These are incredibly exciting times we're living in. If there is one thing everyone can agree on, we're moving at light speed right now. I'm not anti-tech, I just don't trust the people in power to use this new technology in an ethical way. Besides that, I'm not very trusting of what we currently call journalism.
As many of you know, I gave up most of my social networking accounts a couple years ago. I'm down to a Hive account and an Instagram account for motorcycle images. The only reason I still post here every so often, is that we have a very cordial, educated, and fairly polite community here. Most times we refrain from propaganda and politics. On top of that, the stories here are authentic and I believe the algorithms and voting structure treat MOST people fairly, although it's not a perfect system.
Almost immediately after killing my X account, my attitude changed. I was no longer being bombarded with political propaganda nor arguing with strangers over issues neither of us fully understood. We talk so much about mental health issues, yet nobody want's to talk about the cause of those issues. Frankly, I feel the real story is not how addictive social media is to ourselves and our children. The real story should be what is it doing to our mental health.
Personally, I noticed a huge difference in my mental health as soon as I quit X. After closing my X account, I began watching more and more news on TV and also through news aggregators on the internet. I mean you have to stay informed right? Sadly, this turned into me yelling and shouting at the TV grumbling about how the news isn't being reported properly anymore. Each piece of news feels more like propaganda and being told how to feel rather than actual news story or even "just the facts" for that matter. I know it's not that way everywhere, but it sure feels that way lately here in America.
Again, I decided to cut out the distress. I began limiting my news intake to 30 minutes of nightly news each night after dinner. Getting old skool with it, the way we did when I was a child. Limiting the amount of news I consumed also seemed to help. I'm down to checking the nightly news just a few times a week.
The other night while thinking a lot of this over in bed. I came to the conclusion, that I may have to become a luddite in order to find happiness in this society. I mean with social media, it's almost like you can't get away from it all. We are bombarded with A LOT OF NEGATIVITY from the time we wake up, until the time we go to sleep. Throughout history, we have never had access to information that spread this quickly. Something happens in Paris at 9am, most of the world knows it by 10am. We're literally getting global news in real time as it happens.
So the question I have is, If our news is being manipulated, we can't trust the people in charge to fix ANYTHING, and we're constantly being bombarded by mostly bogus and negative information, is becoming a luddite (one who scoffs at technology and refuses to use it) the solution?
Again we have to ask ourselves about mental health. We have a pill for everything and a cure for nothing. I'm reminded of the old internet meme, "Before you start consuming anti-depressants, make sure you aren't surrounded by complete assholes that are driving you crazy".
And that my friends is exactly how the internet and modern media makes me feel these days.
With that said, I do love my Hive account. Even that has changed. With the exception of a few people left on here, a lot of people have come and gone. So I'm not sure how much I'm going to be posting. I'll probably keep checking in a couple times a week. On top of that, I'm not sure what I want to write about anymore. First it was crypto, then travel and motorcycle culture, now reselling. So, I guess when I have something to say, I'll say it on here. I try to shy away from politics, however, I do enjoy writing a political piece from time to time.
Besides that, I think we all need to ask ourselves if this social media craze is really making any of us happy. I get all things in moderation, but for some reason, that rarely works out with social media. Some how, it sucks us into the void and keeps us coming back for more.
I am seriously contemplating finding a home in a remote part of a forest somewhere and just trying to leave it all behind. No TV, no internet, no radio, just a man, nature and a guitar. Maybe, becoming a luddite isn't such a bad idea after all.
Image courtesy of Perchance AI.
