4 ms·

I should have more sympathy for all of these addicts, but I don't. I sympathize w/ a herion addiction because it's physically addictive, etc etc. Addicted to Fa

by andirk 4y ago

I should have more sympathy for all of these addicts, but I don't. I sympathize w/ a herion addiction because it's physically addictive, etc etc. Addicted to Facebook, to other people's baby pictures?? Consider this: everything you learn about your friends through Facebook, you weren't important enough to be reached out to personally about. THEREFORE! You shouldn't even know those things.

jefftk 4y ago
I have a lot of people I like to talk to where I'm not close enough for 1:1 communication to make sense. Most of my FB usage is talking with these not-especially-close friends about whatever we're interested in. Not that different from talking here, except that my FB friends (and especially my FB friends with FB's learned weighting of how interested I am in what each posts) are on average more likely to be interested in the same things I am and have more similar preferences around conversational norms.
coalbin 4y ago
It's important to remember that modern social media is a complete assault on your dopamine receptors. If you take a look at your feed, a vanishingly small amount of the content Facebook belches up is created by your friends. Instead you're shown content that you're likely to interact with. That's not to mention that people use social media as a substitute for personally reaching out to friends.
1MachineElf 4y ago
>Consider this: everything you learn about your friends through Facebook, you weren't important enough to be reached out to personally about. THEREFORE! You shouldn't even know those things. Interesting take. One thing I struggle with is a diverse set of interests that practically nobody in my life shares with me. A common denominator for these interests is that most were/are cultivated by online content. There is a pervasive feeling of loneliness throughout my life, and I can't help but view the internet with suspicion as a possible threat vector to my sanity. I stay engaged here on HN, but I don't have any real friends here. All of my friends are hundreds or thousands of miles away, and I can count them all on one hand. Facebook and other attention-capitalizing networks provide an empty nicotine-buzz mimicing the real social interactions that I probably need. The idea that social media is toxic isn't new, but I guess lately that truth has been resonating deeper within me.

by andirk 4y ago

jefftk 4y ago

I have a lot of people I like to talk to where I'm not close enough for 1:1 communication to make sense. Most of my FB usage is talking with these not-especially-close friends about whatever we're interested in. Not that different from talking here, except that my FB friends (and especially my FB friends with FB's learned weighting of how interested I am in what each posts) are on average more likely to be interested in the same things I am and have more similar preferences around conversational norms.

coalbin 4y ago

It's important to remember that modern social media is a complete assault on your dopamine receptors. If you take a look at your feed, a vanishingly small amount of the content Facebook belches up is created by your friends. Instead you're shown content that you're likely to interact with. That's not to mention that people use social media as a substitute for personally reaching out to friends.

1MachineElf 4y ago

>Consider this: everything you learn about your friends through Facebook, you weren't important enough to be reached out to personally about. THEREFORE! You shouldn't even know those things. Interesting take. One thing I struggle with is a diverse set of interests that practically nobody in my life shares with me. A common denominator for these interests is that most were/are cultivated by online content. There is a pervasive feeling of loneliness throughout my life, and I can't help but view the internet with suspicion as a possible threat vector to my sanity. I stay engaged here on HN, but I don't have any real friends here. All of my friends are hundreds or thousands of miles away, and I can count them all on one hand. Facebook and other attention-capitalizing networks provide an empty nicotine-buzz mimicing the real social interactions that I probably need. The idea that social media is toxic isn't new, but I guess lately that truth has been resonating deeper within me.