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It really blows my mind that there isn't a larger pushback against social media. I do see it here on HN occasionally, but I rarely encounter anyone in the real

It really blows my mind that there isn't a larger pushback against social media. I do see it here on HN occasionally, but I rarely encounter anyone in the real world that has a strong anti-social media stance. Even then, it tends to be more of an anti-facebook-as-a-company stance. There are outspoken groups for just about every real or perceived social ill, but I don't see it for social media. Maybe it is there, and I'm just not in the demographic of folks that hear about it. I speak to a lot of folks in certain religious circles about it. A lot of the things the Church is typically against seems to be perpetuated by it--suicide, pornography, materialism. This is the same group of people that were vocally against rock music, drinking, sex, and D&D at various times in the past. The reaction seems to be "yeah, social media sucks" returns to scrolling on phone. My guess is that it's now such a foundational part of modern culture that it's impossible to avoid. It'd be like trying to live without automobiles, which requires an almost monastic dedication to the cause.

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hamzakc 5y ago
I totally agree with you. I am constantly asked by my two boys (11, 14) for a smart phone. In our mind they don't need one at this age. The issue is that everyone seems to have one in the school. When I pick them up I see it for myself. I don't understand why the school does not just ban them and discourage usage. If we want to change the use of social media in teenagers and younger, we as parents have a responsibility to control access to these kind of sites and the internet in general.
jacquesm 5y ago
I wrote this: https://jacquesmattheij.com/the-social-media-problem/ https://jacquesmattheij.com/the-social-media-problem/ Which has a bit of a different angle, but my conclusion is that social media as a tool can be useful but that in the aggregate right now it is a serious problem for which we are ill prepared as society.
JohnWhigham 5y ago
Because many, if not most parents are not good parents and don't give a fuck. Phones and tablets are handed to kids to get the kids to shut up for a couple hours while the parents do the exact same thing.
thinkingemote 5y ago
Agreed. We clearly see a failure to condemn toxicity when users from HN defend onlyfans...

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hamzakc 5y ago

I totally agree with you. I am constantly asked by my two boys (11, 14) for a smart phone. In our mind they don't need one at this age. The issue is that everyone seems to have one in the school. When I pick them up I see it for myself. I don't understand why the school does not just ban them and discourage usage. If we want to change the use of social media in teenagers and younger, we as parents have a responsibility to control access to these kind of sites and the internet in general.

jacquesm 5y ago

I wrote this: https://jacquesmattheij.com/the-social-media-problem/ https://jacquesmattheij.com/the-social-media-problem/ Which has a bit of a different angle, but my conclusion is that social media as a tool can be useful but that in the aggregate right now it is a serious problem for which we are ill prepared as society.

JohnWhigham 5y ago

Because many, if not most parents are not good parents and don't give a fuck. Phones and tablets are handed to kids to get the kids to shut up for a couple hours while the parents do the exact same thing.

thinkingemote 5y ago

Agreed. We clearly see a failure to condemn toxicity when users from HN defend onlyfans...