[Fuzzybear]

I find the callous attitudes so prevalent on social media to be completely boring.

[bpcyclist]

People think they can write or say or photograph anything and they will never be held accountable because it is anonymous. It promotes bad behavior, IMO.

[fern46]

I find the drain of time and energy it takes makes real life more boring than it should be. Everything felt more genuine and like we had everyone's full attention before social media. Now everyone walks around like zombies staring at a sanitized and often fake version of the past on a screen. Just imagine what we could do for the world and for each other if everyone put social media away and invested fully in the here and now... You know, like the way little kids do

Yesterday, the cops showed up at my sister's house because they thought someone was going to hang themselves. This is a true story. Do you know how/why that happened? Because my adult nephew was writing about death by hanging oneself on friggin Facebook. Someone reported it to the cops, probably because they feared that my older nephew was making suicide threats. My youngest nephew died that way over two years ago. My sister and brother-in-law have never gotten my older nephew adequate therapy after that. My older nephew has various psych issues himself, and yet he hasn't had adequate therapy since his brother died. My older nephew and brother-in-law discovered my younger nephew in the basement. Wouldn't that traumatize a person?

My older nephew has Asperger's Syndrome, ADD, and likely OCD, with hoarding. He thinks a place like Facebook is a safe place. Would you believe it? It's the same shithole place that many other youth go to and see Russian propaganda and many other negative things. Some young and easily-influenced people have too much trust and faith in some of the crap they see on social media. That is detrimental to many people's well-being. It detrimental on various levels from mildly so, to so much so that young boys and men start mass shootings when they are really just needy and unwell people who need help. They are not evil! They are unwell people influenced by horrible things that social media, social isolation, and pressures in the world bring. A lot of it's dangerous and ugly! Reading certain tweets that come from the highest places are dangerous and ugly experiences. Hatred, misinformation, bullying, and much more! And yet it persists and nowadays is even taken seriously by many.

Social media sucks butt! People like Mark Zuckerberg and Jack Dorsey are only out for money! They don't give a damn about people and the wellness of the world. They're only in it for themselves and don't care what happens beyond their own doors.

Social media lures people in, but sometimes that offering never lets people out and leads them to horrible places. Society is suffering because of it. Escape while you can!

P.S.Yes, I told my sister my nephew seriously needs therapy. Will it happen? I don't know. It would almost seem ludicrous to many that he hasn't had the therapy. A lot of things seem unbelievable to me, nowadays!

[~Christina]

I can truly understand why social media can be a bad fit for someone due to a variety of reasons.

For me ? I love it. I keep in touch with lots of people from childhood or old jobs. I also have numerous friends I have made here over the years..Also the small amount of family I have left we can quickly share pics and just have conversations in real time on messenger.

Because I do not have a home phone and I do not get a cell signal..but I’m pretty certain I’d still keep in touch on a daily basis with Facebook as I’m not going to drive 11 miles to get enough of a cell signal to make a call.

Over the years I have had to block a few cousins and a few other people as they are just awful people all the way around. I have 100% control over whether I use social media or not.

My opinion if social media is not enjoyable then just close the account(s)

[Anonymous42019]

I agree with you, @Fuzzybear and people are more callous on social media because as members they find it easy to hide behind a façade. If they acted like that in Real Life, they'd get punched in the face.

'Social media is the breeding ground for hate and anxiety' according to adorable singer Dua Lipa for The Independent national newspaper, UK. Indeed. If you really are into social media and it works for you and people who can take a certain amount of rap, then their social climbing may benefit. Except if they push other members aside to climb their online social latter, then they are doing wrong.

There are those who shun social media because it generates anxiety. I gave it up years ago when studying for my university exams. I had no time or the inclination. All those years ago, bullying and criticism, even racial slurs were less recognised, so that social window gave opportunity to people to manipulate others and cause extreme upset. But now, bullying and overt nastiness on social media is being recognised, and acted upon, though online abuse continues. And I know that from many young and vulnerable people I see during the week.

Some may use social media in preference to Real Life meetings, because parties and social gatherings would be a strain and deter them. They suffer social phobia so are more likely to hide behind social media and get a kick out of it. And then there are those who won't use Twitter, Facebook, Instagram simply because they won't tolerate the social abuse these online places encourage. As a responsible mother I encourage my daughter to enjoy other activities and she has worked hard to become Group Leader in her outdoor survivalist group.

My partner has been considering, however, to use social media to promote her business, but she expects a completely different set of people instead of the nasty ones, but we will have to wait and see.

Good topic!

[Mountaindewed]

As someone with autism, selective mutism, and anxiety I don’t mind social media. I can barely talk to anyone in real life and when I do I usually just mumble a yes or no answer. Social media really helps me communicate the way I can’t do in real life. But I am not an asshole though on it.

[LilyMop]

I definitely understand the negative effects of social media. I don’t like that people tend to present such a false side of themselves on social media. But I also wonder if my frame of mind influences how I might feel about social media on any given day. When I’m feeling down I find that I feel sad when I see how happy everybody else seems to be except me. I build that up in my mind. When I’m feeling good I enjoy interactions on social media. I guess this is the same in real life, only amplified on social media maybe. I took all social media off my phone except PC. That seems to help limit my activity so that I feel more positive about it.

[unicornlady]

Social media make me sad. I keep doing it anyway. Even when I'm feeling good or happy, everybody else always seems happier, and I get sad. I find that it helps when I pay attention to my emotions, and get away from it when I start feeling bad, I am okay. I need to keep it because my work relies heavily on networking (which I hate anyway)

[mote.of.soul]

I think, yes, social media does reveal a lot of negativity about people, and perhaps in certain ways encourages it too, definitely. But it's not creating anything new about human behavior which isn't already there. Those negative things you see in social media, are all present in society as well. To me, social media is nothing more than a mirror, a reflection, of society, of people, and it's not looking entirely good, obviously. Yet, on the other hand, a lot of positive contributions are made via social media, as well, life-changing things.

So, whether or not social media can be a tool only for good, will depend on the mental well-being of, yes, the people who run it - your Zuckerberg's and your Dorsey's - and of those who use it too - society - in my opinion.

Yes, a good topic (((Fuzzy))).

[*Beth*]

Originally Posted by BirdDancer

Yesterday, the cops showed up at my sister's house because they thought someone was going to hang themselves. This is a true story. Do you know how/why that happened? Because my adult nephew was writing about death by hanging oneself on friggin Facebook. Someone reported it to the cops, probably because they feared that my older nephew was making suicide threats. My youngest nephew died that way over two years ago. My sister and brother-in-law have never gotten my older nephew adequate therapy after that. My older nephew has various psych issues himself, and yet he hasn't had adequate therapy since his brother died. My older nephew and brother-in-law discovered my younger nephew in the basement. Wouldn't that traumatize a person?

My older nephew has Asperger's Syndrome, ADD, and likely OCD, with hoarding. He thinks a place like Facebook is a safe place. Would you believe it? It's the same shithole place that many other youth go to and see Russian propaganda and many other negative things. Some young and easily-influenced people have too much trust and faith in some of the crap they see on social media. That is detrimental to many people's well-being. It detrimental on various levels from mildly so, to so much so that young boys and men start mass shootings when they are really just needy and unwell people who need help. They are not evil! They are unwell people influenced by horrible things that social media, social isolation, and pressures in the world bring. A lot of it's dangerous and ugly! Reading certain tweets that come from the highest places are dangerous and ugly experiences. Hatred, misinformation, bullying, and much more! And yet it persists and nowadays is even taken seriously by many.

Social media sucks butt! People like Mark Zuckerberg and Jack Dorsey are only out for money! They don't give a damn about people and the wellness of the world. They're only in it for themselves and don't care what happens beyond their own doors.

Social media lures people in, but sometimes that offering never lets people out and leads them to horrible places. Society is suffering because of it. Escape while you can!

P.S.Yes, I told my sister my nephew seriously needs therapy. Will it happen? I don't know. It would almost seem ludicrous to many that he hasn't had the therapy. A lot of things seem unbelievable to me, nowadays!

Birdie, the same thing happened to me last year! My husband and I had had an argument and I posted on Fb that I felt like I couldn't live like this anymore. I was entirely frustrated and upset and I was literally afraid for my health. My words were not a suicide threat. Well, someone thought they were. The cops showed up at my house. They asked to speak with me. While I was insisting to them that I was not suicidal one of them grabbed me, handcuffed me, and I was taken to the psych ward of the local hospital.

The whole thing was a nightmare. I was grilled by 2 very jaded pdocs, had a horrible, sleepless night. The next day I was finally let go. The discharge nurse told me that they're seeing more people brought in nowadays for misunderstood Facebook posts. Just so wrong.

If I could go back in time I would never have joined Facebook.

[Buffy01]

Originally Posted by bpcyclist

People think they can write or say or photograph anything and they will never be held accountable because it is anonymous. It promotes bad behavior, IMO.

I agree.

[Buffy01]

Originally Posted by BirdDancer

Yesterday, the cops showed up at my sister's house because they thought someone was going to hang themselves. This is a true story. Do you know how/why that happened? Because my adult nephew was writing about death by hanging oneself on friggin Facebook. Someone reported it to the cops, probably because they feared that my older nephew was making suicide threats. My youngest nephew died that way over two years ago. My sister and brother-in-law have never gotten my older nephew adequate therapy after that. My older nephew has various psych issues himself, and yet he hasn't had adequate therapy since his brother died. My older nephew and brother-in-law discovered my younger nephew in the basement. Wouldn't that traumatize a person?

My older nephew has Asperger's Syndrome, ADD, and likely OCD, with hoarding. He thinks a place like Facebook is a safe place. Would you believe it? It's the same shithole place that many other youth go to and see Russian propaganda and many other negative things. Some young and easily-influenced people have too much trust and faith in some of the crap they see on social media. That is detrimental to many people's well-being. It detrimental on various levels from mildly so, to so much so that young boys and men start mass shootings when they are really just needy and unwell people who need help. They are not evil! They are unwell people influenced by horrible things that social media, social isolation, and pressures in the world bring. A lot of it's dangerous and ugly! Reading certain tweets that come from the highest places are dangerous and ugly experiences. Hatred, misinformation, bullying, and much more! And yet it persists and nowadays is even taken seriously by many.

Social media sucks butt! People like Mark Zuckerberg and Jack Dorsey are only out for money! They don't give a damn about people and the wellness of the world. They're only in it for themselves and don't care what happens beyond their own doors.

Social media lures people in, but sometimes that offering never lets people out and leads them to horrible places. Society is suffering because of it. Escape while you can!

P.S.Yes, I told my sister my nephew seriously needs therapy. Will it happen? I don't know. It would almost seem ludicrous to many that he hasn't had the therapy. A lot of things seem unbelievable to me, nowadays!

I'm sorry that you lost one of your nephew. Although I understand why the police show up.. I agree with what you said about social media getting bad and how it affect people.

[Fuzzybear]

Originally Posted by bpcyclist

People think they can write or say or photograph anything and they will never be held accountable because it is anonymous. It promotes bad behavior, IMO.

Agreed. This often is the case, sadly. As has been said elsewhere that sort of stuff needs to be blocked and reported if there is a report function.

[Buffy01]

Originally Posted by BethRags

Birdie, the same thing happened to me last year! My husband and I had had an argument and I posted on Fb that I felt like I couldn't live like this anymore. I was entirely frustrated and upset and I was literally afraid for my health. My words were not a suicide threat. Well, someone thought they were. The cops showed up at my house. They asked to speak with me. While I was insisting to them that I was not suicidal one of them grabbed me, handcuffed me, and I was taken to the psych ward of the local hospital.

The whole thing was a nightmare. I was grilled by 2 very jaded pdocs, had a horrible, sleepless night. The next day I was finally let go. The discharge nurse told me that they're seeing more people brought in nowadays for misunderstood Facebook posts. Just so wrong.

If I could go back in time I would never have joined Facebook.

I had multiple people telling me to take my life, threaten to harm but when I went to the police no one cares about what happen to me. I'm sorry that you had to experience that over a misunderstanding.

[Fuzzybear]

I have requested that this thread be closed please.

[FooZe]

This thread is being closed at the OP's request.