My general disappointment with the social media platforms at my disposal can be whittled down to one word: power. Or lack thereof.
If the promise of social media is connection, I suppose that’s okay. But the real world is always better for connection than any screen can be. I have some close friends IRL and we barely have any digital interaction. Why? I suppose because the connection I feel on any number of social media platforms is so weak. The bonds created there are not strong. So as my disappointment has grown, the connection feature of the platforms matters to me less and less. Why I still stick around is power. And Influence.
The need to be heard, the need to share my work, my ideas, my rage. If what I share in search of power also brings connection, I’m okay with that. But if it’s just about connection, I don’t see any social media platform worthy enough to put time into in order to gain that benefit. I’d rather have a beer with you and shoot the shit. Outside of that, I’m sure you’re busy, I’m busy, blah blah blah.
These tools I use to push for a better, more progressive world. And they aren’t so great at doing that. But in the flux of the chaos of the day, I still see them as needed tools and I’ll continue using them as such. To simply connect to stay in touch or catch up, na. Let’s talk on the phone or at the bar or on a walk around the neighborhood. Or at the very least, a text or email direct is way better than a post put out into the ether. The types of things we’ll connect on I don’t want spied on or data-fied anyway. I’d prefer our conversation to be lost in the wind.
What I want these platforms to learn from me instead is the need for a united progressive agenda in order to make our country and our planet better for everyone. That’s what I use social media for.
