Is social media making people less sociable?

[Cyclone]

So everyone who uses facebook spends an "inordinate" amount of time on a computer or phone? Unlike yourself, who likes to go out and socialise.

Your prejudices are showing.

[ubermaus]

So everyone who uses facebook spends an "inordinate" amount of time on a computer or phone? Unlike yourself, who likes to go out and socialise.

Your prejudices are showing.

 

I can only speak for myself. I dont know about everyone else. Hence the question.

[hyper]

So everyone who uses facebook spends an "inordinate" amount of time on a computer or phone? Unlike yourself, who likes to go out and socialise.

Your prejudices are showing.

do you actually mean prejudices or do you mean opinions.

'Prejudices' is a very emotive word and could be used as an attempted put-down when one doesn't have a good argument to an alternative opinion they are uncomfortable with .... just sayin'

[Cyclone]

I can only speak for myself. I dont know about everyone else. Hence the question.

 

So why the comment about the "inordinate" amount of time then?

 

---------- Post added 09-03-2015 at 11:59 ----------

 

do you actually mean prejudices or do you mean opinions.

'Prejudices' is a very emotive word and could be used as an attempted put-down when one doesn't have a good argument to an alternative opinion they are uncomfortable with .... just sayin'

 

Prejudice was deliberate.

The comments he's making about people who do something different to himself are very negative, prejudice is a type of opinion of course, but it's one formed about a group of people (those who use social media), generally unsupported by any evidence and generally negative. That seems to fit pretty well.

He pretty much just declared that unlike himself (who likes to go out and socialise), people who use social media instead spend an inordinate amount of time on a laptop or phone. That's a) total rubbish, and b) quite offensive to anyone who uses social media.

Edited March 9, 2015 by Cyclone

[ubermaus]

So why the comment about the "inordinate" amount of time then?

 

I spend an inordinate amount of time in front of a screen. I dont have info about anyone else.

How many twitter followers you have anyway? All friends?

 

---------- Post added 09-03-2015 at 12:07 ----------

 

So why the comment about the "inordinate" amount of time then?

 

---------- Post added 09-03-2015 at 11:59 ----------

 

 

Prejudice was deliberate.

The comments he's making about people who do something different to himself are very negative, prejudice is a type of opinion of course, but it's one formed about a group of people (those who use social media), generally unsupported by any evidence and generally negative. That seems to fit pretty well.

He pretty much just declared that unlike himself (who likes to go out and socialise), people who use social media instead spend an inordinate amount of time on a laptop or phone. That's a) total rubbish, and b) quite offensive to anyone who uses social media.

 

See above. I never made that comment about anyone else. Only myself. So i guess you will accuse me of being prejudice against myself now?

[skinz]

How so? Dont get the point.

 

Social interaction can be done through many means, talking face to face is only one method. Using the method you and I are presently using (SF) doesn't make you or I any less sociable when we stop tinkering on the keys..or on the phone or FB.

 

I've no doubt FB or Twitter etc defines some peoples sociability but to be honest without it many people would be lonely.

[tzijlstra]

You work on the premise that social media is only useful to communicate with friends. A daft and very outmoded notion, when using social media appropriately you have built a network of contacts that provide you with information and vice versa, a network that provides opportunity and entertainment that is completely moulded to your needs.

 

Active users of social media are demonstrably more informed about their areas of expertise than those that aren't.

 

Examples: A friend (yes real life friend) has a daughter with a growth-disease and several related disabilities. He uses social media actively and has an incredible network of parents in a similar position, care-professionals, insurance experts (Netherlands) and so on.

 

One of my Twitter contacts landed a job at Google after keeping a blog (supported by a Twitter account) completely focussed on the UI of Google, not a shabby post either, he works directly for the Vice-President of Google Earth and Maps and has been involved with the team developing driverless cars.

 

A friend who recently completed her PhD uses social media to find customers for her private tuition company, she started it one and a half years ago and now employs 4 people and has 85 kids to look after. Her Mercedes is testimony of her success, as she puts it.

 

Besides that, social media is also plain good old fun for some people.

[ubermaus]

You work on the premise that social media is only useful to communicate with friends. A daft and very outmoded notion, when using social media appropriately you have built a network of contacts that provide you with information and vice versa, a network that provides opportunity and entertainment that is completely moulded to your needs.

 

Active users of social media are demonstrably more informed about their areas of expertise than those that aren't.

 

Examples: A friend (yes real life friend) has a daughter with a growth-disease and several related disabilities. He uses social media actively and has an incredible network of parents in a similar position, care-professionals, insurance experts (Netherlands) and so on.

 

One of my Twitter contacts landed a job at Google after keeping a blog (supported by a Twitter account) completely focussed on the UI of Google, not a shabby post either, he works directly for the Vice-President of Google Earth and Maps and has been involved with the team developing driverless cars.

 

A friend who recently completed her PhD uses social media to find customers for her private tuition company, she started it one and a half years ago and now employs 4 people and has 85 kids to look after. Her Mercedes is testimony of her success, as she puts it.

 

Besides that, social media is also plain good old fun for some people.

 

The friends i want to see and communicate with i use phone/text.

It doesnt improve my social life and could be argued impacts social life.

[Cyclone]

I spend an inordinate amount of time in front of a screen. I dont have info about anyone else.

How many twitter followers you have anyway? All friends?

I don't use twitter.

 

See above. I never made that comment about anyone else. Only myself. So i guess you will accuse me of being prejudice against myself now?

 

In that case, I apologise. You seemed to be saying that you go out and socialise, and those that use social media do not.

 

---------- Post added 09-03-2015 at 12:41 ----------

 

The friends i want to see and communicate with i use phone/text.

It doesnt improve my social life and could be argued impacts social life.

 

But again you're only commenting about yourself?

 

I'm sure for some people it's not the ideal medium, but I think your initial premise, that it makes people less sociable, is demonstrably incorrect.

It might make a minority of people less sociable, but for the majority who chose to use it, I think it just adds to their options on how to communicate.

[Guest]

How many social media followers etc do you actually keep in touch with? Is social media making people less sociable and socially competent?

 

Let's see, I know everyone on my social media accounts, regularly chat to many of them. I've made plenty of friends abroad and here that I would never have made otherwise. Some of whom I've met and visited as well.

 

The friends i want to see and communicate with i use phone/text.

 

You seem to be saying that if you use social media for chatting to friends that it doesn't count. Why is that? I have friends that I regularly see/chat with and I'll use SMS/WhatsApp, for those that I don't see so regularly other methods are easier. It doesn't mean I'm any less social. I'm far more social that I ever would have been without it.

 

Posts like yours come along every so often by people that seem to like to knock social media and actually have no interest in other people's opinions on the subject, only telling them that they're wrong because they don't see it the same way as you.