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Social Media - What was good has turned EVIL

Social Media - What was good has turned evil
by R S Westeren


Social media started with so much promise. The ability to easily reach out to family and friends that are not near with pictures and activities was universally accepted and used. To find long lost friends from school and neighborhoods that you long past moved from was like a online reunions that you did not have to travel to. I remember my first experience with social media, MySpace. Friendly back and forth banter making it a truly enjoyable experience. Facebook was next for me. Easier to post pictures and other media. Again friendly back and forth banter with friends and new friends. Pictures of grandchildren, pets and parents passes back and forth with notes of the activities we normally would miss. Instagram and twitter were now available allowing more opportunity to contact with the world using different media.

"Facebook is a popular free social networking website that allows registered users to create profiles, upload photos and video, send messages and keep in touch with friends, family and colleagues. Facebook is considered as a social media because you can be social with your friends, family and anyone."

More and more social media became commercial with advertisers creeping in to the communications. Like McDonald's who one time had great fries and hamburgers, they keep adding to the menu until they do nothing well, the social media outlets kept adding options, like market place, to get their market share the dollars available but now they do nothing well. They forgot KISS (keep it simple stupid) and have taken the joy from the process.

Where once friendly debates occurred now has become full of hatred, lies and control. Politics which had no place in the beginning now consume us. Fear mongering with carefully placed posts cause the masses to act like lemmings walking off the cliff to the sea. I fell for this also getting in the mix of passing these inciting posts creating responses that fueled the fire of controversy with no benefits.

Now these social media outlets are using there own rules, agendas and bias to censure anyone they choose to do so. They manipulate the posts to force their opinions upon all that consume it. More and more these bias social media outlets have become our "news" source.

As our local and national news no longer are providing unbiased information but are spewing propaganda with the FCC turning its collective head, Advertising money once was what news networks were selling but now its political views are their main money makers. Just as our "representatives" in the house and congress, public media no longer serves the public but for the wallets of the lobbyists. I long for the bygone days when news was reported and not analyzed for me. I do not need these political puppets posing as newscasters/reporters telling me what I should think of a situation.

So what is next?

We need to carefully examine the news that we choose to believe. Using multiple sources of both right and left wing ideologues we may find the truth somewhere in the middle. Sources such as the Congregational record must be read to have a full understanding of the legislation being presented. Be careful of summaries that can be swayed to either side of the aisle,

It may be time to take the power away from social media and return to basic one to one communications. The power of social media ends when no one uses it. Can this really happen, no probably not. But we may be able to affect their bottom line and thinking if we boycott them for a day, week or month.

I am proposing that on July 4th, 2020 that no one use, post and engage in the use of social media (Facebook, Instagram & twitter) for the day. If you need to communicate with someone or a group use email, video conferencing or call them! Can you survive a day without social media? Of course you can! Can you survive a week without social media? For myself I am going to close my social media accounts for 21 days! Why 21 days, because it takes about 21 days to create a new habit. At that time I will reassess the use of social media in my life and whether or not I will consume their product any longer.

Independence from Social Media Day
"Choose To Not Consume!" 
July 4th, 2020 


Grass roots movements start as small ripples in the pond only to grow into large waves that can knock down previous thinking and allow new thinking to occur. This is not a political movement, it is a movement to remind these social media giants that we are the consumer and we deserve to be treated as such. 

We can "Choose To Not Consume!"

The power that we hold can be simplified to a basic thing; where we spend our time and money. If we do not spend our time and money on social media their advertisers will pull their ads. No ads means no input of money to feed this giant monster. Supporting local business with our consumable income instead of online will cause our communities to grow. Mom and Pop businesses that were at every corner in the past have closed because of empathy of the community. This needs to change.


This is my small step towards the future. If you agree then join the Choose To Not Consume on July 4th.


For those who wish to keep in touch with me my email is is rwesterenstudio@gmail.com or contact me through this blog. 
If you want my phone number please contact me and I will give it to you (most of my friends already have it).


I BID YOU PEACE
Roger


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