Stockholm Syndrome.
Been thinking I need to get away from Facebook—but how? Where?
I suspect a bunch of us would reconnect on LinkedIn, but that’s like leaving Walmart for Office Depot.
Social media profits from our fear of missing out. Are we really better connected now?
In many ways, we’re more divided than ever.
I miss the purpose behind forums.
We need something better.
Any ideas?
4 Comments
I’ve been thinking the same thing Brian. With all the scandals, data leaks both accidental and for profit it just seems like a ridiculous place to burn time I could be using to make stuff with. I imagine we’ll all need to keep business links active but I’m strongly considering wiping myself out as a person. And as you mentioned, I really miss forums, Facebook groups are dastardly places where knowledge goes to die once a day. I swear if I see one more “oil thread” I’ll have a stroke 😉
OMG. Too true, man. Too true.
Back in the day, we told people to use the search. Facebook came along and was all, “Nah. Just ask everyone anything anytime.” (sigh)
I think the hardest part of a post-Facebook world is figuring out how to preserve the diverse connections we’ve made over the years. My interests bridge automotive OEM and aftermarket, design and motorsport, business and leisure, startups and business continuity, sales & marketing, gadgets and craftsmanship—and I doubt it’s possible to have a single place where all of the above come together that ISN’T the next money-grubbing social network mindfunk. Bailing out of Facebook means cutting already tenuous ties.
Then again, maybe that’s a good idea.
Being forced to abandon social media, if only for brief moments, brings about a sense of relief in myself.
As well, our cell phone seemingly has become more of a camera and typewriter as the days pass.
The actual physical interaction has been lost…
… maybe this is the year to simply use Facebook as a another calendar, for organizing meets of similar interests.
Thanks for the reminder, that time lost is never recovered.
You got that right. Totally.
Restraint around checking our damn phones could definitely be considered resistance training these days—and is a worthy pursuit, too. Is there any muscle more worth strengthening than the one responsible for fighting distraction?
And I love how you consider your phone as being more of a camera and typewriter these days. As wordy as I tend to be, it’s still a bit of a struggle to do much writing on my phone—but that doesn’t mean I don’t try. I don’t know if I should be thinking about a nicer tablet with a keyboard or a Raspberry Pi setup. Would be nice to have something smaller than a laptop, but bigger than a phone, ya know?
But the loss of physical interaction you mention. That’s the really sad part. This tech used to bring us all together. And now it does more to keep us separated. I think that’s a huge part of the general malaise out there these days. I think you’re onto something with using Facebook as just another calendar. Organizing meets should be a simple thing. We should all try doing it more.