Netflix's "The Social Dilemma"

[TitoFan]

The documentary spent a lot of time talking about the mental manipulation aspects of social media... but I think they shortchanged the parental responsibility part. Yeah, you're right... kids nowadays grow up with Facebook, Instagram, and the rest. Funny thing is, by the time someone like me gets around to using something, it has become yesterday's news, or so they say. Like yourself, I've never had a Twitter account nor have I ever been tempted. I don't follow anyone, and the only Tweets I see are those that get cut-pasted on Facebook or a forum such as this one. Twitter would bore me to tears, I think... so I've stayed away from it. The world of social media is highly competitive, so probably sometime in 2020 something entirely new will come along and become the new "IT."

I use Facebook, but I don't like it as much as some people do. I know it has its uses... but too many people litter it with their boring nonsense or self-aggrandizing bullshit. Yeah, it was interesting hearing the guy talk about the "Likes" he invented... and everything that was said was correct. At first it may have seemed like a good thing... but it's amazing how many young people (and probably some not-so-young) get hung up on how many Likes they get or don't get.

I'd say probably the social media app I get the most use out of is Whatsapp. I love its flexibility and all the things you can do with Whatsapp. Unfortunately I'm one of those people that allow my phone to get inundated with pictures, videos, and other media from all sorts of sources.... and I'm pretty lazy when it comes to maintaining my phone lean and mean.

As far as the future, I honestly don't see how the trend can be reversed in the foreseeable future. Technology has grown in leaps and bounds, while basic skills like parenting have either stayed the same or progressed very little. Granted... peer pressure must be a bitch when you're trying to explain to your 8-year old son why he can't have the latest iPhone with the zillion apps he'd like to have. Hell..... all his friends surely have one. Or why he can't play his phone games instead of having to go outside and go bike riding instead. The documentary tried to mix in some acting in that regard... but it could've been a little better.

[walrus]

Ha you mentioned what’s app. I’ll tell you why I bought Facebook stock. At one of my past jobs I had the run of the place and as long as things were running right I could pretty much do what I wished. Anyway the breaks were staggered so I’d make my way out to the break room and patio see what everyone was up to. Sometimes we would have a hundred people on break I’d walk around to say high to the people I knew. 80% of the hundred were silent. Full break room dead silence. Everyone was on Facebook. I bought some shares. It’s not like I didn’t know about Facebook I guess I just never saw how engrossed people get into it. (I also looked up the financials and Facebook is stellar on the books, it’s a money printing machine) later I talked to one of the security guards who was into stocks, I told him about my Facebook purchase. He laughed at me and told me “Facebook is yesterday everyone is moving to WhatsApp and Instagram. I said “yeah I know Facebook owns those to” ha ha he went and bought some. Good guy he worked as shift supervisor for security at the place I was (major us company) and during the day worked for the state in the lottery department. I hope he is doing well.


Anyway your comment “why didn’t they mention parental responsibility?” Haven’t you noticed that has been removed from our vernacular? A certain group wishes to destroy the idea of the nuclear family plus the “nuclear family” well some take that as to traditional and it establishes clear gender roles so we can’t really talk about that. The state now handles such matters. They can teach them gender and politics starting at a young age. Not all schools of course, we still hear teachers getting in trouble when they disagree with assigned lesson plans on gender or the destruction of our racist country. So yeah I wasn’t surprised they didn’t mention plus it is very difficult to monitor kids tech use when in many cases the kids are much better than the parents about getting around tech restrictions or at their friends house who’s parents are more lax.

[TitoFan]

Anyway your comment “why didn’t they mention parental responsibility?” Haven’t you noticed that has been removed from our vernacular? A certain group wishes to destroy the idea of the nuclear family plus the “nuclear family” well some take that as to traditional and it establishes clear gender roles so we can’t really talk about that. The state now handles such matters. They can teach them gender and politics starting at a young age. Not all schools of course, we still hear teachers getting in trouble when they disagree with assigned lesson plans on gender or the destruction of our racist country. So yeah I wasn’t surprised they didn’t mention plus it is very difficult to monitor kids tech use when in many cases the kids are much better than the parents about getting around tech restrictions or at their friends house who’s parents are more lax.

Don't get me started on that. We'll soon enough have the forum police busting through the door.

Yep... that is one of the fast encroaching threats to "parental responsibility." Decisions are being made and taken out of the hands of normal (yes... the "n" word can be used), well-meaning, well-adjusted parents. We're moving in a direction where it will no longer be up to parents to decide what values they want to teach their children. Pretty soon the state, taken over by certain special interest groups with their pushy, insistent, aggressive, and totally weird agenda..... will be telling parents everywhere what is right and wrong and what children need to learn from age 3.