>For me, at least, group chats aren’t the new AIM. They’re the new Facebook. [...] Facebook was a place for this kind of purposeless sociality before it was a p

>For me, at least, group chats aren’t the new AIM. They’re the new Facebook. [...] Facebook was a place for this kind of purposeless sociality before it was a place for repeatedly blocking and reporting your step-cousin. I'm glad to see this article articulate this. If you were thinking about something political, say Climate Change, and posted that, then you'd suddenly find yourself arguing basic facts with someone who dropped out of your highschool that you never got around to defriending. Repeat post-argue-block until you can't muster the energy, and start posting trivial nothing like pictures of what food you are eating like everyone else - wanting social interaction but repeatedly slapped like a pavlovian dog until you don't know if it's even possible to have a real conversation online anymore.