this post was submitted on 16 Aug 2024
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Unpopular Opinion

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9
Forums are social media (thelemmy.club)
submitted 3 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
27 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

People here like to say "I don't use social media; I use forums" like there is a difference between the two. There isn't.

Forums are places where people post and comment on user generated content, other comments themselves.

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

The key attributes of forums that I think make them superior:

  • Chronological posts. There is no upranking or downranking. And certainly no voting. Sometimes just an option to "thank" users for posts. I hate the social consensus formation effect of up/downvoting so much that I've disabled visibility of up/downvotes from my lemmy account.

  • Slower pace. Threads often live much longer, with participants dropping in and out over the course of weeks or months. Sometimes years. Posts themselves are often more thoughtful and better drafted because of this slow pace.

  • Index structure. Topics are sorted first by their category or subcategory. Exploring into these is like thumbing through a file cabinet. In contrast, the "reddit way" groups topics by community association, more clique-enabling IMO.

  • Forums often work without any hard javascript requirement.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago

Also forums are usually one subject that is then broken down into more specific subjects. Car forums are often specific to a model, then the subs would be pictures, cleaning, engines, troubleshooting etc.

Also there's no algorithm trying to push you to click on something.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 months ago

Ok so first of all, how dare you

[–] [email protected] 7 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Anonymous vs real identity is how I think some people conceive the difference.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 3 months ago (1 children)

You don't need a real identity for a lot of social media platforms.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 months ago (2 children)

Right, and I'm not saying it's absolutely definitive, or even my own conception of this distinction. However, if someone personally defines it that way for themselves, I think it's valid.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago

I define it this way. Social media centers around having a social identity that others engage with. I've been on smaller forums where I recognized every user name and knew their individual personalities, which is probably pretty close to social media. But most large forums are basically anonymous, and you don't engage with the user so much as you engage with the discussion.

If you just define "social media" as media which involves others, then all media besides a private personal journal is ultimately social.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Eh. I feel like people are choosing to change the definition so they can feel better about themselves. They aren't the unwashed masses on Facebook or other "social media", they are enlightened thinkers who use "forums" to converse instead.

The change in definition seems to be done specifically so people can say they are better than others.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

Maybe....but they also aren't getting the real world "clout" that they are getting (or think they are getting) from real identity posturing and curated profiles. I'm not saying you're wrong, necessarily. Just that there's two types of arrogance at play here.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 3 months ago (1 children)

The difference is there's no algorithm abusing you on forums. They are pure.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Having an algorithm doesn't make social media.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 3 months ago (1 children)

But everything people call social media does.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 3 months ago

No, I think a small group of people are trying to change the definition so they can use some forms of social media while saying they don't use social media.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 3 months ago (1 children)

We need to get back to the Forums. They were better.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Please. What did the Romans ever do for us?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 months ago

The aqueduct.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Forums were better.

[–] [email protected] -3 points 3 months ago (2 children)

Facebook is a forum.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago

Facebook is a site for college dudes to rank women by hotness.

And the Old Folks Home of the internet.

Simultaneously.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 months ago

Facebook is an is.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Forums are usually anonymous.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago

Most social media sites allow to maintain anonymity.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 months ago (1 children)

I find forums to be anti-social media.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Why? You're talking with other people just like others do on Facebook.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Everyone is a bot or russian shill besides me here.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 months ago

Shills are people too.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 months ago

Forums were good, but I suppose many of the members left them to herd over to Facebook and Twitter.