The World According to Glissando

Tag: social-media

  • Social media: don’t put up with tepid content anymore

    A short while ago elsewhere, I wrote that audio podcasts are nothing more than talk show radio; a new high tech name for something that’s been around a long time. It has occurred to me that social media is much like the television broadcasting networks of yesterday. Today there are maybe 10 major social media platforms dominated by maybe 5 mega-sized owners. So, let’s say I have 10 “channels” to choose from.

    Here’s the point. I only watched the offerings I liked on broadcast television and if there was nothing on I liked, I wouldn’t settle for the least objectionable show, I would simply turn the television off and find something else better to do. Well, I’ve come to the same conclusion regarding social media. If there are 2 social media “channels” of the 10 I like, that’s what I will “watch”. However, if none of them are offering anything I like, I will not settle anymore for the least objectionable social media platform, I will simply shut them off.

    Facebook, for example, used to be about connecting with friends and sharing thoughts as the primary focus. Well, that’s long gone. To get a few, very few, posts by friends, I get an avalanche of unrequested and mostly unwanted posts from the manipulated digital abyss and endless advertising, often by lousy companies.   

    There is much more to all of this. All I am saying for now is, if you don’t like what you see, turn it off. Not forever, but until you get something you like. If enough people do it, the people controlling the “channels” with change the content on their platforms, just like broadcast networks a long time ago. Why? Because it hurts their almighty bottom line.

    The inspiration to write this post came from another friend’s recent post. It doesn’t matter who it was, what matters is that they were trying to create something of interest for their friends to participate in because they were bloody tired of the endless tsunami of advertising.  

  • Crap

    Crap. The internet is crap. Throughout history humankind has constantly made discoveries and advancements in virtually every area of endeavour in life, led by science and technology. There have been and are many remarkable men and women leading the charge. We owe a sincere thank you to all of these people. The majority of them, as chronicled in history, had a fairly altruistic character.

    There have always been many good people in the world, today included, but, there have always been a few too many not so good people. For some of the not so good people, their appetite to monetize and profit from anything and everything is all consuming. Nothing else matters, including other people.

    The internet. What a wondrous and amazing work of inventiveness. The goal was to improve communication between scientists and within the American military as I understand it. When it was first accessible to the general public, everyone utilized it because of its ability to connect people and share information quickly, even if they’re thousands of miles apart.  Enter the money people.

    As they quickly monetized the internet, it increasingly moved away from connecting people to a point now, where it is corrupt and poisoned beyond recognition. Where truth is whatever you want it to be and to hell with the consequences. It is perversely utilized to make money without conscious and without holding people accountable. Everything is “free”, where, in fact, nothing is free. The goal of social media is to addict you, and your kids, to using it and distract you from what is going on in the world around you. It’s all about power and money, and how to achieve these wanton desires in any way one can without morals, without scruples.

    This was not the intention of the creators of the internet. Their intent was much nobler, but, humanity being what it is and has been throughout history, has turned it into crap. A circus sideshow that unfortunately now dominates the world. For every person working right now on a new discovery, there are one hundred vultures eager to exploit the new discovery in any way they can for power and money; even if it creates addiction, corruption, hate, falsehoods and the list goes on and on. And AI? Yes, indeed, the internet is crap.  

  • King

    The man who would be King? No, it’s not Donald Trump, its Elon Musk. Musk has set his sights on ruling the U.S., then Europe, then the world, and then space. Right now, he says he wants to make Europe great again. Ultimately, he wants to make the Universe great again. I would add this means he wants to rule the Universe.

    I think he may get some push back from God, but, nevertheless, this is Elon’s goal. Supporting Donald Trump is just the first step in his ascent to being King. And, unlike Steve Bannon and others who got bigger press than Trump resulting in their downfall, Musk is much smarter. He won’t make the same mistake. This is why he panders to Trump. And, he has patience. He’s only fifty-three.

    Speaking of age, apparently Musk and some other billionaires are looking to science to live forever. They are devoting significant dollars to this undertaking (pun intended). I wonder if they have spent any money feeding starving children. Probably not. Sociopaths are not known for supporting anyone but themselves.

    Musk also talks a lot about freedom of speech. The man doth thee protest too much. He is against the Tik Tok ban in the United States as he says it is a hindrance to freedom of speech. But, then he adds, just like his platform X (formerly Twitter) is banned in China and therefore a hindrance to free speech. You have to understand, he says all this not to further the cause of freedom of speech; he does it for the usual reasons…money and power.

    So, will Elon live forever and become King of the Universe? Time will tell, but, I think not. People have been trying to physically live forever since the beginning of time and God is in charge of living forever, despite humankind’s best efforts. As for King of the Universe, the Universe is far too big to be ruled by one minuscule speck of worldly dust.

  • FBBS

    Facebook. It was a wonderful new way to connect with friends: past, present and future. It was user friendly. You were allowed to “Friend” anyone you wanted to if the other party was agreeable. You received your friends’ posts as they happened in chronological order. Their posts were the primary focus. But, once they got enough people hooked, they changed it. Why? Avarice, of course.

    Today’s Facebook is very different. The priority is no longer connecting, and your friends’ posts, its’s whatever Facebook’s priority is. You can no longer easily “Friend” someone who is a new real life friend. Instead, you have to choose from the choices given to you by Facebook. Content? You can sometimes wait days to see a Friend’s post, if at all. Instead, you are inundated with ads, often by lousy companies; and Facebook chooses all types of posts from anyone they think you might be interested in. Why? The are trying to drive up advertiser dollars, not help you connect.

    Facebook was a great concept, but, like so many other things, it got corrupted by the desire to make more and more and more revenue. I have no problem with companies and people making money. It’s the avarice I have a problem with. For now, I am still on Facebook, but nowhere near as much. It’s because of all the friends I have made in the earlier days of Facebook. But, as I see less and less of their posts, eventually I will stop using the app. Friends were the reason I used Facebook in the first place. I certainly think I am not the only one who feels this way. Facebook…take note.  

  • News

    Some people are saying to abandon the “Legacy Media,” which is the term used for the traditional news media. The supporters of this concept say Legacy Media is not truthful. They are biased and constantly lie. So, who is saying this? The answer: people who don’t like the truth or want to control what the truth is via social media platforms.

    Why are they saying this? Of course, money, power and control are some of their objectives. Remember, online truth is actually difficult to find. You have to be discerning and know your sources well enough to trust what they are reporting as news. And that’s the problem with rejecting the traditional news media.

    Look at it this way: if you eliminate traditional media, you have less sources of potential news, not more. Sure, if you want to put your faith exclusively in online platforms, that’s your right, but, eliminating traditional media gives you less options to discern the truth. You are actually losing an element of free speech and freedoms.

    Those who seek cultural control, control of the masses, money, or power are always empowered by restricting or controlling the sources of information, be it online, traditional or other media. These people want to control the news. However, unlimited, freely accessed news is imperative for your rights and freedoms, and for democracy. Think about any authoritarian country and they have one thing in common: they control all news media.

    So, I say, don’t abandon traditional media. It invites news media control. They are a source of information, which you may or may not like, but, they should have the right to present information the same as any online platform. When you eliminate a source of information, you are losing some of your rights.