No Longer On Social Media

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For a very long time I was a massive advocate of social media, how it can connect people, allow anyone to publish to the Web, and share those moments that matter with the people they care about.

They were simpler times.

There are three facets of social media that I have I grown more and more wary of as they have each grown in power and influence.

btw: if you wanna know what social media I use the answer is none. Ish. I don't have anything to do with Facebook and its many apps, I have locked down my Twitter account just to follow a handful of 'silly' accounts that if I can find RSS feeds I will. I'm on LinkedIn but don't have the app and tbh I forget it's around.

The one "social media" site I use a lot is YouTube, but it's like TV for me and I Chromecast so never see or interact with comments and the like.

So, why the disenchantment and moving on?

1: Social Media is all about money

Twitter, Facebook, and all those that claim to 'connect people' need money. If nothing else those computers, the electricity, and developers aren't free - and this I can go along with.

However owners of these sites want to get a lot of money, more money than they need, more money than is morally right.

We need to share the world's resources with everyone otherwise we are fucked and so I don't wish to contribute to this.

2: Unfettered access to brain farts is not healthy

Connecting with close friends and family alongside those you respect, is a good thing.

Feeling a nagging, unspoken pressure to connect constantly and in real-time can be overwhelming.

The demand of the systems to be fed in order to keep making money overwhelms the connections for me and I no longer wish to play along.

3: Lies, Anger, And Pain

And then there's the world damaging lies, the society splitting anger that spews forth, and ultimately the pain caused. 

It's not something I ever want to be a part of, ever again. The pros are so overshadowed by the cons that I can't ever go there again.

Friends at a bar

So what now, well I can tell you my friends + family and I still chat, we make plans, we share photos, we do all those things social media promised, delivered, and then crushed. I miss nothing of Facebook, Twitter, or any of the others.

I share my daily photos with anyone that wants to see it, I share videos with mates or the world, I see the news, gigs, and stuff that's happening in the community.

No-one needs to let me know I'm wrong, it's ok, you have your reasons for being on Facebook, Twitter etc. To all those that have never been sucked into the social media thing, you were correct.

I wish you luck, but man alive the air is clearer out here, come join me.

Comments

  1. UnknownMarch 23, 2021 2:03 pm

    Not quite ready to beat the same path but the day is coming. Very nicely put Mike. I have pulled back from quite a number of things and "The Social Dilemma" was insightful and scary (Compulsory viewing for our younger members of society).

    ReplyDelete
  2. PaulMarch 23, 2021 9:39 pm

    "To all those that have never been sucked into the social media thing, you were correct." Thanks Mike. :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousApril 06, 2021 9:17 am

    I did the same thing 2 years ago, and have never looked back. It's nice to be able to catch up with people and genuinely not know what they've been up to when I ask, "How have you been"? Over that longer time frame my brain has changed too - hard to sum up in a sentence, but I seem to be much more narrative driven. Have de-brain-trained from small dopamine hits to genuine engagement. It's been great.

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousJune 14, 2021 2:10 pm

    Check out To be more tech-savvy, borrow these strategies from the Amish - a great article:

    Above all, decide to be OK with seeming eccentric. The Amish’s unusual approach has allowed them to survive for centuries, even while other cooperatives and intentional communities fall by the wayside. Most Silicon Valley CEOs severely restrict their own children’s access to phones and screens. Given that current research suggests that millions of people are carrying machines in their pockets that stress them out and make them unhappy, perhaps an approach that seems a little unusual is called for. Even if that means taking technology lessons from the Amish.

    ReplyDelete

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