Maybe its my problem because I'm struggling with lockdown,but I'm finding it hard to have sympathy for a lot of the people I should have sympathy for. The "men of the people" act from some because their businesses are in danger is wearing thin on me,because a lot of it looks like its coming purely out of self interest and attention seeking. A lot of supposed mental health advocacy is also coming across as attention seeking or a handy tool for people to exploit too. Its moving onto trying to turn people against each other,framing it as "the people who are still working are our enemies now because they're happy for lockdowns to continue". Nobody wants lockdowns to continue. It will be a great country if the concern for mental health, education, cancer screening, waiting lists,poverty etc. is still as prevalent when the pandemic is over,but we all know many of the people who never gave a fuck about those things before covid won't give a fuck after. If my business was going to the wall,I was struggling to feed my family,and worried about my kids mental health because they can't go to school, I'd wear 5 masks if I had to. I'd let them shoot the vaccine into my eyeball and I'd give the school my bank account details,mothers maiden name and Internet history if they asked. But no,lockdown must end without masks being compulsory,without vaccine passports or anybody who doesn't take one being inconvenienced in any way. And the schools must stay open,but don't ask anybody to guarantee their child hasn't had covid when they've been absent,because that's a violation of our rights. People who were happy to have 1 and a half million people shield indefinitely so they could get on with their lives, not willing to do the most basic things to try and protect those most at risk. But let's take another look at my spur of the moment, "Hi, I'm Troy McClure" type video that I've made to show all the good people of Ireland how passionate I am about you and your kids welfare and mental health. If it gets me a slot on Claire Byrne to plug my business and a few thousand extra Twitter followers,well that's just a great example of how well in tune I am with the common man. And don't forget to turn up to the protests to get our freedoms back. I won't make it myself,because I'm pretty sure something will happen that I don't want to be associated with. In the meantime, look this obviously dodgy article claiming NPHET are counting ingrown toenails as covid cases and counting every death 6 times in order to keep us locked down forever. Share it,but don't accuse me of spreading misinformation,I'm just a mental health advocate asking questions.
Couldn't agree more Mick and ultimately it was for these reasons I gave up all social media for lent last year and have never gone back. I was quite addicted to twitter I'd say looking back. Often ignoring my kids while scrollling and writing nonsense to impress and audience of people I frankly could care less about. It is the best thing Ive ever done and if you offered me 5 grand to go back to any of them I wouldn't. The irony is not lost on me that I am coming across as some form of social activist outlined above preaching from my horse horse but my point is, I am oblivious to 99% of this stuff. Most of it comes from herself looking at me like an alien for not seeing such and such is video etc but I am far less irritable, ignorance is fucking bliss. I've rewound it 10 years to a happier place where my internet presence is essentially this message board. I read the News sources I trust and only those that I seek out and I am much happier for it. I've family abroad, I don't need twitter or facebook for contacting them, I found that to be a myth. i have a phone and Whatsapp which is great for sharing videos and photos of the kids. If social content is getting to you in anyway, bin it. It isn't needed. Took some self reflection and an ego hit for me to realise it to be honest.
Very close to giving it up myself. I'm only on FB but everything on it turns in to a political debate. The conspiracy idiots do my nut in. I usually don't comment but sometimes I have to call them out and then I get dragged into an utterly pointless back and forth. One dope claimed the lad who shot the firework at the gardai was actually a plant and had been told by the gardai to fire the 'harmless smoke bomb' so that the guards could then use a heavy handed approach and make numerous arrests. He backed up his claim with a poorly photoshopped pic of a guard holding the 'smoke bomb'. The level of idocy on social media is both mind numbing and disturbing and after reading your post I think I'll pack it in altogether.
Totally agree. Im on face book to, and your right its mostly political debates or conspiracy theories. Iv noticed a few people im friends with, that I never thought would get drawn into these conspiracy's, are now full blown conspiracy theorists . I never joined twitter thank god
Occasionally use FB and one thing about it is that it does keep me connected with people I rarely see. It’s got to a stage now though where I think the negatives from the platform far outweigh the positives. Looking at the comments under the local radio station in Monaghan on certain stories does open to your eyes to the views that are out there. Never use Instagram or any of the others except Twitter. Twitter when it first started was a great source of information on topics you were interested in. Follow like minded people. Over the years though to make money they have promoted tweets, liked tweets from other people and all sorts of recommended tweets that is diluting the original intent. Timeline is crammed with shite. I have tried giving it up a few times, deleted the app from the phone but login via The browser around Liverpool games or if something big is going down. I suppose it’s Fear of Missing Out that has me still on. Do from time to time fall into the trap of trying to wind up a few United mates with nonsense and it does get on their nerves so I suppose I am contributing to the crap that is on it. I’d say my usage is 20% of what it was 3 or 4 years ago.
I'm addicted to Twitter. Most of the time I enjoy it, but lately its contributing to me being angry a lot,so definitely time to re-evaluate how I use it.
Did the same thing myself around 2019 or just before covid and in full agreement with you. I admire the people that can balance it without issues and not let it effect them but like you, twitter being the sess pit it is, I had to bin it. Binned FB years before and to be quite honest there's times I have considered binning whatsapp so much so that I may as well be using an old nokia 3310 (snake was great) when really, that's on me as I can manage it. As you said ignorance is bliss and being almost oblivious to negativity can only mean positivity. That stupid bitch being chased around the M50, I only learnt about that this afternoon for the simple fact I'd no interest in the video that was messaged in a group chat days ago. Long may ignorance continue for me. Social media is a window with curtains drawn wide open showing a fucked up, inhumane and angry world. For those like me who struggle with that, close the curtains, open up another window and focus on what matters. Corny as fuck I know.
Have binned twitter off for lent myself and I must say, I can't see myself going back on it. The shit far outweighs the good on it now and it's becoming harder to avoid the nonsense on it. A large number of users just tweet things for a reaction or attention, whether they believe what they are tweeting or not. I would often see a tweet and go in and see their account with thousands of followers and wonder what the fuck !
Gave up twitter and facebook about 4 years ago. Don't miss it. Can still look something up if there is something big in the news, like the trump lunatics storming the capitol. Whatsapp and RTE news are mainly plenty for me though (and on here of course). I'm hoping the human race might look back and think this was all crazy in 50-60 years time but I doubt it.
There'll be countries undersea by then so they'll be thinking how crazy but also negligent it all was.
Never had a Facebook account. Used to judge those using it while I was simultaneously using Twitter. Kind of like the guy who judges you for the burger and chips you're eating while he's heading outside for a smoke.
The way I see Twitter is any of the big breaking news stories will be on here within 10 minutes. I don't need to be on it for the sake of 10 minutes. With Facebook my missus keeps me up to speed with my relatives in Germany, Australia and America and I have family WhatsApp groups..I don't need anymore than that, the idea of arguing with dickheads all day doesn't appeal to me.
Don't know why this annoys me but it gets me every time. I stick something on Adverts for free and get 5 replies within 5 minutes. Something I wanted rid off and I have it gone yet it pisses me off vultures are happy to have it take up space so they can make a fiver on it in 3 months.
What you should do is hide a €20 in the item, then when you see it for sale go buy it for the €5, show them where the €20 was hidden then break the item and leave it outside their house and then toddle on home.
The saddest part of the whole thing is that social media is literally just a reflection on society in general. It would have typically been the case that you wouldn't know the level of ignorance there is out there but this gives everyone their own little publishing platform where they can post their nonsense, if you had some weird person in your life you could just cut them out and you wouldn't have to deal with them anymore but sadly now they're on every messaging board and news article commenting so you can't help but see it. I'm not sure what phase of human civilisation we're in right now but after a very peaceful existence in the west since the end of the second world war (by and large) it does feel like things are beginning to become more fragmented again and people are agitating for a change and they don't really know what they want but a lot of people appear to be deeply unhappy in their own lives and looking for easy answers and are ripe for manipulation for those who are looking to further their own agenda.
***news flash*** Neighbour has reached out to landlord about height of hedges. I explained I couldn't be seen to jump for that scruff bag. This lad had a mattress in front garden for a year and cleaned up dog shit on a quarterly basis. I told her I would do them next week, she said no rush, take as long as you want.
Tescos. Bought a chicken on Friday for todays dinner. The missus looked at the date on it when she took it out of the fridge earlier, and it was use by the 5th of March,the day I fucking bought it. Fuckers.