The Social Dilemma - NETFLIX documentary movie

I must admit I love FB.
There were parts of my life that I missed a lot and wanted to know how people and the military unit I served with doing.
There were reunions that I missed and it was so exiting and emotional to see videos and photos.
City and schools I lived and attended, reconnected with classmates and neighbors.
I constantly enjoy seeing my friends children grownup and have their families and how every body is doing.
Groups of fans of music or other interests sharing information, gigs, rare pictures, self-made recordings of gig somewhere in other country.
So many blessings in my view came via Facebook. Live lessons from religious figures.
And I understand all the other critique and how data used, manipulated etc but for me its to important to keep the groups memberships and contacts with my coworkers from years past and companies years past.

 

Whatever works best for you, Lerner. Yours is an ideal use. Pre-Facebook, I tried doing that with the Internet (in 1995) and it was really a chore. I left England at age 9 so there I was at 62, trying to reconnect with any of the 51 other kids in my 1951-2 elementary school class. I could still remember at least 48 of the names and I listed them on a couple of local chat boards, where I used to live. I got 3-4 replies (one from Florida) and news of a couple more. I re-connected with my best friend from my boyhood. Unfortunately, he and some of my other classmates have died, since. When you get THIS old, those are the breaks.

In 2017 or thereabouts, I did some more non-Facebook searching. I had my DNA done, through Ancestry. I knew I was adopted (found out at age 47) but hadn't much else to go on except my birth name. Ancestry connected me with some distant relatives and pretty soon I had my birth mother's family figured out back to the 1850s - including three direct male ancestors who had been transported to Australia and Tasmania for the same type of crime - donkey stealing. Back in the 19th century, that got a person 10-15 years.

The cousins I contacted through Ancestry's email were pretty darn nice people. Apparently, my mother lived to age 88. She married in 1949, but I believe she had no other children. I still have no idea who my biological father was. His name does not appear on my birth certificate. No matter - I'm sure he has no idea who I am, either

 

Back in the day, didn't a guy knew there was myspace and facebook but got the two confused. Anyway, he complained, "My wife is spending too much time on my face!"

 

Ancestry confirmed some stories I heard about my linage.
Father from Romania, Mother from Ukraine and ancestors on mothers side from Toledo Spain and Poland, Father side Germany and Italy.
I connected with my grate uncles grandchildren, maternal side my grandfathers brothers who left Ukraine before the revolution and came to New York.
My Grandpa loved Chernovtsi and never wanted to leave the city. All immigrated but him.
I like the Ancestry site.
Also when I visited Salt lake city the Mormon community has amazing center to track ancestry, I had initial info from Ellis Island and much more
from the Salt Lake city.

 

Great story, Lerner - and interesting city - also called "Little Vienna" and "Jerusalem on the Prut (river)." And the Mormons? They're in charge of the whole ancestry industry. And they do a fabulous job. All the proliferation and availability of DNA testing and gathering of birth records is a result of their work. It's part of the religion, I believe. Their aim is to baptize (in absentia, of course) everybody's dead ancestors into the Mormon religion - so we can all be happy Mormons in the hereafter. Fine by me. I don't think it does anybody the least bit of harm - and if they want to perpetuate this along with all the rest of their fantasies that I don't believe in - they can be my guests.

They've given me the benefits - so I can go along with the charade. I'm sure my 3-great Grandfather - the one who was sent to Australia around 1855 for donkey-stealing, hasn't had cause to object, either. Maybe someday in the Hereafter, I'll get to ask him... I think he and I would get along very well together.

 

BTW - my 3-great Grandfather finished his sentence and returned to England. Since his wife had divorced him and married another man (and had several more children with that husband) he figured there was nothing left there for him, and booked a very cheap, Government-assisted passage back to Australia. He lived there for quite some years and was, from all I've found, successful in business. Eventually he died there. I'm not aware if he married again in Australia or fathered any more children. I should check - maybe I have more relatives in Oz. A couple of third/fourth cousins appeared in my tree recently. Maybe they know... some of my new-found relatives are really good at this.

 

I'm sure it was fine for the comparatively small minority of people who did it, but I'm speaking about the overwhelming majority who didn't. People really were concerned about putting their real identity online back then and for good reasons that haven't changed in reality. I tend to think that was most people, otherwise the username/handle wouldn't have been as popular and common as it was (and still is outside of social media type sites, and still not uncommon even on social media with the exception of Facebook where they've cracked down on it).

 

Relatives in Oz
Not the TV series right?

 

No - Australia. I think even a few people who actually live there call Australia that. The movie actor, Paul Hogan (Crocodile Dundee), born in Sydney, used the term 'Oz' himself - I can remember that from one of his Foster's Beer TV commercials. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Hogan
Foster's - not bad stuff ... aber deutsches Bier ist ja viel besser! (but German beer is certainly much better.)