OH, Chicken Scratch… Please forgive me. I have neglected you. You became a place for me to briefly check in and scream at injustices that weren’t fit for polite company. I stepped away, but it certainly wasn’t because I’ve stopped writing. No, perish the thought. I have enough to fill a book on COVID and a book on cancer alone! No. I believe that my lack of participation here is that my attentions have been diverted due to my participation in social media. Due to the good and the bad that such participations have wrought. I saw a bright, shiny thing and I ran after it. I’m still running for it… No, that’s not accurate; it’s more akin to a light jog or a casual walk these days.
I would like to make amends. I look at this blog sheepishly. It is dated and of a different time. The majority of Chicken Scratch has not aged well. Case in point, one of my favorite segments, the Blue-ray Dossier, was made completely obsolete with the advent of streaming which took over several years ago. I have not paid attention to Chicken Scratch and instead I have invested time and energy into other electronic distractions. I held out a long-time concerning politics and religion but circumstances since 2016 have made such banality an impossible task – especially with the advent of social media and all of it’s pomp & circumstance.
So, what does one do? I mean, the genie is out of the bottle. There is no going back, right? The fact is we love our conveniences and the things that please us. There are no atlases or maps in my vehicle any longer because I use Google Maps and all the give and take that comes with it. Sure, I can get from point A to point B more efficiently, free from tolls & traffic, but I am not the only one who is concerned with my trip to point B. Nope, moment by moment my phone is being monitored. Oh, yours it to and, deep down, I believe we know this. The fact of the matter is, we don’t care anymore. This isn’t tin-foil hat territory any longer. It hasn’t been for quite some time. Have you ever had a brief conversation with someone within earshot of your TV or cell phone only to discover that the next time you’re on Facebook advertisers are actively trying to sell you the content of your conversation back to you – be it goods, services, or ideologies both political & religious?
So, what can be done? What is a healthy balance between using technology responsibly and living in an off-grid cave in the woods? I believe we need to rethink how we approach social media. We need to realize that there is no such thing as anonymity online any longer and that words still mean things (in some quarters). Social media should not be your journal or diary. You can use it as such but just understand that each of your keystrokes are being recorded somewhere, your opinions are being documented, your likes & dislikes are being honed to sell you something (at best) or to oppress you (at worst). Money & manipulation are the names of the game. If we can accept that premise, then we can start to take back a little bit or ourselves and not completely surrender to the algorithm. Think before you type. Pretend that your keyboard isn’t anonymous – like you are having a conversation in public. If you can do that, you’re ahead of the game.
Results may vary and I am still very much a work in progress, but I find that I am happier without corporate media’s 24/7 controlled ‘news’ cycle, doomscrolling, and the ideological battles that keyboard warriors – both worthy & unworthy alike wage their battles. The time one spends on social media is YOUR time. If you wish to fill it with rage & frustration, by all means, read and respond to the comments section. No thanks. The algorithm has painted us all into where the data that AI has collected says we should be. Then there are the soulless Bots employed by would-be oppressors to contend with, as well. No, you can keep your comments section. There’s a 50/50 chance you’re not unloading on a human (rational or otherwise) anyway. I truly feel that we need a mass movement of re-humanization. A moment of self-reflection where we evaluate our place in the digital landscape. Does the time you spend on social media bring you joy? If not, perhaps it’s time to step away from the keyboard for a spell.
Read a book.
Take a walk.
Learn how to cook.
Volunteer somewhere.
Whatever you choose to do to keep yourself sane, do that instead. I am old enough to remember a time before data aggregation when the net was open and free. In days of yore the BBS boards gave way to America Online, which yielded to My Space, which in turn yielded to Facebook and then Twitter. Everything was so bright and shiny and there was a bit of a learning curve. The early days of Facebook were the salad years of social media. Then came the data aggregation companies who became brokers of personal information around the globe. But as is the case with many advancements our technology has far outpaced our ability to accurately assess its true price – what it does to us both psychologically & sociologically. We, the end users of any social media platform, are the commodity. The price of participating is revealing everything about yourself to the algorithm.
Back in the early days it was a fun way to connect with people over the internet. Back from kindergarten playground chums to souls you have never physically met from around the world, a connection was being made. Good times. Then the learning curve flattened out, and the electronic population of social media quadrupled. Advertisers, corporations, municipalities, & governments (local, national, & international) took notice of how people, for a shot of dopamine, would reveal themselves to the world. The algorithm doesn’t simply suggest advertisers to you anymore, now it reports back to whomever wants to pay the price for your information – and this whomever was never your friend. As a matter of fact, this whomever is now monitoring you for how you think, behave, believe and the tools we thought were toys are now the chains that are being held by those who desperately wish to exploit and oppress and rule over you. Yes, your algorithm has been weaponized against us and will continue to be if we do not start to control ourselves and what we project into the electronic world for everything you do on your phone or on your laptop is monitored and scrutinized by people who wish to manipulate or control you just to sell you something - either material goods or services or agendas and ideologies.
Way back in 2013 I wrote a blog, Whistleblowers & the Prophesies of the Dark Knight. I was proud of this one. I see how naive it was now. Our ability as a species to properly keep pace with the emerging technology verses our rate of absorption at the cost of said technology is a problem. That blog entry has not stood the test of time due to the fact that mass surveillance is no longer behind closed doors but is before your screen be it on your phone, laptop, or TV as soon as you hit that “I Agree” button when you sign up anything you wish to do on the computer. It does not take a team of data aggregators to see that your electronic footprint, stretching as far back as possible, can and will be used against you. Your thoughts have been weaponized - yes, even the half-baked ones that you typed into a terminal back in 2013.
"So, what do I do?"
Be discerning. Practice the words you tell others you believe - you know the ones, "Do unto others as you would have done unto you." Tell the truth. Try to be on the right side of history and when the political nightmares and abuses you see in the news come crashing through your door to steal you away as you have seen others stolen away you can stand in the light of the truth. Brutality and dominion have always existed but so have kindness and freedom. The pendulum swings eternally. So, when the weight of world's ills is pressing down upon you from everything that your algorithm belches onto your social media feed what can you do?
Take a walk.
Learn how to cook.
Volunteer somewhere.
Whatever you choose to do to keep yourself sane, do that instead. I am old enough to remember a time before data aggregation when the net was open and free. In days of yore the BBS boards gave way to America Online, which yielded to My Space, which in turn yielded to Facebook and then Twitter. Everything was so bright and shiny and there was a bit of a learning curve. The early days of Facebook were the salad years of social media. Then came the data aggregation companies who became brokers of personal information around the globe. But as is the case with many advancements our technology has far outpaced our ability to accurately assess its true price – what it does to us both psychologically & sociologically. We, the end users of any social media platform, are the commodity. The price of participating is revealing everything about yourself to the algorithm.
Back in the early days it was a fun way to connect with people over the internet. Back from kindergarten playground chums to souls you have never physically met from around the world, a connection was being made. Good times. Then the learning curve flattened out, and the electronic population of social media quadrupled. Advertisers, corporations, municipalities, & governments (local, national, & international) took notice of how people, for a shot of dopamine, would reveal themselves to the world. The algorithm doesn’t simply suggest advertisers to you anymore, now it reports back to whomever wants to pay the price for your information – and this whomever was never your friend. As a matter of fact, this whomever is now monitoring you for how you think, behave, believe and the tools we thought were toys are now the chains that are being held by those who desperately wish to exploit and oppress and rule over you. Yes, your algorithm has been weaponized against us and will continue to be if we do not start to control ourselves and what we project into the electronic world for everything you do on your phone or on your laptop is monitored and scrutinized by people who wish to manipulate or control you just to sell you something - either material goods or services or agendas and ideologies.
Way back in 2013 I wrote a blog, Whistleblowers & the Prophesies of the Dark Knight. I was proud of this one. I see how naive it was now. Our ability as a species to properly keep pace with the emerging technology verses our rate of absorption at the cost of said technology is a problem. That blog entry has not stood the test of time due to the fact that mass surveillance is no longer behind closed doors but is before your screen be it on your phone, laptop, or TV as soon as you hit that “I Agree” button when you sign up anything you wish to do on the computer. It does not take a team of data aggregators to see that your electronic footprint, stretching as far back as possible, can and will be used against you. Your thoughts have been weaponized - yes, even the half-baked ones that you typed into a terminal back in 2013.
"So, what do I do?"
Be discerning. Practice the words you tell others you believe - you know the ones, "Do unto others as you would have done unto you." Tell the truth. Try to be on the right side of history and when the political nightmares and abuses you see in the news come crashing through your door to steal you away as you have seen others stolen away you can stand in the light of the truth. Brutality and dominion have always existed but so have kindness and freedom. The pendulum swings eternally. So, when the weight of world's ills is pressing down upon you from everything that your algorithm belches onto your social media feed what can you do?
If all else fails, block 'em. It's your time, after all. It doesn't have to be personal, perhaps you don't want a steady diet of "Factor X" on your feed. Take it back. Try to remember that you originally came to social media for fun and if your feed on any platform - Facebook, X, Bluesky, Instagram, WHATEVER begins to resemble a cavalcade conspiracies, lies, & overt political manipulation, drop it like it's hot. I have had to do so. Some cases I have had pangs of regret but most of the time it has been for the absolute best. Social media has, after all, provided ample opportunity for people to share their thoughts, feelings, & beliefs and if you are bringing nothing but hatred, lies, & racism to my feed - you've got to go. For the most part I came to social media for positive, progressive, & pleasant intentions. It's my time and it is precious. If you are not a monster we can be acquaintances or friends in real life, but if your online presence clashes with the intentions of which I came to social media for originally (or if you are a monster), then you can do so on your own feed without me.
Stand up for kindness and freedom and step away from the keyboard.
Read a book.
Take a walk.
Learn how to cook.
Volunteer somewhere.
Whatever helps in tapping down the insanities all around us. Evil men will do what evil men do. They have better tools these days, but so do we. Take back those pieces of yourself that have not already been categorized and cataloged. Write your own narrative and do not be manipulated into serving the algorithm and having it think for you. The sad truth is that people make money that can be traded for power when our information is used against us and the human animal does not always listen to the brighter angels of our nature.
Good luck, gentle reader. We are all works in progress. While I am attempting to re-humanize I am on social media less.
Stand up for kindness and freedom and step away from the keyboard.
Read a book.
Take a walk.
Learn how to cook.
Volunteer somewhere.
Whatever helps in tapping down the insanities all around us. Evil men will do what evil men do. They have better tools these days, but so do we. Take back those pieces of yourself that have not already been categorized and cataloged. Write your own narrative and do not be manipulated into serving the algorithm and having it think for you. The sad truth is that people make money that can be traded for power when our information is used against us and the human animal does not always listen to the brighter angels of our nature.
Good luck, gentle reader. We are all works in progress. While I am attempting to re-humanize I am on social media less.
I am happier for it.
Perhaps you would be too.
