32 votes

‘Is My Absence From Social Media a Red Flag?’

8 comments

  1. [4]
    Deimos
    Link
    Another interesting (and frightening) aspect to this is that some countries, including the USA, have started trying to check social media and/or people's phone as part of the visa /...

    Another interesting (and frightening) aspect to this is that some countries, including the USA, have started trying to check social media and/or people's phone as part of the visa / border-crossing process. They don't always do it, but they may see it as suspicious if you're a younger person that claims not to have social media accounts, which could result in extra scrutiny or even being denied entry.

    28 votes
    1. [3]
      Comment deleted by author
      Link Parent
      1. Deimos
        Link Parent
        Keep in mind that I'm talking about non-Americans entering the country, so a lot of the protections that a US citizen would have aren't applicable. My understanding is that Americans returning to...

        Keep in mind that I'm talking about non-Americans entering the country, so a lot of the protections that a US citizen would have aren't applicable. My understanding is that Americans returning to the country could deny the access, and they might get detained for a few hours or something, but they have to be let in eventually. Non-Americans can just get denied entry, they aren't entitled to enter.

        10 votes
      2. cfabbro
        (edited )
        Link Parent
        AFAIK, as it currently still stands; nope, no probable cause or warrant required. However there are at least some limits to what they can do if you refuse to comply: As for Constitutionality,...

        AFAIK, as it currently still stands; nope, no probable cause or warrant required. However there are at least some limits to what they can do if you refuse to comply:

        Border agents cannot stop U.S. citizens from entering the country, even if they refuse to unlock their device or provide the password. However, EFF says, "agents may escalate the encounter if you refuse. For example, agents may seize your devices, ask you intrusive questions, search your bags more intensively, or increase by many hours the length of detention."

        If a foreign visitor doesn't comply, agents may deny them entry, EFF says.

        As for Constitutionality, well, the directives allowing that to happen may get challenged eventually, but given the current makeup of SCOTUS I wouldn't count on the ruling going against them. And God help the US if RBG dies while Trump is still in power. :/

        6 votes
  2. [2]
    lepigpen
    Link
    The internet has reached peak infiltration by corporations and government and therefore it isn't cool anymore. I'm hoping hanging out IRL outside comes back into fashion. Because I have gotten off...

    The internet has reached peak infiltration by corporations and government and therefore it isn't cool anymore. I'm hoping hanging out IRL outside comes back into fashion. Because I have gotten off everything social media and it's nice to not give a shit about moments you might want to share and being advertised to 24/7 as well.

    Also reddit is borderline unusable now, and I mean community-wise not the redesign. Hence, coming here to actually have meaningful conversation with humans. Not the go-between for memes between 4chan and facebook -_-

    21 votes
    1. mbc
      Link Parent
      I think hanging out is coming back in fashion. This past weekend, I was out having dinner with my wife at a upscale casual restaurant near our house. The table next to us had 4-5 teenage or...

      I think hanging out is coming back in fashion. This past weekend, I was out having dinner with my wife at a upscale casual restaurant near our house. The table next to us had 4-5 teenage or early-20s girls at it, chattering nonstop. It was refreshing seeing them talking about stuff instead of being on their phones.

      They were Muslims, so I don't know if it is a cultural thing, but it had been a while since I had seen people in that age group being that social without constantly looking at their phones. I'm 40 so I am officially out of touch with what young people are doing. Apologies if this sounds like an old asshole who knows nothing; that's what I am basically. Still, things seem to be getting better!

      6 votes
  3. Sahasrahla
    Link
    The attitude of a social media presence as a default—the absence of which requiring some reason or excuse or conscious choice—feels absolutely foreign to me. I never made a choice to avoid most...

    The attitude of a social media presence as a default—the absence of which requiring some reason or excuse or conscious choice—feels absolutely foreign to me. I never made a choice to avoid most social media I just never got into using it after migrating from my high school LiveJournal to my university Facebook page. I also never used my smart phone for much of anything that I hadn't used my old flip phone for. This makes me feel a bit disconnected from the wider culture sometimes but I don't feel like I'm missing much of anything, and neither do I find it limits me socially. No one in my early 30s peer group has ever found it strange or seen it as a "red flag" that I'm hiding something.

    I do get the feeling though, from articles like this and comments on places like Reddit, that for people just a few years younger than me it is a big deal. People seem to take an oddly pro-surveillance attitude, applying the logic of "you don't need privacy if you've got nothing to hide" to their personal lives. What does living in a constant state of self-imposed surveillance do to people, anyway? I rarely see articles about how healthy social media is and how much people enjoy it. Instead I hear constantly about how much people dislike it and can't give it up and the social pressures that exist to keep people on it (or, as in the linked article, to punish those who leave).

    Perhaps there will be a natural push-back against social media and people will start to leave or never pick it up in the first place (just like Facebook became "the social network my aunts and uncles and teachers are on" maybe having a social media presence at all will become a generational divide avoided by young people). On the other hand, giant companies have a lot of capital invested in social media infrastructure and they won't let their users go without a fight.

    15 votes
  4. unknown user
    Link
    Contrary to the usual stereotype of this sort of columns, the answer of the columnist is incredibly good and beautiful here. I loved reading it, and really recommend it; thanks a lot for the link....

    Contrary to the usual stereotype of this sort of columns, the answer of the columnist is incredibly good and beautiful here. I loved reading it, and really recommend it; thanks a lot for the link.

    I can really sympathise and empathise (if that is a word) with "Off the grid". I like online interactions with strangers from all over the world, and that is why I am here on Tildes, and on a few relevant communities on Reddit (namely emacs, languagelearning, linguistics, and a couple other related ones). I really benefit from interactions on these platforms: I get help with some stuff, I can help people with some stuff, and also get to know a billion different realities from all over the world. The big names, instead, offer none of that. When I look at mom's FB feed (or whatever it is called, the front page of the app), there is no chance she'll encounter anything new there. It is just an amplification of your and your peers' most superficial tendencies. It is just a pastime, and I'd rather take a walk or something.

    9 votes