How I use social (or antisocial?) media
I find Jaron Lanier’s “Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now” very sensible and persuasive.
I want to “remain autonomous in a world where you are under constant surveillance and are constantly prodded by algorithms,” or in Lanier’s words, I want to be “a cat.”
Yet I find social media useful. Lanier gives me permission to keep some social media accounts. Even “if you agree with all ten of my arguments, you might still decide to keep some of your accounts,” he says. “That’s part of your prerogative, being a cat.”
But I USE social media — I don’t let social media and their owners use me. Sorry, I’ll not think what they say I must think, I’ll not do what they say I must do, and be totally sure that I’ll not buy the useless crap they say I must buy. Note to self: I must write an expanded and updated version of “Can it be that simple?”
Also, today’s social media is a wasteland where toxic extremist voices and fake news are amplified. Social media, at least the popular ones, are antisocial media.
So here’s how I use social media at this moment (I’ll edit this post if something changes):
Instagram: strictly nice pictures of family, pets, food, nature… This is how God intended Instagram to be used.
Facebook: same. In fact, most of my posts to my Facebook timeline are pictures cross-posted from Instagram. I mainly use Facebook to keep in touch with old friends. This is how God intended Facebook to be used. I do participate in Facebook discussions now and then (there are good discussion spaces if you know where to find them), but I don’t spend much time on Facebook.
Linkedin: I stopped using Linkedin years ago because I find it kind of boring. And since I’m not looking for a job or hiring others, I don’t find it useful. However, I restarted using Linkedin recently because it’s a good way to keep in touch with old friends. But again, I don’t spend much time on Linkedin.
Twitter: I’m making an exception for Twitter. Since Elon Musk took over, I’m using Twitter avidly because I want to be parts of Elon’s worlds. Worlds, because Elon wants to make humanity multi-planetary, starting with Mars. To me, this is much more important than whatever else they say about him. To me, Elon is the Capt’n of Spaceship Earth. Please follow me on Twitter!
I’ll even become a paying user of Twitter as soon as the option is open where I live. I fondly remember the good days of the old internet where we actually paid for useful products and services. I think we should go back to those good old days. Remember that if you don’t pay for the product, then you are “the product, not the customer” (Lanier again).
See my 3-parts love letter to Elon Musk ((1, 2, 3). Occupy Mars! This is my current Twitter profile picture:
I know that without heat there’s no light, and that noise is the price one must pay for the signal. But on Twitter, I try to contribute to the light and the signal instead of contributing to the noise and the heat.
Other social networks: I don’t use any. I do follow some interesting decentralized prototypes like Scuttlebutt and Manyverse, and I’m firmly persuaded that decentralization is the way to go, but the existing prototypes are not ready for mass use yet.
But the best way to follow me is to subscribe to my Substack newsletter / podcast at turingchurch.com. I’m there every day and I answer all comments and chats.
Cover image from Matt Niemi / Flickr.
