AWKWARDLY SOCIAL

oneliness is a significant and often overlooked challenge in today's society. Many individuals find themselves increasingly isolated, with social interaction primarily occurring through digital devices. While technology offers connectivity, it can't fully replicate the richness of face-to-face human interaction.

However, real-world engagement is essential for our well-being. The disconnect from genuine human contact can leave many feeling ill-equipped to navigate social situations and cope with the demands of interpersonal relationships.

THE GATE-KEEPERS

ocial media has undeniably become a cornerstone of modern life, offering both significant advantages and potential drawbacks. On the positive side, it facilitates connections between loved ones separated by distance and fosters communities around shared interests. However, the platform also harbours its share of negativity. 

Online bullies, known as trolls, inflict emotional distress, while phishers exploit the digital realm to deceive and defraud users. Moreover, the rise of 'gate-keepers' — individuals or entities who  attempt to control, manipulate and suppress.

1702.23 TWITTERVERSARY

Ten years ago I was looking for a service that would allow me to publish 'status updates' on my website and blog. Something small, short and snappy that I could perhaps update over WAP (do you remember WAP?) and not have to fire up the old desktop computer.

1609.27 THE VOID

Since 2012 I've lived with the darkness. It's always there like an unwanted stalker forever traveling with me. Back in 2012 I had a breakdown, since then I've had this companion who occasionally pushes me into a dark place, a void, a dark corridor full of locked doors. I have to traverse the whole thing to get back out into the light. But what if this time there is no light this time? It's this making sense?

Yesterday I almost deactivated my blog. I thought about deleting my Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. I came really close. It could still happen. The only reason I think I haven't was the words of my previous therapist who advised me to share my thoughts and that blogging was beneficial to my mental well-being. That's why I'm rambling on like this.

Hopefully I'll see you all on the other side. 

1609.21 PLUMGATE

Don't worry, whist this is a blog post about plums, it's not the plums you might be thinking of. These plums are mine but they are ones I purchased in our local Tesco store. 

I bought them the other day whilst shopping because they were £1. When I got home I noticed a discrepancy with the receipt. 

I'd been charged £1.50! Whist I was a little peeved about this it wasn't a massive deal, after all it was only 50p (I know that's a 50% overcharge but it's not a huge amount). I was still annoyed enough to fire off a tweet in Tescos direction. Along with the photo as evidence. 

They were very quick to respond and without quibble or question offered me double the difference (via a money card).

Tescos online customer service team, I have to say, have got it nailed. Fast, polite and not afraid to add a little personality either. Well done them! 

All I was really after was an apology and perhaps fixing the pricing issue so it didn't happen to anyone else. This morning I received my refund+ through the post.

Now what to spend my windfall on? A packet of ham? More plums? 

1609.11 THE PHONE BOOK

Does anyone remember life before mobile phones, Google and social media? A time when if you needed to contact someone you picked up the corded phone and dialed, but not for too long because it was expensive.

If you need to look someone up back then you used the phone book. It was the Facebook of the day. If you needed to find a business or particular service you used the Yellow Pages™ instead of Google.

The reason I mention it was this...

20th century Facebook 

What the hell happened? Firstly I didn't know they still printed these. Secondly have you noticed how small it is? It's a pamphlet. These books used to be MASSIVE! This was posted through my letter box, there's no way the old ones would go through the door.

Is there still a Yellow Pages™? Is it similar sized (I know they have an app these days)?I know the takeaway section has declared independence and each ad comes through the door separately on an almost hourly basis.

Younger people are quite shocked when they realise how the 20th century person communicated and had to look up facts in books (sometimes meaning a trip to the library). It's always good to stop and look at how things have changed. 

1607.07 BASIC CHILD SAFETY ONLINE

I was prompted to write this post after seeing a friend's child cropping up all over social media and in my opinion started putting themselves in potential danger.

I've always been strict about my children's use of the internet. This lead to quite a bit of friction with my eldest back in the difficult period (which we won't go into now). My rules, hopefully, have kept my kids as safe as can be whilst letting them access to the internet. I supervise as much as I can, online devices must remain downstairs at all times and a parent must have access to all online accounts. Now I know this isn't foolproof but it's also about teaching responsible use of online services. It a frightening world out there and young people are exposed to it too soon these days.

It concerns me when I see other parents not giving a damn about what their kids do online. They hand over a smartphone and don't give a second thought to what they're doing or who they may be chatting to (or worse?).

There's loads of advice online for kids and parents and I think it's a good idea to sit down with a child and discuss it. I have with both my kids. For more info check out CEOP.

In my work I've visited schools and spoken to children about internet safely and hopefully my words have made an impression to some of those kids. At the end of the day it's not up to me, every parent needs to take responsibility for their child's activity online. 

1606.28 REMEMBER MSN

From time to time I get asked to fix / work out / play with technology for my friends and family. This week I was asked to give the 'kiss of life' to an aging laptop that belongs to a friend's mother. I got the old machine to boot up and noticed it still had old MSN Messenger on it. That got me reminiscing...

I've had computers since I was 13 years old but didn't connect to the internet until the early 2000s. Some of the first things I did when I got online was; start a blog, learn how to build a simple webpage, use MSN.

The wondrous world of text chatting to your mates (SMS texting was about but at 10p a message was restricted) and if you were lucky viewing them on a dark fuzzy image  if they had a webcam. This was the world of 56K dial up where you couldn't use your landline at the same time as being online. Also our PC was in the dining room so being online, whilst being digitally social was anti-social because you were away from the rest of the family.

I remember finishing a late shift and arriving home at 1am only to jump on the PC and chat away with everyone I'd just seen at work. These sessions could go on for hours with multiple conversations and group chatting.

Far cry from now with WhatsApp and the like in your hand on your mobile practically wherever you go. Always on internet and never being online. Is this a good or a bad thing though?

1606.12 THE FOOTBALL

So apparently it's the European football championships or "Euros" at the moment which means as a non-football fan I'm having to put up with football talk all over social and regular media, mealtime chat at work and just football - football - football everywhere.

I'm not bothered that it's on the telly. It's not like the old days with 4 channels and 2 with football matches on, I have about 200 channels + Netflix to watch. It's just the constant bombardment that is going to make the next couple of weeks difficult. 

So as I just wait for next month and the Tour de France (my sport of choice) I watch the neanderthal football fans rampage through France (the hosts), smashing up bars and throwing bottles and chairs at the local police. Not really civilized is it? You never see riots at a cycle race.

There was a time I'd try and like it just to join in on the conversation but I'm getting to old for faking it just to fit in. Enjoy your game (and it is just a game) but please don't try and engage me in conversation about it. I don't really give a toss.

1605.23 DARK AND SUNNY WEEKEND

When you look at other peoples' lives from the outside they look like they're having the best of times. Facebook, I feel exaggerates this. I know that people rarely share the bad stuff on social media unless they are (probably) attention seeking. From time to time I feel the dark hand of.... well, er, I don't quite think I have the words but it what I get since 2012 when I had what I can only describe as a life changing event. Anyway, this weekend has been a bit of a 'dark time' for me, without a noticeable reason either. Reading those Facebook statuses of "friends", colleagues, ex-colleagues and people I may have met briefly at some point in my life haven't helped, to that end I've not been interacting on there for quite a while now. I only keep it around because it's the only way to speak to my cycling club.

Anyway, I digress. This weekend I've pretty much shut myself away, I didn't even feel like getting out on the bike yesterday despite the billed ride being a spectacular one and the weather being pretty nice too. I'm off today and up to now I'm not even dressed.

I just read that back and I can't make much sense of it, I'm going to publish anyway since it is a reflection of where my head is at at the moment.

1601.20 END OF THE BIRTH OF SOCIAL MEDIA

Many years ago when few were on the internet and it ran at a snails pace (remember 56K modems?) there came about a website that offered to put us in touch with old friends from our school days or even those friends we just lost touch with. There was of course a cost, they charged a subscription to communicate with our lost friends (it was free to put your details on).

Then came Facebook. Same sort of thing but free. Facebook also let you share information with your current friends too. Did I mention it was free? Friends Reunited eventually stopped charging but by then I think it was too late.

Today I got an email stating they were closing down, I'd all but forgotten about them let alone that I still had an account with them. I've probably still got an account with MySpace too (I have, I just checked). I don't think I'm about to lose any sleep about the passing but it is worthwhile remembering one of the early pioneering web services and social network before the term had even been coined.