On Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2020, I created a post for Facebook letting my connections know that I would be quitting FB on the following Friday (11/20). One hour after posting, my message did not even appear on my husband’s newsfeed. Twenty hours later, I had a total of 2 reactions and 1 comment.
I knew I was taking a chance with the post being restricted by FB’s algorithm when I included a link to the website for the Netflix film, The Social Dilemma. Maybe the link did cause the distribution of my post to be limited or maybe, because I have not been active on FB for 3+ years, most of my connections were not interested.
I am not concerned about my popularity but I am very concerned with how social media is “reprogramming” us. The tagline on the film’s homepage reads, “Discover what’s hiding on the other side of your screen”.
We hear a lot about algorithms, but did you know that social media is now using algorithms driven by artificial intelligence? AI can think faster than you and can “analyze” you better than you know yourself. The AI-driven algorithm is giving you content that will keep you wanting more … like an addiction.
I know people love social media and they would rather not listen to any bad news. But putting heads in the sand will not protect our young people and the consequences for them can be devastating.
There are ways to take action that do not require deleting your social media accounts, but you need to be informed. PLEASE watch The Social Dilemma and decide for yourself.
- The text and image below are my Facebook post from 11/17/2020.
This Friday, 11/17, I am deleting my FB profile. I watched T*h*e S*o*c*i*a*l D*i*l*e*m*m*a on Netflix and felt moved to do anything I could to help change “how technology is designed, regulated, and used.” Canceling FB is my first small step.
In the TSD film, some of the founding people who designed and built Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, etc. are sounding the alarm about the path these platforms have taken and their negative influence and manipulation, especially of young people. Those sounding the alarm will not allow their own children on social media while those who are getting ridiculously rich from these platforms say it’s not what it seems. (Today at a hearing before the U.S. Senate, Jack Dorsey admitted that social media can be addictive.) You can judge for yourself.
The TSD film and website suggest different actions to take to protect yourself, your children and grandchildren, and society. These range from deleting your FB account to reclaiming your screen time to telling FB to #DoYourJob and detox the algorithm. (I put * in the film title above to try to bypass the algorithm’s censorship and hope the link below gets thru.)
For friends who want to contact me, my phone number has not changed in over 20 years!
