Hi Everyone,
Now that everyone in the media has agreed that Manti Te’o has been tricked by a Catfish I thought I’d give my point of view. For anyone who doesn’t already know a Catfish is defined by Urban Dictionary as,
someone who pretends to be someone they’re not using Facebook or other social media to create false identities, particularly to pursue deceptive online romances.
Personally, I limit my use of social media. I was never on MySpace and I am not on Facebook or some other forms of social media. Stop gasping for air, there are a lot of people in the developed and developing world, who aren’t on FB or other forms of social media and our lives are easier for it.
Oh, I know, there are always going to be those people who say things like, “But it is great for networking…,” “I get a lot of jobs that way,” “I get to keep in touch with my friends and relatives,” etc. All of the above and more may be true, but I highly doubt that I am going to change my mind.
For one, if I want to contact someone I pick up the phone, text or email them. The phone is usually my first option. If that isn’t convenient then I will text or email that person sometimes with pictures. My circle is small and I like that. And I don’t want or have time to keep track of more people and that is what all forms of social media encourage.
Every one of them want us to believe that we NEED to know EXACTLY what is going on with everyone else when, in my opinion, we should be focusing on our own lives and the lives of those we love and care about. If Catfish redirected the time that they spend/spent deceiving people into something else, like educated themselves for example, we would all be better off. That is not going to happen.
In my opinion, a lot of people are lonely, confused, desperate, crazy, all or a combination of the already mentioned. If Catfish can’t (seem to) stop themselves from preying on people and people continue to believe them, this is clearly going to perpetuate. Unfortunately, I am of the belief that social media that was meant to connect us, has disconnected many from reality, or put another way, their own lives.
Do I think that social media is bad? Not really. If it is, like most things in life, used in moderation it is okay. But I have seen people get SO absorbed in varying forms of social media that I have questioned their sanity.
To be fair, I am sure that people have questioned my sanity for not being more involved in varying forms of social media. One form is online dating. In this respect, I would have to say that I like to meet people the old fashioned way. I am not overly concerned about meeting a Catfish online. I don’t doubt that people can connect with others online first and meet them later, it is just not for me.
With that said, I know that social media is a part, or growing part of people’s lives. I get that. It is their choice. And it is my choice to not participate as actively as others.
Here’s a link to a blog about social media, http://arebelsrant.com/thanks-social-media/
Is this a rant? I guess it all depends on how you interpreted the blog.
Thank you for reading, A. Rebel’s Rant! ;D
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