I Wanna Smash Facebook Inventors In The Face!

[BrazenBull]

I agree that it is parenting and not the social networking site or the internet alone, I used to go online alot when I was around 7-9 and it did not change my perception of things IRL.
Also I have encountered some strange people online. They have nothing to do with the way I act, my parents do, they would ignore me at times and never listen to me (It would make me feel like I was unimportant to my family) which is probably the reason why I have no self confidence, as is still a horrible socially awkward person today.
They would also keep me locked in the house, giving me nothing to do but play videogames and go on the internet internet, telling me everyone outside is "bad" or "dangerous", I'm not going to disagree with them there, people are pretty f*cked up, I wouldnt be here if people weren't such messed up and twisted animals. (I mean both here with PTSD, and being online)

 

[KP the nut]

I wouldnt be here if people weren't such messed up and twisted animals. (I mean both here with PTSD, and being online)

It is hard to know who to trust. Hell, I'm still learning, I thought I could trust someone here, we learn the hard way.

Trust your first instincts and be careful. Whatever your age, be cautious.

 

[PerfectEmpire]

Facebook was originally a place for adult, university students. Let me tell you, it was much nicer back then! There used to be an app that allowed you to find classmates and share your academic schedule, there was a social timeline, every single person had to choose a "network" and things were squeaky clean and great.

I still use Facebook every day, but I really do miss the old dynamics and features.

Whenever I see a minor on Facebook, part of me wants to scream "Get out!" Not because I think it's bad for them, but because I miss not having to worry about whether or not something I do/say in a group or page would be inappropriate for children or get me sued by angry parents. You never know if the user you're interacting with is a minor, especially now that they let them join as young as 13.

Picture this scenario: a user leaves a comment in a discussion board or on a friend's wall on Facebook, asking for advice about something. You leave a reply with detailed advice and wish them luck. The kid takes your advice and (insert action here: gives themselves a piercing, has sex and gets pregnant, the list can go on and on). A little while later you end up in court because the parents blame YOU. Even if you win the legal battle, it takes serious time and money and is very draining. I'm no legal expert, but I could totally see that happening. I've given advice before only to delete it after realizing the user was under 18. Better safe than sorry!

I wish there were a way to block minors so that they can't see me (liability protection) and I can't see them (that would filter out many annoying posts)!

 

[anthony]

What I find interesting with this issue though.... is that 50 years ago, if a girl was not married by 15 - 16, then they were considered old and unlikely to get married.

I do agree... children are not mature enough nowadays to be exploited or understand consequences of such decisions.

It seems rather ironic how indifferent things are as society shifts... yet in other countries, society is vastly different again, and how Western society views adulthood, other cultures still view married by 15 or 16, otherwise your over the hill.

Interesting how the www changes things that much further across the globe.

 

[MurphyJB]

"I wish there were a way to block minors so that they can't see me (liability protection) and I can't see them (that would filter out many annoying posts)!"

You can...just adjust your privacy settings.

 

[MurphyJB]

Or did you mean blocking them from seeing anything you post?
If that's what you meant, then I totally agree.

 

[PerfectEmpire]

Or did you mean blocking them from seeing anything you post?
If that's what you meant, then I totally agree.

Yes, that's what I mean. Facebook "groups" and "pages" are a huge part of the experience and what you post to a facebook "page" is public, and most "groups" are public too. I don't mind that it's public. I would like to go to the Wall or Message board of a group or page and not have to worry that the person I'm responding to or interacting with is a minor. The risk of anything going wrong is usually pretty low, so I use these features anyway. I just avoid topics that parents are likely to get upset over, unless I know for sure that the person on the other end is not a kid. It rarely comes up.

The other thing is, kids can be downright annoying. Allow me to demonstrate: "omg i luv my bff 4vr!" or "u dunt no wut ur talking abut gurl i have a pet dog nd i thing u shuld shut up" There are many pages and groups I would join if they weren't so infested with such immaturity. That being said, there appears to be an increasing number of adults who communicate this way online. It's pretty sad.

 

[anthony]

Allow me to demonstrate: "omg i luv my bff 4vr!" or "u dunt no wut ur talking abut gurl i have a pet dog nd i thing u shuld shut up"

That shit pisses me off too.

What gets me... is they can write the entire four letters, ie. gurl, yet get it wrong because their brain or thumbs have programmed them to use u instead of i when required. I'm positive its making youth dumber due to the amount of abbreviated text speak being used via sms, twitter, facebook, etc.

 

[MurphyJB]

Anthony, I couldn't agree more!
I get it's somewhat of a cultural thing...BUT I proofread papers in my college classes where people are typing u instead of you and have absolutely horrible spelling. I feel lime if you're that stupid your paper isn't even worth correcting.

 

[Nicolette]

I feel lime if you're that stupid your paper isn't even worth correcting.

It's actually laziness from text messaging than stupidity..... like LOL has been added to the Australian Dictionary.

 

[caliaviator]

I'm a pretty tech savvy person. Built my own computer, was getting a degree in comp sci until I discovered that it wasn't worth it, and as parents you need to be up with the times and learn about technology today. In the aviation field we have a saying "Never let your airplane take you somewhere your brain didn't get to five minutes earlier". The same applies with your kids. If your kids are doing something you don't understand you need to do some research and know what's going on before you either approve or deny their request. If you're making decisions on the fly on things you don't know about then you're pretty much losing control.

As for FB, yeah screw that. They pretty much own your information, and whatever you post in that god forsaken social network. Twitter also pisses me off. Who in their right mind would twitter everything they do? If you're so interested in what I'm doing waddle your lazy a** to the phone and call me. I honestly think these social networks make people lazy, and stupid like some of you are saying. Proper spelling has reached an all time low, and if I ever caught my kid acting like some of these retards I'm seeing these days I'm going to sell him/her to the circus. Ok, maybe not but damn it if I don't feel like it.

...though facebook has produced many lols in my life. [DLMURL]http://failbook.failblog.org/page/1/[/DLMURL]

 

[MurphyJB]

Hey Caliaviator. I'm not trying to be rude or a bitch or anything...but using the word retard like that isn't cool.

As for twitter. I used to feel the same way you do, until I used to connect with other peoe in the Autism and PTSD communities. I use it kind of how I use this forum, as a big support group. The people that tweet their every move do annoy me.