I absolutely HATE social networks - Why am i here?!

in #introduceyourself7 years ago (edited)

Hello fellow Steemers (is that what you call yourselves?). Welcome to my first post on Steemit, I hope it's a worthwhile one.

I'm 38 years old, I'm a husband, a stepdad, a programmer by day, a problem solver and a problem maker by night. I also like to garden. I'm a pretty big fan of technology except that I also despise it. You could call me a hypocrite and you'd be very accurate. In one moment I will gush about some glorious piece of technology that brings me a moment of fleeting joy or makes my life easier and in the next moment I will be fuming with rage at how technology is absolutely wreaking havoc upon our world and our people.

This is the first social media account that I have created in years. I don't have Facebook account, and haven't for well over 8+ years now. I don't have a Twitter, or Instagram or Snapchat or any of those pesky social media things. I think they're absolutely rubbish and a waste of time for 95% of people.

These creations are called social networks, which is technically accurate - you can socialize with your network. But I prefer to more accurately refer to them as observation networks. People don't logon to Facebook or Instagram or Snapchat for the explicit goal to socialize with their friends. People logon to their favorite social network to observe other people, to lurk, to see what someone else is doing with their time. Socializing just happens to be a by-product of observation. I can't possibly fathom the amount of time and joy that has been wasted by staring at a well designed User Experience, observing the lives of friends, family and strangers.

So why am I here?

I'm here because of Bitcoin, cryptocurrencies and more specifically I'm here because of @jerrybanfield. I've recently begun (as an absolute noob) to invest in some cryptocurrency. My journey has led me to recently invest in some Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin and I guess now I'm investing in Steem. Here I am with all my despise for technology and social networks and I find myself creating a social account so that I can earn and invest in digital currency, all the while attempting to be social. Yep, that's me right there, Mr. Hypocrite.

I'd like to use this platform as a means of journaling my adventures of navigating the online social world again, recording the ups and downs of investing in cryptocurrencies, and take the opportunity to learn from others. I'm hoping to make some new like-minded friends here on Steemit and to really learn from others and their experiences.

I guess then I'd have to say that I will become an observer here. But here's my reasoning and defense for becoming that which I despise (an observer on a social network). I will be observing with the intent to learn. See, I think on social networks many people just observe ... and that's it. They consume and gorge themselves on information and don't really take a moment to learn. Warren Buffet reads for hours upon hours a day and he's one of the most successful investors in history. I can learn something from him - he reads, observes, learns, applies.

Ending Statement(s)

So I find myself here on Steemit despite the fact that:

  1. I don't like technology (sometimes)
  2. I really don't like social networks

But I am going to take the time to:

  1. Journal my ups and downs in online socializing, investing and just being positive.
  2. Meet new friends and learn from their knowledge and experience.
  3. Make some money and lose some money.
  4. Become a better person.

Let's see how this goes :) Leave a comment below if you have some insight that I can learn from, if you have something useful to share for a new investor, or if you just want to call me a hypocrite.

Thanks for taking the time to read this, I hope you will learn something here whether from me or others who post their thoughts. Cheers!

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So far I've been here almost a month and I can say that of any social network, this is my favorite :) Most people here are positive and the fact that you can make $ for creating valuable content and not have to deal with advertisers is amazing!

Hey @britt.the.ish, I can say the same. I've been here only maybe a few weeks and have noticed the positivity of the community. It's an interesting model where there are no advertisers and the users who are making the content are the ones to get paid. I hope to make a place here on Steemit!

Welcome to Steemit! I've checked out your blog, looks like you're off to a great start with really great content. Followed ya, thanks for following!

This post received a 1.5% upvote from @randowhale thanks to @britt.the.ish! For more information, click here!

Welcome Mr. Hypocrite :-) Nice to have you onboard - Follow me and I will follow you ;-)

Howdy @patrickmohr, checked out your blog ... cryptocurrency, dogs, sandwiches, breaking news. I think we'll get along! Followed

Already like you the most ;-)

Welcome Mr. Hypocrite! ;)

Also, friendly suggestion to add a picture or two so we can get familiar with the real you =)
(The first picture also becomes the thumbnail for the post)

Thanks @hansikhouse for the suggestion! I'm not much of a photo person sometimes but I'll try and do that in the future.

It would seem you are the first non-spammy person to reply and take time to read my post, much appreciated!

Welcome to Steem @britt.the.ish I have sent you a tip

Welcome to Steemit @britt.the.ish :)

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Welcome @britt.the.ish
Here is few tips for you
firstly, follow me @digital-entrep and be subjected to wonderful posts that would help you grow in the platform
secondly, sign up with steemit chat to help promote your post reach a wider audience
thirdly, engage(upvote, comment, resteem) other people posts to help guide your grow
Use an image to attract people to your post

Thank you @digital-entrep for the pointers. I'll look into steemit chat and I definitely agree that posting an image is more visually engaging. Appreciate you taking a moment and sharing some tips!

Thats my thing to. I dont use social media. Usually a waste of time. Not here though. This is the first time i have used something similar before.

Hey @nicnas, for being here since May, seems like you've been doing well for yourself. Congrats! Any tips, pointers or helpful articles you can share? Greatly appreciate you stopping by!

Hello and welcome to steemit!

Thanks for the welcome @nickelnerds, glad to be here.

Welcome to Steemit! :)

Thanks for the welcome @heigovannik, appreciate you stopping by!

Interesting introduction

Welcome to Steemit, it's not so much a social network as a great supportive community

@gmuxx After spending a bit of time on here today, I can definitely agree with you that this community is supportive. Has a very positive feel overall at this point, looking forward to meeting new people. Thanks for taking a moment to stop by and read my intro!

My pleasure

Hello ! Nice Introduction !!
Warm welcome to the steemians World !

welcome with thums up.png

Thank you @akkha, appreciate your warm welcome!

Thank you so much ! Lets stay in touch .

Welcome aboard! Follow me at https://steemit.com/@bitgeek

Welcome to the Steemit community. Great to have you around. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I do!. :-)

Welcome to SteemIt you aren't going back! ;-)

Hello @britt.the.ish, welcome! I think you'll like it here since there's the opportunity for engagement on a richer level than most social media platforms. Plus, there are some amazing blogs here full of rich content. Anyway, I'm glad that you commented on my post so that I knew you existed and now can follow you too :-)

Steemians I think is the more accepted term but I refer to us as Steemsters at times. Call us what you will. A friendly bunch for the most part.

Welcome to the STEEM network captain!

Steemsters is my new favorite. Hope you don't mind me stealing it from ya. Thanks for the welcome

No worries man. Glad to have you on board.

Welcome to the platform, I wish everything work out for you. It’s not easy here but not difficult neither but just ask an extra effort, engagement is the key good luck I’m @goodaytraders Start by following people and they will do the same.