Social Media

There is no going back. Social media will be with us for the foreseeable future, only a giant well-aimed meteor, nuclear war or exponential climate change will put an end to it. No, this is not a rambling bashing all the baggage social media brings. There's plenty of that already. Let's consider a few things here as of this writing in May 2022. The pace of change is astonishing. It is what we make of it. Social media is there to make money, full stop. 

We have come a long way from email and the chatrooms full of surprises of the '90's. Now, it is possible to video chat with people across the world in real time. Anyone can create or comment on news (as I comment often in this space). Creators may or may not be telling the whole truth and nothing but the truth. It's easy to get sucked into information bubbles or silos of our own creation (with a little help from over friendly algorithms). The future only looks stranger as we will soon don goggles, headphones and who knows what (smellivision??) on our way to becoming a strange sort of pod people living in a virtual make-believe world. Who knows, in small doses, it could be fun! It could be great for education. It could even be highly spiritual. There are plenty of dark paths opening up as well. This changing technology, like any tool, is not evil in itself. It is how we use it; enslavement, enlightenment or something unknown to us now?

So what do I want from things like Facebook and LinkedIn? They are good ways to keep in touch, learn new things and places to share ideas. They can be great tools for job searching (something I'm not doing now) and more fun things like cat pictures, gardening / flowers and truck pictures it that's your thing. Hell, I don't really mind the targeted ads. Something I'm interested in, I may check it out. I don't expect social media to replace having a few beers with friends, roadtripping or simply being outside on a warm, sunny day. As of right now, I don't see plunging into the shining world of virtual reality. It creeps me out. Maybe I'll change my mind one day. Don't knock it 'till you try it? Maybe later? 

But what you or I want is only a part of the picture. The people who own social media can talk all they want about bringing the world together, freedom of speech or other lofty goals but we live in a Capitalist system where only money matters. They are in it for the money. Anytime those wonderful goals go against creating profits; profits will win out every time. Freedom of speech is cool and all until the lawsuits start to add up. Some kids get bullied to the point of suicide? Just business. Creating millions of addicts? Think of the ad revenue! Skewing elections, disinformation silos and hate speech? How about unlimited growth and record profits! "Show me the motivation and I'll show you the result." When money is the motivator, bad things can happen. 

"Be the change you want to see." Social media is what we make it. Post factual, positive and uplifting stuff. Leave the on line arguments behind for in person dialogue. Too many are more interested in "winning" than learning something new. Don't be afraid to use disconnect, block and unfriend features. Make your social media experience educational, informative and fun! Manage your account(s) accordingly.