Social Media Etiquette on the lake?

[CWKboat]

Do any of you boat with facebook people? The reason that I ask is that I have noticed a somewhat mildly annoying phenomenon since about 2009 when taking friends/groups of 3 or more on the lake:

It never seems to fail that several of the people invariably are more preoccupied with taking pictures and posting to facebook in real time than they are actually interacting and collectively enjoying the lake itself. For example, last time out, I stopped the boat to swim and I was in the water for 10-15 minutes before anyone else got in because they were all updating their facebook statuses and uploading pictures to their pages -- No Kidding!

I'm not a control freak by any means and generally am very flexible, but I just find this preoccupation that society has with smart phones and social media to be just really annoying when it intrudes upon normal human interaction and boating itself.

I realize that being at the lake is actually one of the coolest things out there, so I understand their desire to let the world know, lol. But, the other side of me says "wow, couldn't you do that later when you're back home?!"

Most of this is tongue-in-cheek, but it would be nice to be able to take a boating or camping trip without everyone spending half the waking time on one device or another!

 

[Texasmark]

Re: Social Media Etiquette on the lake?

It's not just there, go anywhere and it seems like an addiction....probably is.

 

[roscoe]

Re: Social Media Etiquette on the lake?

Simple, keep the boat at WOT until they no longer have a cell signal.

It's not too hard to do on some of the lakes I frequent.

Actually, my buds have never logged on.
And I can only remember a couple times when they had to answer a call from their ball n chain.

 

[JoLin]

Re: Social Media Etiquette on the lake?

I just find this preoccupation that society has with smart phones and social media to be just really annoying when it intrudes upon normal human interaction and boating itself.

I hear you, brother. Sharing an experience with 500 people who couldn't care less has somehow become more important than actually living the experience! It really, really bothers me that human interaction is becoming increasingly superficial.

The word 'friend' is not one I ever used lightly. In my outdated world I have less a dozen real friends and several dozen acquaintances that I like and interact with regularly. The concept of a friend is being cheapened and diluted to the point that it encompasses total strangers. It's becoming a meaningless word and I think we lose the importance of what it (used to) mean.

Then again, I'm a reactionary old dinosaur :facepalm:

 

[CWKboat]

Re: Social Media Etiquette on the lake?

I hear you, brother. Sharing an experience with 500 people who couldn't care less has somehow become more important than actually living the experience! It really, really bothers me that human interaction is becoming increasingly superficial.

The word 'friend' is not one I ever used lightly. In my outdated world I have less a dozen real friends and several dozen acquaintances that I like and interact with regularly. The concept of a friend is being cheapened and diluted to the point that it encompasses total strangers. It's becoming a meaningless word and I think we lose the importance of what it (used to) mean.

Then again, I'm a reactionary old dinosaur :facepalm:

Well said! And with < a dozen real friends, you've got me beat as my over/under would be about 7-8!

 

[CWKboat]

Re: Social Media Etiquette on the lake?

Simple, keep the boat at WOT until they no longer have a cell signal.

Great idea! I like the passive-aggressive aproach!

 

[Bayou Dave]

Re: Social Media Etiquette on the lake?

For my part I quit Facebook a year ago. Not one of my Facebook "friends" has contacted me since, except my immediate family. Goes to show who really is a friend and who only wants to have the most # of Facebook friends.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Social Media Etiquette on the lake?

simply float-test their Iphones.

It's everywhere but especially sad when people have that rare opportunity to be outdoors or someplace interesting but they focus on somewhere else, someone else.

they're the same ones that instead of coming home and telling a story about the fishing trip over a beer, have to send a message every 20 minutes about what they are (or not) catching.

You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink.

 

[bonz_d]

Re: Social Media Etiquette on the lake?

simply float-test their Iphones.

You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink.

Or as I state it, You can lead an idiot to knowledge but you can't make them think!

 

[sphelps]

Re: Social Media Etiquette on the lake?

I'm with ya on the social media stuff ! Now don,t get me wrong . Who wouldn't want to get a video of there pal doing a face plant at about 30 mph while learning to wake board . Or snapping a few pics of an awesome day out in the boat. But do all your sharing with others later on when your not out having fun . To me that's just being rude to your host ..

 

[H20Rat]

Re: Social Media Etiquette on the lake?

Depending on boat of course, but find a big wave, and nose into it! Taking one over the bow will make them stow their phones in a hurry! (again, depending on boat, i'm not liable if you follow my advice and sink your boat!)

 

[salty87]

Re: Social Media Etiquette on the lake?

Depending on boat of course, but find a big wave, and nose into it! Taking one over the bow will make them stow their phones in a hurry! (again, depending on boat, i'm not liable if you follow my advice and sink your boat!)

^ like, lol

no FB account or surfing here. i agree it's not a good trend.

anyone notice how the younger generations can't seem to get a sentence out of their mouths w/o saying 'like' every 4 or 5 words?...then 'like' is all over the social media junk. do not like. wth?

 

[h2odick]

Re: Social Media Etiquette on the lake?

I completely and totally agree with everything here. The Admiral and I were out at dinner recently, and at one point I looked around and saw two men and a lady (probably early 20's) sitting at the dinner table together, none of them were talking, none of them were even looking at one another. They all had their phones in hand, facebooking, texting..whatever.

I just thought to myself and told my wife "this is sad, this is the way everything is going.. these people cannot even enjoy one another's company and have a conversation over dinner, they have to be on their phones the whole time"

When people ask me if i have a facebook account, I tell them no. When they ask why not? I tell them - I like to socialize the old fashioned way, yanno.. Backyard barbeques with friends and family, beers at the pub with a buddy, etc. Call me old fashioned, but I like the way it used to be.
I see this everyday all day here in Southern California. People drive and are texting at the same time.. walking down the street texting.. At dinner with friends - still texting.. :facepalm:

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: Social Media Etiquette on the lake?

Well, my wife has beat it out of me. She is on the phone almost constantly: At restaurants, at home watching TV, and even in her car with sync (Ford Fusion Hybrid--nice car!).

So although I do not have a facebook account and only use you tube to post a video or two, I live and let live. No sense getting uptight about it--you simply can not buck the current.

I will take people out. If they want to sit in the boat and text, then that's their problem. If they ignore me completely, there is no sense having them and there won't be a second time for them. SIMPLE!

 

[jkust]

Re: Social Media Etiquette on the lake?

The Facebook phenomena is odd to me. I don't care that you are at a restaurant and you took a picture of your meal. I don't care that you have a case of the Mondays or that you are on a business trip and it's such a big deal you have to post pictures. I never cared and I still don't. More than anything it is depressing to see how so many people that friended me turned out 20 years after highschool. I'm not a fan of Facebook and it's been years since I've logged on. I think people will get Facebook burn out sooner or later.

 

[CWKboat]

Re: Social Media Etiquette on the lake?

Depending on boat of course, but find a big wave, and nose into it! Taking one over the bow will make them stow their phones in a hurry! (again, depending on boat, i'm not liable if you follow my advice and sink your boat!)

I've got a 21 ft bowrider, so I can shake things up a little!

 

[jumpjets]

Re: Social Media Etiquette on the lake?

My wife does that stuff and for the most part I don't let it get to me. If she is face down in the phone, that just means I can drive the boat, tune the radio, etc... It's what she likes, so I'll let her do it.

The thing that bugs me is when I have to drop everything to pose for a picture. She loves to post pics of us together on facebook. I have to stop what I'm doing, which makes me mildly annoyed. Then we have to pose, and I have to make an artificially large smile. Finally, she takes a picture. Then she examines it, decides she doesn't like it, and we repeat the process. Next she uses instagram editing software to change the colors and whatnot, and asks me which one of a dozen edits looks best, so she can post it on a social media site.

I used to be honest and tell her that they all look about the same to me. That wasn't a popular thing to say. Now I quickly look at each picture, arbitrarily pick one, and go about my business.

I don't personally have any social media accounts, unless Iboats and couple other forums count.

 

[rbh]

Re: Social Media Etiquette on the lake?

Yup, iboats don't count, right?

 

[jkust]

Re: Social Media Etiquette on the lake?

Yup, iboats don't count, right?

No I think enthusiast and help forums are a different animal.

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: Social Media Etiquette on the lake?

How impersonal socializing has become. And the people that post pictures and detail every moment of their so-called lives will be first to complain about invasion of privacy. Splain that to me.