(Rant) ...What exactly IS "social media"?

Here I am again, back on NAS to share yet another...depressing feeling of mine in sadness and rant.

The other day ago, when I had to comment on an artist's profile from DeviantArt, saying about why that guy doesn't want to say anything to me, I got told by another person, "I suggest giving out context, because this site isn't really social media." Now that that's been said...  I ask myself, is NOTHING on the internet ever considered "social media" anyway or anymore? I ALWAYS thought it was the case...because I usually post hundreds of comments on DeviantArt, speaking perfectly normal about what I enjoy and genuinely think conversations are legitimate there, but then OTHERS say, "No it's a site for art sharing, not talking and making friendships and all that stuff."

...Why? Why did this had to happen on me? As if it's really that "true" after all? But then I feel, even if I DID choose to attempt writing comments, make conversations and build new friendships with others on REAL social sites like Facebook, Instagram and even the grand YouTube itself, thinking it COULD work this time, there STILL would be people saying into my face with lashment, "They are not social sites either. You are just wasting your energy and time. Grow up, pal."

Sigh... Whatever I say and do, no one cares or believes me in even the slightest, as if I'm the main jerk of all jerks, when I'm not even trying to be. All I want is just normal and nice conversations for things I like (and NOT the things I don't know or don't interest me much, such as the real life sense which ALWAYS has to plonk me back in for no reason, since I only know gaming as my all-time specialty), and make new friends which, of course, is far from easy, put it that way, no matter how kind or careful I try in the first place. What is it with people in general and all their mixed up natures and so on? Why is this whole world so mad, cruel and unfair? Why am I so unlucky?

I'm sorry, but I had to let my own feelings out again, especially when something is not going right for me at certain times like this. I know that everyone gets problems as well, but how does it even feel to be yourself, being born in this imperfect world with nothing and think that you're not worthy of anything? I always felt that even over the years, and it still gets to me. But again... DeviantArt NOT considered "social"? Come on, it's the only simple place I do for talks nowadays, but how unlucky me to not get enough attention for things I like that often, which again is Pokemon. P.O.K.E.M.O.N. If I went back to YouTube again after my old account departure from it LONG ago in 2010...maybe it WOULD be a much better chance of receiving replies and make possible new friends for things I like EARLY? But, on the big minus side, I know that YouTube has extreme hatred and negativity all over, with a lot of mean and sarcastic commenters and video authors taking place. Sigh...

...What am I supposed to do, say, act or whatever? I tried all I can for so long...and it's nothing, basically. But sorry that I had to make a rant here, yet it still means well and pays off. Ty to be easy on me...

Parents
  • I've always said, in my bleedin' obvious way, that social media is neither bad or good; only what you make it. However, having looked at Twitter lately (for news headlines), I realise that I'm a twit and that social media is dreadful. Twitter is especially unbearable now: not only because Musk is...well, Musk...but also because of the relentless ads, the betting tweets, people selling laptops for 1p who hijack every trending topic, and gonks who believe that the establishment are somehow the Christ-like victims of the establishment.  #pleaseshootme

  • Ah.....so nice to see more "believers" appearing.  Social media is not good.  Being able to communicate with loads of people is good.....but social media (the way it is structured and predicated and organised) is bad, bad, bad.

    Just my opinion...as always.

    Lovely to have you back mate.

    With warmth

    Number.

  • The problem as such is really the algorithm. Once upon a time social media sites like Facebook would just show you everything all your friends were doing in chronological order from recent to past.

    now these websites try to be clever they try to decide what order to show you things in or whether to show you things you’ve asked to see at all. At the same time they’re showing you lots of things they think you might like to see but you haven’t asked to see. Things that don’t have anything to do with your friends.

    They took the social out of social media. Facebook is more like a newspaper feeding you articles but they think you like or that your friends have liked. YouTube has become like a TV channel pushing you the content it thinks you should watch.

    social media was pretty great in the 00s back when it was still social. And all it would take to make it great again would be to turn off the algorithm. Just blindly serve people the content they have subscribed to.

  • Yes - to all you have written.

    It won't go back to how it was before...and I contend that the current pitfalls were wholly foreseeable from the very outset.  Inevitably, if you have a "free" service to consume, then you will eventually be force-fed whatever the "benevolent" [ha, ha, ha] provider wishes to serve up.  The only way to avoid this is NOT to become reliant or dependent on such any such "free" platform or service.

Reply
  • Yes - to all you have written.

    It won't go back to how it was before...and I contend that the current pitfalls were wholly foreseeable from the very outset.  Inevitably, if you have a "free" service to consume, then you will eventually be force-fed whatever the "benevolent" [ha, ha, ha] provider wishes to serve up.  The only way to avoid this is NOT to become reliant or dependent on such any such "free" platform or service.

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