Social Media, and Me
I’m an internet elder – I’ve been active on the World Wide Web since 1995, I believe. I spent so much time in chat rooms that I flunked out of the University of Michigan-Flint.
Social media was not so much as a twinkle in anyone’s eye, yet I’d fallen prey to its allure, and paid a heavy price.
I was able to return a few years later, discovered the siren song of the student center and an amazing cluster of people – newspaper, “Gay and Lesbian Alliance,” as I think it was called then, it was a gold mine of perspectives and people and I sat on a couch in those offices until I flunked out again.
I got my education elsewhere, and tried to exercise more care in how much time I spent listening to and learning from others.
I should have been a student my entire life – I thrive on wading into the free flow of ideas and just soaking it all in.
But what do I mean by the “free flow of ideas?” It most definitely does not mean what Elon Musk says it means, but I’m quite certain he believes whatever Putin pays him to believe.
Email newsletters, then blogs, then fledgling social media platforms, then the all-encompassing Twitter… it’s been a journey! I spent sixteen years on Twitter so far, but the platform is becoming more untenable and unstable and uncomfortable every day.
I’m just beginning to consider that, while I crave the interaction with interesting people and the ability to just listen and learn, I don’t have the patience or tolerance or blood pressure to cope with all the rest.
And if we’re heading toward another Trump presidency, it won’t be safe – I cannot keep my mouth shut. I’ll end up on some sort of watch list and watch lists will be unsafe places to be in the America we’re becoming.
That doesn’t mean I won’t DO things, I just need to stop shouting at fascists until I cry.
I don’t know that I have a point, and I certainly don’t know what to do, but many, many of the internet friendships I value on Twitter are going to just fade away – I don’t know if I want to build more imaginary friendships hoping they become real.
I’m glad you’re here.
If you’d like to support my writing,
Paypal
Buy me a coffee