Destroying Society for the Future

[Sup3rkirby]

I might regret posting such a sensitive topic here, but it must be done.

Of my two choices here, which one(in you opinion obviously) is destroying the society of tomorrow? Of course explain yourself and such with a nice post.


I will start by saying while both are a problem, Facebook is truly the desctruction of the generations that are coming up now. Essentially, you had one huge social networking site(myspace), but facebook is essentially the same, only more focused on you(yay arrogance and self admiration!). Most of you who know the troubles will understand. Not that myspace is good, but facebook is surely beating it in that market(of useless life skills and time wasting, as well as a few other things).


And one thing I've always thought is that if you want a place to talk about yourself, get input from other users, have pictures of yourself up and blog(plus more), why not just get a website? You get much more customization and now days it is not only free but easier than ever to do all this and make it look nice. But for some reason having one page that is strictly customizable with noticable limits and ugly ads is more appealing that a full website with unlimited customization and addons, etc. etc.

 

[ryoko126]

I'd have to say Myspace. I'm not familiar with Facebook but Myspace is a great way to get yourself kidnapped or killed, if your not very bright or only 12. Yes they let little kids have Myspace accounts. That's not a good thing. Predators can lie about their ages to get good with kids and teens to trust them, and stuff. And I'm sure you all have seen the news about kids getting killed thanks to it.

However, you are very right. If you want to do things like talk about yourself. Get a blogger account. You don't have "friends" lists or anything like that.

 

[DefecTalisman]

This is like saying to people rather build your own computer, its easier than ever nowadays and you can customize it. People just dont have the time or know how. Yet I agree that both these social sites are a down fall to society these days. I watch my girlfriend using facebook and she is like a kid again. Such a small app. that does something as silly as send a punch or pinch makes her giggle.
These services tend to take people away from the search engines and funel them in to this set in stone way of using the net. They are very self centered services. They dont inform the users of the security risks of putting up all your details and history, oh, dont forget the pics that can be used to identify you. If the person looking for you cant find you physically then they could go through one of your family that you put up there or target a friend.

Comparing the 2 (Facecock and My****):
Facbook is bland and has so little customization. There is so little personalization that it bores me.
MySpace has the ability to be what ever you want it to be, there are thousands of themes out there for it. This leads to every ones space being different and also to seriuosly long loading times. Also along with this comes security risks and hacking of spaces.

All in all I agree that a personal website is better in that it would be more unique and personal, but people always are looking for the easy way out.

 

[ryoko126]

MySpace has the ability to be what ever you want it to be, there are thousands of themes out there for it. This leads to every ones space being different and also to seriuosly long loading times. Also along with this comes security risks and hacking of spaces.

If you think loading times on Myspace is bad. IMVU will actually crash my browser, it takes so long for my computer to load it, so I refuse to visit, even my friend's links.

 

[robhol]

Both aren't good, IMO, but they won't "Destroy Society," that's just plain exaggerated. If parents dont want their kids kidnapped/killed, they just have to make sure that kids aren't meeting any of their "new friends".
Also, while selfishness and egotism is obviously not a good thing, it will not "destroy society". Egotism existed before online communities, or for that matter, the wheel. It's just become more visible, as more people "meet" on the Net.

 

[DefecTalisman]

I would say it is more common now though. Having things that make things easier tends towards more use of that thing. eg in context to the net and egotistical people:
Net makes it easier to make yourself look good therfore more people do it, thus more egotistical people.

 

[Sup3rkirby]

I'll start with DefectTalisman. Ok, it isn't really like making a computer from scratch here. There are more tools and templates for websites and such than myspace. You can spend 10 minutes tops designing a very nice website using templates and the various editors out there, many of which are drag and drop. Someone with no knowledge of the web could create a website that would look just as good as a myspace page, it really takes no effort, and now days, very little time.

robhol, you seem to realize the egotism these types of 'services' bring out, but i don't think you see how it could become a problem.

While this has been around for centuries, you must understand that where as 100 years ago not half the population under 25 would be egotistical or self centered. I don't mean the world will blow up or we'll have some major catastrophe, but the fact is things like this start off by helping kids develop skills that are not only bad to have, but are considered problems. Myspace and Facebook, as Defect said, can make older teens or even adults act like kids. The problem is in the numbers of people who begin to develop poor personality traits and characteristics. I'm sorry but even though most bosses can be a**es, I would much rather have one of those than a leading staff who are all pretty self centered, stuck up, jerks and to top it all off, act like 10 year olds a good bit of the time.

These services make real life like 'The O.C.' a lot of times. Turning lives into these drama filled 'shows'. Each generation that grows up around these things is gradually worse. You see less repect in each one. Egotism has been around for ever, but it has never had the rocket fuel of Myspace and Facebook to help spread it around like a virus so the world can enjoy it. If everyone is egotistical, then it becomes a serious problem. Not litterally 'destroying the world', but surely leading to some major problems in soceity.

 

[ryoko126]

And for that well thought out response I will donate 50 credits to you Sup3rkirby. But it's not only Myspace And Facebook that is dangerous. Chatrooms are a major concern for me. I let my cousin, who was 15 at the time, use my computer and when I checked up on her, she was "chatting up" a man well over 35 saying she was a 20 something... I was NOT a happy camper, to say the least...

 

[DefecTalisman]

@Sup3rkirby: That is true, you can make a web page easily, just like you could slap in a graphics card on you desktop PC. But knowing what you are adding and the effects of it, its specifications, its technology is all a different story.
How many people go out and buy a graphics card and get home to find that it doesnt fit properly?
The thing I am getting at is, yes anyone can make a web page/blog/my space. But do they know what they have done, how it was done and the repocutions of what has been done?
To know this they need time and passion, thus people take the easy road and use "tools" to do it. This creates more of a market for these tools and then eventually everyone goes the easy way and nobody does it the propper old fashioned way.

 

[Spartan Erik]

Honestly it's the media/Hollywood stereotypes that are destroying society, but I can see how you can connect these dots. Myspace won't destroy society persay, but hey it is worse than Facebook!

 

[Dazz]

This thread really made me think LOL, I've had a facebook page but scrapped it pretty quickly cos it just seems to be set up to gloat over you achievements and is packed full of college/university students and graduates (not that Im knocking education) intent on doing nothing but patting each other on the back all day.
I hate to say that I do have a myspace page :dunno: but I can see the point's raised here, I don't use my real name or anything but do have a few pics up. I have quite a few friends who I never speak to and the rest who constantly spam me, every so often I might chat to someone or be sent something interesting or funny but most of the time its just plain bordom that drives me to log on and check.

After reading this thread I think I might go and find something better to do with my spare time though....................... think I might just check my myspace before I do though:biggrin: you never know I might just delete it and do a blog instead.

 

[Sup3rkirby]

Dazz, I applaud you for that. I'm glad to hear that you would at least consider making something more of yourself than a myface/spacebook drone.

While I may not be a famous web developer, I'd say I'm at least decent. And just image, I could have spent my days on Myspace and Facebook instead, thus never getting into this stuff. The world would have been without a few sites and designs and scripts I guess, but it isn't just about one person, if the all the users would apply themselves instead, we could have a nice world


And this topic isn't really saying that these two things will be the downfall of everything. There are tons of things in todays world that cause so many problems. There are plenty of things that keep people from any potential and just turn them into some mindless robot that is addicted to something that they shouldn't be. Honestly, just an exageration and all(don't over react), but I find drug addictions more excusalble them myspace/facebook addictions.

 

[nakg0d]

Facebook is actually upgrading society, but because it is so successful, it drives the older generation to pay less attention to work.

MySpace was a pioneer, of a sort, but it is obviously going to lose visitors because people grow up... Facebook, being geared towards businesses, high schools, and colleges is going to stay around for a long(er) time.

 

[Ragsy1]

This is all I have to say about myspace:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCDiE6iAFNw

That is all.

But in all reality, Facebook is a much better service in my opinion.

 

[Sup3rkirby]

"... it drives the older generation to pay less attention to work." Do you realize that made no sense.... My only guess is you mean pay less attention to working on stuff like their pages or something. I really like Dazz's post just because that first paragraph is perfect. It is all true. Yes, Facebook and Myspace are very successful, but that doesn't make society any more successful or help it in any way. Microsoft is even more successful, but that doesn't mean anything(unless you work for MS). And the thing with these two services is, they don't make computer software and hardware and other products, they are ways for people to gloat about themselves and look at their pictures all day. Just a sarcastic quote I like to use, but is perfect for al these MyFace and SpaceBook users: "when you look in the mirror, all you see is yourself." Of course this is sarcasm, but there is still an underlying meaning. Hopefully you get it.

 

[Cowen]

They are both exactly the same as far as social destruction goes. Pick your poison...

And one thing I've always thought is that if you want a place to talk about yourself, get input from other users, have pictures of yourself up and blog(plus more), why not just get a website? You get much more customization and now days it is not only free but easier than ever to do all this and make it look nice. But for some reason having one page that is strictly customizable with noticable limits and ugly ads is more appealing that a full website with unlimited customization and addons, etc. etc.

Because 99% of the people who use that site don't know how to code and don't want to learn. In addition I'm sure they think that it costs money to get their own website, even though there are countless free places.

All in all the whole thing can be attributed to ignorance. Its rapidly growing disease that is getting increasingly worse. IMO it is the worst.

 

[Splatzone]

Heres a weird idea:

How about, when someone is born, they get an online identity. It is theirs for life. No changes, absolutely permanent. It will become as important as your name and age, and memorable as such.

You could NOT lie about yourself online because someone else could just lookup your ID on "The Database", which will become a globally-known term to refer to the massive database which contains info in extreme detail of every person in the world.

It would be connected to your criminal record, too.

You wouldn't do any crimes because you know your record is on a huge website for everyone to see.

Phew.

Funnily, I hate my own idea. It's like 1984 but worse.

 

[Sup3rkirby]

They are both exactly the same as far as social destruction goes. Pick your poison...



Because 99% of the people who use that site don't know how to code and don't want to learn. In addition I'm sure they think that it costs money to get their own website, even though there are countless free places.

All in all the whole thing can be attributed to ignorance. Its rapidly growing disease that is getting increasingly worse. IMO it is the worst.

ok, once more(I could have swore I made this point), it takes NO coding to make a website. You want a button, click on some 'add button' thing and drag it around. Like making a scrapbook, only online. Now there actually might be people who thinks it cost money though, but not all of those millions of users....

Yes, ignorance is a seriousl problem, and it gets worse every day...

And Splatzone, I won't say your idea is horrible, but two many people hack things now days. That would have to be some intricate and advanced system to keep people from stealing identities or information. And you know what happens once we convert everything electronically right(like money being replaced with intangible 'credits' and such)? The machine will take over :eek4:

 

[Splatzone]

Hmm yeah, but imagine that the world was run by this one system. And by that time technology would be so advanced that there'd be no point in hacking; it would only be fixed in half a nanosecond.

And you'd be in jail.

 

[Dazz]

Sorry I had to post here, I've found another one to throw into the mix


So if the points already also apply to this one, hey at least they pay you LOL. (I signed up, just to see if it works you understand:biggrin and so far discovered its a bit like myspace with a lot more ads lol.
Also I by me reckoning and their help page (see below) I'll be rich about 3 years after my great great great grandchildren pass away!

Question / Issue

How much can I make?
Answer / Solution

We can't say exactly, but here's an example of what could happen. The chart below assumes you refer 3 people, and those 3 people refer 3, then those refer 3, through 10 levels, and each referral gets 1000 page views for the month, and the month's RSR is $0.50.

Results are not guaranteed. This is just an example of what could happen. Please see terms for full details.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA yeah right ^