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In retrospect, I'm actually kinda glad I never really made friends here

It seems to me that the users of SW don't actually do much with their lives. No matter what hour of the day or time of the week I log on, it's basically the same users over and over, and they're usually posting the same type of content over and over. It's almost like this is all they have.

Not trying to condemn or act like I'm better, just a feeling I can't shake. Personally, I find a lot of posts either fall into the camp of being reactionary or being uninspired. Maybe I ask too much of people, but maybe the posts really are that way. I get the sense, and I'm fairly sure many people would confess, that users mostly congregate here in order to relieve their boredom.

I guess the internet as a whole is really good for that. It's no secret that social media networks are designed to keep people addicted. I know YouTube algorithms are actively trying to destroy any attempt at a productive life for me. But in many cases, that relationship is just between a person and the bots responsible for pushing content on them.

When everything is out in the open here and people can respond to whatever pops into their feed, it feels a lot like walking through an old dimly lit casino. You're just watching people all around you glued to their slot machines, pumping quarters into a soulless machine with the dreams of doing something better with their lives one day.

Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't think many people here have hobbies. Other than going to and from work, and maybe cooking something for themselves, I don't see many people post about things they've created, places they've been, goals they've accomplished, or people they've met. It's possible that it happens and I'm just not on here often enough to notice, but I'm inclined to believe that it doesn't really happen that often.

That isn't to say that the measure of a person is how much they indulge their dreams and impulses. Certainly people can be multifaceted without that. But it is kind of sad to me that people waste all that time in their lives and still post nothing all that meaningful here. So much of the content I scroll through is either obtuse, divisive political virtue signals or soft attempts at fishing for an inkling of attention.

I know I can be too serious for my own good a lot of times, so maybe shooting the sh.it and trolling around is a worthwhile use of time for some people. It's not my place to judge. I just can't help but notice how little actually gets communicated here despite the relative freedom to do so. If people are getting entertainment value out of it, then I'm not going to try to stop them. Live and let live.

Still, it's a little disheartening seeing so much wasted potential.
Lilymoon · F
I agree there are some people here spending tons of time here:/
I try to space my time but it becomes habitual and you have to recognize that.
So true! I'm on much less, because I want more productivity in my life, by far! I'm so enjoying, my accomplishments. Thank you for this accurate analysis.
AlyAngel · F
Its definitely not what EP use to be. I used to spend hours writing about something or having intense conversations with some amazing people. Granted I've been around since 2007, on a rare occasion I will sit down and pour my heart out but being a mom of 3 (including an infant) being a wife and a daughter, being a housewife along with a working mom, I dont have the time I use to. I still enjoy coming here and chatting with the people I do. My priorities are just a bit different these days.
TinyViolins · 31-35, M
@AlyAngel Yeah, I really miss how personal EP used to be. It felt like you were being your most genuine self. Here, the attitude is a little more flippant and lackadaisical. It has its purpose, but it does leave something to be desired

But it's whatever helps people sleep at night. If they get something useful out of this then I'm not gonna knock it
twiigss · M
This site here, is my replacement for Yahoo Answers. So that's the reason I'm on here a bit. However, I do work a 5am to 5pm job mon-fri with 7 hours on saturday. I do have a life outside of the online world.

On a work break or at lunch, I can simply pull the website up on my phone and reply to posts, or make my own posts.

I will agree though, there are a lot of divisive posts here, mainly political. I try my best to stay out of it if I can, doesn't always happen though, and I find myself getting slightly involved, and then trying to detach from it.

Generally though, I try to use the site as a Q&A site like Yahoo Answers. The nice thing on SW is that it's basically an open forum, with the Q&A format, but you can pretty much chat with others, something that was taken away on Yahoo Answers.

My only con really is I wish there were more people here who knew more about many different things. Yahoo Answers seemed like there was a good bit of people, but then you had nonsense going on when you asked a question, so that part didn't help much.
TinyViolins · 31-35, M
@twiigss When Q&A is used as intended, it can be really rewarding. A lot of questions that you haven't come across or aren't used to can force you to look inside yourself and explore how you feel or what you think about certain matters. It's a little bit of a learning experience, which is often why I still use this site after all these years.

I'm not knocking down anybody that uses this site in earnest. Curiosity is an amazing thing, whether you're diving within yourself or getting a read on what's around you. I just find that the Q&A, which is no longer really a Q&A but a general feed, tends to get bogged down by people looking for validation
I made this last week
And I met this amazing man here ❤️

🤷
@TinyViolins Thank you ☺️ I charged $100 because I'm just starting my business up again and they had to travel 45 min to meet me.
TinyViolins · 31-35, M
@SomebodyThatYouUsedToKnow That's a steal. I'd be over the moon if I got a cake like that
@TinyViolins it was a small wedding cake. Just an 8" and 4in tiered.
Coralmist · 41-45, F
Yeah I've written a post similar to this once...it seems the majority here want instant gratification..whether in sexual posts, shit posts etc. But sometimes some really DO share philosophical ideas and interesting views, but it's Def a lot less than selfies or shit posts. I wish too people would share their hobbies but seems SW is for quick relief a lot of the time. Which can in itself be fun. But I get what you mean and I've noticed too.
SW-User
I definitely agree with you. I go through cycles where I limit the amount of time I spend on here, leave for a while to focus on things in my life that need my attention, or just to clear my head. When I see too much negativity, I log out. ATM, it's cold af here where I live and things are a little slow. So, I've been on SW more over the past couple of weeks or so.

In all fairness though, as far as people posting something interesting about people they've met, what they're doing, etc.. we're still in a pandemic and it's hard to get out. I think a lot of people are experiencing depression and they come to SW and other places on the internet as an outlet. So, I just say stupid silly things hoping I can give someone a good laugh.
TinyViolins · 31-35, M
@SW-User Yeah, I'll concede that there's a ton that probably ends up as scrap on the cutting room floor. Maybe people do a lot with their lives and there's not really an opportunity to bring it up. As far as my own life goes, I watch a ton of movies, but I think I've only ever brought up like 3 in all that I've posted here.

And it's a fair point that people aren't doing much in winter, during a pandemic, following expensive and exhausting holidays. I've just been off and on since this site's inception, so it's more of a general insight accumulated over the years. I think it's true of social media as a whole though and not so specific to SW
SW-User
@TinyViolins What I am finding more and more across the internet, is the level of verbal abuse and attacks, just complete poison and nastiness, has increased tremendously. There are definitely days I don't feel like reading it. Thankfully here, at least I can block them.
Lmao... I have over 60 poems in a collection on my profile.

They used to get much more interaction in the early days of the website - now people don't give a hoot about real, quality content.

I can easily post the same poem to another site tonight and get more hearts and comments on it by morning than I'll get in a week on here. Of course it helps that I am close with most of the admin team over there and they feature my work from time to time - but SW isn't the place for this sort of thing.
pentacorn · F
this reads like a farewell message.
TinyViolins · 31-35, M
@pentacorn Oh, I'm nowhere near special enough for one of those. If I gotta go, I'll just vanish like a fart in the wind
WhateverWorks · 36-40
Sounds like an algorithm issue. I’ve only been here a short time, but I’ve managed to tweak my feed to show me mainly contemplative, experiential, and or progress posts
this is so true,,wonder if some of the members work hear,sleep in the back room,,🐰
Riemann · 31-35, M
Good post. I noticed this before and now noticing again.
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please look at the other thing I just said to you...about dogs

 
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