Not to brag, but I have always been a stalwart defender of truth, justice and the American way. No wait., that was Superman. Not me.
Well, it's been said that I march to the beat of my own drum, but I'll have to admit that this is not necessarily a choice, but more likely because I am rhythmically retarded. I am fated to be out of step with my fellow marchers. I can't help it. At least I can sing on key.
My decision to shut-off Facebook and Twitter has been percolating for some time. Most intelligent folks would agree that Social Media is in general a huge, but benevolent, waste of time. But, most regular users concede that it is also a convenient medium for exchanging photos and items of interest among family members and real friends. The really smart users probably limit their exposure to a few chosen individuals. But most of us, seeking 'free' entertainment are seduced into expanding our 'friends' circle to include friends-of-friends and even the dreaded 'public' (ie, anyone). As time goes by, we are drawn into seemingly innocent exchanges of information - fun surveys, tests, startling videos, cute pet photos, petition drives, affinity groups, you name it. What we haven't really given much thought to is how much information we are giving away through seemingly harmless participation.
Recent revelations have made it clear that Social Media is far from a benevolent waste of time. Rather it has become an industry that crawls up your ass and into your brain and shares all the information it learned about you along the way -- with total strangers, and without your knowledge. (You consented by agreeing to the fine print in their terms and conditions of use). So, when you were answering the questions to determine your Leprechaun name, or answering the Mensa quiz or clicking on the discount K-Y Jelly ad, they were gathering information about your preferences, your education level, your political ideology, etc.
We are not just talking about Facebook. There are many other sites that do the same thing. And the big search engines (Google, Microsoft, AOL) collude to sell data about what you have searched for -- refrigerators, hats, male enhancement products, medicines, cat litter...
I have been feeling a growing discontent with the silliness of much of the content that was being presented to me. Frankly, I don't care about where you went for lunch or what it looked like, or 10 photos of you standing in front of a cathedral in France (which you posted to make me jealous). I don't care about your cute cat, and even less about your precocious grand kid, and I especially don't care about the squirrel that is raiding your bird feeder, but thanks for sharing.
So, after learning about the thousands of fake Facebook accounts set up by Russian operatives to influence the 2016 election, and then more recently hearing about the data breach by Cambridge Analytics, I decided that I could live without Facebook --which for me was a colossal waste of time invested for the amount of entertainment enjoyed. I also deleted my Twitter account. A big problem with these platforms is that there is no editor.
Anyone can say anything in the name of free speech regardless of how inane or wrong they are. If you like that type of chaos, you are welcome to it. I'll pass.
I have not missed it. I'm even thinking of updating my blog on a regular basis.
Don't laugh, it could happen..
2 comments:
Interesting that you make this announcement on social media ...
George, I don't consider a blog to be "social media" anymore than I think of graffitti as social media. But I do see the irony. It's an Irish thing, you know.
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