Gransnet, Facebook and Twitter.

I entirely agree.

All social media is the 21st century’s equivalent of gossiping on the corner or over the garden fence.

Sometimes it’s correct, sometimes it isn’t as it’s always been

GrannyGravy13

All social media is the 21st century’s equivalent of gossiping on the corner or over the garden fence.

Sometimes it’s correct, sometimes it isn’t as it’s always been

So true.

There's a tragic clip of 2 young Ukraine (allegedly) women hugging their soldier partners as they leave. It's all over TikTok. I'm sure it's been posted on other sites.

I fell for it.

However it's actually a scene from a movie, made 2 years ago. Actors. So if anyone has seen that, it's fake.

Couldn't agree more volver.

The most dangerous propaganda usually has grains of truth mixed up with the lies.

There is nothing saintly or different about GN it’s absolutely no difference to all the others
I don’t do Twitter simply because I never really got it and haven’t bothered to ‘get it’
The rest is equal amounts of good news and rubbish news be savvy enough to takes lots of it with a big old pinch of salt

It isn't confined to social media, though, is it? The print media, such as formerly highly respected newspapers, are also in the business of passing on lies and distortion. Which are frequently passed on through social media.

I think it's ironic that our current PM is a journalist who delighted in making up lies for his newspaper...

I think that google is actually your friend in searching for what might be factual and true as it presents you with a range of opinions, sometimes even learned opinions on any topic.

I agree OP.
That said I have just checked Facebook and Gransnet haven't added anything to their page since last September......

Facebook versus Gransnet...

... I've read many more considered, objective and intelligent posts on GN than on FB - and I include those GNers whose political views are not the same as mine. Perhaps with maturity comes a certain amount of wisdom...

FB is just so random, the world and its wife can post - but on GN, we have common ground; shared experiences from a past era, etc, and often face similar future problems. So I find more sanity on GN.

Of course, there are some who post outlandish claims, misinformation, and not infrequently, they are hostile and dismissive if anyone dares to make a challenge. Then there's what I call the 'grenade lobbers'... posters who jump in write a few controversial words directed at no-one in particular... and then you never hear from them again. One the other day said "shut up"... not sure which group of posters the comment was directed at but that was it! They are often ignored, which is probably best!

I think it depends Dickens. I run a closed group for people with a specific interest. They have to apply to join and I do a cursory background check - nothing heavy, but if people have no online presence, I'm very wary.

I preferred the previous incarnation, not so aggressive and more reasonable. And not such an obvious troll.

I also belong to a local residents group and a number of groups for language teachers.

I agree volver.

This is an interesting thread, thank you to everybody who has posted so far.

I'm on Facebook but not Twitter. My Facebook pages are full of knitting shops, Maine Coons and pictures of my friends having fun. You can choose who you interact with on Facebook (and Twitter, I think). I'm not Facebook friends with people I don't know personally and I'm not friends with conspiracy theorists. I find GN much more random, literally ANYBODY can post.

I hope we get more posts here, I'm enjoying reading them.

On Gransnet when social media is discussed there is often someone that will state that they do not do social media. Some have the impression that everyone on here is who they say they are but are wary of Facebook

In general users of Facebook use their real name and provide a profile picture, they put on so much information about friends, family, work, and social life.

On here it is just a user name. I remember a post some time ago where someone had put a picture of their lovely house which turned out to be a stock photo.

I've never understood the pride some people take in not being on social media. It's as though they think that what so-called 'mainstream' sources are more reliable, despite being run by people with vested interests, and as though even reporters 'on the ground' have the last word on what's happening. Of course they don't. They can see more than we can at if they are at the scene of an incident, but so can ordinary people with phones, who put videos on Facebook or wherever, and those videos are less likely to be propaganda if you know the people who post them because they are friends.

If people don't want to use social media, there is no shame in that - it can be quite unpleasant - but I think it is foolish to write it off as an inferior source of information, and I never see ignorance (ie knowing nothing about something because of having opted out) as a sensible source of pride.

growstuff

I think it depends Dickens. I run a closed group for people with a specific interest. They have to apply to join and I do a cursory background check - nothing heavy, but if people have no online presence, I'm very wary.

... yes, you're right I guess. I also help to moderate a specific interest group on FB and we do those checks too. We also have a couple of 'trick' questions which are designed to weed out those who are not really interested in the subject but want to use it as a platform for their own ends. I'm also a bit cautious about no online presence - but equally so about those who belong to 300+ other groups!

My Facebook pages are full of knitting shops, Maine Coons and pictures of my friends having fun.

Mine's full of knitting and crochet, lost and stolen dogs (upsetting), news from family, an old school group, yoga and the National Trust (now, they can be controversial).

However, as Elizabeth says, people are generally who they say they are on FB because we know them whereas on sites like GN anyone could be anyone they want to be.

"Tonight, Matthew, I'm going to be........."

Oh dear - my only online presence is GN. If you were to google my name you wouldn’t find me now I’m retired.

Slightly off topic...

When I was working and interviewing people for jobs I used to check them out on FB/LinkedIn etc. You weren't meant to do that.

Oh boy, on more than one occasion was I glad I did

I bet you were. Our HR department routinely did that. It’s amazing how much of their supposedly private lives people are prepared to share with the world.

I signed up to Facebook to gain access to my local village's page to find out about activities, services etc in and around the neighbourhood. Various friends are on it and I'm amazed at how regularly they post stuff, often very trivial. One acquaintance regularly posts the results from her weekly art class.

I get fed up with the number of emails that I receive telling me that there is something that I should see from someone that I know. I haven't posted anything myself.

I find Facebook useful to keep up with what’s going on where we used to live abroad and scattered friends. Local allotment page, village page for news, local history page and GP’s site.

I remember my grandfather telling me that it is advisable to always have a healthy dose of scepticism when being presented with unvarified "facts".