The other day I dipped my toe back into the world of Meta social media platforms (you know…. Facebook, Instagram, those AI-infested, anti-privacy, trash sites).  I did not visit as an active user/engager, per se, but as a lurker just to monitor the “Friends Feed” for any personal news or events that I would like to know about.  Basically have added this to my morning inbox and news checking regimen.

I will rarely (if ever) actively engage on any of those sites as a personal user although promotional and event posting on behalf of Nuclear Gopher is not out of the question.

Anyhow, couldn’t help but notice two things.  First, even when I limit myself to the Friends-only feed, the number of personal type posts is very small and two, many of them are posts in response to political current events.  I understand that this is a thing that people do.  I used to do it all the time, so, I get it, but I gotta be honest and say that I cannot think of a single good thing that comes from those posts.

A thing happens, a person gets angry, that person then logs on to an app platform run by a multi-billion dollar tech company that has a business model based entirely on manipulating human psychology in order to drive “engagement” in order to monetize our relationships with each other.  Often the person is using the platform in order to complain about some outrage committed by the very people who own and operate the platform without seemingly being bothered by the fact that every time they use the platform for any reason they help create the very thing they are railing against.

The only real solution is that we all stop using privately owned and operated communications platforms that exist to monetize our relationships. They are simply evil, they cannot be salvaged, and our collective use of these platforms is at the root of the rise of fascism throughout the world.

We have willingly allowed our interpersonal relationships to be manipulated for commercial and political gain and then we wonder why the manipulators are the ones with the power?

They want us posting about our political feelings on the platforms they own.  It increases engagement and strengthens them even if we are against them.

Authoritarians and cult-leaders all understand that the most important step in making masses of people do your bidding is to control the messages they receive, the information they consume, and the methods by which they communicate.  It’s fascism 101.

It is tragic me to witness how many people continue to engage with these platforms.

Unless you are pro-fascism, pro-oligarchy, and are good with having your information diet and personal relationships manipulated by the very people you oppose, you need to legitimately ask yourself why the hell you still post anything on X, or Facebook, or Instagram.

Keep your old accounts, sure, make sure you can stay in connection with old friends or family who are still over there, but move to something open, move to something based on ActivityPub or ATProto, move to the open internet, post on a good old fashioned blog, start being the change you want to see in the world, and stop adding fuel to that particular dumpster fire.

Or, alternatively, just admit that your are more willing to be part of the problem than part of the solution.  Because there IS a solution.

The return of the open, standards-based, non-corporatized internet could happen tomorrow if we all stopped using corporate-controlled social media at once.  Maybe we need a Big Social liberation day.  One day when we all collectively jump ship.  Wouldn’t that be nice?  After all, the only thing really keeping us on these trash platforms is the fear of losing touch with each other.  If we all knew that we were all leaving together, we could change the world in an afternoon.