Social Media Absurdities

[BarryBobPosthole]

I recently got back on Facebook after an eight month sabbatical. When I quit it, it wasn’t a GBCW type of thing as much as it was a matter of how I was using it and letting myself get wrapped up in it. Sounds wierd for a grown man to say that, but I was starting to take stuff on there seriously. Seriously! So
i took a break.

I actually love Facebook for the way it enables me to keep up with friends and family that I ordinarily don’t have much contact with. You know that old maxim ‘Life happens’. Many times that means you don’t stay in touch with people like you’d like to and before you know it, ten years have gone by. FB is good for that. At least I guess it’s good.

Anyway, before I get into a long Thump post, one thing I have noticed upon renewing my FB account is the level of absurdity I see shared by people that I know and respect. (like politics but this ain’t what this is about)

This morning it was “Lose 24 pounds in two weeks on the boiled egg diet”. And it was shared in all seriousness by someone I consider a friend. I am wondering if that was a typo. For me it’d be “Lose 24 friends in two weeks on the boiledegg diet”.

Anything with “98% of people will scroll right past this”. If you know what is good for you, you”ll scroll right past it. Always.

There was one this morning about Robin Williams’ last words. I’m sure they were profound. But the man was a comedian. He wasn’t a philospher, but all the sudden....

Those are only a few. I don’t click on any links because I’m askeered of the cyber mafia that lurks on the Dark Web. But I’m sure y’all have seen some too.

Share the dumbest ones you’ve seen.

BKB

[Arty]

If you love Jesus Like this, if you worship Satan, ignore.

“Here’s 15 things you didn’t know about me, copy this and make this your status, it’ll be fun!”
No Susan, it’s not fun. It’s dumb. It’s really not that interesting that the last thing you ate before answering these questions was a thin mint and that you’ve never flown first class.

[Thumper]

Share the dumbest ones you’ve seen. BKB

I'll refrain. If i did that, it would be the mother of all Thump posts (MOATP). ;)

[BarryBobPosthole]

I have a number of friends who evidently automatically share any pet rescue or lost pet posts that they see. Many of them are from like years ago or are from places far away from where they live.

BKB

[quercus alba]

First off I don't Facebook. In most cases it's a colossal waste of time in which grown men post memes of grumpy cat or some similar foolishness. All of my sons have it and about once a week I peruse one of their accounts looking at photos of the grandkids. I guess mine would be grown men posting videos of their cats going," aw, how cute."

[LJ3]

When I see that stupid shit I always repost something similar to:

"Please copy and paste this to your status if you're constantly being asked to copy and paste things to your status by friends who copy and paste things to their statuses. If you know someone, or someone who may know someone else, please share this. Many people won't copy and paste this, but my truly sarcastic friends will copy and paste it because they're sarcastic by nature. If you don't copy and paste it, then this means you hate bacon. And if you hate bacon, the terrorists win. And hearts, FFS don't forget the hears <3 <3 <3"

I've managed to cure a few idiots like that.

[Thumper]

I can't remember when I signed up on FB, but I had a couple of buddies who were pressuring me to jump aboard. One weekend, I signed up, half-assed built a home page, posted a few pics and had intended to post more pics later. It never happened. In fact, I haven't done one thing to my page since that initial weekend sign-up. I do like the birthday reminders and like Q/A, I'll occasionally check into my son's page to see what he's been up to lately and every once in a while, I'll drop in to read something one of you dufuses have posted. That's about sum and total of my involvement. I do have a few close friends that drive me bonkers with their forwarding EVERY FRICKING THING THAT HITS THE NET. One gal (close family friend) posts 30-40 items EVERY NIGHT and I get email alerts for every one of them! I like that I can be informed of any life-changing events, but it's like the little boy who cried wolf ... after a while I find myself getting on every morning and deleting 1200 email alerts without even bothering to read them. I have a buddy who does the same ... 20 posts every night .. and I receive the alerts each time. Maybe one out of 5000 alerts will catch my eye and be something "important" (like the time his daughter had to be rushed to the hospital). The same with my BIL ... he LIVES on FB. I get alerts every time he stops for a burger at McD's, when he's at Home Depot, when he's sitting at the airport waiting on a flight (which is every few days), when he's at the doctor, etc. etc. etc. (is that automatic when you hook up to someone's free wifi?). I get all excited when I get an alert that says, "Mark is now shopping at Walmart!" I guess you could say, I'm not a big fan of FB.

[HideHunter]

FB is definitely on a down-hill slide.. I got in it to view family pictures and still look at it most days. Probably half my "friends" are people I have fished with somewhere, sometime.. I see lots of them pulling away - mostly due to "politics". About the only issues I get embroiled in are Gun Control and Animal Rights.. Unfortunately, several people I have always known, and liked, have gone absolutely spastic on the whole politics thing. Once they get tired of you presenting "facts" - they make it personal.. I don't go there.. (I'll meet you in a bar somewhere if you're that serious. ;) ) If I did - it would result in loss of friends.. because, as good as I am at debating politics :D , I'm waaaaaay better at making it "personal". ;)

[LJ3]

I can't remember when I signed up on FB, but I had a couple of buddies who were pressuring me to jump aboard. One weekend, I signed up, half-assed built a home page, posted a few pics and had intended to post more pics later. It never happened. In fact, I haven't done one thing to my page since that initial weekend sign-up. I do like the birthday reminders and like Q/A, I'll occasionally check into my son's page to see what he's been up to lately and every once in a while, I'll drop in to read something one of you dufuses have posted. That's about sum and total of my involvement. I do have a few close friends that drive me bonkers with their forwarding EVERY FRICKING THING THAT HITS THE NET. One gal (close family friend) posts 30-40 items EVERY NIGHT and I get email alerts for every one of them! I like that I can be informed of any life-changing events, but it's like the little boy who cried wolf ... after a while I find myself getting on every morning and deleting 1200 email alerts without even bothering to read them. I have a buddy who does the same ... 20 posts every night .. and I receive the alerts each time. Maybe one out of 5000 alerts will catch my eye and be something "important" (like the time his daughter had to be rushed to the hospital). The same with my BIL ... he LIVES on FB. I get alerts every time he stops for a burger at McD's, when he's at Home Depot, when he's sitting at the airport waiting on a flight (which is every few days), when he's at the doctor, etc. etc. etc. (is that automatic when you hook up to someone's free wifi?). I get all excited when I get an alert that says, "Mark is now shopping at Walmart!" I guess you could say, I'm not a big fan of FB.

Jimmy, a couple things. Nobody uses FB email alerts. Create an email filter and junk them. You can also disable all email notifications from the app itself.

Also, your online persona is better suited for closed, private environments like message boards :) I mean that in the most loving way possible!

The hearts, don't forget the fucking hearts!!! ,<3<3<3

[Penguin]

Interesting.

I think most of the guys here would be in the category of 'casual users' if they are on at all. I don't have a facebook or twitter or instagram account. I have kept off it because it didn't look like a healthy thing to me. But I cannot assume the role of holy condescension when talking about it. My wife is on them and she does use it to keep up with the family and what is more I have to admit that I enjoy benefiting from her use of it.

But it's not for me. Hell I don't know when I'd have time for it! :)

Will

[LJ3]

I use facebook all the time. I've used it for my side hustle, I've caught up with old friends and re-reestablished some relationships, joined a couple closed groups for men only in NOVA that have resulted in really good connections to get things done, recommendations, meet up at happy hours and stuff like that and more importantly, find ways to be of service to people who need a leg up. There's lots of good and positive upside to it if you manage it decently. I know myself well enough to know when to put it down for a while. It can be a slippery slope of time suckage if you're not paying attention.

I used to get sucked in to debates or arguments but largely avoid that silliness these days. It's not like anyone is going to consider a different point of view in the online world.

[Thumper]

I wouldn't mind it if it didn't get so out of hand. I don't mind dropping in from time to time to see what a friend has been up to. Family matters, vacations, health issues, the kid's pics, that sort of stuff. It's the one's who seem to feel like they have to re-post the whole Al Gore internet on their site! It takes an hour to sift through all the fluff to find any real news regarding family, etc.

[BarryBobPosthole]

I use facebook all the time. I've used it for my side hustle, I've caught up with old friends and re-reestablished some relationships, joined a couple closed groups for men only in NOVA that have resulted in really good connections to get things done, recommendations, meet up at happy hours and stuff like that and more importantly, find ways to be of service to people who need a leg up. There's lots of good and positive upside to it if you manage it decently. I know myself well enough to know when to put it down for a while. It can be a slippery slope of time suckage if you're not paying attention.

I used to get sucked in to debates or arguments but largely avoid that silliness these days. It's not like anyone is going to consider a different point of view in the online world.

Was NAMBLA one of those groups?

BKB

[Thumper]

Ha ha! Dammit P-hole. That's the SECOND time in the last few minutes you've beat me to the same smart-assed remark. I guess I'm getting slow in my old age. ;)

[LJ3]

I invite bofe of you seniors to pick up your AARP trophies and fornicate yourselves with them.

[Hombre]

**Slowly back away from thread **