I absolutely HATE social networks - Why am i here?!

Hello fellow Steemers (is that what you call yourselves?). Welcome to my first post on Steemit, I hope it's a worthwhile one.

I'm 38 years old, I'm a husband, a stepdad, a programmer by day, a problem solver and a problem maker by night. I also like to garden. I'm a pretty big fan of technology except that I also despise it. You could call me a hypocrite and you'd be very accurate. In one moment I will gush about some glorious piece of technology that brings me a moment of fleeting joy or makes my life easier and in the next moment I will be fuming with rage at how technology is absolutely wreaking havoc upon our world and our people.

This is the first social media account that I have created in years. I don't have Facebook account, and haven't for well over 8+ years now. I don't have a Twitter, or Instagram or Snapchat or any of those pesky social media things. I think they're absolutely rubbish and a waste of time for 95% of people.

These creations are called social networks, which is technically accurate - you can socialize with your network. But I prefer to more accurately refer to them as observation networks. People don't logon to Facebook or Instagram or Snapchat for the explicit goal to socialize with their friends. People logon to their favorite social network to observe other people, to lurk, to see what someone else is doing with their time. Socializing just happens to be a by-product of observation. I can't possibly fathom the amount of time and joy that has been wasted by staring at a well designed User Experience, observing the lives of friends, family and strangers.

So why am I here?

I'm here because of Bitcoin, cryptocurrencies and more specifically I'm here because of Hive account@jerrybanfield. I've recently begun (as an absolute noob) to invest in some cryptocurrency. My journey has led me to recently invest in some Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin and I guess now I'm investing in Steem. Here I am with all my despise for technology and social networks and I find myself creating a social account so that I can earn and invest in digital currency, all the while attempting to be social. Yep, that's me right there, Mr. Hypocrite.

I'd like to use this platform as a means of journaling my adventures of navigating the online social world again, recording the ups and downs of investing in cryptocurrencies, and take the opportunity to learn from others. I'm hoping to make some new like-minded friends here on Steemit and to really learn from others and their experiences.

I guess then I'd have to say that I will become an observer here. But here's my reasoning and defense for becoming that which I despise (an observer on a social network). I will be observing with the intent to learn. See, I think on social networks many people just observe ... and that's it. They consume and gorge themselves on information and don't really take a moment to learn. Warren Buffet reads for hours upon hours a day and he's one of the most successful investors in history. I can learn something from him - he reads, observes, learns, applies.

Ending Statement(s)

So I find myself here on Steemit despite the fact that:

1. I don't like technology (sometimes)
2. I really don't like social networks

But I am going to take the time to:

1. Journal my ups and downs in online socializing, investing and just being positive.
2. Meet new friends and learn from their knowledge and experience.
3. Make some money and lose some money.
4. Become a better person.

Let's see how this goes :) Leave a comment below if you have some insight that I can learn from, if you have something useful to share for a new investor, or if you just want to call me a hypocrite.

Thanks for taking the time to read this, I hope you will learn something here whether from me or others who post their thoughts. Cheers!