Today I want to talk a little more about social media and why I don’t like it. Well, to be fair, I don’t know if social media is the actual issue or if its just a vehicle for the real problem. I would say that what I really want to talk about is dishonest people and their victims, gullible people, and the fact that social media seems to be loaded with them.
If you have read any of my other posts, you will already know that I am not a fan of social media for many reasons. I feel they are time wasters and mind twisters. Still, I do have some accounts that I try to be very careful about using. I don’t like having them, but, if you want to reach people, you have to go where the people are.
The issues I want to discuss probably apply to all social media platforms, but I have noticed the problem on Youtube the most. Fact is, Youtube is full of scammers who are manipulating and extorting from their gullible viewers.
This angers me just because I don’t like dishonesty, but, I have to say that the gullible people falling for the scams upset me even more than the scammers. They actually defend the very people who are using and abusing them!
Now let me explain something. I am not referring to the obvious scams. I am referring to the more subtle things. Maybe “scam” isn’t even the correct word for what I am talking about, but the end result is the same: they get their gullible viewers to send them money.
Let me give you the latest example I have come across. It is one I have been following for awhile. There is a women I have been watching on Youtube for years who has an ASMR channel. Basically, she makes videos to relax people. However, in the last couple of years, she has also started doing “live” videos where she gets on live and chats with people and then posts the videos for others to watch. These are not relaxation videos, rather, in these videos she talks about anything and everything, including all her problems (many of which she brings on herself), especially ones that costs her money (a very common tool for getting pity and, thus, money). Some time ago, she started complaining that she was broke and “isn’t going to make it” until her next check. Her kind-hearted but gullible viewers sent her money. Then she did it again, and again…and they keep on sending her money.
Okay, so why is it a problem that these people are being nice to someone who claims to be in need? The problem is, this women shops constantly! She has bought two new cars in the last year and an expensive gaming system, she does regular shopping haul videos, buys makeup all the time through the internet even though she has a hoard of it already, and she gets packages in the mail pretty much everyday. The best part is, she doesn’t hide any of this! It is all on the videos for everyone to see. In fact, she makes a point of showing people, and yet, every time she cries poor, they send her more money.
Thankfully (sort of) from time to time, an intelligent, observant person will come along and call her out on what she is doing. They will ask her why she is buying so much stuff or buying expensive things when she just had a video out that claimed she was broke. This results is what I call a, “Wah!, Wah!” video. She tells her viewers about this big mean person who is accusing her of scamming people and then cries and cries about all her problems and the fact that she wouldn’t never scam people and it really hurts her to be accused of doing so. I mean she really puts on a good show. I’ve even wondered if it was genuine at times and that maybe she is just unintelligent enough to not know she is doing something wrong. However, the results of those videos are the same no matter what: the gullible call that ‘mean person’ that called her out all kinds of names, fawn all over this woman, telling her how wonderful she is and that she deserves to have nice things, and then they send her even more money!
Now, my question is, What is wrong with people? How can a person not see what is right in front of their eyes? When a person is asking or hinting around for money in one video and then two days later makes a video about her latest shopping trip haul, how does that not alert people that she may be being less than honest with them? I’ve seen her viewers attack people in the comment section for stating the truth, time after time, using every excuse they can come up with as to why her behavior is not wrong. I’ve seen dumb responses like, “Even poor people deserve nice things”! They deserve nice things by buying them with scammed money? Come on now!
What is becoming of us? Scammers have always been with us, but how did people get so gullible that they will not only be scammed but will defend their scammer? Are people’s moral compasses so out of use that they can’t even recognize wrong behavior any more? Are people so lonely that they will allow someone else to use and abuse them as long as they can feel like they belong and are wanted/needed? Is it a religious thing? Do people feel obligated to help everyone who claims they need help because their religion tells them they should?
I think that Christians are especially prone to this problem because most churches today push the need to help others to the extreme, often making people feel guilty if they aren’t giving enough to someone or something. Some even go as far as to tell their parishioners to give to those who they know are trying to take advantage of them and they will earn points, so to speak, with God. I totally disagree with that and think its a perversion of the Bible’s actual teaching. I believe in helping those in true need, but not to those who are lazy, irresponsible and/or dishonest, which pretty much describes Youtube scammers.
If I had my say, it would be against the rules to ask for money in any way on social media, but, alas, I am not in charge. What I can do, is be on the alert for these kinds of people and avoid them. It is a rather sad thing to have to stop watching someone who I have watched for several years now, but I will not watch and support someone who is taking money from people through dishonest means, whether it is on purpose or because she is morally lacking to the point that she honestly doesn’t see what she is doing (which I find hard to believe since she has been called out on it several times).
I also refuse to give money to anyone on social media or the internet in general. There are just too many dishonest, lazy people out there, even off of social media. So many people want to cry poor and ask for money from others when they are not poor or they have gotten themselves into that situation and have no intention of changing their behavior, which means they will be asking you for money on down the road.
I’ve been burned more than once by falling for people’s sob stories and have given them money I could not afford to give, just to later find out that this person is actually living better than me. I’ve learned through experience. Now I’m advising you to really take a close look at a situation before you hand over any money. People are not always who or what they appear to be in this often morally lacking world of ours.
©myjourneytocontentment
