Has Facebook/social media become a necessary evil?

[VintageMusclecar]

Just like the title thread asks, has social media become a necessary evil?

I just found out last night that another one of my childhood friends passed away unexpectedly. Roughly 2 years ago I lost another long-time friend.

So what do these two incidents have in common?

In both instances, I only found out through the grapevine via Facebook (which I do not use)... [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/mad.gif[/img]

Apparently few can be bothered to pick up a damned phone and <span style="font-weight: bold">CALL SOMEONE</span> any more, let alone be bothered to answer a Goddamned email.

Apparently social media has now become the &quot;go-to&quot; means of communication???....if so, that's sad, no, that's <span style="font-style: italic">pathetic</span> beyond words. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/rolleyes.gif[/img]

Really biting my tongue at this point trying to head off a rant of Biblical proportions....

I don't get it. I really, really don't get it.

[napa68]

THIS^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

AGREED!

[SS427]

Get used to it cuz it is the way of the future. Have you ever tried to communicate face to face with a younger person these days. Many cannot look you straight in the eye carry on a conversation. Give them an iPhone and they are good to go. We go out with a younger couple from time to time and one night while sitting on the table they were both texting instead of talking to us. When I got mad and asked who was so damned important that they talk to them instead of us, they both looked up at us like we were out of tune and said, &quot;each other&quot;. Yep, across the table from each other and they could not look each other in the eyes and talk but had to text. And these same people will be running our country soon.....

[Xplantdad]

I find it invaluable for when we have to send a message to a bunch of people...quickly. I used to spend hours on the phone when Holly was hospitalized for whatever reason...instead of being in the room with her. Now , I can send the message to everyone in two seconds...and they'll call me when they have the time,,,and I can focus my time on Holly.

Now...butt dialing Rick Nelson at midnight last night...that's a whole 'nother story! [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/blush.gif[/img]

[SS427]

Social (butt) media at it's finest..... [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/wink.gif[/img]

Hope you are feeling better Bruce!

[Xplantdad]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: SS427</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Social (butt) media at it's finest..... [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/wink.gif[/img]

Hope you are feeling better Bruce! </div></div>

Trying to Rick...but the body isn't cooperating [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/frown.gif[/img]

[VintageMusclecar]

It's obvious at this point that I am completely out of touch with &quot;modern&quot; reality.

I simply can't fathom NOT taking the time to pick up a phone and actually speak, verbally, to another human being/beings--namely family &amp; close friends in such instances. Posting things like that online in lieu of contacting family/friends directly is utterly inconceivable to me. That's so <span style="font-weight: bold">IM</span>personal it's insulting.

I'm sorry if that offends, but damn it, <span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-style: italic"><span style="text-decoration: underline">I'M</span></span></span> offended by the callousness of this. There used to be a time when people physically reached out to others in times of need, now no one can be bothered with it.

Aside from my father, I have but two remaining family members who I'm close with who are still alive, an Aunt and Uncle. My Aunt is dealing with issues similar to those my father is dealing with, and my Uncle recently had to place her in assisted living as he's not in the best of health anymore himself and can no longer care for her on his own.

He and I have stayed in contact for the last few years now via email and telephone calls, which is the way I always thought it was <span style="font-style: italic">supposed to be</span>. I didn't have to go to Twitter or Facebook or something like that to find out what was going on, he had/has the common decency and courtesy to contact me directly to keep me up to date.

I swear to GOD sometimes I think I need to pinch myself to make sure I'm awake and this isn't all just some sick, twisted dream. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/frown.gif[/img]

[VintageMusclecar]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: SS427</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Get used to it cuz it is the way of the future. Have you ever tried to communicate face to face with a younger person these days. Many cannot look you straight in the eye carry on a conversation. Give them an iPhone and they are good to go. We go out with a younger couple from time to time and one night while sitting on the table they were both texting instead of talking to us. When I got mad and asked who was so damned important that they talk to them instead of us, they both looked up at us like we were out of tune and said, &quot;each other&quot;. Yep, across the table from each other and they could not look each other in the eyes and talk but had to text. And these same people will be running our country soon..... </div></div>

I'm to the point now where if I'm engaged in a conversation with someone and their phone rings, they answer it and continue to talk to the person on the phone, I'll walk away from them w/o saying a word.

If it's important or an emergency, that's one thing. But if it's obvious it's just a &quot;general bullsh*t&quot; call that they don't politely excuse themselves from in a timely manner, I'm gone.

Funny thing is, when <span style="font-style: italic">I'm</span> the one engaged in a conversation and the phone rings, I answer it and try to politely cut the call short to be returned at a better time, more &amp; more people are seeming to take offense to this.

Never thought I'd live to see the day when good old-fashioned manners would be met with disdain the way they are now.

No doubt about it...I'm the odd man out now.

[Xplantdad]

Eric,

You can believe what you want-but I would rather spend the time with the person who is most in need, than the one who opines that they are the needy one. People who know me....have my phone number...and know that they can call me any time of the day or night to talk. And they have. They also know what's MOST important to me...and I'll just leave it at that.

We all have issues in life that we have to deal with (parents, kids, grandparents, etc). Nobody ever said life was easy. Try spending some time in a pediatric cancer ward-or a hospice center or a dialysis center...and you'll see how fortunate you really are-and how good you have it. God seems to put me in my place when I am feeling sorry for myself...by showing me that there are others that have it way worse than my family does. I thank God for everything that I have.


Part of life is death and part of death is sorrow. I watched both of my parents die in front of me. It wasn't fun. My mother suffered from Alzheimer's for 30 years-then died from Leukemia

I have NEVER had one person say that they were insulted by my &quot;posting&quot; about what's happening with Holly. Most, if not all understand that there are not enough hours in a day to personally call every person that should know. Believe me, I've tried in the past. Either my friends call me later on, or I call them...and we catch up on what's happening and what's going on.

To each his own I guess...

[VintageMusclecar]

Bruce;

That wasn't directed at you, sorry if it came off that way.

I'm not feeling sorry for myself at all. I know full well there are a lot of people out there a helluvalot worse off than I am.

I'm just stunned how impersonal things have become...I honestly don't understand it, and it pisses me off to no end.