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Fiz

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I am getting increasingly annoyed with social media. First of all, there is too much unaddressed bullying on Facebook and Twitter. Facebook allows videos of beheadings and hate groups, yet photos of women breastfeeding or topless art pictures are banned. At the moment I am awake so I thought I would look at my social media sites. Facebook is full of unsolicited adverts and suggestions for groups I don’t want to follow or people I don’t know. Twitter is the same - so many adverts or other people’s “likes” that I can’t read my timeline. Instagram was the same and Pinterest is also full of promoted advertising now.  I know they want to make money but why don’t Zuckerberg et al ask us to pay subscription fees? I want to keep in touch with my friends and want to read things that amuse or instruct me, not be urged to buy stuff I don’t want or need. I’ve just read an article in The Guardian about how younger teens are abandoning social media. I may well be joining them at this rate.

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What do people think about dancers' use of social media? I'm not a big follower but, from what flits across my Facebook streaming, there seem to be several different approaches:

  • "look at me" - my body, my family, my work ethic etc.
  • "happy life" - holidaying, partner, family, pets with a little bit of dancing thrown in
  • "advertising" - posing with a piece of kit or modelling clothing and saying 'thank you' or how wonderful it is (on the increase)
  • "professional life" - show dates, pictures from performances (almost like a website), and doing selfies at the stage door
  • "performance-related" - clips from the wings etc 
  • "comedy clips" - especially Instagram 'stories'
  • "behind the scenes" - glimpses of  dancers, not always flattering, rarely of the poster him/herself, and usually with emojis superimposed
  • "set pieces" - 'choreographed' scenes from life specially made for Instagram

Not making any judgements - just finding it interesting.

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It's not just social media as regards advertisements.  Radio Times arrives in the letter box and I then have to discard the plethora of loose advertisements before tackling the advertisements stapled in the magazine.  Those in the centre pages are ok - the real annoyance is trying to remove those stapled in the middle of the magazine where it's a struggle to get rid of all the bits.  And it's only those annoying ones that catch my eye - normally stair lifts or tip up chairs.  I guess with advertising on social media there's less of a physical struggle in decluttering but still an irritant.

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Interesting discussion. I have the feeling that you almost can´t avoid to have at least one social media account these days though I agree that it seems more and more people are annoyed by all the social media.

Fiz, I agree completely with your opinion about Facebook, the hypocrisy to ban art or the picture of the napalm Girl from Vietnam but not closing hate/bullying posts and groups. And all these commercial things and advertise whenever I surf through the web. I thought long about it because I have friends all over the world and it is really easy to keep up with their lifes this way, but I deleted my FB account a few weeks ago.

Never had Twitter and never understood the sense of it - and to be honest, I think it had not quite the breaktrough here in Germany. I don´t know much people here in germany who have Twitter and my friends all over the world mostly tweeted silly little things. Never had the feeling that Twitter helped to stay in contact.

 

I must say I quite like Instagram and until now I haven´t so much problems with advertising/promotions etc...I only use it on the desktop or the tablet though, no app for my smartphone. Thankfully most people on my Facebook list have also IG accounts, so I can follow them now on this way. Pinterest I don´t use in the way of following people I don´t even know much people who have an account. I only use it to pin cooking/baking recipes or touristy things for cities and countries.

 

Capybara, you make also an interesting point. I follow quite a lot of dancers from all over the world and different companies, with some of them my friends. If I find a dancer interesting I follow them on IG when they have an account. Your observations about the different profiles is pretty good and I completey agree. To be honest, when a dancer only advertise things etc. I unfollow them pretty quick also if they almost post exclusively about their private life (unless they are friends of mine of course). I find it weird to get too many private informations about someone who I only know (if any) because I saw them in a performance or maybe met even at a stage door. If I get a few private insights it is nice and mostly I can it ignore if its getting a little too much.

I know some people don´t like it at all to get backstage infos what dancers do before/during/after a show because it takes the magic away for them. Personally I don´t have any problems with it because I danced a few years professionally myself so it is more a reminder about these days in the past but I can understand them. So actually these profiles and with snippets about rehearsals etc are my favourite ones.

But I think it is really interesting to see how these different accounts show how different dancers can be - in their personalities but also in their dancing and worki lifes.

 

 

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56 minutes ago, Esmeralda said:

I have the feeling that you almost can´t avoid to have at least one social media account these days though I agree that it seems more and more people are annoyed by all the social media.

 

Well, I virtually have :) - barring a virtually defunct Facebook account which I only opened in error as I didn't realise back then that you could access the ROH account without one.  I did go back on a few weeks ago in desperation to enter a competition, and then started getting spammed by FB every few hours telling me how many new friend requests, messages etc. I had.  Funnily enough, I checked while I was on there, and went back again, and none of the "new" messages were in any way new.  What a surprise :) 

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2 hours ago, alison said:

 

Well, I virtually have :) - barring a virtually defunct Facebook account which I only opened in error as I didn't realise back then that you could access the ROH account without one.  I did go back on a few weeks ago in desperation to enter a competition, and then started getting spammed by FB every few hours telling me how many new friend requests, messages etc. I had.  Funnily enough, I checked while I was on there, and went back again, and none of the "new" messages were in any way new.  What a surprise :) 

 

My brother would completely agree with you - he still has not one single social media account no matter how many invitations and requests he is getting from family and friends. And he passionately boycotts pages and institutions where you need a Facebook account to log in or to get informations. I also have to say this is the only thing I miss about my old account, the occasionally winning contest or where you can only get infos about it if you follow them on Facebook. Otherwise I miss my FB account not at all!

 

Well, and to be fair: as long as the accounts are public you can still see a lot of things, on Facebook but also on Instagram. If you do not want to like things or do not want to leave a comment it does not matter anyway.

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The problem is that certain groups you may be part of ...including ballet ones .....you can only access on Facebook to get sometimes important information that you need. 

There are a couple of people in a group I belong  to who do not have Facebook accounts and they rely on others in the group to either phone text or email them what they need to know!! 

This is the original reason I joined Facebook and at times it can be very useful to get group piccies ( especially of performances etc) around to everyone pretty fast. 

People keep telling me to join What's App .....I don't know whether that could be an alternative to Facebook or whether it has the same annoying adverts on etc.

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I only follow those dancers on IG who are modest, discreet or funny and who don't show off their private life and/or how flexible they are! One dancer in particular I find really tiresome on Social Media and the ego boosting annoys me (it has put me off booking for any performance when that dancer is on) and I no longer follow that IG account.  I don't mind if they tag a leotard or dance shoes etc.

 

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Modesty and humour appeal to me, too, though it did amuse me once when I made a passing remark on Twitter about how my evening had been enhanced by the sight of a particularly attractive dancer in a skimpy Wayne McGregor costume, and by the end of the evening that dancer (who I don't think I'd actually tagged - he must have been searching for his own name) had both retweeted it and followed me back :lol::rolleyes:

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On ‎01‎/‎09‎/‎2018 at 17:40, JohnS said:

Forgive my ignorance but isn't this Forum part of social media but without unsolicited adverts?

 

Forums of any sort, in my book, don't count as social media, and it really annoys me when the press insist on lumping them in with IG, Twitter, FB and so on.  Ditto LinkedIn :) 

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I have a couple of topic-specific twitter accounts (but not a personal one), including a ballet one. So every so often I find myself having interesting conversations with Alastair Macaulay, which would never have happened if not for that account. So on the whole I'm not complaining. But when I check some of my friends' twitter accounts where they get into political discussions (to use the term loosely), or my husband's when he gets into it with someone about whether global warming exists, the sheer ignorance and hatred on show by some people is very worrying.

 

On Facebook I tried really hard to engage with friends who have different political opinions (I used to have several hundred friends because I needed them as neighbours for games so I came across people with all sorts of political opinions), but I kept having to deal with having my posts reported when I tried to get into discussions with some of the more extreme ones, so I just gave up. One of my friends was banned for a week because she dared to go into a pro-Diana group and say that she didn't think the divorce was all Charles's fault and she was immediately reported for having nude photos on her timeline (which she didn't). But if you're selective, you can find Facebook groups with some very knowledgeable people on topics of interest, which is really nice. You just have to be careful.

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I’ve been on Facebook and Twitter for many years, Melody. I have found an increasingly intolerance to anyone who dares to have a different opinion from them and they are not interested in a discussion. They “know”. It’s very depressing. I belong to several different art, literature and history pages too. It’s the same there. A few bad apples spoil it.

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I was going to bring this up on another thread, some months ago, but have been thinking about it more and more since then.  I think that part of the problem is that on social media - and elsewhere - it tends to be a question of like gravitating towards like (or at least, presumed "like"!), and people's own opinions, whatever they may be, being reinforced by others in their "group", until they become entrenched.  Heaven forbid that anyone should have a different point of view!  (And if you express it, wouldn't all the resultant hostility at the very least discourage you from posting anything else?)  And if we surround ourselves with people who think broadly the same way, then how do we realise that others do think differently (and how many of them there may be out there, a silent and possibly large minority - or even majority - possibly feeling unable to put forward their point of view, and suppressed by social media)?  It may only be when push comes to shove - and I think the Brexit vote was a great example - that we realise that a lot of people don't actually feel the same way we do, and that can come as a huge shock.

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1 hour ago, alison said:

  It may only be when push comes to shove - and I think the Brexit vote was a great example - that we realise that a lot of people don't actually feel the same way we do, and that can come as a huge shock.

Which of course it shouldn't....but these days, we no longer have freedom of speech, so people have been keeping quiet if they differ from socially acceptable opinions imposed on us by the thought police.  People just don't want to be ripped apart on social media by morons who don't understand that the whole point of a 'free' society is allowing people to have differing opinions, and more importantly, being able to express those opinions without the fear of being called an 'ist' of some description.  And don't start me on 'cultural appropriation'.....another wonderful trend on social media that only works in one direction and has spoiled things for many people.

 

"I may disagree with what you say, but I will fight to the death for your right to say it"  no longer holds any sway.   More's the pity.

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Yes, because in the good old days you could say whatever you wanted without social consequences and people of all classes and backgrounds mixed freely all the time in social situations so everyone was exposed to a wide range of opinions.

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 01/09/2018 at 17:29, LinMM said:

The problem is that certain groups you may be part of ...including ballet ones .....you can only access on Facebook to get sometimes important information that you need. 

There are a couple of people in a group I belong  to who do not have Facebook accounts and they rely on others in the group to either phone text or email them what they need to know!! 

This is the original reason I joined Facebook and at times it can be very useful to get group piccies ( especially of performances etc) around to everyone pretty fast. 

People keep telling me to join What's App .....I don't know whether that could be an alternative to Facebook or whether it has the same annoying adverts on etc.

 

Two amateur musical theatre groups that my son is currently rehersing with only communicate to parents (rehearsal schedules, instructions etc) via Facebook.  WHen I used to run a kids drama group I sent all important communications via email and kept Facebook for general news and celebration of achievements.

 

The problem I find with joining Whatsapp groups is the notifications.  I use WhatsApp as a free alternative to texting woth close friendsand family (our work phone contracts don't include picture messages for example and have a monthly limit on text) and if I was to join a social Whatsapp group my phone would be forever pinging with notifications but I can't turn thm off as I wouldn't want to miss a message from my Dad or one of the kids which might be important and time limited (ds WhatsApps me when he's on the bus home for example)

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Very annoying! As it happenes I won't be getting What's App as my IPad is apparently now too old to have it!!

You have to have operating systems 10.9 or above and mine is stuck at 10 forever now!

Guess will have to eventually get an iPhone. I was hoping the iPhone X might come down in price but now that's obsolete as has just been discontinued by Apple! 

I don't really want to go to £1000 for a phone especially if five years down the line there will be a cap on the operating system....but looks like that or perhaps go for iPhone 8 which is getting cheaper now. 

I wish Apple wouldn't force you to eventually buy new stuff just to keep up but guess that's the way of the modern world!

 

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I'm pretty sure you can  mute WhatsApp conversations on a case-by-case basis. 

 

Quote

I wish Apple wouldn't force you to eventually buy new stuff just to keep up but guess that's the way of the modern world!

 

That's a decision by WhatsApp, in this case. They've decided it's not worth supporting older hardware. The new iOS 12 works - and apparently performs better than 11 - on a five year old 5s, which is pretty good for phone software and means you'd expect it to be supported by most app software at least for another two years. 

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2 hours ago, alison said:

My dumbphone has just celebrated its 9th birthday and is still going fairly strong, although the battery is only good for a few days instead of weeks now :)

 

My KitchenAid is coming up to its twenty fifth anniversary. 

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 24/09/2018 at 19:18, Picturesinthefirelight said:

The problem I find with joining Whatsapp groups is the notifications.  I use WhatsApp as a free alternative to texting woth close friendsand family (our work phone contracts don't include picture messages for example and have a monthly limit on text) and if I was to join a social Whatsapp group my phone would be forever pinging with notifications but I can't turn thm off as I wouldn't want to miss a message from my Dad or one of the kids which might be important and time limited (ds WhatsApps me when he's on the bus home for example) 

 

Colman is correct, you can mute notifications for all except, say, your children or your Dad, inside WhatsApp. We have a family group (8 sibs plus Mum as Dad refuses to use a smartphone plus 6 of the next generation) which if I left notifications on would drive me bats. OTOH one particular person with whom I communicate on WhatsApp is on the other side of the globe from me so I very much want their messages/calls coming up at the time!

 

On my Android, if I long-press on the "conversation" or group in question, the option for muting comes up. If you're using an Apple phone, my sister says that's what she does, too (I'm the non-Apple user in the family).

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On 24/09/2018 at 22:32, Colman said:

 

 

My KitchenAid is coming up to its twenty fifth anniversary. 

 

I bought my Ricoh KR5 SLR with my first pay cheque in 1979, and it's still going strong. I also have a Pentax LX of 1980 vintage, which I bought second hand in 2000. Basically it's a press camera, built like a tank and will last forever, and I have an Exacta Varex VX of 1952 vintage, which is older than me and still takes wonderful pictures. I doubt that any DSLRs will last 65 years plus.

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1 hour ago, trog said:

I doubt that any DSLRs will last 65 years plus.

 

I have a slightly older (1950?) Ikonta folder that works fine. It's really bad at connecting to wifi though, and I haven't been able to work out how the Instagram uploads work.

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2 hours ago, Sophoife said:

 

Colman is correct, you can mute notifications for all except, say, your children or your Dad, inside WhatsApp. We have a family group (8 sibs plus Mum as Dad refuses to use a smartphone plus 6 of the next generation) which if I left notifications on would drive me bats. OTOH one particular person with whom I communicate on WhatsApp is on the other side of the globe from me so I very much want their messages/calls coming up at the time!

 

On my Android, if I long-press on the "conversation" or group in question, the option for muting comes up. If you're using an Apple phone, my sister says that's what she does, too (I'm the non-Apple user in the family).

 

Another question then.

 

Does Whatsapp reply on the people you are communicating with knowing your phone number or email address? (I don't give those out as a general rule). On Facebook you can add people without knowing those personal details.

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Remembering that to sign up on WhatsApp you have to use your phone number, and that to add contacts into WhatsApp they have to be in your own phone's contacts, personal contacts already know your phone number :)

 

However, groups are another kettle of fish entirely. The creator or admin/s of a group can invite participants by sharing a link, which of course means that someone you don't know can see you. According to WhatsApp, though, they can't access your number or contacts. https://faq.whatsapp.com/en/android/20971813/?category=5245250

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I find WhatsApp invaluable.  A group was set up after the death of my mother in law for all the siblings to deal with the sale of her house - still not sold but that's another story -  but it does mean we are all in contact with each other all the time - with one sister in law in South Carolina for 2 years we have been able to know she is safe during the tornado season.  We have another group just for DH, DD non DD and Non DD's boyfriend and myself - all who live in this house - very useful if we run out of anything or someone needs a lift. 

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