to think there is nothing positive about social media

[meloncotton]

I am trying to find anything positive about social media, we all know the negatives but are there any positives?

YABU - There are positives which outweigh the negatives
YANBU - Social Media use negatively affects people overall

That's the thing isn't it? I dunno if it's for personal validation or not, but I actively want to look at the random stuff people on my FB get up to. That’s why they're on my FB.

The problems and benefits of SM just reflect what's going on in RL.

I'm only friends with people I like.
I only follow people/ groups that bring me something positive.

I like FB for friends/ family, groups and interesting pages. It's also like a community notice board.

I like youtube for fitness motivation, and random interesting stuff. This morning I've been watching a canal boater near the breach in Chesire, and the making of Wallace and Gromit. DS uses it to teach me about modern mudic

I don't do tiktok, snapchat or X. They just never appealed.

I like MN for discussion because it's not an echo chamber. It has its biases but there is a range of opinions and the moderation is pragmatic.

It’s been very important for marginalised and misunderstood groups to get together. ND people are learning how they tick and that is fundamentally changing lives.

Thanks to Facebook I managed to reunite a lost dog with his owner within an hour the other day

but other than that I’m not sure. I know so many people who basically believe anything they ready on fb/twitter/insta which is a very worrying trend. Definitely a link between social media and right wing extremist views.

Yes, forums are social media.
I enjoy social media such as forums....

YABU because "social media" means different things to different people. Some people mean following loads of influencers on Instagram/Tiktok and thinking they have to live their lives accordingly. Others have thousands of "friends" on Facebook or Instagram and post constantly for validation. Lots will argue that MN/Reddit is social media, as are messaging apps like WhatsApp.

I use social media in a different way - my friends on Facebook are just that, genuine friends, people I know. I follow accounts on Instagram/Bluesky which are relevant to my occupation and interests and rarely post myself. I use WhatsApp regularly to keep in touch with people around the world. That's all ver positive.