# Am I really missing anything? \[using social media\] **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 17, 2016, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-really-missing-anything-using-social-media/768843 "2016-10-17T15:02:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2016, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-really-missing-anything-using-social-media/768843/61 "2016-10-18T15:30:30Z")
> [@Oddball\_92](#): > > I don’t Facebook and never have. I don’t Twit and never have. I have never “chatted” online. I have never participated in form of “social media” (that is unless being in a few forums counts as social media, and I don’t post much in the few forums I am in). > I have never owned a smart phone, and have no desire for one. > > Please tell me what I am really missing? Thread title edited to provide more specificity. Please try to use more descriptive titles. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2016, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-really-missing-anything-using-social-media/768843/62 "2016-10-18T18:07:57Z")
> [@Icarus](#): > > Fully participating in modern life. > > Now, you certainly may find that to be objectionable, that is your choice. Oooh, oooh!!! I do! I find it objectionable! 😉 That’s like saying “If you do not have/partake of every single modern invention you cannot fully participate in modern life”. By the slimmest of definitions that is a true statement. In reality it’s hokum. No one can participate in every aspect of modern life (or ancient life, for that matter). It’s impossible, there is not enough time, money or interest to do so. We all choose those things in which we will fully participate, dabble in or completely ignore. I love my smartphone (all hail Google, knower of all!) and I love to dabble here, but I choose to completely ignore Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Am I missing stuff? Undoubtedly. Stuff I care about? Not so much… ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2016, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-really-missing-anything-using-social-media/768843/63 "2016-10-19T01:37:23Z")
I think it’s more like we have this same thread every two weeks and it gets old after awhile. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2016, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-really-missing-anything-using-social-media/768843/64 "2016-10-19T02:37:46Z")
I have a FB account, solely because a music group I play with uses it as the primary method of communication. I have no content on my homepage, and no friends other than family. I use my smart phone to make and receive calls and IMs, and take pics which I seem to never look at again. Other than that, the main use is to find directions or phone numbers when out and about. (I like paper maps.) I have 1 app. I dislike doing much substantive on my phone - simply do not care for the small screen. Never sent or read a tweet. I would be absolutely fine with - probably prefer - simply having a desktop computer at home and work, and a landline w/ answering machine. I readily acknowledge the value of being able to look things up on the internet so easily. But I prefer my newspaper, magazines, and books in print form. The more society turns digital and virtual, the more I find myself drawn to the tangible and “natural.” I value privacy and anonymity. For the most part, I don’t give a damn what you like or are doing, and can’t imagine why you would want to know the same about me. Technology is a tool, which I choose to use in limited instances when it enhances my life. At 55, I welcome becoming more and more out of touch. So no, IMO, you aren’t missing much. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2016, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-really-missing-anything-using-social-media/768843/65 "2016-10-19T03:07:51Z")
> [@erysichthon](#): > > What are you missing if you don’t have Facebook? I’ll summarize it for you. > > [ul] > [li]Graphics with inspirational quotes against nature backgrounds[/li][li]Invitations to play Candy Crush[/li][li]“Let’s see who’s brave enough to repost this”[/li][li]“‘Like’ if you want to find a cure for cancer”[/li][li]Inane, bogus trivia (“This is the first month in 823 years that has five Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays!”)[/li][li]Variations of “Keep Calm and \_\_\_\_\_\_\_”[/li][li]Pictures of food at restaurants[/li][li]People who think _Onion_ fake news is real[/li][li]Vaguebooking (“Sometimes I just want to give up” without elaboration)[/li][li]Nutrition woo (“Apples cure diabetes!”)[/li][li]Upworthy clickbait videos[/li][li]Selfies taken inside cars[/li][li]“Which \_\_\_\_\_\_ Character Are You” quizzes[/li][li]Lists of stupid “lifehacks” (“Turn a toilet paper tube into an iPhone speaker!”)[/li][li]Astrology text graphics (“Betray a Scorpio and prepare for World War III!”)[/li][li]Minute-by-minute vacation updates (“I’m in the security line at the airport!”)[/li][li]Marital advice from newlyweds (“Communication is key!”)[/li][li]Discovering that you have friends with repulsive political and social opinions[/li][/ul] So very, very true. And yet, there is one thing I find FB useful for, and that is niche interests. FB Groups have become the bulletin board for all kinds of common interests either too small, local, or too diffuse to have a self-managed discussion website. Groups I follow include: People who like meeting others for horseback riding on trails in parks within my area code. Also (overlapping membership) the county horsemans’ association. International group devoted to my rare breed of dog. Upcoming events of interest and daily scripture offered to parishioners of my church. Tri-county livestock for sale group. International Liturgical Arts group (decorating churches). Probably any interest you could name has a FB group now. I used to belong to all kinds of different discussion boards but except for very large interests, they all died as everyone gravitated to FB. It’s a flawed format to say the least, but it is very easy to figure out how to use it, and it’s free. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2016, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-really-missing-anything-using-social-media/768843/66 "2016-10-19T10:42:26Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > Never sent or read a tweet. Really? They’re a part of many news stories. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2016, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-really-missing-anything-using-social-media/768843/67 "2016-10-19T11:55:44Z")
I like Twitter. I can say any of the dumb things that float through my head each day, and they either get a laugh, an interesting response sparking a conversation, or just disappear into forever. On a rare occasion I get an actual response from a celebrity I admire. I also like it for the people I follow, getting to partake of someone’s daily life in a small way that they choose to share. They can be funny, interesting, creative, or important, and sometimes make me think. It is quite remarkable. Facebook, on the other hand, is bullshit I can’t be bothered with. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2016, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-really-missing-anything-using-social-media/768843/68 "2016-10-19T11:59:11Z")
I’m not sure if Facebook is horrible because I’m unable to control the noise, or if I’m horrible because I simply don’t care for 99.9999% of the content that it shows me, or if other people are horrible for posting stupid, time-wasting bullshit that can’t possibly be relevant to anyone but themselves. Thank goodness most news sources still maintain RSS feeds. Those are dead easy to curate. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2016, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-really-missing-anything-using-social-media/768843/69 "2016-10-19T12:08:16Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Really? > > They’re a part of many news stories. Fair enough. I know many people who have met their SOs on-line, or have had success through Meet-ups. So I’m not foolish enough to say such things cannot be of use to many. But I find it hard enough to avoid surrounding myself with an echo-chamber of folk who come from backgrounds and hold views similar to me. As I understand it, platforms such as FB and Twitter can tend to emphasize that echo-chamber - identifying what you have liked in the past, and feeding you more of it. Sure, that can be pleasant in terms of music or humor - not so much when it comes to politics or philosophy. I don’t generally perceive myself as overly paranoid, but I perceive a great deal of modern technology as a means for manipulating and marketing to me - which I disfavor. This is one of the few places on-line that I like to waste my time. It is enough for me. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2016, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-really-missing-anything-using-social-media/768843/70 "2016-10-19T12:22:05Z")
Wait, there are Android Chromebooks now? When did that happen? All of the Chromebooks I’ve seen run some flavor of Linux. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2016, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-really-missing-anything-using-social-media/768843/71 "2016-10-19T12:38:17Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > This is one of the few places on-line that I like to waste my time. It is enough for me. Fair enough, indeed! It’s all good. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2016, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-really-missing-anything-using-social-media/768843/72 "2016-10-19T12:50:01Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Wait, there are Android Chromebooks now? When did that happen? All of the Chromebooks I’ve seen run some flavor of Linux. Chrome OS is getting the ability to run Android apps, is what I think he means… ---
**Author:** ![JackieLikesVariety](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackielikesvariety/32/296_2.png) [@JackieLikesVariety](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JackieLikesVariety)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2016, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-really-missing-anything-using-social-media/768843/73 "2016-10-19T13:51:27Z")
> [@](#): > > there is one thing I find FB useful for, and that is niche interests. FB Groups have become the bulletin board for all kinds of common interests either too small, local, or too diffuse to have a self-managed discussion website. since I have lived in Nevada (2 fire seasons now) I find the very best source of news on wildfire is a facebook page by a local authority. less than a week ago I could see and smell the smoke from my house and the wind was blowing hard and I needed to know what was going on. also, one of my dogs recently had pancreatitis and I found a facebook group for people with the same problem: instant place to ask questions and share info. the answer to your OP is, of course you are missing something. there is opportunity cost for every thing you do. it’s up to you to decide what’s worth your time. ---
**Author:** ![Oddball\_92](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/b3f665/32.png) [@Oddball\_92](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oddball_92)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2016, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-really-missing-anything-using-social-media/768843/74 "2016-10-19T14:04:35Z")
Some of the responses have, to a degree, made clear the practical uses of a smart phone. There are tools that I could use in everyday life, such as getting directions, etc. I don’t exactly have the Ted Kaczynski approach to technology, however, I somehow see getting a smart phone as the edge of a money vortex in that I would find myself always having to have the latest…having to “upgrade”, having to spend more and more and more money on “data plans”, having to be exceeding aware of hackers, trackers, and other nefarious activities. It seems having one creates more and more of a dependency. It also seems like a whole bunch of trouble that I do not now have with my 5 yr old, almost-broken, flip phone. As for social media… I have read all the replies and I have seen nothing that gives me incentive to participate, except perhaps impending disaster info as mentioned above. My own daughter told me the other day she put out a twit (or maybe is was a Facebook message) that she was going to be away from her phone for half an hour while she was in the Dr’s office. Really?? Half an hour?? Totally cut off?? The horror… I simply do not want to be that connected, or should I say dependent. My friends and family have my phone numbers, email, and they know where I live. Thanks, but as far as social media, I’m out. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2016, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-really-missing-anything-using-social-media/768843/75 "2016-10-19T14:14:45Z")
> [@Oddball\_92](#): > > I simply do not want to be that connected, or should I say dependent. My friends and family have my phone numbers, email, and they know where I live. Thanks, but as far as social media, I’m out. That’s fine, and it’s totally up to you; but your response sounds a bit like “I don’t want a TV, because couch potatoes” or “I’m scared to ever take a drink, because alcoholics.” ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2016, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-really-missing-anything-using-social-media/768843/76 "2016-10-19T14:20:55Z")
You young-uns with your bipedal locomotion, agriculture, and hand tools… Who needs 'em!? ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2016, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-really-missing-anything-using-social-media/768843/77 "2016-10-19T15:53:25Z")
> [@erysichthon](#): > > What are you missing if you don’t have Facebook? I’ll summarize it for you. > > [ul] > [li]Graphics with inspirational quotes against nature backgrounds[/li][li]Invitations to play Candy Crush[/li][li]“Let’s see who’s brave enough to repost this”[/li][/ul] To be fair, and I can’t believe I’m defending Facebook, you can hide most all of that stuff. For example on a Candy Crush game invite you can click on the upper right corner and you’ll get the option to block notifications from Candy Crush. And if certain people keep annoying you, you can either unfriend them or “unsubscribe” to their posts. Unfriending them isn’t a dramatic thing, they won’t get notified. I carefully curate my friends list, it’s small and I rarely get annoyed by any of them. ---
**Author:** ![DrumBum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e79b87/32.png) [@DrumBum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrumBum)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2016, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-really-missing-anything-using-social-media/768843/78 "2016-10-19T15:55:03Z")
**Mrs. DrumBum** uses Facebook to catch up friends and family around the globe. Given the difference in time zones having some sort of connectivity is quite important. Less important but still occasionally useful are the games and cute animal videos. ---
**Author:** ![Me\_Billy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e480ec/32.png) [@Me\_Billy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Me_Billy)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2016, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-really-missing-anything-using-social-media/768843/79 "2016-10-19T16:02:45Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Wait, there are Android Chromebooks now? When did that happen? All of the Chromebooks I’ve seen run some flavor of Linux. I stand corrected! I just thought anything Google would be Android? But even still, if Google is supporting the Chromebook, that is a potential replacement for my Microsoft irritations! ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2016, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-really-missing-anything-using-social-media/768843/80 "2016-10-19T16:27:02Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > Facebook did this to me about 5 or 6 years ago. It scared me so much that I closed the window immediately and ran away. > > I was curious, and had gone to Facebook and started the process of registration, not really sure what I was doing. > Before I had gone very far (I think I was still on the first step of the process), it gave me a welcome message that said “here are some people you might want to friend”–about 50 names. > > The list included everybody in my email contacts, and a whole lot more–including the newborn grandson of a woman I sometimes email. Let’s call her Debbie. Now, Debbie is a typical grandmother, and I assume that she follows her family and the newborn baby on Fbook. I have zero contact with Debbie’s family (i.e.the baby’s parents), and didn’t even know the baby had been born. Yet Facebook wanted to connect me with the baby, who has his own Fbook page. > > Presumably, if I had actually completed the registration process , Fbook would notify the baby that I am now available to be friended. After all, that’s why Fbook exists. > > Now, if the baby decided to friend me, that might be cute. I could accept or not, and he wouldn’t be insulted. > But if the baby happened to be one of my co-workers, that would _NOT_ be cute. If I refuse him , and he feels insulted, it could be disasterous to me. Except Facebook isn’t sending an automatic friend request to everyone on that list. It just uses an algorithm based on information you gave them to suggest people who you might already know. It only sends friend requests to people if you decide to send them a friend request. If you’re worried that your boss will discover you’re on Facebook, send you a friend request, and then fire you when you don’t accept, well, all I can say is that I’m sorry your place of employment is such dystopian hellscape. But also note that it’s possible to configure your privacy settings such that you could accept your boss’s friend request, and then set it so that you never see posts from your boss and your boss will never see posts by you, all without your boss knowing. Or just, you know, don’t friend your co-workers or your boss. Or, if you think Facebook would be a valueless waste of time, don’t join Facebook. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-really-missing-anything-using-social-media/768843.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-really-missing-anything-using-social-media/768843.md?page=5)