Day 3814

I used to like social media. Back in the dark ages when blogs were popular I was even considered an influencer. Sites like Klout gave me free stuff and I had a huge following on Google+. I never took it seriously though. The blog was just a lazy man's way of maintaining the daily journal I used to write by hand in little leather bound books that I would buy every January at a local stationary store. It never occurred to me that other people would want to read this stuff. It still baffles me why some of you are here.

For many years the Internet seemed harmless and innocent. There were no passwords or hackers. Nobody was trying to steal your identity. Occasionally you would strike up a conversation with someone who was even nerdier than you were. Then Facebook appeared.

Somehow everything has changed. From my perspective, social media has become a corrosive, destructive force. I'm not sure we should be connected. It has become far too easy to see what is trending and just drink the cool-aid. I remember people saying how wonderful it was that the Internet gave people a voice during the Arab Spring. Then look what happened. Country after country in the Middle East descended into chaos. Now the chickens have come home to roost. My own country is descending into chaos as well.

I'm not completely sure why all this is happening, but I have a feeling that it has something to do with the false sense of belonging that social media can give you. Social media and tribalism go hand in hand. It's easy to find like-minded individuals on the Internet. The platforms are set up that way. Why do you think Facebook invented the whole concept of 'friends" and "likes"? They make more money by aggregating you into groups with similar interests.

The whole friend thing has gotten out of hand though. I never wanted to know this much about you guys. I've worked with people for over twenty years and never knew much about their political beliefs or personal opinions. It was better that way. When you had to look someone you knew in the eye before you spoke, you learned to measure your words carefully. Friendships were built slowly over many years. The Internet made it far too easy to wear your heart on your sleeve with no consequences. People use their words like flamethrowers now.

I can't recall that I've ever unfriended anyone. I've usually been content to live and let live. So why do I suddenly feel the desire to unfriend people now? Probably because folks I've known for years appear to have lost their minds. How can you go from "stay inside or you'll kill grandma" to "join me on the streets or you're part of the problem" almost overnight? Some of the most strident social distance advocates are now arm-in-arm spreading the virus everywhere because something new has captured their attention. You can't really have it both ways. I wish everyone would just quit virtue signaling. It's not a good look. Nobody is as virtuous in real life as they like to appear on the Internet anyway.

Freckles is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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