The Urge To Share

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I read someone saying that social media isn't a plague, that it's bad, but not that bad and there are some positive uses for it. I've thought about that and come to this: social media is a cesspool from which plagues come. Sure, cesspools are useful, but I'm not going to live in one. I'm with Jaron Lanier on this. I just feel that Facebook, Twitter, and all the rest are bad for us.

It's like sugar which tastes good but is poison in the amounts at which I consume it. I'd lead a better life without sugar, but it's tough to quit. You're still on social media because you're hooked, right?

If Facebook, Twitter, or whatever make your life better, then go ahead. If you use them because your friends are all on them, okay, whatever. If you use them despite feeling that they are a cancer on society, well then I've got nothing for you.

I'm thinking about social media also because I've been doing things differently in my life and it's the sort of thing I'd have posted on Twitter or Facebook. Hey, look at me! Be grateful I can no longer share that way.

What about this blog? Isn't it just like social media?

There are differences that feel important. One, I'm not providing free content for some large corporation's profit. Two, people must choose to come and read. Three, commenting takes more work. Four, I'm not much invested in growing my "following." I used to worry about the numbers, but I don't any more. If someone gets something out of this blog, good. I get plenty out of it. I mean, I'm learning how to write.

I can't think of a single lasting thing I learned on social media except that it made me deeply unhappy and is designed to do so. It made me mean. I'm not sure I'm willing to offer Zuckerberg and Dorsey any gratitude for that lesson.

I still have the hard-wired urge to share. That urge is fine unless it comes out of a sense of jealousy or insecurity and so long as that urge isn't satisfied too easily.

Anything I want to share here, I draft usually in pen or on the typewriter. If it still seems worth sharing, I type it on the computer. I consider again if it's worth sharing. I revise to make it ten- or twenty-percent shorter. By then I've made the decision and copy it from my favorite online writing tool into my web-host's software, give it one last look, and publish. The process gives me time to ask, am I sharing something worth someone's while? My answer may be different than yours. That's fine. You choose to stay with me or not.

I don't have any algorithm here. It's just you and me. Social media platform algorithms prey upon our weaknesses because strong users are lousy customers and these folks want suckers, billions of them. As for this, no money has changed hands, no advertisers have had their say, and you're free to go at any time.

I just wanted to share that.

The social-network-internet of today is best understood when you hold in your mind the image of a faceless person scrolling down a screen endlessly for all of eternity, but yet for whom satisfaction never comes. –Rebecca Toh