What Is Your Opinion On Social Media/Phones?

[Feather Scribbles 194]

What is your opinion on social media, as well as phones?

Do you believe that social media has brought the world closer together, or farther apart (in a different way)? Do you believe that the old days were better, where if you lost contact with someone, that was possibly it?

And what about the excessive amounts of phone usage that most of society takes place in these days?

Also, with the rise of social media, do you believe that traditional ways of dating and friendships are a "dying art"?

[Twiliscael 3,958]

They both have their place, and it is up to the individual to use them in whatever way makes them happiest and provides an added benefit to their life. Without social media, I would not be able to passively keep up with many people with whom I knew from growing up together or being in the same school, yet was never quite close enough with to consider them good enough friends to warrant communicating very often, or about much in particular. Still nice to keep up in some way, even if it is only to drop a like or send an occasional message.

 

Smartphones are a wonderful tool as well- never before have we had so much information and entertainment right at our fingertips; in fact, I am communicating this very post from the comfort of my bed, on a small device no larger than my hand! Being able to communicate at a moment’s notice, as well as have access to things like Google, music, and videos/shows/movies are things that I can hardly fathom living without after a about decade of having.

 

That is not to say, however, that there are not problems that arise from them- we are all collectively hyperaddicted to our devices, and the problem compounds moreso in the youth of today who have no known no world besides one absorbed in its small, glowing screens. It must have some impact on their development and their view of the world- a much smaller one at that, about as large as the screen they’re so constantly looking at.

 

In addition, social media does provide its benefits, but brings up many problems as well. If you’ve been following the news lately, you should know that your privacy is a big concern- Facebook is in a lot of heat for that right now. At what point will these companies realize that such mass collection and marketing of our information is too much? Furthermore, social media has shown to cause stress in many users which feel pressured to use it even when they do not want to, or are coerced into using it a certain way in order to fit in. We’re all so addicted to it as well, far too many people spend far too much time absorbed in Instagram and Snapchat and Facebook that they do not get nearly as much real face-to-face interaction as they truly need.

 

All in all it is in the hands of the user to determine what is good and what is bad in regards to these things, what is too much and too little, and to sit down and really evaluate the place that it has in their own lives. 

 

/thread

Edited March 26, 2018 by Twiliscael

[Clod 8,293]

Phones? Fine with 'em. Contact friends and family. Even play games now. Nothing wrong with them.

Social media? Ehhhh well I guess if you don't care about privacy?

However, the problem isn't the things themselves (except the privacy with social media) but how addicted people get to them. 

[Snow Frostflame 3,567]

Question 1: I use to not give a damn, then I found MLPF and got addicted, now i'm somewhere in between.

Question 2: Yes and no... it has made the world closer, by allowing us to befriend people from other states/countries. But it pulls us further away because while were socializing with people far away, we tend to ignore those close by.

Question 3: Life sucks, so escaping to a world where you can essentially be what ever you type is pretty damn cool. I look forward to the day we can temporary shut off our bodies to escape into a virtual plain with other people.

Question 4: No I do not... I have close friends in real life and online I've known for years. Its easier to find friends online, but its a lot more fun seeing them in person, so pros and cons. Same goes with dating someone, I find it a hell lot easier to flirt with people online than in person. But its a lot more fun being with your lover in person than online.

[Ganondorf8 11,118]

I rarely use a phone on account that I don't go out all that often unless it's to someplace that I would enjoy. As for social media, I don't use none of that stuff because I find it to be cumbersome and results in nothing but controversy. I've nothing against those who use social media as a way of life but it's just not for me. I guess it doesn't help that I've no friends outside of the online world.

[Rhythm Red 6,484]

Social media isn’t the problem. The people who get a social media addiction are. MLPForums is the only form of social media I use on a regular basis. And I have other social media accounts on other sites/apps too. My point is, you can enjoy social media without getting addicted to it. The problem arises when people DO get addicted.  

Edited March 26, 2018 by Nosotros.
Grammar

[Bo-setsu 26]

The rise of cell phones was due to people thinking that they could make communication on the go easier. And they did! If someone were in a car accident, they could dial for help. If a wife needed to tell her husband something while at work, she could. Soon, internet became a function on the modern cell phone, and with the rise of social media, people have taken to engrossing themselves in what is essentially another world. The way things work on the internet is different than the way things work in real life, and I think that people have become infatuated with it. However, there are some certain people who seem to think they can replace one reality with another.

Real life friendships and relationship are important. Contact with people is important. Texting your friends isn't properly socializing yourself, and everybody needs human contact in order to thrive. If we cut that down to just minor interactions at the grocery store or the doctor, then we start to lose a major part of our lives.

Luckily, the streets are still populated, and, with time, it is possible to get someone who is too attached to their phone to notice it too, and become a part of those populated streets.

[碇 シンジン 27,427]

Social media like Facebook and Twitter are pretty crappy to be honest they don't really encourage a good intellectual conversations instead they are environments which in my opinion support short empty quick messages with no real meaning or purpose whatsoever. Basically they are just eating our time without giving much at all.

Though I think the concept behind social media and internet communication is brilliant I really feel that there are not much quality platforms that you can practice it on.

[Here No Longer 5,270]

11 hours ago, Feather Scribbles said:

What is your opinion on social media, as well as phones?

Do you believe that social media has brought the world closer together, or farther apart (in a different way)? Do you believe that the old days were better, where if you lost contact with someone, that was possibly it?

And what about the excessive amounts of phone usage that most of society takes place in these days?

Also, with the rise of social media, do you believe that traditional ways of dating and friendships are a "dying art"?

I don't really care much about their existence.  Sure I've been on several forums and they are a form of social media They're a thing, and I can't do much to change that. 

I believe it has done both. It's brought communities of people closer together and allowed fandoms to flourish, though it has also helped to drive people further away from their neighbors and their relatives. I believe personally that I would prefer a world with social media to one without it, because at least on places like here I can find people to relate to, unlike in real life.

Addiction is always problematic, no matter what the source. Whether it be alcohol, nicotine, the internet, video games, anything. Addiction is addiction, and whether cell phones are the substances in the cases or not is irrelevant.

No, they aren't. Traditional friendships can, in fact, still flourish in this age (and trust me they still do). 

 

Overall thoughts: Long distance communication has positives and negatives associated with it. It can bring communities of people closer together, people can meet new friends over the internet. It's also nice to be able to talk to people you already know from miles away. But it can also be addictive, and even divisive. It just depends on the person using it. I say our world in general is better off with these technologies than without them because they serve a function and have a purpose, and the only negatives they have are associated with overuse.

[EpicEnergy 22,064]

I think social media and phones are fine. However, I also think that excessive usage of social media and phones is not fine if it is interfering with your life and becoming an addiction.

[Pastel Heart 6,463]

I don't like or care for social media at all. It just seems to stir trouble. Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr... Oversaturated, bloated webs of nothing filled with mindlessness, aimless political fighting and toxicity. It should have stopped at forums (like this one) and myspace if you ask me.

As for phones, they're cool and all but i dont use them like most people do. I just use one to browse the net because I don't have a computer anymore.

Maybe I'm just jaded and bitter and stuff.

[Phosphor 11,522]

33 minutes ago, Pastel-chan said:

I don't like or care for social media at all. It just seems to stir trouble. Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr... Oversaturated, bloated webs of nothing filled with mindlessness, aimless political fighting and toxicity. It should have stopped at forums (like this one) and myspace if you ask me.

As for phones, they're cool and all but i dont use them like most people do. I just use one to browse the net because I don't have a computer anymore.

Maybe I'm just jaded and bitter and stuff.

Heh, we think alike.  

I'm not much of a fan of social media or smartphones. A basic flip phone and a pc is enough for me. Jeez, I sound old  

[Pentium100 2,055]

Phones are OK, it's nice to be able to call or text someone, I guess as long as it's not overused. Stuff like Skype as well. I do not use a modern smartphone.

Social media, like forums are OK as well IMO, depending on how one uses them.

Social networks, like Facebook, are not OK IMO and just not for the privacy issues.

For example, I dislike notifications, so I have only turned on email notifications for private messages (since a person i trying to specifically contact me, I should reply), but I get them rarely. Everything else - if I have the time, I visit the site and read the new threads or something, but if I do not come to the site for a few days, then I don't and I just "miss" some of the threads. Not a big problem.

I do not have email configured on my cellphone (my phone does have the feature) - if you want to contact me when I am not using my PC and it's urgent - call or text. If you can't be bothered to call or text - I guess it's not urgent enough .

Same with YT videos - I have a RSS reader for some channels, but it does not send me emails - I have to open the tab and read it. Some channels I just remember once in a while and visit them to see if there are any new videos.

[Fluttershutter 2,112]

Cell phones are basically electronic crack and the end of privacy.