Is Facebook turning people into morons?

jonnyburgo

It’s the need to project that I can’t stand, I know people who are filing for bankruptcy and going through infidelities  yet their life on social media is an endless parade of material and relationship success because the need to keep up and be the envy of all their friends is more important than anything. 

Why are people so afraid to admit that life is ups and downs and is sometimes dull and disappointing? Why does everyone collude in this mass illusion? What are they afraid of?

answers on a postcard etc.

Kitsune

jonnyburgo said:

It’s the need to project that I can’t stand, I know people who are filing for bankruptcy and going through infidelities  yet their life on social media is an endless parade of material and relationship success because the need to keep up and be the envy of all their friends is more important than anything. 

Why are people so afraid to admit that life is ups and downs and is sometimes dull and disappointing? Why does everyone collude in this mass illusion? What are they afraid of?

answers on a postcard etc.

Because pride is expressed through material goods and showing them off, to many people and society at large?

p90fool

I don't know how anyone can be a working musician and NOT be on Facebook tbh. 

I'd estimate that 80% of our audiences are there because of social media. 

How do all you Facebook haters keep gigging without it? I'm genuinely curious btw, I'd love to be less reliant on it. 

jonnyburgo

p90fool said:

I don't know how anyone can be a working musician and NOT be on Facebook tbh. 

I'd estimate that 80% of our audiences are there because of social media. 

How do all you Facebook haters keep gigging without it? I'm genuinely curious btw, I'd love to be less reliant on it. 

Definitely, I’m not disputing it’s usefulness as an advertising tool it’s just that my feed was full of tools

ICBM

p90fool said:

I don't know how anyone can be a working musician and NOT be on Facebook tbh. 

I'd estimate that 80% of our audiences are there because of social media. 

How do all you Facebook haters keep gigging without it? I'm genuinely curious btw, I'd love to be less reliant on it. 

By having someone else in the band that does all that.

p90fool

Lol thanks, it's my job as band manager unfortunately! 

EricTheWeary

p90fool said:

I don't know how anyone can be a working musician and NOT be on Facebook tbh. 

I'd estimate that 80% of our audiences are there because of social media. 

How do all you Facebook haters keep gigging without it? I'm genuinely curious btw, I'd love to be less reliant on it. 

Not sure about our audience but before I gave up it was the main way in which we would get gigs. Complete revelation after years of phoning around. Our band Twitter was much more active in terms of interaction with others but Facebook is where the money is. I don't do the personal 'look what I had for breakfast' stuff or follow anyone who does but am on groups where I've received useful information, discount codes on car insurance, all sorts. 
I didn't do it for years but for five minutes per day it's a reasonably useful thing. 

darthed1981

You guys need to do two things..

1.  Learn how to use the "unfollow" button

2.  Apply above knowledge to all those who vex you on Facebook...

Funkfingers

thecolourbox said:

I can't remember where I saw it but I read something that said "The perfect illustration of the speed of light being faster than the speed of sound, is how people can look intelligent until they open their mouths to speak"

Probably one of these ol' chestnuts.

"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt." - Variously misattributed.

"Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding." - Proverbs 17:28

"My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry," - James 1:19

"Kick out the jams, brothers and sisters." - Rob Tyner*

"Human life is basically a comedy. Even its tragedies often seem comic to the spectator and, not infrequently, they actually have comic touches to the victim. Happiness probably consists largely in the capacity to detect and relish them. A man who can laugh, if only at himself, is never really miserable." - H. L. Mencken


* Cleaned up version.

ICBM

p90fool said:

Lol thanks, it's my job as band manager unfortunately! 

And is your other mistake that you divide out the money equally?

p90fool

ICBM said:

p90fool said:

Lol thanks, it's my job as band manager unfortunately! 

And is your other mistake that you divide out the money equally?

ONE of my other mistakes....

Wolfetone

NelsonP

^^^ This is so true. No-one is as smart as me.

skullfunkerry

It's useful for keeping in touch with friends that I otherwise haven't seen in ages, but I've purged everyone I didn't actually know or like, and I've unfollowed a few people whose views I don't agree with. I genuinely don't care about how wonderful people want me to think their lives are, so when I read stories about how facebook makes people depressed because they compare themselves to other people they see online I feel quite lucky that I don't suffer with that.

When I was gigging it was useful for promoting gigs and making connections with promoters and bands, but I've purged most of them as well now.

Recently I've moved in with my fiancée and her 6-year old, so now I'm in a couple of groups about the local area and the school, and some of the shite (not to mention grammar/spelling) I see in there makes me want to tale off and nuke the whole site from orbit - it's the only way to be sure, after all

viz

skullfunkerry said:

 (not to mention grammar/spelling) I see in there makes me want to tale off and nuke the whole site from orbit - it's the only way to be sure, after all

* take

Stevepage

Social media overall has turned people into dramatic, stupid, over the top and easily offended dick heads. Unfortunately we can't go back now as it's all too much of day to day life

Freebird

True fact: 100% of all morons don't realize that they are morons.

stratcat

What bothers me most about social media is that it is breeding self importance and a self publicising generation. Mediocrity rules but it rules with plenty of likes from the great under educated <50%
There was a time when people aspired to be better, now people aspire to have the most likes.
It doesn't matter whether the content is any good as long as you get the plaudits.
Very sad and a downward spiral.

Dominic

I hate it.
People ask me why I'm not on Facebook or Instagram.........I tell them that I get enough abuse on the phone ...I don't need any more !

Bod

strtdv said:

I left Facebook and am happier for it.

This.  My mental health took a real downturn during the referendum due to the hateful nature of posts from "friends" on Facebook.  I unfriended lots of people and unfollowed others, but still kept seeing the content via others that were arguing with them.  It's the same as the arse-end comments section of the Daily Mail website - a cast iron case for euthanasia and frequented by the worst of humanity.  I quit and haven't looked back.