<p>Generally what the question asks, as I am not really that interested in Social Media. I had a semi-isolated childhood, where my parents made it difficult to make quality friendships outside of high school, thus preventing me from ever going to parties, having a girlfriend, etc. I just grew up without a desire to really put my business out on Social Media sites. I got a FB during junior yr of high school, and rarely posted stuff on it, so I stop using it after my first year of college. </p>
<p>Due to financial reasons, I had to take a yr off and work to pay up a loan debt, and pretty much didn't make any friends (my age) for the entire yr, so I was pretty lonely. But now I am back in school (GSU) and trying to get back into the groove of meeting people and forming friendships. Basically, since I was raised that way, I value face to face contact and just hanging out more than really engaging in social media (FB Twitter,Tumblr,etc). I have a Twitter, for the purpose that it will help with my career in the future, but barely any followers.</p>
<p>Do people find it weird in our society if someone doesn't really engage heavily in social media?? I read a article about it once and they were saying that those people are the ones who go crazy and commit crimes or mass killing sprees. 0_o I never had the desire to do such things</p>
<p>For me personally, though, social media has been both a blessing and a curse whilst in college. I met my closest friends via Facebook - we messaged, set up a coffee date, and have been close since. I met my best college friend that way! If I meet someone I like, I tend to add them on Facebook, then get to messaging them for their number and pursue the friendship that way. I’m an introvert who’s very conscientious and shy, so social media has really helped me pursue the awkwardness of beginning friendships. Then again, however, too much time on social media can make one feel extremely lonely. Everyone else has a much nicer life, you think, due to their friend count or photo count. Just do it in moderation, which is key. But personally, I think I’d be much worse off without social media. But, maybe I would’ve been better off with no dependence on it - but who knows. </p>
<p>I don’t care what social media anyone uses. I have a facebook because it’s popular among other people and it’s an easy way to keep in touch with old friends or those who live far away from me (especially when phone numbers and emails change). I don’t really put anything on it, and no one cares.</p>
<p>But there’s a big difference between using social media and having friends. You can have tons of really great friendships and never use social media, and you can have no real friends and be on facebook all the time. I wouldn’t necessarily entwine those two concepts so heavily in your mind. No one really cares if you use facebook or not. Maybe you’ll find it a helpful tool to keep in touch with people, to communicate with others (not necessarily long drawn out chats but I’ve found facebook helpful for coordinating going out with different groups of), or to keep abreast of events going on at school or different clubs. It doesn’t have to be something that sucks out your soul or uses up all of your time, and if someone is going to determine if they’re going to be your friend based on how much you use social media, you really don’t want to be there friend anyway.</p>
<p>I kinda know where you’re coming from. Growing up the rules my parents laid out for me made it very difficult for me to socialize and make friends in middle school-high school. Everyone in my HS class thought I was an odd ball because I wasn’t allowed to have an FB. Then they thought i was even more weird because my parents didn’t let me have a cell phone until i turned 18 haha. I never went to parities. If i went to a school dance I would have to be home by 11pm. I wasn’t allowed to sleepover at friends house. Everyday after school I had to go straight home. I couldn’t go hangout at the park with my friends after school because my parents did not understand “why someone would want to do that?”. I seriously made my first FB account about 2 months ago lol. I’m not saying this is completely my parent’s fault, but I think their rules that I had to follow that prevented me to socialize in HS has REALLY affected me. Its really affecting me now in college. I seriously find it hard to socialize here with other people because I feel like I don’t know how to. I think that if my parents were a little less strict I would be more outgoing and less shy and quiet. </p>
<p>I don’t look down on anyone who doesn’t use any form of social media. I only have an FB. No Instagram or Twitter. I guess I spend a lot of time of FB. Not posting too much but just reading what others have to say. I kinda think that when you tell someone you don’t have a FB, twitter, Instagram…etc…Then they do think you’re a bit different. I don’t see it as a big deal.</p>
<p>^ DS “complained” that his life in high school was kind of lonely because of too much focus on academics and too less on socializing, but I think he’s more satisfied with his college life (still no gf in 4 years after the turkey drop in freshman year though). At one time, he even deleted his FB account and soon found out his friends could not communicate with him easily.</p>
<p>He only has a smartphone after college. I think he did not have a cell phone until very late in high school. His computer in high school years was a shared computer in the living room. I guess we are parents who had set “strict” rules. LOL.</p>
<p>He had a hobby (playing music instrument) and it helps him find and socialize with friends who share the same instrument in all years.</p>
<p>I don’t think they’re anti social or anything strange like that. I can understand why they don’t have it caz i deleted some social media to get away from unnecessary drama.</p>
<p>Plus most of your ‘friends’ on there are true/real you add them but never even msg each other so what’s the point?
At the same time is useful to stay in touch with old friends or make connections with new people in a subtle way caz let’s be honest would you rather ‘add’ someone you met in class or give them your phone number??</p>
<p>There’s nothing wrong with not having social media, its all a choice like taking public transportation or driving both have pros & cons. For me I’d rather have a social like in real life with a small circle of friends then online and a bunch of people I’m not too close with.</p>
<p>I don’t think social media is a deal breaker for most at this point at all. It can make it a little easier to connect with family and friends who are far away - you can easily see their pictures, if you want to post on their walls, message them, whatever, you can.
But you can also text, and I think far more people text and call than send messages on FB.</p>
<p>Something like not having a cell phone would make it difficult to connect with people in college. But not having an FB or a Twitter? Tons of people close their profiles during times of heavy coursework and their friendships don’t suffer.</p>
<p>Personally, I only have an FB, no Twitter or Instagram. I don’t think I’ve posted a status in about 6 months. Mostly, I use it to share photos of my life at school and of my vacations with family, and to see pictures of my cousins’ babies. Every now and then I’ll FB message an acquaintance or friend, but unless that person lives abroad (where international rates make texts and calls prohibitively expensive), we move almost at once to the phone.</p>
<p>Personally I feel as though everyone that doesn’t have a Facebook/Twitter etc doesn’t have one on purpose so they can pretentiously say things like “I prefer in person contact” or “I don’t want people knowing about every single thing I do, creepy.”</p>
<p>I honestly think it’s pretty weird when someone my age tells me they’re not on facebook. It’s not the biggest red flag out there (I’d be more weirded out if you carried a soup thermos to class and had a creepy mustache), but it’s basically saying “I don’t want people to contact me or know anything about my life.” Which is fine if you prefer to be that way in your personal life, but this is school in the year 2014 and people need to get in touch with you about assignments, invite you to events (some of which you WILL want to go to, unless you literally have no friends), and be in touch with you about professional stuff if you’re headed for a networky sort of career path. Having a facebook is kind of a necessity, at least at my school, to let people know that you’re a normal human being who can be contacted about opportunities, collaborations, class stuff, fun things, etc. Nobody bothers exchanging numbers or e-mails anymore, so you’re really missing out not having a facebook.</p>
<p>That’s not to say that I even really like facebook. My news feed is the most annoying thing I’ve ever seen, so I use a browser extension to disable it. But I still check facebook every day because people send me messages and important event invites, and it’s currently the most powerful networking/socializing tool available to our generation (in terms of the fact that everyone’s on it, regardless of whether Google + or whatever else technically has a better functional design). So yeah, even if you’re not super into it, I think it’s important to at least have a basic social media presence and check your notifications every day or two.</p>
<p>I really do not know that FB is so central to the day-to-day life of the young generation.</p>
<p>I think that even for DS (who is post-graduate), he is not willing to spend much time on FB everyday. He thinks he has a better thing to do than spending too much time on his computer/ipad/smartphone. He mentioned at one time that it may be because he becomes “old” and is not so much into this kind of thingie anymore. He briefly mentioned he could not understand why his (now ex) GF would spend so much time on such social media and it created some conflicts between them due to this difference. (And, more importantly, the way the social media is used! Nobody likes to hear too much about his/her exes, IMHO - it was as if all the exes still live closely in the social network virtual world with you and all the previous relationship could never be properly “ended” for life.)</p>
<p>I remember he used some pre-FB stuff like LiveJournal (?) quite extensively when he was in the secondary schools. One of his professors in his college years actually discouraged his students to spend too much time online. Maybe this is a generational difference?</p>
<p>Well, I am someone who isn’t involved in social media, so I have no judgement! I too have never experienced a desire to kill mass amounts of people! I’m also in your boat as far as parents heavily restricting interaction as a child. I just got a facebook (senior) and never have anything to post. I’m just not a showy person that wants to tell everyone about every moment of my life - it would be boring anyway. Try joining lots of clubs or organizations at your school - that’ll give you lots of face time and allow you to meet people and convince them that you aren’t a crazy murderer!!!</p>
<p>Whoa didn’t expect that kind of response from CSIHSIS. Sadly people go through life meeting others who play mind games or do stuff to seem cool and pompous. I was made fun of so much in high school, being “quiet” and “nerdy”, that now IDGAF about pleasing people or trying to have secret reasons to justify my actions. When you grow up as a Caribbean American, living in a typical African American environment and literally not fitting in society’s silly stereotype of “Black People”, you learn to grow a iron skin.</p>
<p>That said, I never shut my FB down, I just have it sitting there. I rarely jump on it, only to check up on how old friends and family are doing, but that is it. I still message people on FB etc, but when you look on my profile, it just doesn’t have much post on it. I honestly don’t have the interest or motivation to post things on my FB. Twitter on the other hand I really like and occasionally post on there, just not like a avg. person. </p>
<p>Nevertheless, these responses are fairly well received, negative or positive. It will help me get use to these responses when I get them in real life. BTW mcat2 Who is DS, because I feel like your referring to me.</p>
<p>So, no, I was not referring to you. If I wanted to refer to you, I would use OP – Original Poster.</p>
<p>I am here mainly trying to find out whether I had a rule that was so “strict” (while DS was still living at home) that it interfered with his social life when he’s growing up. He was complaining that he lived a quite isolated life as a high schooler but he thought it was because he had focused too much on the academics back then (he did very well in academics and ECs in high school and beyond), instead of accusing us parents - but I may never know the truth.</p>
<p>In my experience, people who’ve never been into social media tend to be isolated and sheltered. You look like a minority of these people, well aware of its purported benefits and plenty well-adjusted, but simply not interested.</p>
<p>People who are well-established on it and quit, however, tend to be much more social, probably more so than those who stay on. Their real-life friendships, it seems, are enough.</p>
<p>I don’t use social media that much… I have it for the sole purpose of keeping in contact with folks and staying up-to-date with events at my school. And occasionally, procrastinating. Like my last status update was probably in 2012. </p>
<p>Nobody has judged me nor mentioned that I never use Facebook, or any other social media website. I honestly don’t think anyone cares unless they Facebook stalk you and they’re upset that they can’t, LOL. I really have never had a problem with NEVER going on my social media websites. My main form of contact with people is through texting.</p>
<p>Even with new people that I meet, it’s never really been a problem. Nobody has thought I am weird or different for having like nothing on my page. I deleted my Facebook for a few months a while ago (reactivated it for networking purposes, lol). Even then, when I met new people, nobody really questioned me or mentioned that it’s weird. </p>
<p>I’m not sure… maybe it’s just my area or the people I meet tend to be very open-minded about these things? I have never encountered a problem with it. Again, my main form of contact is through texting so my first instinct is to text them instead of using Facebook for contact.</p>
<p>I use social media, but I don’t talk to people that much online because I also think it’s more important to be talking face-to-face (with the exception of those who live far away). I mostly use my accounts to follow my favorite singers and stuff, not really interacting with classmates. But I don’t think bad of anyone who doesn’t use Facebook or Instagram regularly. One of my closest friends doesn’t have any accounts on social media and she’s fine.</p>
I too have never experienced a desire to kill mass amounts of people! I’m also in your boat as far as parents heavily restricting interaction as a child. I just got a facebook (senior) and never have anything to post. I’m just not a showy person that wants to tell everyone about every moment of my life - it would be boring anyway. Try joining lots of clubs or organizations at your school - that’ll give you lots of face time and allow you to meet people and convince them that you aren’t a crazy murderer!!!</p>