Most of us "older' people were the ones who helped build the original site, experience project. When they were building this site and EP was being decommissioned we were invited to join here. Mamy of us have stayed because we have built friendships wirh others here.
It's smaller and has a more intimate feel. You can be fairly anonymous here, you don't need to provide identifying information.
There is a nice selection of people from all over the world, although it is dominated by Americans and Westerners.
This place is pretty good for allowing alternative and conservative opinions, and that is not true on Reddit, and while it may be true on twitter now, it certainly wasn't the case for many years.
You don't think it's a problem when actual Nazis are given a public platform? This allows them to reach more people who are susceptible to these ideas but otherwise wouldn't have encountered them.
I don't, no. Why are they targeted as being so dangerous but we allow all kinds of other bad influences all over social media? What about the Scientologists? The incels? Gangster rappers promoting a life of crime? Anti-fa? MLMs and cults sucking in good, hard working people trying to make a living?
You think whatever "Nazis" that exist in this country have a chance against the NSA, the FBI, the MSM, and the entire intelligence community? It's overblown and is being used to frighten and divide people.
If I owned Twitter, I wouldn't ban people who made fun of me. But as I said, Musk is entitled to ban anyone he wants for any reason. Under the old management, people were banned for hate speech (and that doesn't mean "saying mean things about liberals") calling for violence, and spreading false medical information.
If you dived into the media that was released in the "Twitter Files" you would see that the old regime was just as capricious when it came to throttling and banning thoughts, and individuals that did not promote the narrative around Trump or the mRNA vaccines.
Facebook was great when I joined in 2008. I connected with people I hadn't seen in years. The feed was mostly things people were doing, along with a forum for discussing current events. It started to deteriorate around 2015 when it became more focused on ad revenue, and the feed changed from chronological to curated based on your interests and engagement. So now, it's just a few people I know who are on it 24/7, ads, and clickbait. It's unfortunate because the early Facebook will never be replaced. It's not like everyone I know will magically decide to migrate to MeWe or Mastodon or Tribel or any other platform. It's like an anthill that's destroyed in a rainstorm - all of the ants are still there, but the organization and connections are gone.
Do you remember the internet before all these stupid social media companies took over? It was a patch work of individuals promoting their interests and hobbies. It was very interesting, cool and fun. You had a laundry list of sites to go to, that you visited on a regular basis.
Now everyone is congregated into these large social media sites. Very convenient if you wanted to control the information being disseminated to the masses.
@SumKindaMunster Yes, everyone's congregated into the large social media sites, and Republicans want to do away with net neutrality to make sure those are the only sites you can access easily.
You should listen to the "Behind the Bastards" series on Andrew Tate. I don't know any teenage boys, so I had no idea of the influence he had on that demographic. Listen to that and then tell me that he "didn't have a chance" against the MSM.
We shouldn’t tolerate the intolerant. I don’t put Nazis or people like Tate in the same category as MLM or Scientology. It’s absurd to equate them just because you don’t agree with them.
I’ve been on EP and SW for over 10 years now. Some of us older ones, have circumstances that keep us isolated and coming online is a way to interact with others, when we maybe just want to be alone but feel people are there in our own little world too.
@helenS Jim's humor was subtle enough to go over the heads of the young ones, but if you go back and watch the show now, you'll wonder how you could possibly have missed it. He was that good.
It allows for context, unlike Twitter, and anonymity unlike Facebook. Reddit is the closest but, depending on the group, that place allows for some twisted individuals to coalesce.
@Ynotisay Good points. Context & nuance are important to us old fogies, and what originally drew me to social media was the opportunity to be anonymous yet open about sexual issues. Ironically, young uns here lecture you for being verbose when you add a little context and nuance -- but at least you are allowed to.
@dancingtongue You make a good point about context meeting brevity. I think older people appreciate how the sausage gets made. Younger people tend to want the sausage right now.
@Ynotisay Unfortunately that applies to history, how cultural opinions formed, or anything else as well, so they are doomed to relive it when it becomes "trendy" again.
I am surprised by how many younger people are on this website. I'm curious, if you're younger, what makes SW more enticing than other social media websites like twitter, reddit etc..
Twitter has no allure to me at all. It seems a bit silly.
I have looked at reddit, and I used to spend some time there. I might return in the future.
But unlike reddit, on here I have the experience of actually getting to know people. Even if I am not "friends" with someone or exchange private messages , different users here appear as well-defined personalities. I do not feel that way on reddit. And so, this seems more personal and more "human".
Doesn't feel as dominated by influencers and the narcissistic feeling the need to post everything from a photo of the food they are about to eat to sharing selfies with BFF coming out of the loo. Well, maybe, some of the latter for a segment. And why should it be surprised that we have eclectic interests? Are we supposed to go sit in our rooms and vegetate?
@Punches There are plenty of people here with expertise or experience in various fields. Anyone can learn from them just by asking. But I think people are here mostly to socialise, and perhaps argue. A bit like 'real' life.
@Tracos Older is anyone older than the person saying it. 68 in my case.
SW-User
Not sure I’m “older” but I’m a lot older than you. This is not my favourite website that I feel at home but I will not go anywhere near Twitter with a barge pole and Reddit is difficult to read. I like Quora but I just read there. I love FB, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube I would be lost without them.
Was on EP also, EP was more open ruled about sexual subjects (Which is what doomed it) but I find the relative anonymity of this place fun. Not on Twitter, Reddit or any others.
@zonavar68 Tumblr didn't have much choice but to remove all so-called "adult content" as they are part of their Frankenstein parent "Verizon Oath" and by banning it, have lost probably 80% of their users and become irrelevant in the process, apparently there was a lot of child porn on Tumblr though I never saw any...
I feel it is because Twitter and others like it are full of snowflakes corrupted by the liberal controlled education from the mid seventies to the present. There is not much intelligent coming from that ilk.
Why does it bother you so much that “ older” people are on here? You think we should all give up social media when we hit middle age, and go play bingo and knit while looking for a retirement home maybe? What’s the cutoff age for social media anyway, according to you?
@Mardrae I'm sorry if my words were misinterpreted. I have absolutely zero problem with older people being on this (or any) platform. I'm legitimately curious why this site might be more welcoming than others.
@Chaoshead I’m “older” and I’m on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Reddit, Snapchat, Quora, Simterest, TikTok, , Pinterest, and anywhere else I feel like joining. I have no clue why you would think that a site or people would kick someone off after a certain age. Why on earth wouldn’t they not welcome us?
I wasn't as old on the site's predecessor EP. This is the closest thing to the format and has some of the same community. There really isnt any site that's exactly comparable to the companionship and entertainment I find here.
@Starcrossed Can you remember what year EP closed? Or for that matter, what year it opened? I have a feeling that between EP and here, I have been here for longer than I realize! 😂
When you're 22-25 most of the world's population can't be anything but older! :)
SW is more enticing if you like answers more interesting than what's possible in a Tweet. There is at least the potential to create conversations - even though it doesn't happen all that often.
The variety of different types of people and the membership (larger than AnswerMug). I used to like Quora, but the program funnels one into ever more restrictive questions. I tried various strategies, but it always dropped to a narrower band of topics. I got bored and left.
SW-User
Why are so many young people on SW platform? Shouldn't y'all be in college studying or out working so when y'all get our age y'all can retire and play like us, otherwise y'all will just stay playing and not contributing to y'all country. 🤣 🤔
SW-User
What makes you think we only visit this site. Some of us have plenty of time to visit a plethora of social meda sites. Those of us who are really old. And retired.
We programmed 4, 6 and 8 bit microprocessors way before you were born, so why the surprise we are here? I find Twitter and Reddit boring, but they’re full of people my age and older just like the rest of the internet.
i like long form contact,, long reads are allowed here tldr is not built in I also like NOT being "verified" the old EP was anony and this one still has that as an option i can present without concern some professional or family member will encounter me here
many are fr om the old EP and friends there are sometimes still here to be blunt i stay here to stay in touch with minds I enjoy
find the popularity of teeny short twit and such to be, unsatisfying