My Thoughts and Fears Concerning Social Media

[Anonymous]

I wanted to write a brief Take about social media and all the drama that comes with it. Don't get me wrong, sometimes social media can be a great way to stay in contact with friends and family and maybe make new friends in other countries.

I have had various social media accounts since 2006. I started with MySpace and over the years other sites gained popularity. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, Tinder and more. It seems that as a society everyone has some form of social media for one reason or another but I honestly do not like it.

CHEATING

One thing that I have seen on here and in real life is the thought of someone's wife, husband, boyfriend or girlfriend is cheating on them by talking to others online. While I don't believe social media is 100% to blame for cheating it has made it easier and adds more suspicion. "Why did you like her picture on Facebook?" "Who are all these dudes on your Instagram?" Thats some of what I hear when others talk about their loved ones' online friends and activity. Maybe there is no special reason to "like" someone's pictures or have many followers but it is hard to not jump to conclusions. Unless you have evidence.

CATFISH

i think everyone at least once has come into contact with a catfish or has watched the MTV show. The show is about two men who help out someone who wants to meet someone they have been talking to online for awhile. In the show everyone says the same thing, "we were going to meet up but they texted me last minute that they can't" "they never video chat with me" "I have never heard their voice."

It all adds up to the thought of the person being fake. So to everyone online who is looking for love or a friendship these are the warning signs that the person you are talking to is a catfish:

1. They won't talk on the phone.

Maybe they are the opposite gender of what they claim to be or maybe it is someone you know and they are afraid you will recognize their voice.

2. They won't video chat.

There are ways to video chat with someone without a Skype account. For Iphone users all you have to do is video call their number and boom you can video chat. The "front camera" is most likely not broken but they can't show their face because they are not the one in the pictures.

3. They don't want to meet up or blow you off.

This is obvious. I get that if the person is from another country you two can't just get in the car to go meet but for those out there who live minutes or hours away and can't make the time to meet up...catfish!

Those are the basics people please don't be fooled by anyone. It is so easy to hide behind a screen.

On the show more often than not the person in question was indeed a catfish, they were not the person in the pictures and most of the things they said were a lie. One thing though, it could be worse. That person could have been a predator. That is one reason why I don't talk to many people online.

TROLLING

To finish my Take I wanted to bring up all the haters, trolls and bullies. It is so easy to harass someone online and it is disgusting. I have read about many teens who killed themselves after being bullied online. I think if you have all this time to bully and troll people you have never met or seen online then you need to reevaluate your life and get a job. I have heard about so much hate towards celebrities on Twitter to teens bullying one another on Facebook. I don't understand why no one is doing anything about it. I feel like a lot of people don't take bullying and threats seriously online. They should.

Awhile ago I was on IMdB.com, the website with all information about every movie, actor, show, director and everyone in between. Well on one message board in particular there was this jackass who threatened and harassed countless men and women. I even reported the guy but he was never removed from the site. He actually deleted the account after people found out his real name. He has many accounts on there from what I have seen but as of right now all seems quiet. Apparently the guy was a failed author who likes to bully people online. The internet is full of nuts so be careful!

[Anonymous]

Just on trollng I had an encounter last year with a major troll last year who would ask a question then proceed to insult and harass those who disagree, blocking any further discussion. Eventually enough fellow users in GAG banded together and complained and the admins deleted her account though I have encountered her since under different user accounts but its not long until they are deleted too. A complete facist who believed her own vile words.

[Opinion Owner]

www.girlsaskguys.com/.../q1519552-do-you-agree-with-a-woman-s-entitlement-to-breastfeed-in-public-in-a
Her question reads like Mein Kampf little

[Pinkbeauty]

nice mytake

[fiego]

Interesting myTake... thanks for sharing. I haven't seen the MTV show in a couple of years, but am curious if others think that it was all staged for drama?

[myTake Owner]

In some ways I think it is somewhat staged, you can't just show up at someones house lol but fake or not it does send a good message to naive people or people who are a little too into social media.

[fiego]

Agreed 100% that is staged but sends a good point.

[Anonymous]

Great mytake. Also tbh I'm not really sure your social media friends and people you primarily interact with on there or on there and in life are your real friends. Versus people who you stay in touch with by text and in real life.

Personally the textures and in person will be better friends than the social media and in person people I think. A simple, close off contact on social media will prove it

[Anonymous]

I've never encountered a catfish but there's an easy way to find out if someone is one. Come up with some unique, wacky, specific but simple pose (e. g. touch your left ear with your right pinky finger) and tell them to send you a picture of them doing it. If they can't... catfish!

[myTake Owner]

Someone actually asked similar questions to a woman he was talking to and she had a picture for every pose he asked for. She was a catfish though. That woman pretty much ran sacked this one girls profile for every picture possible. It was crazy.

[Opinion Owner]

Wow, that's crazy. :|
But maybe they just weren't thinking creative enough in terms of pictures?

[myTake Owner]

I remember when the guy confronted the catfish how confused he was and he said how it was possible to have a pose for every angle he told her to do (turn to left, turn to the right, do this and that) she had a pucture for everything he said. She was ready lol. Some people say to write their name on a piece of paper and take a picture but thanks to a little photo editing even that can be faked.

[Opinion Owner]

What about a number of minor alterations to similar things?

[Doffydood]

Also the fact that social media companies can use algorithms/manipulation to control what information people are exposed to, but yeah, very good points :)

[loulou72]

Social media does make it a lot easier to cheat but it takes 2 so both parties r to blame x

[GreatnessBack]

Good thing about social media (and regular media) is that you can turn it off.

[Saoirse_Nua]

Enjoyable MyTake and right on the mark. so true

[myTake Owner]

Thank you

[Library]

That's why I don't like social media.

[anonman32]

Nice mytake.