE polyester leisure suit, not one pair of polyester pants, no nylon 'tracksuits', or white NB walking shoes (velcro closures or otherwise), and NOT one pair of those big, cheap, side-blinder shades associated with/seen on the elderly.

And oh yeah, I have NEVER in my life said, "you kids better get off my g** d***** lawn!", nor would I EVER, even if I actually had a lawn.