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Posted: Jun 27 2014 02:34 am

No, there is no link to any study or poll, just another personal observation, because that's most of what I have to post.

I find myself now, unlike years ago, wanting to "like" posts I see on here. I admit it's nice to have a way of being supportive or agreeing without using a whole post*, if you have no additional thoughts or details on that support. I also admit that, on occasion, I'll sit on a Post Reply page for 5-10 minutes, trying to adding something onto a supportive/agreement sentiment without it coming off as empty and/or forced.

I did it earlier today with SoldierHawk's picture of the badass 8-bit Reading Rainbow mug she was awarded for boldly contributing to children's literacy. I just wanted to scream "YES!!!!!" but it's not enough for me.

Perhaps I'm thinking too much about it. A lot of others do it. Argumentum ad populum, right?

* "Posthaste. postwaste," as Ben Franklin never said.

Posted: Jun 27 2014 02:05 pm

I think it's something we do in casual conversation all the time. Someone makes a statement amid a larger point they are getting across, and we nod our heads and utter, "Yeah."

To "Like" would be the internet equivalent of that, I believe.

Posted: Jun 27 2014 04:49 pm

I've noticed that the content of my own posts varies depending if I'm using my phone or at my desktop. I'm really not huge on typing on phones, so if I respond a forum or Facebook post there, a "Like" or one-sentence remark seems appropriate. It's quick, it's easy, great job, move on. Whereas with an actual keyboard, I can type at over 100 words per minute, so I can be more efficient and effective with whatever comments I want to make.

Posted: Jun 27 2014 04:54 pm

Vaporman87 wrote:

I think it's something we do in casual conversation all the time. Someone makes a statement amid a larger point they are getting across, and we nod our heads and utter, "Yeah."

To "Like" would be the internet equivalent of that, I believe.

^ this.

*see? there i wanted to like his reply, but i couldnt so im just quoting it*

Posted: Jun 27 2014 08:46 pm

I am not a big fan of Facebook and the "Like" system they have. I'd rather have an "I hear you button" as it shows I am listening without outright agreeing with something that I might not completely agree with.

Posted: Jun 27 2014 10:33 pm

@om*d wrote:

I am not a big fan of Facebook and the "Like" system they have. I'd rather have an "I hear you button" as it shows I am listening without outright agreeing with something that I might not completely agree with.

Yes, and all the odd situations that engenders:

Example wrote:

Colt Burress: My grandparents were just in a car accident. They're pretty banged up and they were rushed to the ICU. The doctors said that they would... do everything they could, but they likely wouldn't make it because of their older age. All thoughts and prayers welcome, thanks. Bless you all.

45 people LIKE this

Posted: Jun 28 2014 02:18 am

I find Facebook to be almost completely worthless. I keep an account only so that I can get in touch with people if for some reason I lose their phone number or address. The only thing worthwhile that ever happened was a few of times I got contacted by women I went to school with years ago who wanted to hook up. The only other thing that happens on there is I get assaulted with complete stupidity by one of my cousins, dealing with the dumbass who changes their profile photos every 3 hours and one of my old buddies who thinks he is the next Hunter S. Thompson, always trying to sound intelligent but I end up going out of my way to correct every inaccuracy in his political/social/philosophical posts because he just makes vapid generalization based on things he has heard without bothering to fact check a goddamned thing. Facebook is a waste of time.

Oh, I just remembered one other useful thing that happened because of Facebook. I found out who amongst my friends and family were the most racist, antisemitic, attention whoring, stupid and bigoted. Went ahead and removed all of those people from my life. However, I still think Facebook is a waste of time and log in once a month or less.

Posted: Jun 28 2014 02:59 am

Yeah. You find out a great about people, which can lead to negative opinions of them you didn't have before Facebook. I feel as though it is a net negative for society. I'm still undecided as to whether or not the internet in general is also.

Posted: Jun 28 2014 04:31 am

Facebook is the only access I have to certain people... and others I don't mind. Most others I've unsubscribed from, if I haven't removed them outright. Plus, it's helpful for keeping in touch with local musicians too, which is helpful when (or if at this point) I have a weekend night off and want to try to find a gig. I prefer FB to the phone; I hate being on the phone. FB has access to more people with less effort, which works well for me.

I also, like many others, have a tendency to vent on Facebook. When I do so, I at least try to be creative about it... or I'll wrap it inside some metaphorical nonsense, like a more public way of writing a nasty note or letter and burning it. I generally will have that catharsis just from feeling like I've exposed my thoughts to some extent, even if I'm pretty sure nobody can figure it out. I like making people question, think, and/or laugh; I suppose it gives me a sense of purpose, or at least a foundation to justify communicating with anyone at all.

EDIT: I will add that some people are fine in person, but they just turn into shit when they're on Facebook.

Posted: Jun 28 2014 04:57 am

i use facebook as a news feed, just like twitter. and i use facebook as a medium to communicate with people and family i dont have easy access to.

Joined: Mar 23 2014 Posts: 4

everything in this world has some good and some bad effects.....depends on us how we response them

Joined: May 25 2012 Location: Texas Posts: 12

You become a sociopath like me.

*smiles*

Posted: Oct 11 2014 09:03 pm

I agree with OP. This happens to me all the time, especially today when reading all your posts. I like what you have to say, but end up not posting anything because I don't have anything to add.

That post up there about liking posts about personal tragedies, I'm sure people don't literally like what is going on, they just want to show their support. I've done the same thing.

I haven't used Facebook in forever. I used to get plenty of likes and comments on my posts, and now the few posts I make don't get anything, most likely because Facebook now changed their feed system so the more somebody likes a person's Facebook posts, more of that person's posts end up on that feed. I never post anymore, so nobody is liking my posts, so I don't end up on people's feeds when I actually do make a post.

EDIT: I used the phrase "OP", which means 4chan has affected (effected?) me too.

Posted: Oct 12 2014 12:25 pm

Google+ uses "+1" instead of "like", which I think is a lot easier to use for broader contexts. You can even use it to show support for somber posts and not Like the crappy situation of the person who posted it. But no one uses Google+, so.

Posted: Dec 21 2014 07:07 am

I hate Facebook with a passion. I don't even know why I still have an account. Do I really need to see pictures of people I don't hang out with or even speak to anymore? Maybe it's just there in case you feel like getting ahold of someone who's number you no longer have or whatever. Idk, I hope it soon goes the way of 'The Myspace'.

Posted: Dec 21 2014 08:26 pm

I like Facebook for getting in contact with friends and family, along with meeting new people. The only thing I dislike about Facebook is that you can get your account temporarily locked down, and eventually banned if people refuse your friend requests and report you as a stranger, which happened to me twice.

Wizard Joined: Jun 12 2009 Posts: 4209

It's my primary form of contact with people because I have no phone. It has its uses, for sure. But also when people are on it 24/7, it's kind of difficult to talk with them then.

Posted: Dec 22 2014 01:47 pm

I'm not a talk on the phone kind of guy so I like FB for the messaging aspect. I'm also not super social in general but I like to know what's going on with people. And finally, I enjoy creeping on people when the need arises, FB is good for that too.

I also try "like" things on sites that totally don't have that feature occasionally.