As above, really.

I’m pretty sure back a few years, maybe two or three, nearly everyone’s posts to FB were springboards for discussions and chat. Most people would post things that they thought were interesting or funny or something and then we’d all talk about it as comments on the original post, digressing and debating as we saw fit.

Now it seems to me that it’s become different in at least two ways: Likefarming and Posession. Allow me to elucidate…

Likefarming – people post things as status updates, seemingly with the sole purpose of attracting ‘Likes’, comment is discouraged or ignored and especially any dissent or comment that questions the poster about the subject, or, give an alternative view.

Possession – what people write on their wall is becoming a projection of the image that they choose to create. Usually in an attempt to put-forward a sanitised, or [more often] cooler/more successful/more important view of themselves to the world. Again, writing anything that doesn’t further this cause is a surefire way to be ignored, deleted or grumbled about via PM!

Now, don’t get me wrong, I don’t think I’ve turned into a rude asshat who rubs people up the wrong way [and certainly off FB I seem to be in good stead with most of my long-term friends], I mean I really feel the boundaries have shifted under me.

I’ve always been open online about my flaws as well as my strengths, and have made a very strong link between my real and my online presence [x/gofastertripes is nearly always me, everywhere], maybe I’m just a bit unusual in that respect?

Thoughts? Is it only me? Are people mixing-up FB and LinkedIn user modes? Is this the inevitable result of the always-connected world where the online presence becomes as important as the offline one, but, crucially, easier to manipulate?

What’s Facebook?

Can i send you a Jellysplash invite?

@BEB It’s like Google Plus, but with users 😉

Is it this place where you can poke people?

What’s Facebook?

How original. Do you write your own material.

Depends on the people and subjects, I guess; the woodcarving, photography, music and urbex pages I follow all seem to be supportive and engaging, and encourage involvement. Some, like the Cloud Appreciation Society page does get the occasional jackass who insists on describing every slightly unusual formation as a ‘chemtrail’ or ‘HAARP’, despite no evidence whatsoever.

Not sure what like farming or possession are, but Facebook has become quite business orientated for a lot of people.

Many people use it for promoting small businesses (or their main business) and have a page that’s linked to their personal one.

I think this explains it

Yes, to clarify, I mean the personal pages of users. Not the business or group pages.

@neil, terms I just made up that I tried to define in my OP

For me it all depends on how long it takes to finish my dump. If it slips out like an otter off a bank then I’m back out without posting anything. If it’s a medium to long term operation then I’ll probably be able to share my hilarious wit by commenting causing offence on lots of posts.

@aP – That’s an interesting article [like] and much inline with my own conclusions…however many of the people I am thinking of have been on FB for as long as me, so it’s not the only thing behind it; IMHO.

I find the group pages are really now the only arena for random but engaging discussions and yes, many personal pages seem to becoming more ‘like farms’.
Guess it’s a change in how people use web media/forums, less willing to ‘reveal’ themselves and more intent on building their web character?

As far as I can tell most social media interaction between people consists of 2 things:
1. randomly posting lists of stuff from websites set up specifically to make it easy for people on facebook to cutnpaste random lists of shit
2. people showing off about their wonderful lives, no matter how meaningless they are

I posted a picture of my pants earlier today.

Make of that what you will.

Depends what it is. I post mostly general stuff that’s just images, song lyrics, stuff like that, that aren’t there to provoke discussion. If they do, it’s unintentional but welcomed.

Unless…

The ‘discussion’ is just someone either posting self-aggrandizing bullocks for their own benefit or simply being confrontational for the sake of argument. Then, the posts get deleted or, for repeated sinners, they get blocked.

I think it depends on who you follow or are friends with.

I had a massive cull about 6 months ago, old work colleagues, very casual acquaintances, etc. I’m now “friends” with my real friends, groups I have have an interest in, the odd business, and a fair few musicians. It has greatly improved my experience of Facebook.

I also block pages from certain groups that some friends share. I’ve tried to enter into discussion with them about their choice of patriotism, but I was reminded by good friend “don’t argue with idiots, they will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience”

Sadly I’ve actually fallen out with a long term “friend” because her daughter didn’t get the public praise she was after. A spoilt little cow who manipulates her mother. She gave us something, we offered money, she said no it’s OK, we sent a thankyou card, call etc. She kicked off via mummy because she didn’t get a public “you’re so bloody awesome” she was expecting plastered on her wall for all to see, followed by the wave of a 100 likes and more “you’re the bestest” messages. Sad really, but those people are out there and happy to sever real friendships for online “status”.

It’s only Facebook not real life.

I’m pretty sure back a few years, maybe two or three, nearly everyone’s posts to FB were springboards for discussions and chat.

Nope, people have always used FB as a means of attention-seeking in my experience.

Thoughts? Is it only me?

Yes, I think it is – or perhaps you and your friends.

My experience is that I have noticed an increase in debate and disagreement on FB in recent years, as a result of the more fractious political landscape we now inhabit.

PS. What did you say and how did they react then?

😉

I think the sheer volume of content being shared has killed debate and discussion on FB, and the proliferation of pages and content which are at the extreme end of every possible spectrum of opinion means people don’t so much discuss or post their opinions as they do like and share more extreme (often stupid and inarguable points of view).

Before this tidal wave of click bait / like bait content was out there an individual might have to create a statement, say about immigration. You might debate it if you were so inclined. Now they’ll like and share something from “Britain First”, which reinforces the most extreme side of the argument which is backed up by 10,000 retards. And you just think, why bother.

Facebook has always been that way. And MySpace was that way before everyone migrated to Facebook.

I’d actually say Facebook is possibly more open to discussion now, with some properly established groups, but all depends on who are in your circle, and what you follow, I supose

Anodyne and private is the way to go if you don’t want un-neccessary attention (be it from your employer, or others out to do you harm).
All the cool kids have gone elsewhere as it’s more a business tool nowadays.

Dunno if etiquette is changing but people I’ve known for years do stuff on Facebook they’d never have done pre-social media – emoting/boasting/meaningless ‘look at me’ type stuff – all that Facebook Image Crafting as per the link from aP above.
I’m 42 so this isn’t just the Youth! It’s Keeping Up With The Jones/Keeping Up Appearances on steroids and pretty unhealthy on every level tbh…

IMO there’s an inverse correlation between how interesting someone’s life is and how much they post on Facebook about it ie: those of my friends doing the really interesting stuff are too busy doing the interesting stuff to then post on Facebook about it 🙂

Allow me to post a picture of my new car

That’s nice, but did you pick it up in a P1 and 918?

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-s7UiQ3sOwI[/video]

I hardly use Facebook, the people I followed (my Fwends) hasn’t changed for 5-6 years cos I dont bother with it.
However i do know, from my infrequent visits, that there is a huge variety of what is posted. Even from my small amount of fwends. some post ‘ooh look at me!’ crap, some post every single mudanity of life (you know who you are!) , I couldn’t even list all the differnt types of postings actually. I’ve stopped following a few people cos their utter rubbish used to fill the page every time I went on looking for something.
So, no I don’t think it has changed.
This amused me http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/03/24/facebook-news-feed-spoof_n_6929910.html?utm_hp_ref=tw

That’s nice, but did you pick it up in a P1 and 918?

I sold the cheaper ones when I made CEO at 23.

I think this explains it

good read!

^^^ that bald bloke up there talking about the McLaren “buying experience” … he’s very boring isn’t he?

he’s very boring isn’t he?

He has a uniquely dull voice, he probably made his money doing insomnia self help tapes…

It’s all crap like this as far as I can see, generally with less Hitler but crap nonetheless..

What happens next……will change the way you think about your cat.

Are people mixing-up FB and LinkedIn user modes

LinkedIn is basically a clone of FB now, just with the users being full of people looking for a job and won’t get one through it, and the rest are agents looking for leads into companies.

As for FB, it’s always been this way really. The one that gets me though is where every comment on a post is a tag of someone else. No content, just hundreds of people tagging their friends.

Many interesting posts!

I shall be back shortly, I’ve been out riding 🙂

The one that gets me though is where every comment on a post is a tag of someone else. No content, just hundreds of people tagging their friends.

Now this IS a new and disturbing trend which makes me despair for the future of humanity.

The one that gets me though is where every comment on a post is a tag of someone else. No content, just hundreds of people tagging their friends.

I always wondered why people did this, but apparently it just makes the post appear in the tagged person’s timeline, presumably because they think it will interest them.

The one that gets me though is where every comment on a post is a tag of someone else. No content, just hundreds of people tagging their friends.
I always wondered why people did this, but apparently it just makes the post appear in the tagged person’s timeline, presumably because they think it will interest them.

This. Plus it’s a bit quicker to do than ‘sharing’ It though we are talking seconds here…

A friends wife is constantly bragging about all the various jollies she’s going on with work (disappointingly I know them all to be real as we work at the same place) and about what a great wife and mum she is, even using #supermum and #amazingwife in the posts to really ram it home. I know I could bin her off but the fall out just wouldn’t be worth it. Sigh

I don’t have Facebook.

Closed my account and had more time to work and ride!