We Talk Friday
(WTF)
This is a semi-regular series that I will run on Fridays to hold discussions on a current topic from the week gone. The aim is to keep them light and conversational, though some might be heavier - regardless of the content topic itself though, just have some fun engaging and discussing with whoever happens to put in the effort in the comments section below.
We Talk Friday Ep. 46: What Did You Get?
We went and had dinner with friends tonight and spoke about many things, with a large section around social media usage. Out of the four of us, three spend a fair amount of time scrolling the various social feeds, with me being the exception. I do none of that. However, we were talking about inspiration and activation, as while so many claim that they get inspiration out of the feeds, I was curious as to what that got translated into. What is inspiration, if it doesn't get transferred into action of some kind?
So since it is late and I am going to go to bed very soon, for this WTF I was wondering what people get out of social media these days.
Back when I was actively using mainstream social media, I was actively posting, as were my friends, so the feeds I saw were filled with people I knew, even if some of them were more casual acquaintances or I hadn't seen for years. But, according to those I talked with tonight, they couldn't even remember the last time they created anything themselves, which means they are just consumers. Not only that, they barely see anything from their friends, because not only do their friends not post much, but the algorithms will give them content from strangers and companies instead.
So the question again, what do people get out of it?
Some people swear that it gives them a lot of information, but I am of the mind that unless information is turned into action, it is just trivia. And knowing trivia doesn't make a person intelligent, it just gives them lots of random points of disconnected irrelevance to regurgitate. It might make them sound smart, but they are far less "smart" than AI or Google, which everyone has access to. Having a memory for irrelevant details is useless in this day and age. There is no point in remembering details that don't need to be remembered, but there is a lot of value in being able to apply information wisely.
The conversations were far-ranging and I will probably write more about them later, but keeping WTF light (as it was supposed to be, but I often fail at), I wouldn't mint gauging the temperature from the audience about what exactly is the personal outcome or value of scrolling endless feeds of content.
After a scrolling session, what did you get?
(You can also theorise)
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]
Be part of the Hive discussion.
- Comment on the topics of the article, and add your perspectives and experiences.
- Read and discuss with others who comment and build your personal network
- Engage well with me and others and put in effort
And you may be rewarded.
I don't really post much on things like Facebook anymore, and I don't interact with a lot of people, but I am a member of some grilling and smoking communities on Facebook and they are fantastic. I have learned so much stuff from them and I think that is one of the few benefits of social media.
So you are mostly a consumer, right? I think most normal people are, making Facebook etc just like a TV. One way.
Yeah, that would probably be accurate.
When I had my photography business I was able to generate buzz on Facebook and get clients from there. I have been off Facebook for years and don't use any social media other than Hive.
I am not sure it would even work that well now. So much crap to sift through, so unless willing to pay for the advertising, no one will see it. Not even friends.
It has been like eight years so things might have changed...
or worse.. it fills your cups with shit and then u miss or don't have room for the good stuff. although, i do enjoy a good meme or two. :P
and i luv to get messages like this one..
From AI? :D
no. she a former steemian i met in 2018.
The cup overfloweth.
That's why I prefer acquiring practical knowledge than just head knowledge. Knowledge that involve skills that can help solve a problem.
The thing is that the said "inspiration" that most claim to get from social media only serves to entertain them. Only serves to pump more dopamine into their systems. They'd be better off reading a book and acquiring practical knowledge and skills.
My goal is to become addicted to getting necessary skills and taking the right action each time, like people are addicted to drugs or social media. A difficult one to achieve but I believe I can. The number one step to become addicted to anything is to first change how your brain views it.
Yep. A distraction from actually finding something that really inspires them.
Yep. This is true for sure. Good and bad.
While social media can inspire us, I often find myself just scrolling without thinking. I wonder about how we can move from being passive users to becoming active creators.
Why do you keep doing it?
I think it happens after I have watched a few videos that interest me.
A few laughs from animal photos/ videos. The effect of those laughs is usually minimized by seeing some political news...
I generally don't even get a laugh from most of them I see. I might have no humour left :)
People's interests correspond to their level of development.
Yes. And I was discussing with a friend today - people are getting stupider by the day.