Who Are These People!

Who Are These People!

The ones who never post anything but want to be "friends". I don't get it. How could life get that boring and meaningless?

I have no friends.

Don't want none neither.


As a wise mental patient once said "With friends like these, who needs hallucinations"?

I wondered myself. Sometimes it seems that they even didn't read what I wrote, so I ignore every request as long as I can't read something from them.

If they just want to follow my blog, they could add it to their favorites, that wouldn't clutter my opera "home".

There are many people on this forum with whom I feel I could be friends (*), but I never accept such kind invitations since I feel the "friend system" introduces a false friend-hierarchy which is, ultimately, insulting.

We have probably all had these friend offers from people who have not posted, and therefore do not even have a virtual relation ship with, and I too wonder who they might be.

(*) inclusive of people whose views I don't share.

Which brings us back to this thread: http://my.opera.com/community/forums/topic.dml?id=550311

Originally posted by string:

There are many people on this forum with whom I feel I could be friends (*), but I never accept such kind invitations since I feel the "friend system" introduces a false friend-hierarchy which is, ultimately, insulting.

You're far too moral for this place.

Try this.

Rational and civil debate between members of all religions and world views
http://debatingchristianity.com/forum/index.php

Originally posted by Jaybro:

The ones who never post anything but want to be "friends". I don't get it. How could life get that boring and meaningless?

Well, there are certain advantages befriending the only documented God in the forums...

Originally posted by Immanis:

Originally posted by Jaybro:

The ones who never post anything but want to be "friends". I don't get it. How could life get that boring and meaningless?

Well, there are certain advantages befriending the only documented God in the forums...

You mean the 2nd documented God in this forum
On the other hand, Jaybro is the God of this forum

i think some are new users! So having a regular as a friend makes them feel good.

Naturally new users want to be popular and liked so they add popular regular users

How many posts you got to have to be cool? should i go boost my posts # in the lounge on some word games so I can hang with you guys?

Originally posted by ensbb3:

How many posts you got to have to be cool?

None, because really cool people have fans who do the posting for them

Oh crap - I am not cool, I have to post for myself

SCNR

Originally posted by Jaybro:

The ones who never post anything but want to be "friends". I don't get it. How could life get that boring and meaningless?

+1

I guess I just don't get worked up over this stuff. If I'm on here all I really got to do is click this mouse button anyway. If I gotta click NO several more times... eh, sh*t happens.

it does get annoying sometimes.

I am getting them from places I regard as basket cases - seems it doesn't bother them too much. As said, annoying at times.

I think it's the Facebook plague. Try to get a billion 'close' friends whether you know any of them or not.


Maybe we could set something up to nuke their PCs.

Originally posted by Y0Y0:

I think it's the Facebook plague. Try to get a billion 'close' friends whether you know any of them or not.

Maybe we could set something up to nuke their PCs.

Ants at the anthill. That's what social networking are about.
Eliminating the primordial human instinct of small groups with strong links between their members.
Eliminating any possible focus of resistance, after all we are all "friends" aren't we? The important thing it's the prosperity of the anthill.
Now it already values zillions of dollars. And ants keeps contributing. Tireless ants. Happy ants, no ant should be alone, a solitaire ant it's not a productive one, shes destroying the effort of all the others. Shame on you, solitaire ant.
Social networking it's social engineering at business.

Today I'm feeling anti social. It's Monday.

“Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise, which, having no captain, overseer or ruler, provides her supplies in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest” (Proverbs 6:6–8).

For "food" substitute "friends".

They could be new people, like myself (what is a new person?) people who would like to acquire friends, have visited forums but are just too unsure of themselves or not sure of what to say. Maybe no one has actually posted a thread which relates to their interests and they fear being the first to do so. Or maybe like you think it's all to do with how many friends one has and how that relates to ones social standing.

Originally posted by ensbb3:

How many posts you got to have to be cool? should i go boost my posts # in the lounge on some word games so I can hang with you guys?

I wonder. What so special about a newbie wanting to be a friend its called social networking. There's also the yes and no option. What's the big deal?

Originally posted by Belfrager:

Today I'm feeling anti social. It's Monday.

Quite understandable.

Originally posted by jivelissie:

There's also the yes and no option.

And also an "ignore" option.

Originally posted by jivelissie:

What's the big deal?

No big deal at all, just some head scratching. If I was trying to find new friends I'd try to get to know some people, not spam people I've never even talked to.

With regards to the whole Facebook thing, I can't understand why people want everyone to know their every move. Not just friends, but friends of friends. The same goes for MSN messenger. Its all quite odd. Then again maybe i'm paranoid.

Originally posted by TroyMclure:

Then again maybe i'm paranoid.

Nah, you're just not an exhibitionist.

I agree! my facebook is set to friends only. Nothing is visible to friends of friends and I don't make personal status updates. Here on Opera it's different, I have many friends only posts that I share with a handful of people. No one from facebook is a friend of mine here. I can express myself more openly here knowing that tomorrow my whole town won't know every step that I make.

So what we are really discussing is the psychology behind the accumulation of online friends?

I'm not quite sure that an "accumulation" of 1's and 0's or sub-atomic particles on an electronic medium can be considered aggregately as "friends"? Aren't friends actual, living human beings?

The whole cyberspace concept of what constitutes a friend is totally absurd IMHO.

And yes; Facebook (and its clones) has to be the biggest group wank since... um... ?

I beg to differ, you can be friends with people online. You get to know the people over time and share things you would share with people you hang out at the pub, mall, home wherever. Yeah there are many fakes, it doesn't take long for them to show who they are, (that is if they stick around long enough).

So what we are really discussing is the psychology behind the accumulation of online friends?

Yeah i suppose people who want to have loads of online friends realise they're not really their proper friends but get some sort of satisfaction/buzz out of it. When we know that its totally f{{{ ing meaningless.
They are foreign though most of them so you have to take that into consideration. Effectively against the worldliness and general vibe of us British, they are a bunch of slack jawed retards. Though I don't like to let on.

The whole cyberspace concept of what constitutes a friend is totally absurd IMHO.

I guess they are more likely to be labeled as acquaintances, sure you may talk to them more often than your real friends and you may confide in them more than your real friends too, but when it comes to a good old hug or male bonding were are they then? 3000 miles away thats where.

Sure they may get satisfaction out of the vastness of the number next to that little word friends but if someone was to ask about their friends would they bother to mention the hundreds of people who appear on their facebook page? I doubt it.

Originally posted by Felinial:

So what we are really discussing is the psychology behind the accumulation of online friends?

I suspect it's some sort of mine-is-longer-than-yours for some people, especially those who send friend requests to people they have never even talked to.

Originally posted by QuHno:

Sometimes it seems that they even didn't read what I wrote, so I ignore every request as long as I can't read something from them.

same here.

Originally posted by Marike79:

I beg to differ, you can be friends with people online. You get to know the people over time and share things you would share with people you hang out at the pub, mall, home wherever.....

I guess I generally simplify the definition of "friend" to its most simple, that is: "A person whom one knows, likes, and trusts."

Without meeting a person face-to-face, I can't decide whether I do like them and/or trust them. I can "know" them in the sense that I'm aware of the persona they display on my screen, but that's about as far as it goes (unfortunately). That persona could be (and often is) totally fabricated to achieve whatever end the (real) person desires.

I think the major issue with "friendship" on the internet is ironically one of its major benefits: anonymity. Clearly, you're not gonna divulge your real name, address and telephone number here (nor would I) because either of us could be total raving loonies! Therefore, if we can't even trust each other to that extent, then can we really call ourselves friends?

And conversely, there's probably dozens of total strangers that have my name and address: the post office, the tax department, my local council, the gas and electricity, my banks, the police, the blood bank etc etc etc. But I don't know any of them personally!

All very perplexing?

I guess that I agree with someone else here who said online contacts are more like "acquaintances" than friends — in the literal sense.

—Cheers, Jack.

I get what you are saying and you are right, just I have met some exceptions. I'm not saying that it was good or bad, just that I really got to know them. And I would consider them a friend.

Agree with you both there and I think you have pretty much concluded this discussion. Mind you someone is sure to disagree some point and I am simply jumping to an ending because I agree. Just pointing out my own short comings now.

You can become familiar with an ID on various boards, but do you know for sure that only one person is using that ID? You really don't know who, or what you're communicating with.

At first, I thought it was being rude. But now, this gives me a headache! A friend request, then a private message asking for your mobile number. Next thing they ask for your adress and wow they wanna get into your you know what I mean

Yeah, but it's the ones who want your bank details that you have to watch!

Watch this and try not to laugh.

I didn't even have to try.

Three more friend requests from zero post wonders