Facebook Illusion

UnclePsychosis

Wisdom for Lloyd and mart.

If Facebook is full of banal shite that's not Facebook's fault, it's the fault of the people posting it.

Facebook is a great way of keeping in touch with people, it's really nice being able to see what friends and family are up to in one convenient place. I don't understand the "if I wanted to be your friend I'd make an effort" logic---I *am* making an effort, I'm keeping in touch via Facebook! (its not much different from emails or texts after all, which presumably the forum grumps are ok with?)

If people post a whole load of crap I either hide them or in extreme cases unfriend them.

Chuffola

Whoever said facebook is a lot like here is right.

I don't get the hate. If friends fill my timeline with shite, I hide their feed. Simples.  

Most don't though and I get more laughs than sighs when I log on.  I've no issue seeing genuine friends posting pics from a good night out, or linking to amusing vids etc.

It's a tool and it's what you make of it.

VimFuego

if it wasn't for facebook, I'd never know just how good great western trains are.

stickyfiddle

VimFuego;444533" said:

if it wasn't for facebook, I'd never know just how good great western trains are.

You must be friends with @Timmyo too, them?

lloyd

It's great for band organising and advertising gigs and what not. Hiding people's feeds is great when you "can't" delete someone. Eg my mates wife-bitches how shit her life is constantly. Hide the feed rather than deleting as that would upset the apple cart. I don't doslike Her she's just another annoying facebook user

DulcetJones

hobbio said:

I keep in touch with my family and friends who live elsewhere. it works for me. 

Me too, Canada is a big place and I have relatives all over it.  Also, I work over 50 hours a week most weeks and don't have time to get out and about and a lot of the people I'm connected with there are not living the ideal life.  Like FretBoard, it keeps me up to date and feeling a little more connected.  I don't post much of FaceBook and luckily I don't have many people posting pictures of their lunch or cats.

randomhandclaps

This thread itself explains why some people comply to a certain type of behaviour when posting on Facebook.  The OP says that posts that say "My life's SO great!" have a negative impact on his only feelings.  Then others admit to blocking feeds of people complaining about their lot in life. 

Ultimately like anything you have to manage it in a way that is best for your own wellbeing.  I don't do Facebook.  I did but then personally the angle that got to me was people posting pictures of starving kids saying we should all do what we can and then their following post being one about how they have just bought a new pair of Louis Vuitton shoes.

In general Facebook is like the Best of Morecambe & Wise that they show on a loop on GOLD.  It's ignores the 95% of shit that the rest of us know exists.

Drew_TNBD

Grunfeld said:

I do fb for the band; I have no personal account there.  The world turns just fine.

How is that possible?

VimFuego

randomhandclaps said:

.  I don't do Facebook.  I did but then personally the angle that got to me was people posting pictures of starving kids saying we should all do what we can and then their following post being one about how they have just bought a new pair of Louis Vuitton shoes.

new Louis Vuitton shoes? that's awesome, they're great.

Flink_Poyd

mart;444470" said:

Wow. Personally I've got a bit of a love/hate relationship with facebook. I've lived in a lot of different places, so have many friends who are geographically remote, and Facebook is good for hearing what they're up to. My problem is that sometimes life here is so bad that I find I'm living vicariously on what other people are doing.

But I'm puzzled by the negativity on this thread. This place and facebook aren't that different. Do we get pissed off when someone boasts on here about the new guitar they've bought?

I can see what you're saying. I'm sure Facebook has its uses but the amount of dross that comes with it removes any sort of use for me.
The difference here is that people are here over a common specific interest rather than a general overall lifestyle one.
I'm in no way a technophobe or anti social media, I've been using Twitter since year one, Facebook just doesn't appeal to me anymire

Grunfeld

Drew_fx said:

Grunfeld said:

I do fb for the band; I have no personal account there.  The world turns just fine.

How is that possible?

I have no fb account.  But for the band there's a fictional entity which has an account and "it" is the admin of the band's account.  So I do fb posts for the band and so does another member of the band because we share the log in details etc.  I don't think anyone in the band actually has their own facebook account. 

p90fool

Facebook doesn't post banal trivia, racist shite or jealousy-inducing smugness, YOUR FRIENDS do, some people need to look at who they're blaming here.

TheMarlin

Grunfeld said:

richardhomer said:

I've disabled my amount tonight, in an effort to wean myself off the addiction.

What are your experiences?

I got rid of facebook about three or four years ago and haven't regretted it at all. 

It is full of empty talk.  It's not even the depths of depravity -- at least that might be interesting.

A certain amount of empty talk is okay but facebook filled my life with it.

I do fb for the band; I have no personal account there.  The world turns just fine.

+1  Did exactly the same.

I got fed up of the vacuous cr@p spouted there constantly.   Plus, the NSA and other security services mine Facebook for data, so I am concerned about 'digital footprints' given my unconventional world view.

Marlin

hubobulous

I mainly use it for the band and staying in touch with overseas friends. I check it perhaps once per week.

There's a difference in my mind between those people posting fun news or photos and those who brag almost with the purpose of receiving comments. Their lives are categorically not that perfect, because, well, no-one's is.

A wonderful thing happened recently....my wife and I were, (shock-horror), unfriended by the girlfriend of a mate. Barely noticed to be honest, but something in her mind clicked to say she didn't want that contact any longer. She also did this to a couple of other friends and our common denominator was that we don't have kids.

My wife posted a comment the other day alluding to the fact that she's pregnant - 29 weeks, so there was none of the contrived scan photo stuff that some people opt for. My mate, whose girlfriend unfriended us, obviously told her, since a friend request came through within 10 mins!! Clearly it won't be accepted.

We don't want people like that in our lives.

Iamnobody

p90fool;444604" said:

Facebook doesn't post banal trivia, racist shite or jealousy-inducing smugness, YOUR FRIENDS do, some people need to look at who they're blaming here.

Of course it doesn't but it promotes it. Asking about you mood, tracking your movements, the share function, cluttering your timeline with friends' likes etc.

Don't underestimate the influence it has, it also developes a sheep mentality in people. Facebook is not blameless for the utter shite it has (generally) become.

There's an easy option - if you don't like don't use it. Which is what I've chosen to do.

John_P

I use it.   
It's just another tool for communicating with people and makes it easy to keep in touch with people from all over the world.
Some people who I get on with and want to stay in touch with post things that wind me up so I unfollow them - I can still message them and if I think - "I wonder how xxx is doing?"  I can click on their page and get some updates that may or may not play a part in sending a message.
I doesn't have to be a big deal.
I only have people on my "friends" list that I know well enough that I don't mind them having my number and would be happy to go for a pint with.  When I go for a drink and a catch up with mates I don't tell them the pub if rubbish or they should get out because one aspect of their personalilty is bugging me - I'll either have a discussion about it or try to change the subject.  
People either post really trivial things or more extreme things.   If they've done something that makes them happy I'm glad they shared it so I can be happy for them, if it's something sad I can offer help or support.    Seems a pretty useful tool if you choose how to use it.

and it's great for plugging gigs

p90fool

Iamnobody said:

p90fool;444604" said:

Facebook doesn't post banal trivia, racist shite or jealousy-inducing smugness, YOUR FRIENDS do, some people need to look at who they're blaming here.

Of course it doesn't but it promotes it. Asking about you mood, tracking your movements, the share function, cluttering your timeline with friends' likes etc.

You're absolutely right of course, their job is to encourage traffic and they'll use whatever they they feel is the lowest common denominator in order to do that.

You can of course unclutter your timeline by using the various setting available, as the defaults are annoying.

It's still rather a leap though from Facebook asking how you're feeling to "I feel like a Mosque-burning Nazi today".
I just don't HAVE friends like that, but if I did I can hardly blame Zuckerberg for asking them what their mood is.

holnrew

I use facebook because I have no actual social life. Without it I'd be cut off and a hermit.

I used to get bothered by people being happy getting married and having kids, working in proper careers and earning money, but it doesn't any more. I don't now why, I think I've just accepted I'm a failure.

PolarityMan

I think facebook's alright, basically i use it for events, fairly rarely post and its alsmot always music related.

chillidoggy

holnrew said:

I use facebook because I have no actual social life. Without it I'd be cut off and a hermit.

I used to get bothered by people being happy getting married and having kids, working in proper careers and earning money, but it doesn't any more. I don't now why, I think I've just accepted I'm a failure.

A failure? Fuck off, not with 2180 frets, you're not!