jawa asks... Which social media platforms do you use?

jawa_ wrote:

Octoroc wrote:I use WhatsApp because it's a cheap way to make phone calls that are usually better quality than using the O2 network...

I hadn't even known that you can make calls via WhatsApp... I'd thought it was only a messaging service!

You can even make video calls! For free!

Twitter is bad, but Facebook seems more immediately atrocious. Look at any news article on there and it appears the norm now for the comments to be flooded with conspiracy theories. Peek at the account of anyone you don't know (hopefully) and it is likely they will be an extreme right-wing arsehole, fervently leading a one-person propaganda channel of deranged hatred.

I never use Instagram. Do I really have to if I want to explore Threads?

jawa_ wrote:

Outrunner wrote:...Twitter - but I barely use it and it's not good for my mental health so I actually deleted that this week...

Sorry to hear about your Twitter experience, Outrunner. I use it quite a lot but only (95%j for videogame-related stuff. I don't get involved in many other topics, especially politics. In this way I find it okay to use!

It had its uses but I always found I had to put a lot more (and constant) effort to curate my experience there and even the most innocuous comments seem to invite toxic bullying. The backlash I received from stating I wasn't keen on beer took me by surprise. Some of it was self-inflicted (I got involved in political discussions) so that's on me. I used to find Facebook so much easier but I don't know whether it's because I don't post much or my friends don't use it as much but I'm getting loads of click-bait articles, anti-lgbt+ stuff (which is upsetting, worrying and confusing since I'm asexual and am extremely pro-lgbt+ rights) and conspiracy stuff. I really want to bin facebook all together now but it's an easy way of staying in touch with overseas friends.

Instagram is still OK for me but I barely use it so that might have something to do with it.

Preezy wrote:...edit: completely missed that youtube and GRcade were on that list, so add those as well - although again I don't consider either of them social media.

I setup the voting so that you can add/amend your votes at any time up until the close date. Go for it, Preezy!

I use GRcade (obviousl), Facebook (for personal stuff only), YouTube (22.3K subs now), and Insta (which was created as a spin off to the YT channel, links to both in my sig).

Vermilion wrote:...YouTube (22.3K subs now)...

Vermi, I have watched some of your vids; Lego, socks and knick-knacks! I just realised that I wasn't a subscriber, though.

But now I am .

jawa_ wrote:

Vermilion wrote:...YouTube (22.3K subs now)...

Vermi, I have watched some of your vids; Lego, socks and knick-knacks! I just realised that I wasn't a subscriber, though.

But now I am .

Posted a fresh vlog of the lego store yesterday, i also did a vlog of the last UK Disney Store on Oxford St (though that's not been uploaded yet).

Got some more ducky videos waiting to go up too.

On whatsapp being social media:

- Messaging a group chat is the equivalent of posting something to a set of people (is that called circles?) on facebook or whatever
- Events that might have been organised through facebook now get their own group chats in whatsapp instead
- It's a feed of people sharing updates, their own photos and/or things they've found online

Yes it's a messaging app, but it performs a lot of the same functions as social media is used for.

OrangeRKN wrote:On whatsapp being social media:

- Messaging a group chat is the equivalent of posting something to a set of people (is that called circles?) on facebook or whatever
- Events that might have been organised through facebook now get their own group chats in whatsapp instead
- It's a feed of people sharing updates, their own photos and/or things they've found online

Yes it's a messaging app, but it performs a lot of the same functions as social media is used for.

The rise of whatsapp (or the " group chat" as whatsapp isn't popular everywhere) must be a pretty big factor in why Facebook is dying

I use:
Twitter for breaking news (hoping one of the rival apps eventually takes its place)
Whatsapp for keeping in touch with family and friends
Facebook for wargaming groups since most wargaming forum users went there
Instagram for photos of painted miniatures
YouTube for various hobbies and interests
GRcade to vote in Jawa's polls
Discord when I'm bored

I don't really get TikTok.

OrangeRKN wrote:On whatsapp being social media:

- Messaging a group chat is the equivalent of posting something to a set of people (is that called circles?) on facebook or whatever
- Events that might have been organised through facebook now get their own group chats in whatsapp instead
- It's a feed of people sharing updates, their own photos and/or things they've found online

Yes it's a messaging app, but it performs a lot of the same functions as social media is used for.

When I was in marketing, wankers referred to is as "dark social", because there's no way to track what's happening there (is our product getting talked about or not, etc).

aayl1 wrote:

OrangeRKN wrote:On whatsapp being social media:

- Messaging a group chat is the equivalent of posting something to a set of people (is that called circles?) on facebook or whatever
- Events that might have been organised through facebook now get their own group chats in whatsapp instead
- It's a feed of people sharing updates, their own photos and/or things they've found online

Yes it's a messaging app, but it performs a lot of the same functions as social media is used for.

When I was in marketing, wankers referred to is as "dark social", because there's no way to track what's happening there (is our product getting talked about or not, etc).

Meta: "yes...sure......we have no idea what people are talked about"

Garth wrote:...GRcade to vote in Jawa's polls...

"- - - - - - - - - -" .

jawa_ wrote:

aayl1 wrote:Reddit was probably my main one, I liked the Games and UKpolitics subreddit as well as a few other news ones.

Since the API gooseberry fool killed mobile apps I haven't used it at all...

I have occasionally stumbled across a Reddit section whilst searching for stuff... but I have no real idea how it works. It seems to have areas/folders for everything imaginable; but it also appears to be a bit messy and random?

It's basically a collection of forums. If you visit the main page you'll see a collection of the "best" posts from certain forums. This will obviously look messy and random.

You should check out the subreddits of things you like or want to learn about. Bet there will be a lot of niche memes on the fallout 76 subreddit you'll enjoy!

aayl1 wrote:

jawa_ wrote:

aayl1 wrote:Reddit was probably my main one, I liked the Games and UKpolitics subreddit as well as a few other news ones.

Since the API gooseberry fool killed mobile apps I haven't used it at all...

I have occasionally stumbled across a Reddit section whilst searching for stuff... but I have no real idea how it works. It seems to have areas/folders for everything imaginable; but it also appears to be a bit messy and random?

It's basically a collection of forums. If you visit the main page you'll see a collection of the "best" posts from certain forums. This will obviously look messy and random.

You should check out the subreddits of things you like or want to learn about. Bet there will be a lot of niche memes on the fallout 76 subreddit you'll enjoy!

Do not do this.



I'm always checking subs for hobbies and interests of mine. Oftentimes they're the place for active online discussion of whatever the thing you're into is, although sometimes you just have to accept that the community on a sub can be awful, at which point you abandon it and save yourself from growing to resent whatever your newfound interest is.

Tomous wrote:

aayl1 wrote:When I was in marketing, wankers referred to is as "dark social", because there's no way to track what's happening there (is our product getting talked about or not, etc).

Meta: "yes...sure......we have no idea what people are talked about"

I'm not surprised marketing wankers would call it "dark social", but I am surprised you can't just pay Meta for that info

GRcade, Instagram and very rarely Facebook both only for work accounts or work-related groups, occasionally view Twitter, two Discord "servers" (GRcade and LAN party/old friends). That's it.

I deleted my Facebook account, so my account with 6 friends (and at least one isn't actually a friend) only exists so I can have pages.

I don't really interact with YouTube comments. It's a shithole.

Not sure SMS or calling my mum counts. It very much annoys me when people ask to WhatsApp me, just use a strawberry floating text. I don't want to use an always-on networker computer in my pocket to send 5 words and I very much don't want to use one that I can't also use on a computer for no reason, except when the smartphone is on. That is strawberry floating bollocks. You may as well just give corporate Internet direct access to your brain.

I think there's something to be said for whatsapp/telegram/signal being encrypted, that's my biggest problem with just texting (for 1-to-1 text communication).

GRcade, Instagram, TikTok, WhatsApp and YouTube.

GRcade because it's kind of my go-to Internet residence. Y'all are like people to me.

Instagram because pictures and stuff. I don't post there very often, though. Mostly just use it for keeping up on False Knees comics and Star Wars stuff, honestly, but I have some family added on there.

WhatsApp because my family hasn't discovered, and isn't interested in adopting, Signal.

TikTok because it's the current center of the meme-verse and it's still a relatively decent platform, one which isn't Meta.

YouTube because there isn't a realistic competitor to the stupid strawberry floating thing yet.

Green Gecko wrote:...Not sure SMS or calling my mum counts. It very much annoys me when people ask to WhatsApp me, just use a strawberry floating text...

There are dozens of us, Gecko! .

Alvin Flummux wrote:...GRcade because it's kind of my go-to Internet residence. Y'all are like people to me. ...

Amazing to feel worthy of such heartfelt terms, Alvin. "People" .