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[dr_octagon]

Objectively it's a tool that can reveal the true nature of humanity. Whether that's useful or not depends on what your personal views on life are.

the internet is a tool but in its current state, it is no longer about free flow information and no longer an open network for everybody as once intended. it's like a road restricting you based on the type of car, the contents inside, the time you travel etc.

it's engineered to influence behaviour, the amount of control, manipulation backed by money, monopolies have shaped society. studies saying it drives negative behaviour, addiction, mental illness etc. but we don't see it as a physical manifestation like poor diet

it's telling some of the silicon valley don't allow their kids to use the technology or social media they helped to develop

 

[p_xavier]

Mentally ill people are being applauded by fetishizers and they are destroying themselves for likes. So yeah its a bad thing. Plus group-thing is currently destroying democracies by the wokes.

 

[Coolwhhip]

Not much doubt here. I think anyone with a social media account that wants to share their fake life with others has some issues.

Young people today grow up with a completely warped view of reality.

 

[Kimahri]

On my way to work today I drove past several bus stops with kids, mostly early teens, were waiting for the school bus. Every single one had their noses buried in their cell phones. Nobody spoke to each other, or even looked at each other. And I work at a school, I see it there too. We banned phones, thank god. It just destroys social interactivity to such an insane degree.

The last good SN was myspace. God damn I made so many friends there, and it was so ridiculously easy to find like minded people. Then they started to try to fix shit, and just broke it, paving the way for myspace to just steal every member. And people left, without remembering to share contact info, so many friendships just dissolved. It was a weird time.

But the worst thing that happened is honestly the "like". Without that thing, things could look a lot different. Any reaction emoji is truly not a good thing. They're used in so many nasty ways these days.

 

[Clear]

Obviously, and inarguably they have proven massively damaging societally.

The reality is these platforms are primarily built for commerce, they are not altruistic or pro-social by nature. The algorithms and underlying mechanisms are built to drive attention and therefore profit by exploiting our worst psychological traits; they thrive on tribalism, confirmation-bias, judgementalism, narcissism, machiavellianism, the whole dark triad.

Its the perfect medium for psychopaths, propagandists, and all kinds of bad-actors.

 

[Vagswarm]

Social networks have successfully showed me which friends are nuts.

Hey now, we all have our episodes...

 

[Mistake]

People weren’t made to interact online. We’re basically conducting a worldwide social experiment, and from what I can tell it’s not good. Many apps are also designed in ways to make people addicted, like slot machines or pachinko parlors.

But the worst thing that happened is honestly the "like". Without that thing, things could look a lot different. Any reaction emoji is truly not a good thing. They're used in so many nasty ways these days.

I noticed myself checking for likes, so I turned them off here. Now I only get notified when I’m quoted.

 

[BadBurger]

People weren’t made to interact online. We’re basically conducting a worldwide social experiment, and from what I can tell it’s not good. Many apps are also designed in ways to make people addicted, like slot machines or pachinko parlors.


I noticed myself checking for likes, so I turned them off here. Now I only get notified when I’m quoted.

It was one of the first things I did. Too many people would use the laugh reaction as a kind of petty, passive aggressive taunt or something, I don't really know. It just added to the notification spam. Quotes and mentions are enough for me.

 

[DeafTourette]

No it isn’t. I build similar systems and they are actually designed to shape human behavior.

If you think you are in control of your social media consumption, you are either an extreme outlier, or unaware of how pervasive they are in your life and how much influence they have over every choice you make.

Im in control of my social media because, as I said, I only follow people I know or have gotten to know from groups. I've made some very strong friendships and it's also how I found my father and his side of the family (he had been trying to find me for decades).

I don't go on there to follow celebrities, product companies or anything else like that. Family and friends, that's it. I don't even click on the ads.

I don't know what else to tell you.

 

[Whitecrow]

Objectively it's a tool that can reveal the true nature of humanity. Whether that's useful or not depends on what your personal views on life are.

Wrong.

Nature made a mistake when it didnt think that we would reach this level of development.

We are totally out of the lifestyle we are suposed to have as animals. We were designed to live interacting with the nature like every other animal, organized in small groups, in tribes, and worrying about food and reproduction.
This globalized society is a mindfuck for our brain.

 

[NeoIkaruGAF]

There are many advances in communication, in terms of technology that have done wonderful things, but I also feel that moral values have changed.

In my opinion, I do not agree with social networks, as many times they are sites where rumors or gossip occurs, when they upload photos showing off objects where ironically they sometimes cause envy or simply the fact of sometimes giving false news.

In the case of YouTube, where children are honestly exposed to violent or sexual material.

I think that human values have been harmed with the arrival of Facebook and YouTube in our lives.

Yes ... YouTube also allows us to find good information, but usually most of the content is violence, bully, sex, obscene language and bad influences.

What is your opinion?

As usual, the problem lies with people.

What we see in social media now, people in the 50s and 60s saw in TV.

Social media is a tool anti-tyranny resistance groups throughout history could only dream of.
But since literally anyone can use it, including corporations, politicians, law officers and such, as well as criminals and common idiots, the end result is chaos. We’ve left behind a world where the truth could be easily hidden, but replaced it with one where it’s often impossible to decide where the truth really lies.

Social media only magnified one simple tenet: societies are based on trust, not truth.
When you simply cannot decide what is true, you’ll just believe the people you trust most.
And with social media, one person that gains a lot of trust can gain tremendous reach and spread lies. All they have to do is to be louder than most others.

 

[Lanrutcon]

I want someone to look me in the eye and tell me Twitter improved the world.

Then I'll proceed to sell that person I bridge I don't own because they're obviously gullible as fuck and an easy mark.

 

[NickFire]

Social media has its positives, but the negatives are downright frightening. For all of our advances as a species, it horrifies me how quickly people will devolve to taking pleasure from other people's pain. Or how easily people are swayed by group think / utter nonsense.

 

[nkarafo]

The internet is one of the best things humanity invented.

Social media is one of the worst.

 

[Nobody_Important]

It's really not much of a debate we already know for a fact that it has harmed humanity.

The only debate to be had is whether or not the good that it does outweighs the bad in the short term and the long term.

 

[strange headache]

The only debate to be had is whether or not the good that it does outweighs the bad in the short term and the long term.

How can glorified gossip network change the world for the better?

Spoiler: Hint

They can't.

 

[Nobody_Important]

How can glorified gossip networks change the world for the better?

Spoiler: Hint

They can't.

They can and have in a wide variety of ways. You know that. Just because you think the bad outweighs the good does not mean there is no good to be found.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Social media has its positives, but the negatives are downright frightening. For all of our advances as a species, it horrifies me how quickly people will devolve to taking pleasure from other people's pain. Or how easily people are swayed by group think / utter nonsense.

Totally.

It's morphed heavy into image and perception.

When FB and Twitter got up and running for the masses (not sure about Myspace as I never used it or even browsed it. All I know is it was more for musicians for something), it was pretty bland. Post some pics and info on FB, people were doing tweets like "good morning! I just ate a bagel!'. Looking back, pretty lame stuff. Nothing to do with politics, image or butting heads. I dont think when the average social media app back then started, people's first goals in 2007 were trying to get as many subs as possible trying to make ad revenue out of it. Maybe a tiny number of clever people ahead of the trend, but not like now where tons of people try to make careers out of it.

Then it morphed into politics and popularity contests, shaming and who will and wont play the public image game or not.

For example, roughly 50/50 are voters for liberal and conservative. Or more accurately, maybe 51 lib, 49 repub. Close enough. But when it comes to openly stating political opinions, it's like 90 liberal and 10 right wingers as they dont want to publicly say things that may seem mean.

 

[strange headache]

They can and have in a wide variety of ways. You know that. Just because you think the bad outweighs the good does not mean there is no good to be found.

 

[MilkyJoe]

Social media needs to died in a nuclea blast, but every now and then you get something that makes it worth while

 

[Nobody_Important]

Edit: I know better than this by now.

 

[strange headache]

What a mature and well put together response.

There is no proper response to your nonsense.
What you're doing is similar to hoping that these guys...

...will change the world for the better.
F*cking lol.

 

[Nobody_Important]

There is no proper response to your nonsense.
What you're doing is similar to hoping that these guys...

...will change the world for the better.
F*cking lol.

You are either being intentionally stupid or you are exposing just how ignorant you are about social media if you think all it's used for is pointless gossip.


Either way I know better at this point than to try and convince you of anything.

 

[strange headache]

You are either being intentionally stupid or you are exposing just how ignorant you are about social media if you think all it's used for is pointless gossip.

Every week I see a poor soul destroyed by the online mob, yet here you are accusing me of being ignorant.

 

[GymWolf]

I don't think so

 

[Nobody_Important]

Every week I see a poor soul destroyed by the online mob, yet here you are accusing me of being ignorant.

Yes and that "online mob" is LITERALLY the only thing going on right then right? There is LITERALLY nothing else the platform is used for other than the "online mob" right?


Pretending that literally nothing positive happens on social media is just a very dumb hill to die on.

 

[strange headache]

Yes and that "online mob" is LITERALLY the only thing going on right then right? There is LITERALLY nothing else the platform is used for other than the "online mob" right?

Sure there is, see the examples above your post

 

[Nobody_Important]

Sure there is, see the examples above your post

So then we agree. Cool.

 

[strange headache]

So then we agree. Cool.

Oh sure sure, I'm absolutely positive that updating twitter bio, sharing hashtags, posing for tiktok videos, fishing for likes and destroying people who don't share our views will bring about the positive change we need.

 

[daveonezero]

Not just bad. The corporations and people running them are evil.

Facebook Manipulated 689,003 Users' Emotions For Science

Facebook's data scientists manipulated the News Feeds of 689,003 users, filling them with either positive posts or negative posts or posts devoid of sentiment in order to see how it affected their moods.

www.forbes.com

 

[TheInfamousKira]

Social networks haven't. The ability to tie people from across the world together in communication and connect us in ways that weren't possible before is amazing. What's harmed humanity is the tribalism and echo chambers that have stemmed from such tools.

 

[Alebrije]

No , they have not.


Humanity has always been harmed or at least a part of it, now we just can see it easily.

Also people are less afraid to show their "talents" or point of views on social media. So you have flat earth believers on you tube and tons of more crazy stuff...yep some are lame and as humanity does give good bives about the future but they are the less, most of people are fine.

 

[IDKFA]

Choose Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram and a thousand others ways to spew your bile across people you've never met. Choose updating your profile, tell the world what you had for breakfast and hope that someone, somewhere cares. Choose looking up old flames, desperate to believe that you don't look as bad as they do. Choose live-blogging, from your first wank 'til your last breath; human interaction reduced to nothing more than data. Choose ten things you never knew about celebrities who've had surgery. Choose screaming about abortion. Choose rape jokes, slut-shaming, revenge porn and an endless tide of depressing misogyny.

 

[NecrosaroIII]

Absolutely. People were not meant to know / interact with more than 100 people. This hyper communication has broken society. It's why we're so fractured now.

 

[T8SC]

Yes.

Instagram - Full of (fake) people trying to be the next local/national celebrity, trying to get endorsements and doing lots of stuff that either puts them in danger or makes you question their mentality. All for the 'gram.

Facebook - Full of scammers.

Twitter - Social Justice & Woke brigade.

Tinder - Chinese women wanting to discuss your finances and investments.


Shut them all down and lets just use MSN Messenger again.

 

[Synless]

Without a doubt. I’ve seen vanity come out of people I’ve never expected in ways that ruined marriages, people living out of their phones to obtain clicks, a variety of other things. It’s a shit show.

 

[Dark Star]

social media skews peoples sense of reality and makes them do/say things for likes/followers. People have ruined their relationships/marriages due to social media and smartphone use, and it's going to get worse. Instagram, Tiktok, Twitter, tinder, facebook, etc. It's all very addictive and people are being brainwashed by fake news, misinformation. People really base their entire identity on their social media profile, like their only motivation to travel isto post a few pictures on instagram. I don't think high school kids and younger (18) should be allowed to use these platforms, it's making them depressed and the constant stream of information is making them have anxiety issues. They should be reading books and going outside, doing hobbies, making IRL friends instead.

 

[oagboghi2]

There should be a third option

 

[DeafTourette]

Social networks haven't. The ability to tie people from across the world together in communication and connect us in ways that weren't possible before is amazing. What's harmed humanity is the tribalism and echo chambers that have stemmed from such tools.

Once more for the people in the back!

 

[Pejo]

internet and early web is godfather part 1

iphone and smartphones is godfather part 2

social media is godfather 3, game of thrones season 8, the rise of skywalker, alien 3 etc

Disagree, I think Smartphones were the beginning of the end. It's when the internet became easily accessible to the tech illiterate masses. Everything else is a direct effect of that.

 

[GeorgioCostanzaX]

In the West culture norms are set by corporations and the media but in China they’re set by the state. Manipulation takes place at both extremes but it is morbidly interesting to see the social experiment play out.

 

[20cent]

It pisses me off to see people scrolling through their social media feeds constantly, at the restaurant, in lines, in the elevator, in the train, in the bus, while driving, while walking...wtf. What happened to look around you, at people, thinking about your life, listening to music... Are you that bored?

With my close friends, we call each others maybe twice 1 or 2 hours on the phone a month with some, and lengthy emails with others. I "facetime" my relatives.
Personally, I don't care about people I know holidays, weekends, what they thought about a TV show, what they think in general... At least in the sterile form of a post, it was not made for me to react to. I have no interest in influencers lives, I don't care about people enjoying life or having a blast with their luxury crap during their jobless and worries-free life. If I want news, I check a news website. If I want videogame news or any other "commercial" news, I actively look for it on google/forums, I don't want to be fed constantly by crap I don't want when I am not in the mood.

 

[Kamina]

One might argue that it keeps people connected, but when takng the destroyed lifes or even loss of lives it caused into account, let alone the constant social and political manipulations, national and global, you know that it is actually cancer in disguise.

 

[MilkyJoe]

Yes and that "online mob" is LITERALLY the only thing going on right then right? There is LITERALLY nothing else the platform is used for other than the "online mob" right?


Pretending that literally nothing positive happens on social media is just a very dumb hill to die on.

A hill to die on?

 

[ntropy]

what a cruel irony to have this thread near 911 when this tech would've elucidated what was going for the people inside
many mistakenly went back into the buildings from the miscommunication

 

[RJMacready73]

It pisses me off to see people scrolling through their social media feeds constantly, at the restaurant, in lines, in the elevator, in the train, in the bus, while driving, while walking...wtf. What happened to look around you, at people, thinking about your life, listening to music... Are you that bored?

With my close friends, we call each others maybe twice 1 or 2 hours on the phone a month with some, and lengthy emails with others. I "facetime" my relatives.
Personally, I don't care about people I know holidays, weekends, what they thought about a TV show, what they think in general... At least in the sterile form of a post, it was not made for me to react to. I have no interest in influencers lives, I don't care about people enjoying life or having a blast with their luxury crap during their jobless and worries-free life. If I want news, I check a news website. If I want videogame news or any other "commercial" news, I actively look for it on google/forums, I don't want to be fed constantly by crap I don't want when I am not in the mood.

This reminds me perfectly of a holiday to Puerto Banús a few years back, it’s a town on the Spanish coast filled with hyper cars and mega yachts, lovely place actually.. had a helluva steak there but anyways.. i think i've told this story before so forgive the slight differences, the family and I called into this bar for a few pints, I head to the bar to get the pints and on a big table beside the bar sat about 10odd (cant quite remember but it was a fucking bunch) of these 20 somethings, all fucking good looking, boys and girls AND EVERY SINGLE FUCKING ONE OF THEM was on their phone scrolling, not one bit of craic being shared, I was absolutely floored by this, here we are in a lovely bar on the marina, blazing sun with incredible views over the harbour and these cretins are scrolling on twitter, facebook, inst for what!?? I remember saying to the barman.. what the fuck man look at these cunts and he just give me that shrug that said.. fucking kids.. christ what I would’ve done to be sat there In my 20’s with all my mates, the riot we would be having.. told the wife and she was equally as disgusted.. aye.. social media, I would burn it to the ground as that scene just summed it up perfectly for me

 

[dr_octagon]

Disagree, I think Smartphones were the beginning of the end. It's when the internet became easily accessible to the tech illiterate masses. Everything else is a direct effect of that.

smartphones made life easier and having accessibility was not a bad thing. the jumping off into the abyss was profitting from data and privacy taking a back seat. having everything tracked, ads, marketing and the social media addiction that followed that followed.

there is definitely a point around lack of understanding and training. tech has been an enabler but it goes back to how a tool is (mis)used.

 

[mxbison]

Social media is the greatest cancer on our society that any of us have yet experienced.

Religion.

Thousands of years of hate, murdering, and suffering over people's favorite sky wizards.

Pretty hard to beat, even for Facebook.

I actually don't think social media is that bad. Sure there is lot's of bullshit and misinformation, but we've always had that in media. I think we should try to keep it away from schools though.

 

[rofif]

Stupid people are the loudest. Especially on social media.
Most of what there is is fake lives and idiots bragging about their vacation while being dead inside.
It only serves purpose to make others jelous and do not appreciate their own lives.
There is a reason people are not happy with their lives and are lonely

 

[Soodanim]

Its worst part used to be giving the people that don’t deserve a voice an equal platform as everyone else. It’s still the king of bad ideas on Twitter.

Now its worst part is encouraging the divide by way of algorithms and being a hub for all manner of untruths, including pseudoscience, false interpretations (whether intentional or not) and flat out lies. This is where Facebook takes the crown.

Of course, social media now goes hand in hand with the tabloid outlets that exist to serve social media users. I hate the word “toxic” for its ridiculous overuse, but the effect of these on society has, without exaggeration, been toxic. Or cancerous. Take your pick.