#facebook messenger problems

[zigzagzoom94]

@20furiousbluebirds sent me this image and it is literally me irl

[shatterthefragments]

I think… perhaps. I am borrowing grief from the future right now. Also stress. But it’s not unwarranted given the circumstances because should any of the worst happen, I am completely unprepared and unknowledgeable on what to do.

[les4elliewilliams]

Ellie is away... // e.w

chapter 1 – 2002, Senior year High school

a/n: helooo:)) okay so this is my first series and first time actually writing something, i'm aware its not the best but its just for fun so idrc. im new to tumblr and i'm still trying to figure everything out so, reblogs and comments are highly appreciated. this is based off the game emily's away. also i know youtube wasn't really a thing back in 2002 but for my own sake, please, lets pretend it was. wc/cw: 1.6k. swearing, mention of drugs (just ellie saying she wants to get high) loser!ellie(??) don't know but anyways they're both simps but too scared to make a move on each other. no smut but still MDNI.

summary: a time before skype and facebook, windows xp just came out and Windows Messenger was the thing of the moment. you just got a new computer to chat with your friends

➥ part two

since windows xp came out everyone's been talking about this new instant message thing that lets you chat with your friends, everyone had it, your friends, your whole school had made an account on it, hell even your teachers used it, everyone except you and that was because you didn't even own a computer in the first place. you've begged and begged your parents until they got you one, you didn't care what kind of computer it was, even the cheapest and the shittiest worked for you as long as you could chat with your friends it was safe to say that they bullied you into getting one you made an account and signed in, typing in the search bar their weird usernames to add them to your 'friends list'. you made sure to write all their usernames down on a piece of paper before you rushed home, Ellie even had to explain to you how to do it. you picked a random icon for your profile and tried your best to pick a not so stupid and childish username who thought that picking a username for your account would be so hard? shit, you swore you probably spent more time picking a user than on your math problems and you weren't even that good in math.

you made sure to include your name in it so that your friends would recognize you and not freak out when they saw a friend request from a certain somebody

dinathedrummer ⇨ friend request sent.

jessescool ⇨ friend request sent.

brickmaster ⇨ friend request sent.

now you just had to wait until they accepted your request. meanwhile you just navigated on the internet, trying to learn a thing or two about your new computer, it was so odd but addictive.

you nearly jump when you hear a sound coming from your computer and something popping up in the right corner of your screen

brickmaster has accepted your friend request!

you eagerly click on it and it immediately leads you to the chat, your fingers aggressively hitting the keycaps almost too enthusiastic to chat with your friend Ellie (as if you don't see her daily)

brickmaster has signed in.

ynshere: Ellll!!! hiii

brickmaster: aboutt freaking time ynshere: right ynshere: but hey ynshere: better later than never, right?

brickmaster: yeah yeah brickmaster: nice icon by the way brickmaster: so, whats up??

ynshere: nothing really, just talking to you ynshere: what are you up to?

brickmaster: nothin, just listening to music :)

ynshere: ew what's that

brickmaster: rude brickmaster: it's called smiley face brickmaster: i really gotta teach you everything don't i?

ynshere: shut up ynshere: i know what it's called, i'm not stupid

brickmaster: you sure about that?

ynshere: positive :P

brickmaster: ooooh brickmaster: look at yn go

ynshere: shut it ynshere: so what are you listening to? ynshere: your depressing music again?

brickmaster: you're one to talk brickmaster: my grandma got the same music taste as you brickmaster: even Joel got better taste than you

ynshere: okay and

brickmaster: and you'd be nothing without me brickmaster: let me educate you brickmaster: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vabnZ9-ex7o

ynshere: not bad

brickmaster: told you brickmaster: it's one of my favorite

ynshere: not that good either

brickmaster: now you're just being delusional brickmaster: remind me why we're friends again

ynshere: because i'm great and you love me

brickmaster: don't know about that

ynshere: and because i let you copy my homework every single day

brickmaster: yep, that's the one

ynshere: i hate you Williams

brickmaster: sorry can't hear you over my depressing music

ynshere: i hope Joel takes your computer away again

brickmaster: oh hell no brickmaster: it took me 2 weeks to get it back brickmaster: you have no idea of what i had to do to get it back

ynshere: lmao now i really wanna know

brickmaster: had to spend time with him hiking and watching action movies with him brickmaster: i even had to help out the neighbor, take care of his garden and all that shit, even take care of his goddamn dog (nothing against the pup he was such a good boy) but still brickmaster: he's so against technology he really expects us to live like dinosaurs and those primitive dudes

ynshere: lol yeah my mum's the same way ynshere: are you going to Jesse's party tonight?

brickmaster: of course i'm going brickmaster: his parties are always fun brickmaster: and i really wanna get high tonight brickmaster: are you?

ynshere: well if you’re going i am too ynshere: it’s crazy we’re already having end of school parties

brickmaster: dude brickmaster: can't wait for highschool to be over

ynshere: ahh same here ynshere: i'm so over this school

brickmaster: yeah same brickmaster: you know Cat from our math class? brickmaster: she won’t stop messaging me brickmaster: we've been messaging for days

ynshere: what does she want?

brickmaster: nothin she just wants to talk brickmaster: she said she thinks i'm cool brickmaster: like i don't know that already

ynshere: you're so damn cocky ynshere: you ain't even cool

brickmaster: what? brickmaster: jealous?

ynshere: of what? ynshere: there's nothing to be jealous of

brickmaster: cause i'm the coolest and you're just a loser

ynshere: yeah yeah keep talking ynshere: so you like like her?

brickmaster: she's pretty and all but i don't know brickmaster: too clingy

ynshere: wait ynshere: is it THAT Cat ynshere: the girl with the tattoo?

brickmaster: yep brickmaster: the one Dina hates

ynshere: oh yeah ynshere: don't like her either

brickmaster: now you're just being mean

ynshere: bitch you're the first who called her clingy

brickmaster: i was describing her

ynshere: and i was just telling you how i feel about her

brickmaster: uh oh someone’s mad

ynshere: you're making me regret getting a computer in the first place

brickmaster: i'm kidding i'm kidding brickmaster: you're just so easy to mess with

ynshere: uh huh ynshere: fuckk just one more month to graduation brickmaster: man don't remind me brickmaster: we're getting old brickmaster: did you pick a school yet?

ynshere: didn’t get accepted into my reach school :( ynshere: so i'm just going to one of the others ynshere: i don't mind though, anything’s better than high school. where are you gonna go?

brickmaster: aw man i'm sorry, i remember you telling me how bad you wanted to get into that school brickmaster: going to art school :)

ynshere: yeah makes sense ynshere: you always liked drawing after all ynshere: and you're also very talented

brickmaster: thank you brickmaster: took me some time to convince Joel but eventually he gave in ynshere: i'm glad he did ynshere: would've been a waste of talent ynshere: i still have the drawing you made for me two years ago  :) brickmaster: lol really?? brickmaster: i wasn't even that good back then but i got better

ynshere: dude you joking right ynshere: it's literally so accurate and you even managed to make me look pretty

brickmaster: lol i'm serious brickmaster: i can do so much better now brickmaster: maybe i should draw you again sometime

ynshere: i mean i am an excellent muse so why not

brickmaster: totally brickmaster: can't believe you kept it

ynshere: of course i did, it's so pretty ynshere: no one has ever made me a drawing before lol

brickmaster: glad to be your first ;)

ynshere: god that thing is horrendous

brickmaster: you literally used it a few minutes ago

ynshere: maybe Joel was right ynshere: technology really is bad for you ynshere: are you starting to see things, Williams?

brickmaster: oh please brickmaster: this is why no one likes you

ynshere: seriously though ynshere: you promise to be there for me even if we won't see each other everyday? ynshere: you're my best friend i don't wanna lose you  :(

brickmaster: shut up you're literally one of my best friends brickmaster: nothing could ever keep me from talking to you brickmaster: who’s gonna annoy you when i leavee

ynshere: right ynshere: i’d be miserable without you ynshere: asshole

brickmaster: here we go with the pet names again brickmaster: stop flirting its working on me

ynshere: see what i mean ynshere: i could never go without all this ynshere: you're like one of the few people who made high school tolerable

brickmaster: same goes for you stupid brickmaster: you made it fun

ynshere: i know ynshere: who's miserable without me now?

brickmaster: shut up you dork brickmaster: Dina’s coming over in a few so we can head to the party together

ynshere: alright so i'll see you two there?

brickmaster: yep i'll see you there brickmaster: think Cat is gonna be there too? brickmaster: what if she wants to hang out with us

ynshere: don't know El ynshere: she’ll definitely be there ynshere: you don't want her around?

brickmaster: i mean, i don't know brickmaster: i don't wanna be a prick

ynshere: you are a prick ynshere: just tell her you're not interested

brickmaster: yeah i think i will brickmaster: or i could just avoid her, she’ll get the hint, right?

ynshere: or you could just tell her ynshere: why so scared?

brickmaster: i just don't wanna be mean and hurt her i guess brickmaster: but it's whatever. i'll tell her i don't like her that way brickmaster: it's better than leading her on

ynshere: mhm ynshere: look at you being mature

brickmaster: shut up brickmaster: shit, Dina’s here brickmaster: see you soon?

ynshere: see you soon ;)

brickmaster: oh look you just did it again

ynshere is away. brickmaster: of course you'd do that. brickmaster is away.

¡! daily click・palestine masterpost・do not buy any game from naughty dog, neil druckmann is a zionist・more daily clicks. ¡!

[morganbritton132]

Ik you said some of Eddie’s “fans” don’t like Steve but do you think any of Eddie’s fan would go out of their way to harass Steve purposely? Either out in public, through his Facebook, or even like physical mail? Like how would Eddie even react to that especially after the doctor’s office video debacle?

I absolutely think that some people would go out of their way to harass Steve.

Eddie uses his socials to showcase his life so you get a very real and authentic view of who he is, and sometimes you get even more than he intended to show because he never remembers to end his live streams. I think it’s inevitable that some fans are going to feel like they know him personally, but it becomes a problem when they think they know what’s best for Eddie.

People loved Steve when Eddie was posting funny videos about his clumsy husband. They loved him more when Eddie got serious and spoke about Steve’s health issues. It was only once Steve stopped being perfect that they started speaking up.

And though, it is few. They speak loudly.

Steve’s not on any social media other than Facebook, but his Facebook page is private. He doesn’t accept friend requests from people he doesn’t know, and he doesn’t use Facebook Messenger because he refuses to download the app.

What Steve does get on Facebook is a lot of people tagging him in posts about how much they hate him or how awful he is. He gets a lot of ads on his timeline with TMZ articles about how Eddie should end his marriage, and he gets people commenting under them knowing that Steve sees them.

And it’s upsetting, but the letters are worse.

The first one is mailed to his school. It wouldn’t be that hard to figure out where Steve taught. Some of his students are in Eddie’s comments and some post videos of themselves wearing their school colors.

Steve shreds the first letter.

He doesn’t know what to do with it and he doesn’t know what to say when Eddie asks him later that day how school was. He swallows hard and says, “It was fine. Nothing interesting happened.”

And Eddie smiles, and lie doesn’t feel so bad.

The second letter is mailed to their house.

It’s sitting on top of a stack of bills with his name printed neatly on top when he gets home from work. Eddie mentions that he got something from a former student, and Steve smiles even as he reads the first of many hateful paragraphs, and he says, “Thank you.”

This letter stays neatly folded in his nightstand with the third letter, and the fourth that details how they want Steve to have a seizure and die. He never says anything. He doesn’t even know how to begin to have that conversation, and he doesn’t want to.

He doesn’t want Eddie to be upset, so – so why is Steve so upset when he comes back inside after taking their trash to the curb and sees Eddie holding them. Why is he angry? Why is his ears ringing when Eddie asks how long this has been going on, and Steve just snaps, “Why are you going through my things? Who – who gave you the right?”

“I was checking to see if you needed a refill on your migraine medication before I go out of town,” Eddie snapped back, yanking the letters away when Steve reached for them, “What the fuck, Steve? How long has this been going on for?”

“Eddie, stop-“

“Were you planning on telling me that someone is sending you death threats?”

“No.”

Eddie stops long enough for Steve to snatch the letters back and rip them to shreds like he should have done in the first place. Steve’s angry with himself for getting caught and for the sad kicked puppy look on Eddie’s face, and if he wasn’t so – Why is he crying? He’s not even upset so why is he crying? Why can’t – “What did I do wrong? I don’t understand why people don’t like me."

“Stevie,” Eddie says, voice weak the way it is when he’s trying not to cry and this is Steve’s fault too. He didn’t want to upset Eddie and now he’s going to cry. “Baby, you didn’t do anything wrong. You’re perfect, Stevie. You’re perfect for me and if some – some fucking asshole with stamps can’t see that then that’s on them. Not you.”

“You don’t – no one deserves this shit, okay?” Eddie tells him, practically begs him to understand that. ��This is serious, Steve. They have our address and they’re making threats. You can’t hide something like this. You have to understand that.”

“I didn’t want to upset you.”

“I’m upset, babe. I’m upset that my so-called fans are treating you like this and that you’ve looked so miserably lately, and you felt like you couldn’t tell me why. You are more important to me than any of this, and if I have to stop doing shows or posting online than-“

“No,” Steve snaps at him, rubbing at his eyes. “I don’t want you to stop, Eddie. I don’t want this to be another thing you can’t do because of me.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I don’t know, Ed. I don’t know, but you stopped touring because of me. You can’t kiss your husband at the top of a rollercoaster like you want to because my head’s too fucked up. You can’t even sleep half the time because you can’t trust me to not leave. You can’t have flashing lights at your shows, or watch fun movies, or –“

“Steve, I don’t give a fuck about those things. Do you think I’m unhappy?”

“The whole world thinks you’re unhappy, Eddie!”

“I don’t care about the world, Steve. I care about you.”

There comes a point where the conversation fizzles out and the anger leaves, but the sadness remains. Steve goes to bed because there’s nothing else to do, and Eddie goes to his studio.

He sets up his phone and he records a short Tiktok saying, “The meet-and-greet in Indianapolis this Friday is canceled and I won’t be attending the Corroded Coffin concert this weekend or any following weekend indefinitely. You can thank the fucker sending death threats to my family.”

[the-bjd-community-confess]

RE: this

99% of the reason why I can't deal with certain parts of the hobby.

Homeboy we got years of proof and receipts, 1st hand accounts, on instagram/facebook/twitter/DOA/reddit and what ever other social media exists, on email and SMS, on messengers and hell by this point probably even carrier pigeon.

And we still have dumbasses, fully knowing all this info, and I mean specifically the people who've been told about the problems and issues with certain artists, "artists", resellers and dealers, and they still fucking "take the chance"!!! And then they dare bitch and moan months later when they still don't have their order, when their PP protection runs out, or even better yet; they paid these shady fuckers in F&F!!

Dear fooking chicken Gods, what the fuck did you expect? Did you suffer amnesia after people told you every issue and problem with scammers extensively?

This is why I've gotten weary of helping newbies orientate themselves in the hobby. It feels like most of them really don't care to heed any warnings and run full steam ahead into Scam-city. Where they throw their money at scammers who'd have died off years ago, if all these gullible newbies or haughty oldies didn't throw their money at every GLOWING NEON SIGN SCREAMING SCAM, while still expecting positive something from that choice.

~Anonymous

[shythalia]

Ok this definitely has to not be an internet problem. Why aren't the photos showing up in my Tumblr (both app & desktop)? Facebook, Messenger, YouTube, & other sites are working fine for me. What's going on?

[meret118]

Chatbots Are Primed to Warp Reality

A growing body of research shows how AI can subtly mislead users—and even implant false memories.

More and more people are learning about the world through chatbots and the software’s kin, whether they mean to or not. Google has rolled out generative AI to users of its search engine on at least four continents, placing AI-written responses above the usual list of links; as many as 1 billion people may encounter this feature by the end of the year. Meta’s AI assistant has been integrated into Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp, and Instagram, and is sometimes the default option when a user taps the search bar. And Apple is expected to integrate generative AI into Siri, Mail, Notes, and other apps this fall. Less than two years after ChatGPT’s launch, bots are quickly becoming the default filters for the web.

Yet AI chatbots and assistants, no matter how wonderfully they appear to answer even complex queries, are prone to confidently spouting falsehoods—and the problem is likely more pernicious than many people realize. A sizable body of research, alongside conversations I’ve recently had with several experts, suggests that the solicitous, authoritative tone that AI models take—combined with them being legitimately helpful and correct in many cases—could lead people to place too much trust in the technology. That credulity, in turn, could make chatbots a particularly effective tool for anyone seeking to manipulate the public through the subtle spread of misleading or slanted information. No one person, or even government, can tamper with every link displayed by Google or Bing. Engineering a chatbot to present a tweaked version of reality is a different story.

. . .

As the election approaches, some people will use AI assistants, search engines, and chatbots to learn about current events and candidates’ positions. Indeed, generative-AI products are being marketed as a replacement for typical search engines—and risk distorting the news or a policy proposal in ways big and small. Others might even depend on AI to learn how to vote. Research on AI-generated misinformation about election procedures published this February found that five well-known large language models provided incorrect answers roughly half the time—for instance, by misstating voter-identification requirements, which could lead to someone’s ballot being refused. 

. . .

The idea was to see if a witness could be led to say a number of false things about the video, such as that the robbers had tattoos and arrived by car, even though they did not. The resulting paper, which was published earlier this month and has not yet been peer-reviewed, found that the generative AI successfully induced false memories and misled more than a third of participants—a higher rate than both a misleading questionnaire and another, simpler chatbot interface that used only the same fixed survey questions.

More at the link.

----

Very interesting article, but warning for a gif that I think will bother photosensitive readers at the top.

[techniktagebuch]

06. Februar 2024

RCS kennt zwar niemand, aber es kann Gruppen und so kann man Alles-außer-WhatsApp-Verweigernden doch etwas anderes unterjubeln

Schon seit vielen Jahren nutze ich kein WhatsApp mehr und fahre damit in aller Regel sehr gut. Heißt hier: Leider leider nicht an Elterngruppen teilnehmen zu können ist ein Feature und kein Bug. Probiert das mal aus, es ist eine herrliche Ruhe. Ich erreiche, seit es sie gibt, die meisten regelmäßigen Kontakte über Threema und fast alle anderen über Signal oder halt gar nicht bzw. notfalls per SMS. Das funktioniert erstaunlich gut und hat den angenehmen Nebeneffekt, dass meine Handynummer nicht unkontrolliert bei Leuten kursiert, denen ich sie eigentlich nicht geben möchte.

Leute, die Telegram nutzen, sind mir zu nah an diesen Leuten, die Telegram nutzen und ich habe weder Lust mich auch nur in die Nähe von Querdenker-Kreisen zu begeben, noch habe ich mehr Osteuropabezug als die tägliche Kriegsberichterstattung bei YouTube, die laufend darauf hinweist, dass sie dieses oder jenes Video auf dieser Plattform nicht zeigen können, man sich aber bei Telegram den ganzen Schrecken geben kann. Ich verzichte dankend auf authentischen Videocontent von in Einzelteilen durch die Gegend fliegenden Soldaten, denn unscharfe Drohnenaufnahmen von explodierenden Panzerfahrzeugen sind schon mehr, als ich eigentlich jemals in meinem Leben sehen wollte. Was ist das bloß für eine Welt?

Nun gibt es aber noch immer Leute, die der Auffassung sind, dass WhatsApp halt der eine Standard sei und wenn das alle nutzen würden, gäbe es keine Probleme mehr. Je nach Peergroup stimmt das oder auch nicht, ignoriert aber geflissentlich, dass die allermeisten Leute mindestens zwei Messenger benutzen, weil die Messenger-Fragmentierung schon lange Realität ist. Und diese Leute weigern sich folglich hartnäckig, irgendeinen anderen Kanal für schriftliche Echtzeitkommunikation zu nutzen. Diesen Leuten schreibe ich für gewöhnlich SMS und das fühlt sich schlimm rückwärtsgewandt an. Andererseits sitze ich im Glashaus, denn ich weigere mich hier im Techniktagebuch ja selber, den Redaktionschat im Facebook-Messenger zu nutzen und zwinge Kathrin damit auf, über Direktnachrichten bei Mastodon (früher bei Twitter) mit mir zu kommunizieren und mir dort Dinge auszurichten. Das ist zwar nicht rückwärtsgewandt, aber doch eine unnötige Extrawurst.

Und so eine Extrawurst bin ich aktuell bei genau einer Person aus meinen regelmäßigen Sozialkontakten bereit zu braten. Und das auch nur, weil es sich seltsam anfühlt, in einer Zwei-Paare-Konstellation zu dritt eine Signal-Gruppe zu betreiben und die vierte Person auszuschließen. Wenn der Berg also nicht zum Propheten kommt, aber es gibt ja keine SMS Gruppen… Aber was ist eigentlich mit diesem seltsamen SMS-Nachfolger RCS, der vor allem dadurch auffällt, dass die SMS-App manchmal ungefragt darauf umschaltet und man die Nachricht dann nicht zugestellt bekommt und irgendwo in den Einstellungen wieder auf SMS zurückschalten muss? Ich versuche also einfach mal, eine Gruppe in Google Messages zu eröffnen und tatsächlich klappt das einfach so. Allerdings weist eine Meldung darauf hin, dass die Ende-zu-Ende-Verschlüsselung nicht aktiviert werden kann, weil die Messenger-App von meiner Frau (die von Samsung und nicht von Google stammt) das nicht unterstützt. Nachdem ich Google Messages auch dort installiert und als Standardapp für Messaging eingestellt habe, aktiviert sich die Verschlüsselung sofort und ich recherchiere kurz nach: Das ist eine über den RCS-Standard hinausgehende Implementierung von Google, die das Verschlüsselungsverfahren von Signal nutzt. Das ist überwiegend eine gute Nachricht, denn diese Implementierung gilt als besonders gut und Messaging ohne Ende-zu-Ende-Verschlüsselung ist schlicht nicht mehr zeitgemäß. Nicht so gut ist die einseitige Erweiterung über den Standard hinaus, aber das ist mir in dem einen Fall egal, solange es funktioniert.

Alles in allem habe ich jetzt also doch eine Gruppe mit einer Person, die eigentlich nichts außer WhatsApp nutzen möchte, um ihr Leben einfacher zu gestalten und ich muss zugeben, dass mir das eine kleine diebische Freude bereitet. Denn wenn alles Erklären nichts bringt, entfaltet das Schaffen von Fakten manchmal eine wunderbar normative Kraft.

(Gregor Meyer)

[lovemesomesurveys]

What did you have for dinner tonight? Nothing yet, but I'm getting Applebee's takeout soon.

If you were given a million dollars, what would you spend it on? I'd have to do the important shit like pay off my debt as well as both my parents' and brother's debts. I'd buy a house for my parents and I and one for my brother and his bf. I'd furnish and decorate and all that, too. Traveling, for sure.

Have you ever cried in front of your parents over a boyfriend or girlfriend? No.

What does your bedroom smell like right now? I don't really smell anything.

Have you ever shaved off your eyebrow before? No. I've definitely over plucked when I was younger lol.

Do you want to have a boy or girl whenever you have kids? I don't want children.

Your pregnant with twins: What do you name them? I'm not having kids. I can't even get pregnant if I wanted to, which is good cause I don't wanna.

Describe your outfit. Jeggings and a gray tee with two skeleton hands making a heart in the upper left corner.

What gigabyte is your memory card? I don't have a memory card.

What brand is your digital camera? I don't have a digital camera. I just use my phone.

When was the last time you hung out with your best friend? My two best friends I met online a couple years ago and we haven't met up in person yet cause they both live in different states than me across the country. We message each other everyday on Facebook messenger and text sometimes, too. And leave a lot of voice memos.

What is a movie you're waiting to see? I haven't really seen or heard about new movies lately, like what's even coming out?

Who was the last person to cook something for you? My mom.

Do you ever sit and think what if about something? Oh, all the time. About a lot of things. It's an awful game to play.

If so, what is it? Like I said, a lot of things.

What’s on tv right now? Something on the ID channel.

Do you ever stop and smell the roses? I need to. I'm always so wrapped up with my own shit and stuck in my own head and I need to appreciate more.

Where do you download music from? I haven't downloaded music in over a decade. I've been using Spotify for years.

How many channels do you have on your tv? I have no idea. A lot.

What are you most scared of? My loved ones passing away. I regularly get panic thoughts about someone suddenly dying. I have had this problem since I was a small child. <<< That's my top fear. I've experienced losing my maternal grandparents and that was incredibly hard as well as losing two dogs.

If you were given a chance to bring someone back to life, who would you choose? My grandma. But see, that's a complex question cause as much as I miss her and wish she were here, I wouldn't want her to come back and be in the same situation as before health wise. And she was in so much pain toward the end. I wouldn't want her to come back and experience that again.

Do you talk to any of your ex-boyfriend/girlfriend? No.

If so, which one? ^^^^

What is your mom doing right now? She's watching Tiktoks.

Are you currently listening to music? No.

What is the weather like right now? It's currently 70 F.

Do you like new music or older music? A variety of both from various genres and artists.

If you could make a law, what would kind of law would you make? I don't know.

What was the last video game you played? The last new Mario game that came out. I can't remember what it's called.

What is currently going on in the room you're in right now? I'm watching YouTube and eating peanut butter M&M's, my mom is watching Tiktoks, and my doggo is laying down.

Do you know where your best friend is? At their homes.

Who was the last person to comment you on Facebook? Her name is Danae.

What is your display picture of on Facebook? A selfie.

Do you ever sit and think about the past? All the damn time. My mind lives there.

If you could relive any moment in time: what would it be? My childhood.

Are you a talker or a listener? Definitely more of a listener.

What is one food you will not eat? Seafood.

Do you eat anything now that you never used to eat? Hmm. I don't think so.

Have you ever kissed the same sex? No.

When does school start this year? I've been done with school for awhile.

Do you ever shout for absolutely no reason? Uh, no.

Have you stuck with your new years resolution? I stopped making those a longggg time ago. I never stuck to them anyway.

Do you need to lose any weight right now? Nooo. I need to gain some weight.

What is something you want right now? To not be hot and be able to get some sleep soon.

Do you hate when you see teachers in stores? I haven't had that happen in very long time. It was always weird though the times it has happened. Like an animal out in the wild lmao. When I was a kid, I used to think the teachers lived there.

What always puts a smile on your face? Hm.

Where can I find you on a Saturday night? At home in bed like everyday.

What is the best thing about Sundays? Nothing. It's just another day for me. <<<

What is your music provider (itunes, windows media player)? Spotify. Windows media player omg is that still a thing? I've had Mac computers since 2009.

How many songs do you have? A shit ton.

When was the last time you had a period? I really don't get one anymore, like just some spotting sometimes. I still get the awful symptoms, though, so that's shitty.

Why do you think the sky is blue? Cause God made it that way.

If you could change the sky to any color, which would you choose? It's so pretty during a sunset when it's various colors. I wish it looked like that everyday throughout the day.

Is there anything wrong with you right now? There always is.

Do you hate when people stare at you? Yes, it's rude and irritating.

[anthotneystark]

So, I don’t use Facebook. I have one, but I only have it to periodically check the page for my town for stuff going on

And a while back, literal years but I couldn’t tell you more specific than that, Facebook stopped letting you view messages on mobile, no matter if you used the app or a browser. It tried to make you have to use the messenger app which I deleted because I thought it was stupid and didn’t want to have even one Facebook app on my phone, let alone two

So I only use it on mobile and only through the browser and only periodically, say, maybe once a month at most

Now, this is where a problem comes in

Because I’ve had two messages showing on that icon for years now but I’ve never bothered to try and figure out what they are because I don’t really use Facebook any anyone who knows me even casually knows that

Enter the problem

See, there was a guy I was talking to back in 2020 before everything shut down. We had some of the same classes and a shared interest and we spent hours talking on campus after class. We kissed a few times

Note, there was never anything that popped up as a red flag, he was very sweet and respectful and all that

But he did have one thing that, if I had to describe it now, I’d say it fit the description of being an ick, but back then I’d have just said it was weird

Not wrong, just weird.

He had my number, which has never once changed since I first got it at the age of 13, but he never texted me

No, he used Snapchat, which, I didn’t care for for conversations because I have a shit memory, and the couple phone calls we had were through Snapchat too

And today, I finally bothered to figure out a way to access my Facebook messages on my phone, and found a message from him

A simple message, from March of 2021, when we probably stopped talking in Septemberish of 2020. I can’t remember why we stopped, but I was super depressed back then so that’s not surprising

But his message is just “did I do something wrong?” And like, the real answer is no. He didn’t do anything wrong, he just wasn’t communicating in the same way that I was and I’m sure there’s a compatibility conclusion you can get from that

But the petty side of me wants to be like “yeah, you had my number, you never reached out that way. You only ever reached out through two applications that I don’t even really use. I haven’t regularly used Snapchat in years, Facebook in a decade. You had a solid way to reach out to me that I know worked because we had texted normally a little, but you never did. So yeah, you did sort of do something wrong.”

But I’m just going to let it be, because obviously I can’t respond three years later

I just…I dunno, I never intentionally ghosted him, I was just depressed and looking for a new job and we live a good distance apart without being at school, but I think it’s kinda funny that he only ever reached out that way, and I never even knew about it

[fairy-forever]

belle àme

the owner of this account extends a cordial welcome to all of you and politely requests that you take some time to read this carefully and comprehend it.

details

feel free to call me whatever nickname makes you feel more at ease. however, i will not tolerate offensive nicknames.

take heed

in order to prevent future problems and misunderstandings, i kindly ask for your patience since this may take a few minutes to read.

i. i’m not excellent at handling conversation. i occasionally take a long time to reply, either i’m caught up or i’m not sure how to continue.

ii. i always check my friends on facebook to see if it has decreased or not. i unfriend immediately if you don’t interact.

iii. i really appreciate those people who understand my unresponsive days. i have this phase of my life where i am distant to everyone, i don't talk to people nor reply to their messages.

iv. as the admin is a busy person and not constantly on messenger, you can still message her, and she’ll try to answer your questions or address your concerns right away.

v. if you detest the operator, you have the option to unfriend, unfollow, or block this account.

vi. while approving friend requests, the admin takes extra precautions. she will not approve accounts that still use fancy typefaces, are on hiatus, or are just partially on hiatus.

vii. the operator doesn't like it when someone ask her personal info or anything she'll get uncomfortable with.

vii. never hesitate to comment on my posts whenever you feel like interacting with me. i don’t see anyone as “feeling close” comment on my status and we’re already besties.

ix. when i compliment you, when i offer you help, when i respond to you, i meant that nicely. my gestures are not open for interpretation when they are more acts of being nice.

x. i maybe have the purest heart but once i am done giving chances and receiving apologies from someone who doesn't have an intention in changing their behavior, then sorry to tell you this. we're done, i'm done with your manipulative actions.

˚࿔ Beloved 𝜗𝜚˚⋆

delancy. sean. aaron. aphaea. yanna. kizhi tqin. mirae gou. raven. kiev. phoenix. kierra. celene. mowyja. arth. tatiana. auryelia. kendreus. thadeus. greníelka. lindsey. vhei. luis. sevitrius. flamerina. bryle wu. yohan lhs. irein. aeone. teejin. evander. lavelle. yori. clyden. yohan. fraidenzk. qvar. juno. kaverain. xyko. fræncheszka. jheychiele. paisley. timotheus. naei. abaddōn. giselle yang. caly. sol. thírdy.

xoxo, leasy.

[cattstarr]

Taking a break from Facebook because I want to talk about my grief. I want to remember my husband and whenever posts remind me of him and I just comment or try to engage, even when it's relevant and I'm being agreeable, people get upset with me...

I've never really been a ray of sunshine. Between all my trauma and PTSD, my mental illnesses and general outlook, I know I bring the mood down. I try to be funny to lighten shit up... But the truth is that I can't always keep the mood pleasant if I'm in a dark enough place. Plus, bringing up my trauma, be it my widowed status or my regular mental health problems always makes other people uncomfortable.

Messenger on FB is still ok to use to keep in touch with me. I still like looking at memes from there. But yeah. It's awful.

[birdsonpowerlines]

In this episode we share our love of the documentary, Somebody Feed Phil season 7. There is so much about this show that we adore and look forward to. There is only one problem - now we have to wait until season 8 for more food and adventures with Phil Rosenthal. Listen in to hear our highlights as Phil shares his experiences in Mumbai, Washington D.C., Kyoto, Dubai, Orlando, Iceland, Taipei, and Scotland. Do you watch Phil? Did you catch any of season 7? What was your best highlight? And really - is Ethiopian food still a 'thing' in Washington D.C.? We want to know your take! And really, as Phil would say, "Come on!" "Just try it!"

If you haven't listened to our podcasts before, we use a voice messenger app to share our thoughts with each other to discuss a variety of topics as we go about our day.

#somebodyfeedphil #philrosenthalworld #philrosenthal #fooddocumentary #travel #food #documentary #comeon #justtryit

Who are we at the Birds on Power Lines Podcast? We are a mom and young adult child team having the time of our lives talking about things we love and care about!

Find the full set of podcasts on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list...

We are also on (look for Birds on Power Lines Podcast):

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Facebook

Podbean

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Art: Watercolor art by me: Evelyn Voura for Birds on Power Lines @BirdsOnPowerLines

Photos: By Birds on Power Lines

Music: Music by my child for Birds on Power Lines @BirdsOnPowerLines

Bird sounds from: Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrgGT...

Animation Loop: Artist: alasabyss via: Free Stock Footage http://videezy.com Free B Roll by Videezy Videezy.com http://videezy.com

[gadgetshowtech]

Facebook Instagram Services Down Worldwide Internet hit

According to reports, Facebook, Instagram, and other Meta-owned platforms like Messenger and Threads are experiencing a widespread outage affecting users globally. This means many people are having trouble accessing their accounts, seeing error messages, or being unable to log in at all. This chart shows a view of problem reports submitted in the past 24 hours compared to the typical volume of…

[batwynn]

So uh my phone is crapping out, which sucks because I do a lot of my posting/editing/upkeep work stuff on it while multi-tasking, but also because I'm not 100% when or how I can replace it right now because I have much bigger problems right now like not having anything to heat my house this winter. (Insert panicked screaming here)

Soooo, if I'm not around as much or as accessible, this is why. I'm doing all the resets and back ups and restarts as possible to try to get it to hold on a little longer, but about 80% of the time I can't get it to even connect to the internet or data right now. I'll be a bit slower to respond for a little bit because of this, and I'm so sorry. I'll try to be around as much as possible via the computer, but I mostly use that for work so I don't always have the time while I'm mid-work to stop, switch screens, etc. If you're a texter, please message me here or email me and I'll get back to you asap! If we chat on instagram or anywhere else primarily app-related, I've got a discord account (Batwynn) and I'm around on facebook messenger for close friends.

[msclaritea]

Don’t cheer the spate of media layoffs: Newspapers are essential to our republic

By Social Links for Daniel McCarthy

Bad news for the media often feels like good news for conservatives.

So word that Vice and BuzzFeed are laying off hundreds of journalists, weeks after the complete collapse of the Messenger, won’t elicit much sympathy from the right.

Then again, it’s not just conservatives who disapprove of the news business today: Gallup last year found a paltry 32% of Americans say they have “a great deal” or “a fair amount” of trust in the mass media.

The same survey found 29% had “not very much” trust in the media — and a record-setting 39% confessed they had “none at all.”

Last month, the Los Angeles Times announced reductions of its newsroom by more than 20%.

Jeff Bezos’ Washington Post has also been through rounds of buyouts and cutbacks.

But the troubles of traditional newspapers are often taken for granted.

A decade ago, online outlets like Vice and BuzzFeed were meant to be the future of media — new species adapted for the internet ecosystem.

First came “search engine optimization,” then gaming the algorithms that decide what content gets served to millions of Facebook and Twitter (now X) users.

BuzzFeed was notorious for “listicles,” which were addictively easy to share until Facebook became so saturated with BuzzFeed and Thought Catalog junk that Mark Zuckerberg’s platform decided to change the rules.

After all, how much clickbait could readers take?

Online media startups attracted investment by showing phenomenal growth, but it was like an athlete on steroids.

Entrepreneurial young journalists, well-connected with classmates and former colleagues at established outlets, garnered hype and headlines from their friends.

That sparked investor excitement, and with investors’ money, new sites could show a rapid explosion in traffic — since they were starting from nothing.

But how could they maintain investor-dazzling double-digit growth after the first spurt?

The social media on which the news sites depended faced the same problem.

The solution for Facebook, once new users started tapering off, was to get existing users to spend more time on the site, which meant no longer sending them to other sites, like news sources, through links.

Now Facebook and X make it nearly impossible to promote journalism on their sites — they want the eyeballs to stay on their own platforms.

YouTube and Facebook felt like the Wild West in those days, with neither copyright law nor political correctness putting a damper on what users could share.

Today politics isn’t the main reason social media suppress news, but it’s an aggravating factor, as the Wall Street Journal’s Kyle Smith recently noted on X.

Smith pointed out that progressive campaigns to shame advertisers into abandoning Fox News, or X itself under Elon Musk’s ownership, encourage advertisers to avoid all political risk.

Budweiser’s humiliating losses after turning the transgender “influencer” Dylan Mulvaney into a brand representative demonstrated how much it could hurt to alienate conservatives.

So why advertise with any politically charged news organizations?

If left-leaning sites like Vice and BuzzFeed are collateral damage in progressives’ war on right-of-center political expression, that may seem like just deserts, as well as a poignant irony.

But the wider lesson is that online media were never on a secure footing, dependent as they were not just on advertising — which is true for almost all media — but on the whims of Big Tech, which has its own growth worries.

Newspapers, by contrast, flourished as local institutions sustained by local retailers.

The emergence of online national and even global retail, however, has meant ad spending isn’t dictated by geography anymore.

Businesses can reach consumers directly or cast a wider net by buying a little exposure on large platforms like Google or Facebook.

Yet not only news but our very system of government is built on localism — on distinct cities, towns, states and congressional districts.

Newspapers served as their town halls, even more than physical town halls did.

The wipeout of hype-driven, placeless new media isn’t a cause for celebration, but it’s not a disaster for our republic.

The loss of local distinctiveness, on the other hand, is at the root of much of our polarization and deadlock today.

In “Democracy in America,” Alexis de Tocqueville argued “that the number of newspapers must diminish or increase amongst a democratic people, in proportion as its administration is more or less centralized.”246

Fewer newspapers means more centralized power — and more conflict over it.

Conservatives who don’t want that have reason to want newspapers to survive.

And newspapers that want to survive have to fight hard for local interests and values — including conservative ones.

Daniel McCarthy is the editor of Modern Age: A Conservative Review.

Twitter: @ToryAnarchist

Insert of the author of this crap. 👆

First off, none of it makes a damn bit of sense, especially the fact that this is an opinion piece in the CONSERVATIVE New York Post, written by a guber with the word, Anarchist, in his Twitter handle, it can't decide what to blame the layoffs for, and keep blaming all of this on Conservatives, when the Champagne Socialists pretty much alienated the whole country. Like, WTH. Beheaders, indeed.