September 18, 2008 @ 10:43 am
When Did Social Media Stopped Being Social?
You might imagine that I’m really busy since I haven’t posted on my blog for over a month. Well, I’m not, I have just been finding other things to do: reading a book, hanging out with friends or watching a movie. Luckily enough, I found some free time to update this blog. Also, opened a Romania blog, BoGD.ro, where I drop all my thoughts.
Since I’m a pretty active user on Digg and StumbleUpon, I get several requests for digging, voting or commenting every day. I’m always glad to help out when I’m asked. But I’ve noticed in the past months that social media has started becoming an automated process, where everything resumes to voting each other’s stuff without the slighest intend to socialize. I don’t understand why common sense is not applied online as it is done offline.
Some people think that because they have me added on IM, they can start asking for favors. Some even call me “friend” even if they don’t know my name. I for one like to start by introducing myself, asking a few details about the person I just befriended so that I can start asking small favors.
I think there is such a thing as friends online, but they’re not done by spamming them with links, asking for votes or shouts. If you have 200 friends on digg, it doesn’t mean that you can start asking for comments and shouts to each one. Start by telling me where did you get my IM from, tell me your name and what you do. Then we can establish a basic relationship. I’ve started deleting people that start by seding messages like “can you digg [link]?“, it’s too much.
Filed under Uncategorized Permalink
6 Comments »
RSS feed for comments on this post · TrackBack URI
Posted by Liam Delahunty
September 18, 2008 @ 2:14 pm
Well said. How many times each day do I get asked to digg or upvote something and the people rarely have the manners to ask how I am, or even pay attention to my busy notice in IM.
Posted by Mani Karthik
September 25, 2008 @ 2:09 am
I completely agree with you. I think the reason why this is happening is because many of the Digg and SU top users (not all) have started selling their services. USD 500 for a FRP on Digg – goes a friends gig ! So you can imagine why the “friends” keep pestering you for votes and diggs.
I think this is going to be more complicated and boring and not going to unwind at all.
Cheers!
Mani
Posted by Tibi
October 20, 2008 @ 7:01 am
Trust me, you’re not the only one to notice the issue. Blind social interaction, based only on interested has been going on for a long time, but, indeed, everyone seems preoccupied only with themselves. There’s little to none social interaction now, among the new folk, anyway. I still have my circle of close, old contacts and that’s enough for me
.
I’ve also written about something similar in Romanian. Check it out http://www.tibipuiu.ro/social-media/networking-ul-nu-e-doar-la-un-buton-distanta/
Posted by KestFrietlefs
March 7, 2009 @ 8:44 pm
продам Форд-Фокус 2008 года за 200 тр. торг возможет. срочно!!!
+7 960 200 9209
Posted by Gokkasten
April 20, 2009 @ 2:46 pm
Good point. I have always had my doubts on these “invite your friends to vote”- kind of buttons on these sites.
Feels just like those sites are trying to endorse their brands and creating brand recognition to the max here.
Posted by Bruce
May 21, 2010 @ 4:20 pm
Well said. How many times each day do I get asked to digg or upvote something and the people rarely have the manners to ask how I am, or even pay attention to my busy notice in IM.