No cliff notes on this one. I've had it. Tread at your own risk.

I get it. People love this shit. First, this is a forum, and I've been on forums for 20 years for my passions/hobbies. Guns, motorcycles, and cars. And in the last few years, home theater. But forums aren't mentioned on TV, during commercial breaks, on my pay tv channels like hbo, showtime, etc. So no, I don't consider SF, or any forum, on par with social media applications so I wouldn't call them social media. We don't use our real names here and you have to be a member, it's independently owned, etc, etc. It's not the same thing despite what you fucking think.

I'm fucking tired of twatter and hearing/reading, whatever the fuck is trending on twatter. Twatterstorm! How many threads in the lounge are news stories that stem from a social media application? A lot. If I watch national news or local news, same shit. This and this on Fakebook. Fuck me, what happened to real journalism? It's phone journalism now. This and this went viral. Well I don't give a fuck.

Then fakebook, g damn it's on everything. All over my tv. And you can clearly see my signature. What set me off this week is my favorite sport, MotoGP. I've watched it religiously since the late 90's when I got into it. I'm watching a press conference and for the last year or so they cut the press conference off where riders get questions from the journalists, for social media questions. "Our first question comes from whistedick on Instacrap". "Our next question comes from rosietits1919 on Fakebook". Man I just want to chunk my remote control at the flat screen. Does this shit need to invade every area of our lives? No it doesn't. I'm all for freedom. IF you want to use these applications more than you use your dick or vag, do so, but quit pushing everyone to do the same all over the damn place incessantly. Like us on this, subscribe to this, click the bell for notifications. Nah, how about I punch you in the got damn face? I could go on for days about this. Now employers check your social media accounts, thank God I don't have any of the pieces of shit. I could be watching the got damn Olympics and they'll cut coverage to talk about what part of the Olympics are trending on Twatter. Celebrities fight on Twatter, or Fakebook and it's national news. Is this what our great country has come to? Sewer behavior? And the younger generation's importance on this shit is mind blowing. Your fake E life is more important than reality? People, instead of enjoying their food or vacation, take pics or videos and spend their time on this instead of living life and being in the moment? And to add insult to injury, I'll turn on my tv at home and these social media apps are on my tv! That sounds like fun, fire up my tv and let's do social media on it. Drive your vehicle to work, errands, etc, and people are sucked and fucked into that phone while driving now! Crack addicts. Arrest them all. I think if you are driving and doing that it should be legal for me to pull you over and beat your ass senseless. People are causing wrecks, killing people, and killing children because they can't stop fucking with that phone and social media.

And social media should have no business in politics or elections. I respect the President but get off the fucking social media dude. Just stop. Act like an adult and tell all the people on social media to fuck off and you aren't going to use it anymore. That goes for any politician. Make your political moves, do them, make executive decisions, do it by action, not by typing on your dumb ass phone.

Then there is texting. Fuck. I've been using a pest control service for 13 years at the house. They come out quarterly to spray and I pay them for an annual termite warranty. Well they will call to schedule an appointment and historically I'll call them back within a few days and we arrange a date/tiem for them to come out. Not anymore. They start blowing up my phone texting me about this shit. Keep in mind I've already received an email, and a phone call. I'm busy, I work for a living. I run a household and family. I own a working k9. I've got shit to do. I'll get to you when I have a moment free. I don't wait a month to call them back, it's like a couple of days during the work week. Work takes priority, I'm not gonna fuck off of work to call a pest control place or any other people I do personal business with. I don't "need" your service. It's my choice to use your service or not so don't harass me or I'll tell you to fuck off and you'll never get another dime. I had to call them, talk to management and chew their asses out royally as I was fed up. I went off when management says "Well many/most of our customers like us to text them for appointments" I replied if they had my permission to do so? I then asked if he was aware they email you, and call you also? I'm surprised they don't send a truck by the house to bang on my door about it. I put a stop to it and went ballistic after one of the employees was texting me on a Saturday morning. Trying to upsell me on additional services. Poor kid, I should have saved that text exchange. In 13 years I've paid my shit on time, every time, and never been a bitchy customer and don't bother those people. But your company decides to text people on a Saturday morning trying to sell them needless bullshit? Fuuuuuuuck.

Then there are recruiters. I keep my resume guarded but secure online. They used to email then call you. Now they text your ass. Just like the pest control, email you, then call you, then text you. Boom, boom, boom. All in a row. Within a minute. For fuksakes what if a human is on the pot taking a dump? Having sex, cutting their grass? I mean for fuksakes. I've never had people up my ass like this, ever in my life. Unsolicited. My resume profile says no contract gigs, and don't call me, just email the job over. I remedied that by listing a google phone number that goes straight to google voicemail. I delete 10 messages a day on that thing. Years ago, they'd treat you with some respect and just email you. Businesses, recruiting, so many things, it's all hands on deck, all communication channels. I won't even cover emails in this rant. Buy something from someone online and they email you every day of the week. Total harassment. Maybe that works for many people. For me I just won't do business with you again if you don't stop that shit. My hands hurt from opting out, unsubscribing, etc. I have to work so hard at this to keep at it bay, it makes sifting through the snail mail like smelling Jennifer Connelly's private parts in comparison.

Then there is the political realm. Used to get this shit in the snail mail. Then email. Now they call you out of the blue and text you. It's gotten so bad that I tell them via text, if you text me again, I'm going to to go vote for the libtards. "Can we count on your vote?" Dipshits, I've voted the same way my whole life and vote every election yet you see the need to mail, call, text, bam, bam bam. "we have an election coming up! It's on this date, can we count on you?" IF you don't stop harassing my ass no, I'll just start skipping that too.

Then my former parish. I'm Catholic and quit going this year because the Priests fucking little boys hit my local diocese. I call my Priest to talk about it, no response. I email him, no response. I contact the Diocese, no response. So Ok then, well bye. I want these Priests locked up under the jail. Yet the parish emails me every week, 2-3 times a week. I guess if we follow business they'll start texting me soon. Same for my orthopedic surgeon. Had shoulder surgery a few months ago. Office said they needed my email address to contact about progress, scheduling, blah blah. Nope, it's for marketing bs and they email every day of the week. I can't even trust my own doctor that I pay big money to, to not fucking harass me with endless bullshit.

Between social media being so important to everyone, and why? For maybe the 5% of it, the good it does, 95% or more is pure bullshit. To total harassment with political parties, business, even the Church, what is a person to do? All this shit is so bad these days I've ended relationships, multiple times, in recent years with women I've dated. Many of them only want to text and want to have conversations endlessly typing. I'm having none of that and say act like it's 1995, and talk to people, with your voice. If they get upset about it I punt them like a hall of fame NFL kicker. Same with personal friends. Some of them would type a sentence, hit send. Another sentence, send. The phone is just going ding, pause, ding, pause, ding. I actually called my wireless provider and shut off texts for 60 days. I had people calling me wondering if I was dead. Nope, I just shut off texting on my phone, turned it completely off. They were in complete bewilderment. Why did you do that? Because of you fool. I work for a living, busy, I don't want to have whole conversations over a flat screen keyboard for half an hour because I've got shit to do. I call my people to catch up, usually on weekends. I want to talk to them, see how they are doing, how life is going, etc, etc, or get this in 2019, actually spend time with them. What a fucking concept!

And I'm not a luddite. I've got degrees in technology, and work all day every day on it. I make information superhighways happen for the people I work for, a business you might you use. But if I go out to eat with folks, I'm not on my phone sans a work or friend/family emergency. I'm with people I'm with people, not on my phone, no social media, not texting, none of it.
Now it's the neighborhood association. We don't have HOA here, it's like a voluntary thing. Ever since I lived here they drop off a packet to sign up for their shit and just toss it in the trash. I'm not interested in parties with the geriatrics here (I have neighbor friends that go and know all about their wine parties and shit talking about the neighbors, no thanks). But I try to be neighborly with everyone that lives around me. I keep my yard and property up for myself, my investment, but also for them. I always cut my grass, pull weeds, trim the vegetation, and keep the place respectable. I, nor my people, park in front of their houses. I don't make a bunch of noise (that they can hear), don't fuck with their property, etc. Yet one of them gave my number to these HOA people so guess what? They text now. Can we count on you for such and such event. No. Not only no, but fuck no, remove me from your list. If I signed up for a bunch of shit it'd be on me. I NEVER sign up for any of this shit. So have your social media parties. Take your got damn phone and rub it on your taint. Like everything, subscribe to everything, air out every piece of dirty laundry in your entire existence but leave me the fuck out of it. I have a big professional "NO SOLICITING" sign on the front storm door. I mean it's loud and proud. It still doesn't stop the Jehovas from ringing my bell or some neighborhood girl from banging on my door to try and sell shit. I'm at my limit on this invasion of all this shit. Clint Eastwood needs to bring Walt Kowalski back in a Gran Torino sequel and cover all this shit.

Watch the movie Network you will feel better. Maybe a verses of Dirty Laundry too. You are not alone.

Rants: File this under 'Epic'.

Thank you. What peeves me the most is Facebook. I got an account so I could connect with my kids. Without my knowledge (although I'm sure I gave "permission" somewhere in their terms), FB sent an email or some notification to a couple of thousand people "Hey, CoolRich 59 is now on FB! Click here to connect with him!!"

Soon, I had a couple of hundred FB friends. What I didn't know was FB is mostly "Look at me!" Post of my bro-in-law having dinner. Post of my sister at the mall. Post of my cousin taking a crap.

Even worse are the family members using FB to hawk whatever shit they sell in their home-based business: essential oils, diet powders, cleaning products, etc., etc. They post incessantly.

I lasted less than a month. I deleted my account and keep in contact with my kids by phone or - gasp! - inviting them over to see them in person.

Try another one. Talk to some millennials. If you were to take a sip of beer every time they say "like" you'd be in the ER for alcohol poisoning. It's like and I was like, you know like.....

Like, um, you know, it really makes someone seem to be really stupid when they like say like all of the time. Like OMG...

Yeah, I can't stand that either.

It seems that FB is a collection of people that are desperate for some attention that they can't get from their moms basement while staring at the faded Obama posters...

I just applied for a part time job. (Hey, Winter is coming and I'm bored out of my skull anyway...)

They're going to have a blast trying to check my social media presence.

I doubt I even get a call back anyway. All female veterinary shop looking for a part-time receptionist/animal care flunky. I don't think my estrogen levels are adequate.

quote:

Originally posted by PHPaul:
I just applied for a part time job. (Hey, Winter is coming and I'm bored out of my skull anyway...)

They're going to have a blast trying to check my social media presence.

I doubt I even get a call back anyway. All female veterinary shop looking for a part-time receptionist/animal care flunky. I don't think my estrogen levels are adequate.

You might be surprised. Sometimes animals prefer men, and your physical strength may be in your favor when it comes to handling the irascible critters.

quote:

Originally posted by irreverent:
You might be surprised. Sometimes animals prefer men, and your physical strength may be in your favor when it comes to handling the irascible critters.

I think it'd be as close to perfect as any job can be. Nearby, part time, something I'm interested in and have a knack for. Few bucks for the ammo fund.

I even left my MAGA hat and my J-frame in the truck when I went in to fill out the app!

quote:

Originally posted by .38supersig:
Like, um, you know, it really makes someone seem to be really stupid when they like say like all of the time. Like OMG...

Yeah, I can't stand that either.

It seems that FB is a collection of people that are desperate for some attention that they can't get from their moms basement while staring at the faded Obama posters...

Fakebook is a leftist organization just to start. They’ve been doctoring up news feeds for years.
If you join the company instantly applies algorithms so that is why you woke up the next day and had hundreds of folks attached. Think of a Spider Web. The minute you sign they drop that algorithm on you and your account. A web of shit. And they start building a profile on you, casing you. Age, skin color, geo location, political leanings, who you know, who you might know, cross referenced with everything. All of a sudden you’ve got some person you went to high school on your shit. They have it down to a science. We are talking NASA level. Each user’s data is built and sold yearly. They get $8-10 per person a year from corporations via advertisers that specialize. Notice they don’t tell you any of this, well they do, Sanskrit style, in their TOS. Nobody reads it. Multiply that $ figure I gave you by years in existence, adjust with inflation, deduct costs, it’s not rocket science. I laugh at 2A people on there thinking it’s doing good. No, you don’t have enough sense to pour piss from a boot.

Unless you count my professional resume on LinkedIn.

I think the like and um thing predate social media. I was teaching a class once twenty years ago to a bunch of seniors and one lady actually held up a notepad with two big zeroes on it. She congratulated me for not saying like or um once.

I even get texts from my eye doctor that I only see once a year. It’s getting bad.

I don't have any social media accounts. I'm not on chat groups. I don't participate in a text of more than one person. I text my kids. They text back. Occasionally call, visit, etc. I've never seen a "tweet." I don't use facebook. I don't even allow my picture to be taken, and I don't care what anyone else is doing with their day every two minutes. I don't post or type or talk like a teen, and don't entertain those who do.

I don't get texts from businesses or anyone other than a family member here or there. I get a little junk email, and delete it. I get occasional unsolicited calls trying to sell something, but otherwise, don't really hear from anyone, ever. This is fine.

I sent my first text a few years ago, and only got a phone that could do that because a job required me to get email and texts around the clock: I had to be accessible. Until then, I'd never seen a text. I didn't want to. I have a "linkedin" account, the free one, but don't keep it up to date or correspond with people on it. I don't network.

I don't even know my neighbors. No idea what their names are. I see them once in a while, occasionally wave. I see a few familiar faces, most nameless, only recognizeable because I see them once in a while. I don't know them, they don't know me. I don't really care one way or the other. I don't go out, don't socialize, don't party, don't entertain. My wife and I go to a movie occasionally. We don't have people over, and don't go over to anyone else's. Ever.

My blood pressure stays fairly low. That's fine by me. I don't care much what others are doing; let them do it if they like, and don't care much what others think about what I do. I don't take "selfies." I certainly wouldn't post them online if I did. I don't speak in acronyms or teen speak or internet speak.

I don't do games or play them. I don't type with my thumbs. I'm getting older. One day I'll die; there won't be a funeral. Make ash, dump it in a hopper and drop it on a fire. My family is aware. At that point, few will be scarecely aware that I was ever here, none will care. Or remember. I'm fine with that.

I don’t use social media at all, either. And the rant you posted is the mother of all rants. I salute thee.

I get it and very well put.

Holy shit brother!

How long you been holding all that in?

This reminds me of the Chevy Chase rant in Christmas Vacation.

Good for you!

BTW, maybe we should add a “like” button on threads? Ha ha...just kidding.

I'm at my limit on this invasion of all this shit. Clint Eastwood needs to bring Walt Kowalski back in a Gran Torino sequel and cover all this shit.

Couldn't have said it better.
Every one of my friends has Facebook and other social media. I can't stand it.
"Mike, why don't you have Facebook? You could see what everyone's doing".
Maybe I don't care what they're doing?
Texting? I'll get texts from my daughter occasionally, a call more often. That's about it. There's a reason I don't give my cell number to many people. Most of the time my phone does nothing but sit there. Why do I have it? My business email mostly. Family too and as I've gotten older so have my aunts, uncles and so on. People die. Cold but truthful.
Doctor, veterinarian, Pet Supplies+ and others want my email address. Sorry, no.
"How are we supposed to get ahold of you?". Uhhh, pick up the phone and call?
I love live music and it burns my ass every weekend seeing people with their faces buried in their phone while a band is playing. Stay home. Hell, I don't even bring my phone with me when I go see local bands.

No social media for me, unless you count SIGforum, and I occasionally follow President Trump's twitter feed, using the app, so I don't need to join twitter.

As far as text and email, those are my primary communication methods; I am hearing impaired so telephone is generally not an option. I much prefer text or email. Less intrusive. A phone call is something that interrupts. Text or email can be looked at and responded to whenever convenient, instead of interrupting whatever I'm doing. I have no problem giving my email address to people, it's much easier to delete an unwanted email than it is to deal with an unwanted phone call.

sns3guppy and I must be brothers from another mother. The less contact I have with others, the better I feel. While I interact with people everyday, I keep it very limited. And I am better off for it. The idiocy factor (especially in public) is quite high.
Example:
I was leaving a small Mom & Pop restaurant here in Marquette and standing on the sidewalk near my truck was a group of young women. They were all wearing jerseys from Grand Valley State University in the Soo. A sports team, possibly. As I passed them, one of them stepped into my path and said "excuse me".
I stopped and she then asked "have you shot anything today"? The only reason I could fathom for such a question was the fact I was wearing a camo jacket. Which is uniform of the day here in the Yoop. I did not respond, walked around her and drove off.
Who wants to interact with rude, intrusive and stupid people?
And OP: A fine rant!

quote:

"have you shot anything today"?

"Not yet, but it's still early."