A troubling observation on social media phenomena

[fazool]

I am a technophile, so I am not averse to the Internet or technology's impact.

This is not about that - this is about people acting like mindless sheep.

I'll give two examples which will illustrate the source of my disdain.

First example:

I subscribe to a Youtube channel called Your Grammar Sucks which is hosted by an English major grad and is sarcastic and funny while pointing out how stupid people are when posting online. He shows snippets of their posts or tweets and mocks their illiteracy. "I was in the ifold Tower when my mom texted me that grandma has die of beatties that causes her mindgrain headaches".

Anyway, beyond the sheer stupidity of the people posting these things, he points out how these posts get "likes". Seriously, why would someone "like" something you can't even understand?

Something completely unintelligible and incoherent will be posted and get "likes".

This celebrity tweet

"Finding it ironic to parade the pit women against other women argument about as one unmeasurably capitalizes on the take down of a woman..."

got eighty-five thousand "likes".

Seriously.

Second example

I was watching a social activist video being questioned on national TV. She was the organizer of the million student march and the national day of action. After about thirty seconds you could see she was almost as smart as that Miss America contestant who blathered about maps. She recited the three demands and couldn't explain why they wanted or how they would be funded.

My point is about the bigger picture. Not that she was an idiot (which she was) but about how she was a "leader".

I've noticed that it is the norm to be a follower to someone, particularly if online, regardless of what you are following.

I've really started paying attention to this and I've noticed its more about fandom and following than the topic at hand. And a tremendous number of people just blindly follow and "like" totally inept and stupid people.

[LouieAtienza]

I am a member of Facebook only to keep in touch with family and some friends, who would be difficult to contact otherwise. I honestly think that these social media outlets do more to give people a false sense of importance or relevance, instead of actually taking action.

Not that I think it's all bad - connecting with old friends and long lost relatives, and following one's favorite actor, musician, or even luthier, can be fun. But the way people update their status on Facebook reads like the lyrics to that Jewel song... I don't care that you woke up at 6AM to brush your darn teeth! Makes me want to pound sand all day.

[Andromeda]

From a psychological point there is a lot of psychological game playing going on in the world, always has been, and a lot of uncritical thinking.

Personally, I find ways to detach from all of that. Not because I'm better, but as a way to not get hooked in all the negativity and the game playing. In other words, a way to keep some serenity.

But I try to cut people slack because I am not without issues myself and I have no business throwing stones at others. I find being kind to others goes very far in life. We could use more of that.

[jpd]

Originally Posted by fazool

I was watching a social activist video being questioned on national TV. She was the organizer of the million student march and the national day of action.
I've noticed that it is the norm to be a follower to someone, And a tremendous number of people just blindly follow and "like" totally inept and stupid people.

Like the need to identify with a belief system......

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by fazool

...I was watching a social activist video being questioned on national TV. She was the organizer of the million student march and the national day of action. After about thirty seconds you could see she was almost as smart as that Miss America contestant who blathered about maps. She recited the three demands and couldn't explain why they wanted or how they would be funded...

Somehow I'm not surprised...

Originally Posted by jpd

Like the need to identify with a belief system...

I fail to see the problem...

[amyFB]

Originally Posted by fazool

I am a technophile, so I am not averse to the Internet or technology's impact.

This is not about that - this is about people acting like mindless sheep.

I'll give two examples which will illustrate the source of my disdain.

First example:

I subscribe to a Youtube channel called Your Grammar Sucks which is hosted by an English major grad and is sarcastic and funny while pointing out how stupid people are when posting online. He shows snippets of their posts or tweets and mocks their illiteracy. "I was in the ifold Tower when my mom texted me that grandma has die of beatties that causes her mindgrain headaches".

Anyway, beyond the sheer stupidity of the people posting these things, he points out how these posts get "likes". Seriously, why would someone "like" something you can't even understand?

Something completely unintelligible and incoherent will be posted and get "likes".

This celebrity tweet got eighty-five thousand "likes".

Seriously.

Second example

I was watching a social activist video being questioned on national TV. She was the organizer of the million student march and the national day of action. After about thirty seconds you could see she was almost as smart as that Miss America contestant who blathered about maps. She recited the three demands and couldn't explain why they wanted or how they would be funded.

My point is about the bigger picture. Not that she was an idiot (which she was) but about how she was a "leader".

I've noticed that it is the norm to be a follower to someone, particularly if online, regardless of what you are following.

I've really started paying attention to this and I've noticed its more about fandom and following than the topic at hand. And a tremendous number of people just blindly follow and "like" totally inept and stupid people.

It sure isn't nice to mock the people that are not well educated.

I wonder what it must be like to reach adulthood and be aware that your reading and comprehension (and spelling) skills are at a third grade level.

I'm pretty sure it must really be a hard thing to accept about oneself.

I had a friend who could barely read all the way up until his death at age 68. I think I knew him for 20 years before I realized he wasn't able to read. Until then, I thought the reason he always got someone to fill out paperwork forms for him was because he was lazy. It was not until the day I was helping him that the light clicked on for me.

For sure, he was embarrassed but fully aware of his literary deficiency. He figured out the workarounds he needed to get by.

I'm just plain sad for the poorly educated among us.

[flaggerphil]

Originally Posted by amyFB

It sure isn't nice to mock the people that are not well educated.

I wonder what it must be like to reach adulthood and be aware that your reading and comprehension (and spelling) skills are at a third grade level.

I'm pretty sure it must really be a hard thing to accept about oneself.

I had a friend who could barely read all the way up until his death at age 68. I think I knew him for 20 years before I realized he wasn't able to read. Until then, I thought the reason he always got someone to fill out paperwork forms for him was because he was lazy. It was not until the day I was helping him that the light clicked on for me.

For sure, he was embarrassed but fully aware of his literary deficiency. He figured out the workarounds he needed to get by.

I'm just plain sad for the poorly educated among us.

Indeed.....

[ewalling]

Originally Posted by fazool

My point is about the bigger picture. Not that she was an idiot (which she was) but about how she was a "leader".

I've noticed that it is the norm to be a follower to someone, particularly if online, regardless of what you are following.

I've really started paying attention to this and I've noticed its more about fandom and following than the topic at hand. And a tremendous number of people just blindly follow and "like" totally inept and stupid people.

Many of the cultures we inhabit are founded upon a hierarchy of leaders and led. It's a lovely and comfortable feeling to know that someone is "in charge". Just like when our mums and dads dealt with tricky stuff and we could bask in their protection, not concern ourselves with difficult decisions, and basically just play around.

[Herb Hunter]

Originally Posted by fazool

"I was in the ifold Tower when my mom texted me that grandma has die of beatties that causes her mindgrain headaches"

My inclination is to assume the above was dictated to an iPhone and posted without proof reading or that Auto Correct erroneously corrected words so hastily typed as to produce several typographical errors. In other words, the author is probably a better speller than his message may suggest.

[RustyAxe]

Originally Posted by jpd

Like the need to identify with a belief system......

Not at all like that ...

[Rondoraymundo]

Originally Posted by fazool

I've really started paying attention to this and I've noticed its more about fandom and following than the topic at hand. And a tremendous number of people just blindly follow and "like" totally inept and stupid people.

So "liking" something on Twitter or Facebook is the equivalent of actual action? You're going to have to call in Stephan Hawking to explain the physics of that one to me.

[cattzap]

My phone autocorrect is hideous. When it was new I used to go back and fix it and add words to the dictionary. I dont mess with it anymore. it's surprising how many people can read an incorrectly autocorrected message and understand what your trying to tell them. I guess we adapt. My stupid phone changes you to y poo every time. I mostly just message the wife. She knows that and reads right past it.

Also, as far as YouTube goes. You know those annoying adds that run first on the stupid people video's. That is revenue for whoever posted that video. So the guy with 20 million views of him eating mayo right out of the jar is banking it.

[ewalling]

Originally Posted by Rondoraymundo

So "liking" something on Twitter or Facebook is the equivalent of actual action? You're going to have to call in Stephan Hawking to explain the physics of that one to me.

"Like" is an interesting word. Traditionally, it has always been classified as a "state" verb, meaning it's not something a person or thing does; it's what a person or thing is or has. However, with the recent Facebook trend of "liking" posts, the verb has become an action; it's something we can actually do now. When we click on the 'like' button, we are performing the action of 'liking.' Interesting how language changes ...

[cattzap]

OMG. And guys, don't' ever not "Like" one of the wife's pictures. You will get yelled at for not "liking" her picture she thought was just so funny.

That's some advice that probably needs to be added to the list of what you tell your buddies when they are about to get married.

Oh and don't you dare "Like" a picture from someone the she doesn't like. You'll hear for days..I can't believe you "liked" that b.....'s pic.

Times have changed.

[Frogstar]

Originally Posted by fazool

"I was in the ifold Tower when my mom texted me that grandma has die of beatties that causes her mindgrain headaches".

This, I can at least decipher.

"Finding it ironic to parade the pit women against other women argument about as one unmeasurably capitalizes on the take down of a woman..."

This... to use the parlance of our times, "on a scale of one to even, I just can't"