Social media.

[rogueslayer452]

Taken from the Crunchy Questions Meme:

Social media platforms come and go, what is a social media website that you didn't think would last as long as it did? What is one that you're surprised ended quickly as it did? Is there a social media platform that you refuse to use no matter how popular it is?

I would say Facebook is a place I'm surprised lasted as long as it has, though not really because the entire purpose was to reconnect with friends and family. I think I'm more or less surprised due to the lack of popularity it has these days. I remember it was marketed towards a lot of young adults, especially those entering into college, to stay connected with friends and family after high school, and it was viewed as a mature upgrade from MySpace. Even actors and celebrities were using it for keeping people updated on future projects and whatnot. Nowadays, though, it's mostly the older generation who are using it to stay in touch, and anyone who is just having an account so their family won't yell at them for not having one or accepting friend requests.

I'll be honest, I thought that Vine was going to last longer than it did since it was heavily popular, but of course with everything happening behind the scenes it unfortunately seemed inevitable that the app would be discontinued. I never used it, but I watched compilations on YouTube and there is no denying that there was so truly hilarious and creative content produced there. I know that TikTok has become kind of the replacement for that in a sense, trying to recreate the atmosphere that Vine had but honestly it just doesn't have the same vibe.

I will never join Twitter, that place seems like a massive hellhole, filled with reactionary culture and people just yelling at one another into a void and it's just drama, drama everywhere, and I just don't have the patience for that nonsense. No thank you. It wasn't appealing to me years ago, and it's definitely not appealing to me now.

(In general, I'm not really huge on social media. I only have LJ -- with DW as a backup -- and Tumblr, that's it. I know that may make me seem archaic in this modern age of technology where everyone has a Twitter account or something like that, but I don't like the notion of having to sign up to every single social media platform just to keep in touch with people or just because it's considered more popular. Also a lot of social media sites require you to use your real name or give out personal information, which I'm not comfortable with.)

Comments

[sixphanel.livejournal.com]

I remember back in the good ol' Vine days... so much imagination! And I loved Sophie Turner and Maisie Williams' videos <3 Like you, I used to watch the compilations on Youtube, I never had an account myself.

Twitter nowadays sucks :( I do use it, but I've got a private account and I curated a good flist there, just like here, no bullshit from them. But gods, once you see outside of that... o_o wow. Seems like whatever you say these days is going to get you in trouble.

Btw! I just started reading the first book of The Expanse! Sooo excited! :)

[timewithers.livejournal.com]

Twitter is a void of the worst parts of humanity. At least it seems like that sometimes.

Social media sites like LJ are great, because you can literally curate your friends list to people you like and won't argue with everything just for the sake of arguing or being heard or whatever the reason the general social media community seems to have.

[tabaqui]

FB is such a mess, to me. All those ads and 'suggested' pages - drives me nuts. I like it for being able to see pictures and posts from my brothers and extended family that lives all over, but otherwise...meh.

I have a Twitter account, and mostly am there for news/current events and election stuff, things like that. I don't follow any far-right pages (I'm not nutty), but I do follow all the Alt pages that sprang up after tRump (Alt White House, Alt Yellowstone National Park, stuff like that). And the WH, Greenpeace, those sorts of things.

I like it, but it's a time-suck. I give myself about 15 or 20 minutes on there twice a day and then that's that.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_profiterole_/]

I'm only on LJ. I'm not interested in websites like Facebook because of the real name policy. I lurk a lot on Tumblr and Twitter, mostly to know about LGBT SF/F books, so I don't see much drama myself, but I do hear about it.

[author-by-night.livejournal.com]

I find Facebook is most useful for joining groups and following pages. I have a love-hate relationship with it for many reasons. I think it only survived because a lot of people, myself included, have come to rely on it for a lot of things. I do business via Facebook, I keep in touch with family and friends I wouldn't see otherwise (even outside the pandemic), I have groups, so there's a lot I'd have to give up. But there are also people who probably wouldn't notice anything different in their lives if they gave it up, and yet they still have it. So that is interesting. I mean, my situation is also a bit unique in that almost all of my friends and family ARE far away, versus people who practically live on the same street as their significant circles, if you will. Same with social media management.

I remember Vine, but never really got into it.

I got twitter way back in the day because everyone on LJ had it, then I deleted it about a week later. :P I have an account again, but I'm not really sure why. I heard there was a great writing community, but the algorithms pretty much ruin any chance to actually interact with people. It sucks.

Also a lot of social media sites require you to use your real name or give out personal information, which I'm not comfortable with.)

Along that same vein, that's how I feel about visual media replacing blogging. Even if I didn't give my name, I'd still be putting myself out in the world, and anyone can find that stuff and do whatever they want with it. Plus I have some insecurities, mostly about my voice, and people on the internet can be very cruel. Besides, I'm a writer. I want to write things and have people read them.

That being said, I have been making parody videos during the pandemic (which has played a huge role in preserving my sanity), and I've been tempted to post a modified version of them here. Thus far, only my family and a few close friends have seen them. But even here, I'm not sure I really want to show everyone my "real" self, you know? I kind of like the relative anonymity. Especially as it's not like I know everyone on my flist well.

I am obviously still on LJ and DW, but as you've probably noticed I don't post much anymore. A lot of it is time —I now have a part time job that involves online work, which takes up a lot of my online time. That combined with things we've discussed before. (Nothing dramatic, just, feels about LJ as a platform in general we've already discussed to death.) I'm also trying to watch how much time I spend online at work, and LJ was definitely a factor in me running over my break.

[sictransits.livejournal.com]

I'm also surprised Facebook has lasted so long. I would've thought something newer and better would come along to replace it, similar to how Facebook replaced MySpace.

[awakenyourfaith.livejournal.com]

I too am surprised that Facebook has lasted this long. It launched when I was in high school, and it's still going.

I'm on Twitter, but I've managed to stay away from too much of the vitriol, which is good.

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

Yeah, same here, and the fact that it's still going after all this time is wild. Then again, I think the same thing about LJ, as well. Heh.

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

It intrigues me on which social medias stick around for a long time and those that basically become defunct, barely making a blip among the rest of the platforms that exist; why some work and some don't. I never was interested in FB, but for a lot of people it is the only place where they can stay in touch with people.

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

It was really impressive with how much imagination and creativity people had with coming up with ideas for content that lasted only six seconds. I know that TikTok has been a replacement and has attempted to recreate the magic of what Vine was, but it can never come close to it.

Seems like whatever you say these days is going to get you in trouble

Exactly, and I know this is happening a lot online in general, but Twitter is where reactionary culture runs rapid to a disturbing degree. And it's all performative, when you get right down to it. Also, the way that some corporations and professional individuals on there act is just, wow.

Btw! I just started reading the first book of The Expanse! Sooo excited! :)

Yay, that's awesome! :D I have yet to do so myself, but I will soon! Hopefully.

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

I heard there was a great writing community, but the algorithms pretty much ruin any chance to actually interact with people. It sucks.

I think that is one of the major drawbacks of Twitter, I've seen so many complaints about not being able to find anything over there because the algorithm sucks. You just have to be following the right people, but it is impossible to do so unless you are looking for specific tags or keywords, which doesn't always pop up and you get lost in the endless void. I'm not entirely sure how things work on Twitter though aside from those complaints, but it seems like too much of a hassle and nothing really appeals to me about it as a platform.

Plus I have some insecurities, mostly about my voice, and people on the internet can be very cruel. Besides, I'm a writer. I want to write things and have people read them.

Yeah. I mean, I do watch some people on YouTube that never show their face or distort their voices in their videos because of this reason, but not everyone is comfortable with that. And just like you, I'm more comfortable with writing to express myself, but I've noticed that, unfortunately, thanks to social media a lot of people aren't willing to pay attention to someone writing an entry that is longer than a paragraph or two, if that, which honestly? Sucks.

But even here, I'm not sure I really want to show everyone my "real" self, you know? I kind of like the relative anonymity. Especially as it's not like I know everyone on my flist well.

Same here! Like, the me you see online is still me, and just because I don't reveal everything about myself and my life doesn't mean it's less authentic. I'm just a very private person in general and don't like revealing things unless I feel comfortable doing so, which I don't. When I got online for the first time there were the warnings that were instilled into me to never reveal personal or private information about yourself, and it's really disconcerting that so many people these days, especially young people, don't learn basic Internet safety because the more I see of people getting doxxed because of some random person online not liking someone else for whatever reason is deeply disturbing. And yet people think that if you don't reveal everything about yourself, including details you wouldn't tell a stranger on the street, then somehow you're being dishonest and lying and being deceitful and that's just so....backwards to me.

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

On one hand, it really shows people's true colors and a lot of the times they do this to themselves, but on the other hand the hostility is just bewildering. A lot of people truly believe they are "fighting the good fight" by being assholes and it's just a whole world of nope for me.

[author-by-night.livejournal.com]

Yeah. I mean, I do watch some people on YouTube that never show their face or distort their voices in their videos because of this reason, but not everyone is comfortable with that.


Good point. I've also seen where it's a combination. Not sure what their reasons were, but I imagine something close to ours.

Out of curiosity, have you seen The Take? A tad OT but also an interesting example where the women show their faces, but only at the beginning, and speak in an incredibly formulaic way. It's actually a bit distracting, as much as I usually like it, although sometimes I find their "takes" a little reaching. In any case, they talk like news hosts, but they don't seem to be? Maybe they prefer sounding professional.

And just like you, I'm more comfortable with writing to express myself, but I've noticed that, unfortunately, thanks to social media a lot of people aren't willing to pay attention to someone writing an entry that is longer than a paragraph or two, if that, which honestly? Sucks.

It does! Though it is interesting, and you may have pointed it out yourself actually, that sometimes long social media posts — no pictures or video, just text — DO go viral. Not sure what the difference is. It does suck that so much of the time, though, you're expected to keep things to a bare minimum.

I understand being private. I'm similar, although in my case it's a bit being a private person, yet also what you said about being taught about not giving too much revealing information. Ironically I used to reveal more in terms of my real life, without giving away my own identity, because people who didn't know me still wouldn't know what I was talking about. So I could talk about work and not feel like I was revealing things I shouldn't be. Whereas now, everyone's online and it's a smaller world, so I feel less safe. Even back then, I remember realizing people online knew people I know IRL, and these were shot in the dark happenstances. It just made me warier and warier of revealing anything that could potentially get back to someone I wouldn't want reading/knowing what I had said. So now I call my workplace Fight Club and give everyone IRL nicknames, even though if you knew who they were, you'd still probably know who they were. But I try my best.

. And yet people think that if you don't reveal everything about yourself, including details you wouldn't tell a stranger on the street, then somehow you're being dishonest and lying and being deceitful and that's just so....backwards to me.

Yeah, I don't understand that one at all. It makes no sense to me. "This is a fake Facebook account" maybe the person just doesn't want their real name for all to see? I have a Facebook account for exactly that purpose, separate from my "real" account.

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

I haven't seen The Take, so I can't judge based on that.

that sometimes long social media posts — no pictures or video, just text — DO go viral. Not sure what the difference is.

It's odd, to be honest, what does or doesn't go viral these days. It's all just random at what picks up traction.

So I could talk about work and not feel like I was revealing things I shouldn't be. Whereas now, everyone's online and it's a smaller world, so I feel less safe.

Yeah, exactly, and people online are more comfortable with playing "Internet detective" that they can literally piece together things just from minimal information that is out there. It's unsettling. I mean, I know I also kind of revealed a little things, like you, earlier when I first joined LJ, talking about school and whatnot, without giving too much away because it seemed all very vague. Now, though, it's not worth the risk to even be vague enough for that.

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

It makes me sad because I've definitely lost contact with online friends when they disappear and migrate to other platforms. And while it's great that there's a lot of options to choose from, since every social media platform caters to a specific kind of need for different people, I also think there's far too many out there that everyone is just so scattered. I don't want to sign up for dozens of accounts just to keep track of online friends or where fandom is mainly located, y'know?

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

I know that FB can be important for some people for that reason, keeping in touch and even for business reasons at times, but overall it just doesn't seem worth it to me. Hell, I wasn't that interested in it to begin with when it launched because you had to use your real name and I just didn't want people I even vaguely knew IRL to find me.

[tabaqui]

Ha, see, I find that funny. It's only been a year or so that i've been using my real name on FB. For years and years, I used a fake name. There was no way to check it, and it wasn't 'CrazyFandomPerson' or whatever, so - FB just did not care.

I only switched to my real name because I finally went back to my maiden name, and wanted to be able to talk to far-flung family (some in Portugal!) without having to explain over and over who I was.

It's still a fucked up mess, though.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_profiterole_/]

I don't want to be on a lot of websites either. It just increases the risks of getting your passwords hacked. Plus, being active on LJ and lurking on Tumblr and Twitter already takes a good amount of time.

[koyaaniisqatsi.livejournal.com]

Twitter is absolute garbage, completely agree!

[elizalavelle.livejournal.com]

I have a Twitter account but never got into using it. I didn't like the medium of posting something so short. I also found that meant that people post a lot and when I tried keeping up it was just overwhelming.

I still really love LJ because I find I get to know people better and have more conversations here. It just feels more genuine.

I'm with you on not having a ton of social media. It's just too much to keep up with.

[author-by-night.livejournal.com]

You would probably like The Take. You just have to get past the way they talk.

. I mean, I know I also kind of revealed a little things, like you, earlier when I first joined LJ, talking about school and whatnot, without giving too much away because it seemed all very vague. Now, though, it's not worth the risk to even be vague enough for that.

YES. Exactly.

I just realized even though I feel like I know you pretty well, I don't know that much personal about you? Which isn't a bad thing, it's just what I realized. (Not like people know much more about me. Maybe a little bit, especially as I have several friends from when I was more open.) Whereas I know people online who I barely interact with, yet I could tell you their kid's names and where they go to school. It's unsettling.

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

I can't remember when they specifically made it so you had to use your real name when you signed up, if not when it initially launched then I'm guessing it was pretty early on, but nevertheless I recall not liking the idea of being in an online space where people I knew IRL could find me. I prefer anonymity.

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah, that's another factor that I don't like as well. And really, checking multiple different platforms daily can be exhausting. Having just two that I check on the regular is enough, as well.

[blakmagjick]

I actually Twitter than more other platforms, cause I can curate it quite a bit more than like FB. But that's just me. I follow a lot of Science, Space and Coding people on there.

[blakmagjick]

This is not to say that Twitter isn't a hellhole...cause it sure is. But I tend to stay away from the drama, and I don't read the comments, which is a good rule to follow almost everywhere...hahah

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

It doesn't look like it's fun to be on. Even if you're just staying in your little corner, I find the shorthand tweets to be kind of pointless. I like writing out long responses and having to do several comments in a thread just to get out my thoughts sounds exhausting and kinda pointless, imho.

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

It's not really a great medium for any kind of discussion, that's for sure. I dislike the notion of having to make several comments in a thread just to get my thoughts out. I would rather have it all in one singular comment or post.

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

I just find Twitter to be more of a hassle than anything, personally speaking. I mean, it never really appealed to me even years ago when everyone was getting one, so that's unlikely going to change any time soon.

[noybusiness.livejournal.com]

That two-faced thesis advisor I mentioned before uses Twitter far too much. Like a certain former head of state.

[elizalavelle.livejournal.com]

I think that's one of the reasons I've stuck on LJ for so long. Here I can read more from people and make long posts or long comments rather than it just be snippets back and forth. I've gotten to know people much better that way than by just seeing a snappy one liner.