At what age do you become an old fart, and is Boards an old fart home?

As per the title. I used to frequent boards as a young lad, then after the great email/password loss, I cut my losses, so to speak.

Now I am back, and it really strikes me that there are an awful lot of old farty posts about. After Hours is all about latent racism, wokeism and whatever other aspect of life you get riled up about. Personal issues is all about people in the 30s and 40s worrying about dating in a shrinking market. Heck, I even find I am falling in the trap, recommending people to buy a Skoda. For me, the likes of Reddit have passed me by, and I am stuck here, smashing my keyboard while drinking my Horlicks.

I would suspect most posters are in the 30+ category. Do you consider yourself an oldie?

Gregor Samsa

Age is just a number.

In my case, quite a large number that I have difficulty remembering.

looksee

30+!! I thought you were here to complain about all the over 60s!

60 is the new 50 (ref: Irish Gov Pension age section)

mariaalice

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058222804/at-what-age-do-you-become-an-old-fart-and-is-boards-an-old-fart-home

I am amazed you think any sort of social media would be 'young'.

AckwelFoley

44.

I was on boards for quite a while before social media became what it is. I got married and spent most of my time riding, making babies and trying to hold a steady job that I hadn't time for boards so I changed username and all but stopped using it in 2011 and Facebook was used mostly.

I closed my Facebook account in 2017 because social media has become insufferable shite from the ground up, and alas I have come full circle back to where it began

I think boards offers alot. And in the most part when AH looks like the thinking pool of mensa compared to Facebook you know social media is toxic

Only pity is I don't recognise most of the users now and any of the ol heads from back then seem to be gone. 🤔

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118320484#Comment_118320484

We haven't gone away you know..... 🙊😆

This old geezer sums up the mix of people you get on boards..... 🙊😆

https://youtu.be/y2GwrR-4Q9E

AckwelFoley

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118320518#Comment_118320518

Just going through some PMs from back in the day. 2008

I see one from Overheal :( RIP

Tell me how

Saw an intern in my company comment 'Ugh, who still uses Facebook' a couple weeks ago. That's going to be their biggest issue. Their customers/market are dwindling as the kids don't want to go on the app their parents are on.

Think Boards is less likely (but not immune) to that type of issue given the anonymity nature of the platform, but that being said, I've been wondering recently what is Boards trying to be. The transition to the new platform should have been accompanied with a strong drive to promote conversation, to attract new users etc etc etc. But, they probably expected it to be just a straightforward transition and the new would be the same as the old only technically more robust.

Since then, with the firefighting and troubleshooting that has gone on, the 'content' has taken a massive hit and there is close to zero efforts by 'Boards' to correct that. I know they are swamped with trying to just get the basics back but unfortunately, the longer this goes on, by the time the system is as everyone wants it to be, it could be fairly bleak in terms of users. So many threads now peter out with less that a a couple dozen posts, it really wouldn't encourage you to stay around.

Thelonious Monk

I think it must be something to do with the older demographic but this place is awash with the anti everything brigade. Anti immigration, anti cycling, anti green, anti vegan, anti progress of any kind is evident in many threads. Climate change deniers are ten a penny here, the weather forum is moderated by climate change deniers, that says a lot.

Lots of farmers too who seem to be stuck in the mid 20th century and blame Eamon Ryan and the Greens for every problem in their lives.

If there was a boards.ie, journal.ie commenter Venn diagram it would overlap quite a bit.

So the purpose of this thread was not to slate boards. Rather, to put a mirror in front of us, and ask, are we old farts?

We are kind of stuck in a time warp, no? Like a guy above quoted a movie scene from 2004, 17 years ago. Whilst it was humorous, and summed up boards nicely (bravo), it was also quite stale.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118320574#Comment_118320574

Where do the cool kids hang out? I can only think snapchat, tiktok and insta, but then again, maybe I am out of the loop.

I would assume boards is the bebo of the social media scene these days, hanging on, hanging on, remembering the glory days of the hot kn@ckers page.

What is this fupping post doing on my fupping lawn?! Who farted?! Is that what you're asking me?! For fupp sake!! A new low!!

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118320887#Comment_118320887

Shut up you baxtard! :)

Thelonious Monk

I have to say, the constant Father Ted refs that people thought were absolutely hilarious finally seem to be dying out a bit, not just on boards.ie but on Irish internet in general, thank Christ. I understand this comment will start page after page of FT quotes and that's fine knock yourselves out, but I could never understand why people felt the need to constantly quote that television program.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118320901#Comment_118320901

Guilty. The fact one of the main men has a Fr Jack avatar says a lot (and he is a good poster)

Anyone notice there are no adverts appearing at the top of the page? Does that mean no advertisers? Does that mean we are all on borrowed time?

Apologies, double post, don't know how to delete.

Either me or the interface is at fault.

Thelonious Monk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118320967#Comment_118320967

we'll all be dead soon anyway, prob a waste of time advertising on us, unless they roll out Michael Parkinson advertising pens or cremation services

Funeral plans is where it's at.

As I heard someone say the other day, I have less of my life ahead of me than behind me. Put a spring in my arthritis ridden step.

mariaalice

This topic when it comes up always puts me in mind of someone who can't believe they are not cool and relevant anymore, that they are actually middle-aged its all a bit surprise to them.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118321126#Comment_118321126

:) I'm too hip to be square

One thing I do know is that regardless of age, people spout an awful lot of sh!te on boards.

mariaalice

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118321136#Comment_118321136

But what is all the not accepting it about? life move on.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118321180#Comment_118321180

Cries into a packet of Werthers Original

Wibbs

If you think the "younger generation" haven't a clue. You're an old fart. If you think things were better in my day. You're an old fart. If you think music was better in my day. You're an old fart. If you think nostalgia beats reality. You're an old fart. If when you meet your friends conversation kicks off with; remember that time we... and go on to BS the truth and give others cause to lose the will to live. You're an old fart. If you haven't learned something actually new and changed your mind on a previously firmly held position in the last five years. You're an old fart. If you have to lean forward over the result of too many pies to see your mickey and your mickey rarely leans forward of its own accord. You're an old fart. If you think slacks are suitable legwear. You're an old fart. If you think golf is a useful waste of a man's time. You're an old fart. If you avoid contrary opinions and other loud noises and give a tupenny fcuk what "the neighbours think". You're an old fart. If you're the wrong side of forty and don't think you're an old fart. I hate to break it to you... 😁

If you've a high percentage of the above lot going on then regardless of age. You're an old fart. I knew a cool guy at school that after an absence of about five years showed up, 22 going on 62. All side parting and cardigan slacks and comfortable shoes so it can happen early enough.

Ash.J.Williams

i'm 45 and my 9yo girl gave me abuse for calling an anime she likes a cartoon, this was the old fart line crossed as far as i'm concerned

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118321565#Comment_118321565

I am an old perverted fart because when I see anime, I think of dodgy stuff on the internet, although it seems to be mainstream now.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118321551#Comment_118321551

In fairness, /thread

riclad

When you are over 40 you no longer listen to. New music, i hear Facebook is full of boomers, people pushing weird conspiracy theory's , fake news , young people are on tik Tok, YouTube, twitch, Instagram. You probably have a wife, partner, there's no reason to go to nightclubs. At some point people are hip, cool, but trends change constantly. Only young people have the energy to keep up with them

I think young people use online gaming as a social space to talk with friends now that's its hard to meet up in real life. I think it's impossible to be cool, once you have kids, life becomes a routine pay the bills, go to the pub, pay the mortgage. Go to Tesco, aldi. Older people will stay on Facebook as they actually use it to keep up with family and friends or as part of their job

One plus point as you get older you become wiser. You can see thru bullshit, and stop doing stupid things . Some TV programs even from 5 years ago seem out of touch, friends is a great sitcom, it's treatment of women and minoritys is not great.

One reason tik Tok took off is its easy to use its had easy to edit functions built in young people can use any music audio clip from any pop song without getting a dmca notice it's the new place for songs to get in the charts

riclad

Advertisers like over 40s as they have more money to spend than the average 20 year old who spends half their income on rent

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118321595#Comment_118321595

Agree with all, except Friends being a great sitcom.

Gregor Samsa

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118321579#Comment_118321579

Jaysus, don’t confuse anime with hentai in front of an otaku. They’ll be correcting you faster than a penis tentacle chasing a schoolgirl.

Old farts rule the world. And rememeber all the new cool stuff like music and anime, is made by old farts, targetting the young because they have the most disposable income. Behind every successful young thang, there is an old fart manager absolutely coining it

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118321928#Comment_118321928

Not gonna lie, bit creeped out by the indepth knowledge

mariaalice

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118321966#Comment_118321966

Twitter, Facebook, Instagram were all started by old farts?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118321986#Comment_118321986

Of course there are alway exceptions. I also expect those companies to go bust leaving a trail of debt and broken investors and making an overall loss

Gregor Samsa

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118321970#Comment_118321970

Just wait until I break out the futanari.

Not in Kansas

I don't mind the old-fart nature of Boards, but its maleness bothers me far more than it used to. Women are hugely outnumbered and there is a presumption a lot of the time that every poster is male. It wasn't always as bad as it is now in that regard.

Boards don't seem to ever have done anything in particular to attract more young users and more women.

looksee

I have absolutely no inside knowledge, but I think you might be surprised how many posters are female. I would guess its 40:60 female to male. Only a guess but I think there are more than is obvious.

Not in Kansas

Perhaps I'm wrong. This is my second account, and when I first hung around here for years, it definitely seemed slightly more balanced. I would have guessed 40:60 then actually.

AckwelFoley

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118322202#Comment_118322202

Back in my day having a second account could get you banned

Or was that pornhub?

Hmm..[checks notes]

Unsure

Trolls are always welcome - they keep this thing alive.

Dial Hard

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118322107#Comment_118322107

Whatever the actual stats are, I can hand-on-heart say that being a regular poster of the female persuasion is utterly depressing/exhausting these days. There was always a bit of a "Make me a sandwich" undertone around, but it could be dismissed as tongue-in-cheek a lot of the time (rightly or wrongly). The sentiment in the past while, though, just seems way more overtly hostile to women in general. And yeah, I'm not sure if these posters know (or care) how many women are in their audience, but honestly, Boards ain't the greatest place to be of late for those of us with a vag.

And I can already pretty much predict who'll be first in the pile-on in response to this post...

Potential-Monke

Because humanity loves misery. Very few want the feel good stories, most just want someone else to have gone through something bad so they can feel better about their own lives. And they all do it with faux empathy and complete ignorance. Some people, like me, own it. Some people still continue as if they're the angel in the world of devils.

looksee

Granted there will always be the misogynists and the macho types and the insecure, but I think the site has overall improved from how it used to be. Or maybe I am just a sufficiently old fart that I am immune to it.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118322040#Comment_118322040

Had to google that, mate, make sure you get yourself a VPN

Jim2007

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058222804/at-what-age-do-you-become-an-old-fart-and-is-boards-an-old-fart-home

The entire population of the country is getting older…… what do you expect? We postponed it a bit by letting in young people from the new members of the EU a while back but not by much… You can expect the focus of the country will change in the coming years as the majority of people start to think about their pension situation, retirement options, more leisure time, hobbies, grandkids etc…Even, shock, horror - down sizing of housing and accommodation as people grow tired of having to maintain them.

Honestly, I would say it's 5-10% women, and considering the decline in useship of the site, Boards Niamh prob makes up 20% of the female population

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118322729#Comment_118322729

K. I asked if boards was becoming a boring fart home, not the country at large