I remember the days of MySpace… back when I was younger (shh… I’m not that old). The first big social media platform. Back then people didn’t really understand what it was or how to best use it… what could be done with it… But that’s greatly changed over these short years.
MySpace used to have it all, as far as I’m concerned. As young and budding hobbyist coder… MySpace offered a wealth of customization… A way to really have a space that was mine. And if you remember it, we all did it… We had music playlists… sparkly and flashy lettering, custom colors and layouts… It was great.
That isn’t the social media of today, however. Now, everything is very homogeneous… all pages basically look the same on any given platform. So the customization is gone. And the platforms really aren’t about you anymore either… at least not in the way they used to be. Now, you social media page is basically just a place where companies collect personal information about you… your likes… your friends, families, enemies… and even your pets. Then they sell this information, and use this information to market things to you… you manipulate your emotions, your actions, your thoughts even… and perhaps all this sounds like conspiracy theory to you… however, I assure you it’s not.
That’s why I inevitably left social media. Well, most of them. I’m not a fan of that kind of intrusion on my life. While I think this technology is great, and can be used for all sorts of great things… at this time in history it’s being used for, what I see as bad. I can’t wait till we can realize the full potential of these open public squares, as soon as people stop being so afraid of open free speech.
I understand free speech is a problem for those who have very thin skin, and are unable to let a simple insult or ignorant remark simply roll off their backs, but, those people shouldn’t be a hindrance to the rest of society. They should learn to grow a thicker skin and get over it. You don’t have to participate in a conversation if you so choose… but it’s never appropriate to silence those you disagree with even if they’re spouting lies and nonsense. It’s important that we let people in the world find their own way and learn to discern truth and fact from lies and opinions themselves. Needless to say I’m not a huge fan of the rampant censorship of the platforms.
So, it’s funny, that now I find myself back on social media. With the purchase of Twitter by Elon Musk, along with his promise to restore free speech to the platform (and solve the bot problem)… I find myself curiously drawn back to these platforms. I can’t wait to see what happens next with it.
Then we have the creation of Donald Trumps, Truth Social platform… I’ve not yet had an opportunity to explore it… and see what it has to offer, as currently it’s only available on iPhone… which… I don’t happen to have. And with his announcement that he would not be returning to Twitter if they unlocked his account, the stock of Truth Social gained about 5-10% over the next 24 hours. So, it looks as though, once they get the bugs worked out, it will be around for awhile.
But the tip of this iceberg, at least for me, is my return to Facebook. Facebook is probably the worst social media platform out there… I tried to avoid it like the plague… But… I know find myself doing some work I’d always wanted to do, but never have… till recently.
I’ve started doing some social media strategy and management for a local business. I had watched they’re social media from a far… for the company that my wife works for. A young and upcoming bar and grill. They’re social media presence was not nearly what it should have been. For awhile, I had offered some words of advice for my wife to pass along to those that were managing the social media for the company… but ultimately it was just no that cup of tea. Understandable… as we covered already… I’m not a huge fan of social media myself. Which is odd why I now find myself in this arrangement. But hey… It’s money in my pocket. And I’m not knocking that.