7 Days Without Facebook

[Nym]

Was also Facebook sweetie... And Bebo..

 

[Ivo]

Was also Facebook sweetie... And Bebo..

I know sod-all about Bebo (I didn't even realise it still existed). Does that suggest anything to you all about how much I care about these things?

 

[Mojo]

How do you think people managed in the 1960s and 1970s without all this new technology?

This phrase really grates on me. In most cases the answer is "they didn't!" I have heard of many stories from friends, family members and colleagues alike about how days/nights out were ruined because people got separated from each other or couldn't find each other at the designated meet point, about how people lost touch with school friends or distant family members and thought they'd never from them again, and so on.


PS: sorry for editing your quote, but the incorrect usage of apostrophes really annoys me!

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

It was rumoured that social media (mainly facebook and twitter) helped prevent further escalation of this summer's unrest.

That is exactly the opposite of what I was led to understand by the Salford police spokesman who stated that this type of social media was now cynically being used by the criminal organised gangs, during the recent riots, to move people from area to area where the police resources were being stretched. You will note that it was not just the personal messages from normal users such as yourself, but it was clearly stated that this type of communication device had evolved from the use of mobile phones ten years ago by organisers of demonstrators to co-ordinate the movements of their people to the best possible effect. It is becoming harder now to trace certain types of data transmission.

In the recent appeal case by the two youths from Cheshire, Jordan Blackshaw and Perry Sutcliffe Keenan, who had been given four-year sentences for posting what was described in court as "incitement to riot" by the Facebook messages that they were instrumental in transmitting, the use of such social media was commented upon by Lord Chief Justice, Lord Judge, who upheld the original sentences and disallowed the appeal of both the youths.

 

[Ivo]

Another anti-Facebook point, if I may.

A couple of nights ago, I stated on there that I would be returning to Southend for the Christmas period on the 15th of December (a week earlier than normal). My brother, sister, aunt and cousin then proceeded to quite literally "spam" the comment with silly little jokes among themselves! It was supposed to be an indication of when to expect me home, not an opportunity to laugh at each other and comment on how my sister is a stupid something-or-other-I-couldn't-even-read! Seriously!

If this is one of the main uses of the Internet these days (another being something equally worthless but far more immoral that relates to something by the name of "Rule 34"), then one has to wonder why it exists in the first place - besides to enjoy nothingness at others' expense...

*I had to clarify the rule number above. I only even know of it because the girl I lived with last year mentioned it so often! :roll:

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

This phrase really grates on me. In most cases the answer is "they didn't!" I have heard of many stories from friends, family members and colleagues alike about how days/nights out were ruined because people got separated from each other or couldn't find each other at the designated meet point, about how people lost touch with school friends or distant family members and thought they'd never from them again, and so on.

PS: sorry for editing your quote, but the incorrect usage of apostrophes really annoys me!

Well, that is your own opinion and you are free to hold to it. I had many friends from school and university that I had no trouble whatsoever keeping in touch with by the use of either a hand-written letter or by telephone. Perhaps Cheshire is somewhat fortunate in this respect. With regard to your comment about people not finding each other at a designated meeting point, that is most surely a comment upon the incorrect information that must have been given or the lack of understanding of the said instructions.

I do apologise if the incorrect usage of apostrophes really annoyed you, but, to me, this is but a small matter in life, which will cause me no "lack of sleep". I have far greater matters to ponder upon at present, such as the extremely serious illness that my youngest brother suffers from and to use the Victorian saying, this matter of the usage of an apostrophe is but a mere bagatelle.

 

[Schnellzug]

I'm waiting for someone to tell me why we "need" the Internet, the telephone, the television and Morse Code to name but a few. Why use computers to make animated shows when stop-motion does just fine?
The answer: It makes our lives easier and it provides us with entertainment. Facebook has this image of being very lax on privacy and a reputation for adding everyone and anyone regardless of whether you know them or not. I freely admit that the former is a valid concern yet you can change privacy settings.

It was rumoured that social media (mainly facebook and twitter) helped prevent further escalation of this summer's unrest.



Sure people managed in the 60s and 70s in much the same way they managed without internet or central heating for the most part (feel free to correct me if I'm wrong on the latter, I'm unsure when it rolled out). If we go further back in history how did Victorian people get around without a motor car? Mobile number is a standard field on job application forms and in many industries having one is essential and without one you'd be given a company one to use or not hired. My point is that standards change throughout generations, this generation does it's business online and, to a fair degree, on social networks (take the LM twitter feed for example)



That depends what you define as modern technology. Smart phones are a time saver since you can check email on the go. Of course it's not healthy but then that wasn't the question
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
What I am trying to get at is that social networks, as long as you take care, can enrich our lives - they are not inherently evil and many of you have implied

Do Face Book and Twitter really make our lives eaisier? What can face book and Twitter do that can't be done equally efficiently by means such as Email? That's the difference with face Book and Twitter; they don't revolutionise communications, they're just another thing that rides on the back of the communications revolution that's already been done. They're nothing new. It's just the same as insisting that you must have a new car every year because it will revolutionise personal transportation. It wouldn't, that's been done years ago.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

This phrase really grates on me. In most cases the answer is "they didn't!" I have heard of many stories from friends, family members and colleagues alike about how days/nights out were ruined because people got separated from each other or couldn't find each other at the designated meet point, about how people lost touch with school friends or distant family members and thought they'd never from them again, and so on.


PS: sorry for editing your quote, but the incorrect usage of apostrophes really annoys me!

And that's an other thing; do you think people's always want to get in touch with schoolfriends? I certainly dont'. It's the pressure that comes with getting "Friend Requests" and all the rest of it, how people would be so offended, people think, if they didn't accept, but then you'd probably find that the person who was anxious to befriend you probably has 12,000 "Friends", so they wouldn't possibly notice if you did or didn't accept them. It makes the whole concept of friends utterly meaningless.

* prize for spotting the incorrect apostrophe.

 

[Nym]

dont' (it even feels wrong typing that!)

 

[Mojo]

Well, that is your own opinion and you are free to hold to it. I had many friends from school and university that I had no trouble whatsoever keeping in touch with by the use of either a hand-written letter or by telephone.

If you have the foresight to exchange telephone numbers/addresses and keep them up to date, but that is not my experience of most people's interactions.

With regard to your comment about people not finding each other at a designated meeting point, that is most surely a comment upon the incorrect information that must have been given or the lack of understanding of the said instructions.

So you have never ever been delayed for any reason (e.g. transport disruption), have last-minute circumstances arise or gotten lost/separated amongst big crowds? I find that hard to believe.

 

[DaveNewcastle]

This phrase really grates on me. In most cases the answer is "they didn't!" I have heard of many stories from friends, family members and colleagues alike about how days/nights out were ruined because people got separated from each other or couldn't find each other at the designated meet point, about how people lost touch with school friends or distant family members and thought they'd never from them again, and so on.

Interesting point of view!
Most people will have stories to tell, from whatever era or lifestyle, but I wonder if we're not comparing like-for-like. There are plenty people loosing contact with each other today just as there are people missing each other after arranging to meet.
I'd say that there were equally strong and equally effective social networks in the 60s & 70s, just operating in very different ways. There would be many regular meeting places which differentiated social interest groups; these could be in pubs, cafes, tea houses, special interest clubs, sports grounds etc. (mainly the diverse range of cafes).

With post being delivered twice a day and stamps being cheap, it was easy to keep in touch with a note if you couldn't get through by phone. These were also the days when public phone boxes were well-used and placed in clusters on busy pavements; when people would send a telegram for almost-instant communication; when local and national radio presenters read out letters and special programmes appealed for contacts from lost friends (again segmented by interest group, eg. Radio Luxembourg for young people who listened to pop music, BBC Light Programme for ex-service folk, etc).

There was also more social interation around physical loci such as churches (and their halls), schools, institutes, clubs etc. and of course there was much less long-distance travel, so social networks would have been much more parochial (and therefore easier to maintain by personal contact).
For long-distance chats, people often had "pen-friends", maintaining correspondence following an initial contact in, perhaps, one of the very many special-interest magazines; it was perhaps these magazines which maintained the stimulus for special interests and would generally carry cheap private ads (performing the functions of eBay, Gumtree and much of Facebook).

As for Facebook, I occasionally receive reminders that, having a FB account, I should at least log-on more than once or twice a year.

 

[Temple Meads]

I would probably say that twitter is more useful than facebook.

Personally I think Twitter really is pointless, absolutely useless in fact.

Facebook has certainly been more useful to me, I registered with Twitter, tweeted once, then never went back on the site.

 

[Mojo]

I'd say that there were equally strong and equally effective social networks in the 60s & 70s, just operating in very different ways. There would be many regular meeting places which differentiated social interest groups; these could be in pubs, cafes, tea houses, special interest clubs, sports grounds etc. (mainly the diverse range of cafes).

May be; but I do not use Facebook to meet people, I use them to communicate with people I already know, or people I used to know and lost touch with, but thanks to Facebook am now in contact with again.

With post being delivered twice a day and stamps being cheap, it was easy to keep in touch with a note if you couldn't get through by phone.

That is true, but not so useful for when you are supposed to be meeting people but not sure where the other person is located!

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

If you have the foresight to exchange telephone numbers/addresses and keep them up to date, but that is not my experience of most people's interactions.

I will go back to my point that I feel that we had to have a more disciplined mental attitude to such matters, forty or fifty years ago, which was not a bad thing. I do agree with what you say at the end of the abovementioned quote and with the ease of information retrieval these days, which have meant that people now do not put the same emphasis on what I said in the first line of this posting.

 

[LCC106]

I managed nearly 35 years without FB and must admit I'm on it far too often. However, I heave been in touch with and learned far more about my cousins who live in Holland as well as those closer to home as a result.

I have made several friends through FB, 1 of whom is a train driver and has been very supportive towards my application for Trainee Train Driver.

In my opinion, twitter is useful for brand awareness - especially for those running smaller businesses. Known how to use it correctly, tweeps (people who tweet) can drive traffic to their blogs and websites. It is also popular with so called celebrities, although I don't tend to follow them.

However, both have their not-so-good points too. To those of you who've made it this far without, good on you

 

[Mojo]

I will go back to my point that I feel that we had to have a more disciplined mental attitude to such matters, forty or fifty years ago, which was not a bad thing. I do agree with what you say at the end of the abovementioned quote and with the ease of information retrieval these days, which have meant that people now do not put the same emphasis on what I said in the first line of this posting.

However I left school before Facebook was invented, or before any other social network was even heard of let alone in widespread use. None of us would have been aware of ''ease of information retrieval'' or the ability to track each other down on the Internet a few years later.

 

[table38]

They helped prevent all of that nonsense from escalating? I was under the impression that they were part of how the riots were organised! :roll:

I gather the police cottoned on fast and monitored social networking and some confiscated Blackberrys to stay ahead of the game, and by being in the right place at the right time, were able to prevent some rioting.

As for me, because trends go round in cycles, I'm holding out for the day that Facebook and Twitter are no longer "cool" and I can proclaim that really cool people never used them in the first place