Dr. Floyd's Social Media History
floyd- Updated: 2022-12-04
- By: Dr. Floyd
- Status: Draft in progress
- Summary:
- Tags: Social Media, YouTube, Meta (Facebook), Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Minds
Many who visit this website will know me from one or more of my thousands of videos on YouTube, starting back in 2005 (yes, the first year of YouTube). My account had many subscribers and millions of views–until YouTube permanently purged my account for wrongthink.
Some who visit this website will know me from Facebook. I left the publisher Facebook (now Meta) for various reasons–especially because Meta is a politicized publisher owned and managed by bigoted and hypocritical ideologues who systematically impede and punish every opinion that expresses anything less than total obedience to the Meta ideologues' worldview. Also Meta's ideologues employ miserable, desperate slaves around the world to enforce Meta's worldview.
Still, my history with social media is far more than a few gripes about YouTube, Facebook, or the rest. Following is a bit about that.
Content
1. Before Social Media
- Keeping in Touch (sending letters, calling a home phone, and text messaging)
2. Social Media as Connection
3. Social Media as DISconnection
4. Dr. Floyd's Myspace Years
5. Dr. Floyd's YouTube Years
6. Dr. Floyd's Social-Media Years, Generally
7. After YouTube
8. Dr. Floyd's Current Social Media
9. Conclusion
1. Before Social Media
Keeping in Touch
In the 2000's, keeping in touch with people over the internet was entirely new. Before the internet, people came and went from life, and the only way to keep in touch with someone moved out of your neighborhood–was to share your home phone-number or address, and either write a physical letter and send it to their home, or else call them on the phone.
Sending Letters
Calling a Home Phone
Prehistoric 1980's
Once upon a time, if you called someone's home phone, and they were not home–then you missed them, and you had to try calling again later. Also, if you called their home phone, and someone was already using the home's phone–then you heard a busy signal, and you had to try calling again later. Then came answering machines, *69, caller ID, and call-waiting.
Answering Machines
Once upon a time, someone invented the answering machine, which played a recorded message after a missed call, inviting callers to leave a message. Before answering machines were invented, if you missed a call–that was it. You had no idea who called–and no idea if and when they would ever call back.
*69
Eventually, someone invented *69–aka last-call return–so if you missed a call, then you could press *69 on your phone–and that would call back whomever last called you. And it cost $1.50. And you had no idea whom you were calling–you just knew that they had called you. It was time where everyone would regularly say a version of "new phone, who dis?"
Caller ID
Eventually, someone invented caller ID. Then finally, after years of answering blindly, you could know who was calling before you picked up. This ushered in a whole new world of prioritizing communication–and also a whole lifestyle of passive-aggressive avoidance that set the stage for much of the neurotic avoidance behavior that defines the communication of some many people nowadays. However, even with caller ID–unless you had call waiting, then you never knew what calls you were missing if you or someone else was using the home phone.
Call-Waiting
In case you live under a rock, let me tell you: plenty people nowadays are on their phone constantly. There are many reasons now to be a phone addict: tech neck, FOMO Syndrome (fear of missing out), and the fact that phones destroy of your ability to think. But in the days before call-waiting, there was a very simple and necessary reason to limit your phone time: there was only one phone in the house, everyone had share it–and if you were on the phone, then no one else c
Text Messaging
Pagers aka Beepers
Back in the day, there were pagers.
Before texting, there were beepers.
When Texting Cost
After Texting Became "Free"
2. Social Media as Connection
explanation coming up
3. Social Media as DISconnection
Gradually, people started using social media in lieu of life. At first, social media was a tool for finding and keeping track of distant friends, learning about people nearby, and–above all–coordinating events in the real world.
4. Dr. Floyd's Myspace Years
explanation coming up
5. Dr. Floyd's YouTube Years
Family Videos
explanation
After YouTube
6. Dr. Floyd's Social-Media Years, Generally
- Beyond YouTube
- Meta (Facebook and Instagram)
- Minds, Bitchute, Gab, etc.
7. Dr. Floyd's Current Social Media
- social media as oversimplification of communication
- addiction
- contagion
8. Conclusion
explanation
–Dr. Floyd