> Everyone is so mobile and connected online, they never have to break the ice and talk to those around them
one of the unexpected consequences of social media is that people have been conflating being informed with being connected.
asking "what have you been up to?" was to be a nice easy opening into a conversation that lead to connection.
but thanks to broadcast updates on social media, your friends already know what have you've been up to, so they can delude themselves into thinking that they've maintained a relationship because they know superficial details.
but a relationship isn't built on updating a list of superficial facts. it's built by having a conversation
> thanks to broadcast updates on social media, your friends already know what have you've been up to, so they can delude themselves into thinking that they've maintained a relationship because they know superficial details.
This is a huge reason (possibly the top reason) why I quit Facebook. I wasn't getting value from my "connections", and I figured everyone knew, more or less, what I was doing (& I knew what they were doing), so we didn't actually interact. I figured if I was no longer going to be friends with these people, I didn't want a facade. So I quit it, and I don't use the other usual suspects (Instagram, Snapchat, tiktok, etc.)
It's great. I actually have some honest to goodness friends IRL that I hug, with whom I talk about real things, etc.
>but thanks to broadcast updates on social media, your friends already know what have you've been up to, so they can delude themselves into thinking that they've maintained a relationship because they know superficial details.
I don't think this is really a big deal. "hey I saw you posted pictures from your trip. How was it" there, conversation started. Social media posts are basically all conversation starters.
Assuming you can even remember. I pretty quickly forget people's posts and updates.
The problem is more that you never bother to have the convo where ask how things are going because your in your mind you think you’re all up-to-date.
I get the hypothetical but in reality it doesn't happen. Social media posts don't have details.
Do you know ignore your friends because you think your caught up?
Hasn't this kind of usage of « social media » died down a decade ago ?
I don't think so. I think some of us early adopters of this stuff got tired of it and dropped out before being tired of social media was cool, but we were replaced by a new crowd that's as hooked on it as ever.