How to use Facebook?

[Misery]

Okay from what i understand if i have real life friends or relatives i can follow them to see whats going on in their life (provided they care to post it to facebook), and from what i see in there all they do is brag how good their life is, so not really going to know anything but what they want me to know.

I have no such people to follow or befriend.

My original interest in facebook was making new "friends", is it any good in that regard?

Probably not. What is known as "social media" is pretty much entirely used for keeping track of friends you already have, showing off, or perhaps following specific people of interest or certain groups (perhaps a Youtuber or a game developer or a celebrity or whatever).

If you want to make actual, REAL new friends.... social media aint gonna do it. Because honestly, even if you meet someone there and they start calling you a "friend"... there's a very, very high chance that all you REALLY are to them is yet another boost to their all-important friends list. Which is almost like a scorecard for some people. There's a reason why, when you look at many people's accounts, you'll see that their "friends" list is like 300 entries long. Let me ask you: How many of those do you think are ACTUAL friends?

If you want to meet people who will actually give a crap.... don't go to Facebook or Twitter. Why not start with a place like this very forum instead?

I can speak from many, many years of experience when I say that a small forum like this (as opposed to a big public spectacle like Facebook) can be a good start to meeting real, LASTING friends.

Right here you've got people who are willing to talk WITH you instead of just AT you (usually) and who are willing to help out if they can. You wont get that on Facebook. But it's up to you to make that connection.

 

[Ginseng]

I actually like Facebook and am on it everyday off and on. if anyone wants to be my friend on there just pm me and i will give you my info or you can pm me your info and I will add you.

 

[OlLiE]

go to their website
make an account
delete the account
never use it again

 

[Aeolienne]

When I originally joined Facebook (over a decade ago!) I only received email notifications if someone posted on my wall or commented on a post I was tagged in. As of last year the current modus operandi is to send email notifications for every single activity carried out by any and all of my friends. This was causing such a build-up in my inbox that I have switched off notifications. Why can't Facebook revert to the older system?

 

[joe2006]

There was a time when I did not like Facebook very much because of how unfriendly people could be sometimes. I did not have many followers on there and I would very rarely hear anything from the few who did follow me. Then a few months ago I started getting several friend requests from people I used to go to school with and now I have more friends than I know what to do with. People seem to be nicer on there now and treat me alright. I am starting to use that website several times a day now.

 

[Mr Allen]

I've had a Twitter account for over 10 years but I hardly ever Tweet.

Twitter is full of trolls and people who need to shut up.

 

[tree]

 

[Vindicator Phoenix]

Hmmm... Facebook... that's a social media site, right?

 

[Judge]

Could bragging in front of other people be motivation to do more with my life? Visit places or try to make more $$$ to buy useless expensive gadgets that i will show off to my followers etc and socialize more?

Sure. Much like a Ken-L-Ration dog food commercial.

You know, "My dog's better than your dog...my dog's better than yours...."

 

[tree]

 

[Rasputin]

I joined Facebook 12 years ago out of curiosity. I use the site primarily to stay in touch with family, though I have 237 "friends". Besides my own family, I have followers who are members of my wife's family, co-workers of my wife, people I went to high school and college with, people my wife went to college with, people who know me from church, a few people I do not even know, and 3-4 actual friends. I post occasionally, but nothing political or controversial. I also do not post actual personal information like birth date, schools I have attended, or anything that anyone could use against me. Where such information is required, I have entered fictional data.

 

[Aeolienne]

As of last year the current modus operandi is to send email notifications for every single activity carried out by any and all of my friends. This was causing such a build-up in my inbox that I have switched off notifications. Why can't Facebook revert to the older system?

I was rather pissed off to discover recently that a real-life group I thought had folded two years ago has actually been active all this time ... and I knew nothing of this even though I had "liked" them on Facebook, because the notifications weren't getting through to me, even via my smartphone (where I still have notifications enabled). How crap is that?

 

[QueenOfFrance87]

While it's true that Facebook isn't for everyone, I did create a page a few months back just to buy Pokemon-related merchandise, but then my mom friended me, so I friended her, my family members, and two friends who I haven't seen in a while. Yes, I do feel left out sometimes, but overall it's a nice experience and I keep in touch with everyone during this difficult time.

 

[GrownupGirl]

Facebook is virtually worthless. I've unfriended and blocked everyone in it because they are obnoxious and opinionated Karens. I've thought about deleting my account, but I put so much time in effort uploading pictures of my arts and crafts even though I know no one else really looks at them.

 

[Aeolienne]

Just when I thought they couldn't get even more unsatisfactory, the notification settings have been changed again. Now I only get the five most recent updates in my feed, so fat chance of picking up a conversation thread from last week. Thanks for nothing Mark Zuckerberg.

 

[Neonatal RRT]

It quickly becomes a toxic cesspool. Made me more depressed the more I logged onto it. Tried it twice. Cancelled twice. If you have Netflix check out the documentary The Social Dilemma. Interviews with social media software creators. After watching that, no way.

 

[Judge]

Just goes to show that the most important feature of Facebook is the "back" button of your browser.

Useful whenever one initially opens up Facebook.

Or as the occasional and unfortunate pilot would say, "Eject-eject-eject!"

 

[Skittlebisquit]

I believe we are looking for the same thing, something like an electronic version of an old fashioned social club, or a neighbohood pub. The restricted access forum or blog chat is likely to be more useful in making new friends. Lets say for example that you dearly love building models, well start there. If the forum is about your special interest, then it will be morelikely that you would make new connections with people you have things in common with.

 

[Neonatal RRT]

What ruined Facebook for me was a combination of disinformation, misinformation, internet trolls (professionals and casual jerks), memes that present like a humorous one line "microphone drop" but are actually misinformation/disinformation "bombs", low IQ one line responses, political and religious zealots, and the fact you cannot make a comment without offending someone and getting into an argument. For anyone on the spectrum who thinks logically, Facebook is an absolute minefield of stupidity.

 

[Aeolienne]

If you have Netflix check out the documentary The Social Dilemma.

I don't. What with watching programmes at the time of transmission, watching programmes on catch-up and watching recorded programmes in order to make room to record even more programmes, I can't see how I'd ever find the time to watch Netflix as well!