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I don't mean John Eden do your bit for the community politics I mean the sadcase 'debates' I see on Facebook due to being friends with some of you lot.
About 99 posts on one thread people who are all exactly the same and drink together getting all hot and bothered about things Completely beyond their control and understanding, calling each other wankers and fucking wankers etc. What's all that about. It's even worse than being really into sport.
Rowing on social media seems about enactment really. "I can't win this fight IRL - or do fuck all about it - so I have it online". I've been trying to give it up thus the dearth of posts from me as of late. I do learn stuff from it sometimes, it depends on who you follow. People who are worth following i.e. those who have original interesting thoughts on a regular basis and can be bothered to post them, are relatively rare though. Cat gifs are less demanding.
We just had an election campaign, Brexit, Labour leadership etc. - no one wonder there's been a lot of argument, these are all big events and we're are kinda encouraged to do this by the powers that be - changing profile pics, Twitter ribbons etc. - rowing with others would seem a natural extension of this. Then there's the sinister side of - how Facebook is mining our date, organised trolling, Cambrige Analytics etc.
I think there is some merit in arguing online if it helps clarify your ideas/positions. That has certainly helped me over the years. It has the added bonus that it can be done during working hours too.
There's nothing wrong with trying to develop your understanding of the world.
And of course it can be a way of making connections with people.
But as Danny would no doubt agree, this can very easily tip over into sublimation - politics as a way of venting your unrelated frustrations. Everyone sits at their desks furiously typing about Palestine, when they could be talking to each other and organising around issues in their workplace.
Some of the bile is really incredible. Not talking about hatred vented at the cops, government, neo-nazis, bailiffs, etc, but casually telling people on your own fricking side that they're cunts and filth, etc, often on a really minor point.
Actually, it sort of reminds me of animal rights extremists. You could break into Porton Down and liberate a small army of chimps and beagles and print a dozen vegan cookery zines - but God help you if you had a leather jacket in the wardrobe. That'd be proof you were a murdering scumbag and would invalidate everything else.
TBF, I don't know how widespread this is, though, as I gave up looking at such Twitter accounts a while ago and instantly avoid any post that starts off "We need to talk about..." I remember some unsavoury Twitter comments following K-Punk's death (which were later retracted, I'm informed) which seemed to have little to do with politics and everything to do with asocial, toxic, unpleasant fuck-ups spending way too much time on the internet.
On sublimation - think it was Tim Pat Coogan who researched it and found that during the height of the Troubles, the amount of adults in Northern Ireland diagnosed with serious personality disorders dwindled to nearly zero.
She didn't really retract anything, just a 'sorry if offense was caused' type apology. I had a run in with the woman involved after as well. Just an awful mix of ignorance & provocation designed to elicit justifications for condemnation. A really nasty piece of work.Quote:
Originally Posted by martin
Kinda relevant: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine...ration/534198/
I ditched my smartphone a while ago and am glad I did so.
Thanks, that was a great article.Quote:
Originally Posted by DannyL
Athena told me that when she does spend time with her friends in person, they are often looking at their device instead of at her. “I’m trying to talk to them about something, and they don’t actually look at my face,” she said. “They’re looking at their phone, or they’re looking at their Apple Watch.” “What does that feel like, when you’re trying to talk to somebody face-to-face and they’re not looking at you?,” I asked. “It kind of hurts,” she said
This REALLY annoys me - and I know people in their 40s who bloody do it!!
Yeah, sorry about that.Quote:
Originally Posted by martin
He said in their 40's not from the 40's.
For the record, John carries a Nokia 3310 without a battery or a sim card and only pulls it out to 'fake call' his SO pretending she's demanding he comes home (usually when it's his round).Quote:
Originally Posted by john eden
Shit...socialist bitchiness is infecting me too...must...resist...
Now, now, let us not stoop to cheap insults on this thread about the degradation of conversation.Quote:
Originally Posted by droid
Insults?! Elderly wisdom & false gravitas are the last cards you have left to play Eden, Im just helping you move your brand over to the new paradigm.
I was mainly bothered about the quality of the insults, tbf and this is much better.Quote:
Originally Posted by droid
Keep it up!
I had my first ugly Facebook spat in ages over the weekend, which is...a coincidence?Quote:
Originally Posted by luka
I spent far too much time in 2016 arguing online, so I mainly reserve it for Dissensus these days. Some issues are worth arguing about in small doses, but social media is largely a cesspit of personal mudslinging, and agreed that it dilutes one's energy for actually doing good in the real world.
Smartphones are evil and I try to combat them by having a really shit one that I can use for maps and checking the football scores (a slightly superior pursuit to arguing on Facebook, as you say)