Anti-Social Media

 

Image courtesy Franchising.com

I have no idea why it's called social media.

That's deeply ironic nomenclature.

A quick glance at the various platforms reveals a combination of ignorance, semi-literate dialogue and pure humdrum grievance.

So why do I use it?

Like most people, I find it useful from time to time. My current project has made use of it to collect memorabilia, connect with prospective participants and explore interesting dry gullies. 

The problem, of course, is that it operates as a money-making machine, rather than as an instrument fostering communication.

That means that it's fair game for every anonymous grifter on the planet. They do pretty well. The global social media bot market is valued at $3.17 billion with projections indicating it will rise sharply to $10.16 billion by 2034, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.80%.

Here's a novel idea - nationalise it!

That would have a number of positive outcomes. The first is that it's a reliable earner, so profits would contribute to the national bottom line.

In addition, control by the elected government, rather than by a collection of unelected offshore billionaires, would result in removal of the sewer-like contents that flow (mostly from East to West across the Pacific). 

The internet, after all, was originally created as a resilient communication network using packet switching so that messages could automatically reroute if a portion of the network was damaged or destroyed.

Using it as a framework for fraud and grifting has destroyed that sunny and optimistic concept.