I'm not saying that the number of members determines whether or not an online community is good. However, when there's a Facebook group with 1.3 million, you notice.
Like the name implies, 'Middle Aged Humor' consists of a more mature audience. People use it as a way to connect and bring levity to mundane or difficult situations, and while it may not be everyone's cup of tea, we can't deny the group's relevance to the platform. After all, 73 percent of U.S. adults aged 50-64 use Facebook.
So, let's take a look at how they make the internet (and maybe life in general) more enjoyable for each other.
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We managed to get in touch with a member of the group's administrator team, Marie Shizuka, and she said that since 'Middle Aged Humor' is so big, they have been developing a system that would automatically clean it.
"We do some auto deletion to keep spammers out," Shizuka told Bored Panda. "But the problem is when this system also deletes actual members' comments and they complain a lot."
Shizuka said that the community is, for the most part, keeping the content positive. "Generally, any feel-good and funny posts are popular among the members," she said. "Nostalgic pictures too."
And it's easy to understand where this is coming from. Consuming too much worrying news, whether actively or passively, can have a big impact on our mood.
"The way that news is presented and the way that we access news has changed significantly over the last 15 to 20 years," said Graham Davey, a professor emeritus of psychology at Sussex University in the UK and editor-in-chief of the Journal of Experimental Psychopathology. "These changes have often been detrimental to general mental health."
Davey thinks today's news is increasingly visual and shocking, and that the inclusion of smartphone videos and audio clips isn't helping. These bystander-captured media can be so intense that they can cause symptoms of acute stress—like problems sleeping, mood swings, or aggressive behavior—or even PTSD.
Some of Davey's research has shown that negative TV news is a significant mood-changer, and the moods it tends to produce are sadness and anxiety. "Our studies also showed that this change in mood exacerbates the viewer’s own personal worries, even when those worries are not directly relevant to the news stories being broadcast,” he said.
While increased anxiety and stress are reason enough to be wary of overdoing it when it comes to the news, these and other mental health afflictions can also fuel physical complaints. Stress-related hormones, most notably cortisol, have been linked to inflammation associated with rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular disease, and other serious health concerns.
The human brain is attracted to troubling information because it's programmed to detect threats. This can make it hard for us to ignore the negatives online. The publishers know it; just think of all the opinions and commentary that passes for news analysis when, in reality, is not much different from lunchroom gossip.
Staying aware and informed is a good thing. But when it comes to our health, too much news can spell trouble. Balancing it out with light-hearted content can be one way of fighting this issue.
"We have received many messages about how our group makes their day and cheers them up," the admin of 'Middle Aged Humor', Marie Shizuka, said.
For more similar content, Shizuka said the group has a spin-off page on Facebook, called the Middle Aged Club, and it's just as entertaining.
i can guarantee you that younger generations can understand all of this perfectly. we were raised by the older generations after all, it's not like we've never interacted with older people & can't comprehend any of their experiences. besides, we still have & do most of the things that the older generations are convinced are obsolete; we played outside as kids, we write with pencils every day, we work part-time jobs, we hang out with our friends in person. yes, video games & cell phones exist now, but we're not all screen addicts, unlike boomers who cant step away from facebook, candy crush, or anti-vax misinformation... by the way, the "kid" who wrote this comment is legally an adult. quit being so condescending.
Holy sh*t, what an awful list. None of these are foreign concepts to young people, and tons of them are downright insulting. The people who make these ridiculous memes just have no concept whatever of what younger people do.
i can guarantee you that younger generations can understand all of this perfectly. we were raised by the older generations after all, it's not like we've never interacted with older people & can't comprehend any of their experiences. besides, we still have & do most of the things that the older generations are convinced are obsolete; we played outside as kids, we write with pencils every day, we work part-time jobs, we hang out with our friends in person. yes, video games & cell phones exist now, but we're not all screen addicts, unlike boomers who cant step away from facebook, candy crush, or anti-vax misinformation... by the way, the "kid" who wrote this comment is legally an adult. quit being so condescending.
Holy sh*t, what an awful list. None of these are foreign concepts to young people, and tons of them are downright insulting. The people who make these ridiculous memes just have no concept whatever of what younger people do.
