A Dry Spell

[Gryffindorian]

The amount of time I spend surfing the Internet has significantly declined in recent years. When I first got my own PC and a Web connection (over 12 years ago), I used to spend hours on end chatting away in chatrooms, sending and receiving e-mails and instant messages, participating in on-line/e-mail RPGs, visiting various websites, and pretty much staying up late.

When I grew tired of chat rooms and RPGs, and I started to spend most of my time on-line visiting message forums like the BBS and another board that I now frequent. At some point, I was playing an MMORPG a few hours a week, but that doesn't really count as "Internet" time. And, of course, I still do some on-line shopping every now and then when I'm looking for special items that are hard to find.

With the advent of Facebook, there's tendency for me to be on-line and connect with people (family, friends, co-workers, old acquaintance), but lately I've been wondering, "Is this all there is?" I don't really communicate with a lot of people on my contacts list, and I haven't much to say or share in terms of updates. Even when I do, I doubt many people even care about others' statuses, based on the lack of feedback. Sometimes I'm just tempted to cancel my account (which I've done a few times only to come back on).

So nowadays, when I'm home or at work or with my Google Android phone, I just check my Comcast e-mail accounts, Amazon.com, the BBS, FB, another forum, YouTube, and that's it. I probably average an hour at most every day.

Has anyone else been bored with FB or other sites? Just wondering.

 

[Jetfire]

I am not on FB...if I was working I most likely wouldn't be on here that much...in general the internet is boring and real life is far more interesting...the internet is great for getting info, shopping or communicating but it cannot replace the enjoyment of actually getting out and doing stuff.

 

[Gryffindorian]

I agree with you for the part. However, the Web can also be a great source enjoyment, which is what I find lacking of late.

 

[Jetfire]

I think after a while many things online lose their novelty and are kinda meh compared to actually going out and enjoying life...but many things in life are like that too. You should switch things up every once in a while so you are not stuck in a routine...I found myself like that a few years back.

 

[STR]

Eh...the people that are REALLY into Facebook either do it just for the games (my ex BUGGED me like hell to help out her mob in Mafia Wars) or post inane trivia (not the fun kind, the tedious "i bought a coffee and it was yum" kind). It really is a pretty lame website, though somehow a friend of mine is able to pick up women on it. I think he just pokes a hundred women a day, and chats up the 1% that answers back.

I really never moved past forums. Mostly because there's a couple out here where you can actually have intelligent conversations with people. Here, the forums on skyscraperpage, and a few others are head and shoulders above the general level of conversation on the internet.

 

[tomalak301]

I was thinking about this just now after talking about it in the Do You Like the Internet Thread and I think I'm having the same feeling. I have facebook and twitter, and I check those but I don't use them as much as I used to. I don't entirely see the point, but I keep it as I can keep in contact with a few people. I have maybe over 200 "friends" but keep in contact with maybe 2-5 of them. As for Twitter, it's a good news source, but I really hate the retweeting feature. I thought the whole point of "Following" people was to just read what they have to say. Now I have to read what other people are saying and keep having the same thing repeated 5-10 times on the feed? Also, I don't have much use for Twitter other than maybe Sports comments, so I don't write very much.

As for here, I'm getting a little bored of here. Most days I don't have the "post-spurt" as some days and I mostly just lurk. If I had a real social life, I probably wouldn't be on here very much.

Right now my interest is in another sports BBS (Hockey mostly), and ESPN and Yahoo for Fantasy Sports and Itunes to get the day's Podcasts to listen to.

 

[sidious618]

I didn't realize there was life outside the internet.

 

[STR]

^There is, but it's hard to have a conversation on economics, philosophy, relationships and Shatner's hairpiece: Series vs Movies all within 10 minutes of one another.

Actually, RL convos are a lot like the stupid crap on Facebook. Except, courtesy tells us it's rude to totally eye-roll and ignore someone when they tell you how good their coffee is to your face. So you end up having an inane chat about coffee, which leads to weather, and maybe someone will brag/bitch about their s/o, but you really won't care because they're not really looking for advice. It's just whining/boasting for its own sake.

 

[sidious618]

^There is, but it's hard to have a conversation on economics, philosophy, relationships and Shatner's hairpiece: Series vs Movies all within 10 minutes of one another.

Then of what use is it?

 

[STR]

Sometimes you get laid?

 

[sidious618]

Sometimes you get laid?

Whoa, whoa, whoa, what is this concept?

 

[Miss Chicken]

^There is, but it's hard to have a conversation on economics, philosophy, relationships and Shatner's hairpiece: Series vs Movies all within 10 minutes of one another.

Actually, RL convos are a lot like the stupid crap on Facebook. Except, courtesy tells us it's rude to totally eye-roll and ignore someone when they tell you how good their coffee is to your face. So you end up having an inane chat about coffee, which leads to weather, and maybe someone will brag/bitch about their s/o, but you really won't care because they're not really looking for advice. It's just whining/boasting for its own sake.

I was once at a neighbour's house and she and a friend of hers managed to talk for 22 minutes on how they did their ironing. I only stayed because I wanted to time just how long such a conversation could go on for. They even spoke about how they ironed their tea towels.

 

[Gryffindorian]

^There is, but it's hard to have a conversation on economics, philosophy, relationships and Shatner's hairpiece: Series vs Movies all within 10 minutes of one another.

Actually, RL convos are a lot like the stupid crap on Facebook. Except, courtesy tells us it's rude to totally eye-roll and ignore someone when they tell you how good their coffee is to your face. So you end up having an inane chat about coffee, which leads to weather, and maybe someone will brag/bitch about their s/o, but you really won't care because they're not really looking for advice. It's just whining/boasting for its own sake.

I was once at a neighbour's house and she and a friend of hers managed to talk for 22 minutes on how they did their ironing. I only stayed because I wanted to time just how long such a conversation could go on for. They even spoke about how they ironed their tea towels.

But seriously, the way things are going right now, I'd rather listen to that kind of conversation than look at the random nonsense people (myself included) post on FB.

 

[SeerSGB]

I'm getting a little burned out on the 'net myself. But mainly cause to much of the real-world has crept into my online life. I go online to escape and have fun and just veg-out for a while. What's happened is to many people (clients, family, old classmates) have stumbled on or other managed to get my screennames and the sites I visit (to many people being "helpful"). So sometimes I'll log into a Transformers site (as an example) and get a PM from a new-member and it'll be "Hey <my real name>! Been trying to reach you but your voicemail's on; about that <insert project/problem> can you..."

Plus over the years I've been dragged into a lot of stupid online BS (to this day people on a couple of other sites have me crossed up with someone else) and I'm just bored and tired of it all.

 

[STR]

Sometimes you get laid?

Whoa, whoa, whoa, what is this concept?

It's like "fapping" but another person is involved too. Google it. Shockingly, the internet has a lot of information about sex.

I was once at a neighbour's house and she and a friend of hers managed to talk for 22 minutes on how they did their ironing. I only stayed because I wanted to time just how long such a conversation could go on for. They even spoke about how they ironed their tea towels.

Dear. God. I'm not sure I could have left that room without choking someone out.

 

[Sigh]

I have slowed down over the last few years, but the internet is still a big part of my life. I get my news, entertainment from it and keep in contact with people far away with it. I post a lot less on message boards, but it's just an "out of sight out of mind" type reaction.

Oh, but one thing that has changed. I cannot sit on messengers anymore like I used to. Honestly, I can't fathom anymore how I used to sit and bullshit with people for hours on end. But I don't sit on the phone for hours anymore either like I did when I was in high school.

Yes, 'phone' with a CORD.

 

[Naira]

Well, while there is so much more content on the web than earlier in time, I also find much less interesting stuff out there. I don't know if it is because I get impressed much harder or because most content these days is pointless.

 

[Kestra]

I deactivated my Facebook account awhile ago and I think it was a really good move for me. Occasionally I miss pictures or something that people posted on there, but my friends and family all contact me in other ways so not much has changed there. In terms of other sites, I think things go in waves. Sometimes I really enjoy TBBS, sometimes I think every thread is incredibly dull. I think it's like this for a lot of social sites.

I still use the internet all the time for research, both academic and personal. I also communicate with people by IM on a fairly regular basis.

 

[emacs]

Has anyone else been bored with FB or other sites? Just wondering.

for me, absolutely not

i've been online since 1991 and i love it. online activity has never dominated my life so that's probably one reason why i'm not bored.

 

[Sigh]

Jaded or desensitized, whichever it may be, is probably me.