Centralized Social Media Has Leveraged Us
Like all technologies social media as a tool is neutral. It’s the environment that shapes the narrative of a tool being good or bad. In this case, it’s centralization and the algorithm. These two things may be well-intentioned strategies to optimize the business’s revenue, but in this environment, have societal repercussions. We have got to a point where social media represents us, diminishing our complexity as humans. It’s a tool to be leveraged but we have let it leverage us to create billions of dollars’ worth of value for likes in exchange. Yes, those likes, for a minority of people lead to money earned, but it is still an unfair nonnegotiable trade as we give up our data, privacy, and energy. Let us take a look at why we start a website or join a decentralized network.
Problems with centralized social media:
- Ad-driven vs user-driven. Extraction based. How much can we extract for limited offerings? Requires tons of info to participate so the company can sell this info to advertisers.
- Accumulation of unchecked power leads to bias as seen in the Twitter files. This also leaves them vulnerable to intelligence agencies requesting information and guidance.
- Influence election most notably in place with little to no democracy. Even this year we saw Twitter censor Erdogan’s critics, helping secure his continued rule over Turkey.
Turkey has a critical election tomorrow
— 🌬Everyone4Everyone (@EmoryMort) May 13, 2023
Facing prospect of defeat, Turkey’s strongman president, Erdogan, got rightwing billionaire Elon Musk to help censor Erdogan’s competitor, and silence Turkey’s voters
A preview of what Musk will do for Trump in the US? https://t.co/Txh4JhSQIi
- Biased and engagement-driven algorithms are calculated to occupy our attention because centralization is all about profit. Engagement is not synonymous with value or positivity. It’s often rage and polarization.
- Data and privacy issues.
- The convenience of centralized social media impairs most people’s ability to learn about new technologies making them susceptible to anything without training wheels and vulnerable to basic scams. Decentralized social networks will require more learning potential if optimized.
- Security issues. A central point of failure if someone were to hack into it.
As a result, it accumulated enormous, unchecked power and influence. This snowball will continue to accelerate unless we consciously become combative. To boycott social media as a whole would be ridiculous. Instead, we invest in websites and decentralized networks taking back our power, data, value, content plus more. We stay due to convenience but the greatest breakthroughs in life come from enduring discomfort.
Why websites or decentralized networks:
- Opportunities to earn income easily on both for content creation.
- Websites offer more range of who we are. More humane and better representation.
- No ads = time saved.
- Both offer more control of data and privacy. You’re not required to give any information about yourself to join.
- Both offer more security. No central point of failure if someone were trying to hack.
- Open-source nature offers the potential for more innovation. User-driven.
- Censorship resistant which strengthens democracy.
- Through escaping algorithms, we reclaim our genuine identity back vs engaging in social media politics. We become more human again.
- Can be a way for your family generations down the line to see you and your thoughts without relying on the centralized network to remain online.
- A website is a way to stay connected with children and the elderly in your family who may not be on social media.
Power must be shared and not centrally allocated for obvious reasons. This is your reason to start a website or get started with decentralized networks. It’s fun, scary, and empowering. I’m sure there are concerns for those less tech-savvy. I was once there and am sympathetic. But to thrive in the digital world complacency will gradually become more harmful to your future. And collectively, we are as vulnerable as the worst of us. Invest with your actions in the world you want to live in and leave behind. What’s the point of democracy in a centralized ecosystem?
“I prayed for twenty years but received no answer until I prayed with my legs.”
Frederick Douglass
Just to mention a couple of options available:
Nostr- Welcome to Nostr (habla.news)
Mastodon- Explore – Mastodon
