Update January 9, 2020
I have left Facebook and Twitter. Please see Staying in Touch below for how to contact me and the social media accounts I may still be on.
I am likely to leave YouTube relatively soon, and will be reducing my Amazon footprint, although probably not completely deleting my account.
A Hypothetical Situation
Can I get you to join me in a hypothetical?
As I understand it, historically Playboy had some really edifying articles. Meaty interviews of public figures and so on.
So the joke when I was younger was, “I only read Playboy for the articles.”
(In the spirit of full disclosure, when I was young I “read” Playboy and other pornographic magazines, and not just for the articles. I am not proud of that and I don’t really remember how edifying Playboy’s articles were. I had other, sinful reasons for opening the magazines.)
Heading into my hypothetical situation…
Let’s just say Playboy was a great way for me to:
- Get information and learn what’s going on in the world
- Stay in touch with friends and family
- Reach people (e.g. get the Gospel out to folks who otherwise wouldn’t hear it)
What would you say if I told you that I know that Playboy is a sinful publication that does tons of damage to folks who read it (and society), but I am going to stay on it for the three reasons above? Yeah, I know #2 and #3 are a bit of a stretch, but work with me (and heck, Playboy.com might have social media features that make them possible).
If I gave you the three reasons above, or even dozens of additional good, “righteous” reasons for me to continue to frequent Playboy…
And to get others to frequent Playboy…
What would you say?
I would hope you would tell me that I am wrong and should avoid Playboy like the plague and also vehemently discourage others from frequenting Playboy.
If you don’t consider pornography bad, choose some magazine that you do consider evil: The NRA’s “America’s 1st Freedom,” “Martha Stewart Living,” or whatever other one espousing and fermenting what you believe is evil.
Would it be okay for you to read it? Even more consequentially: Would it be okay for you to directly or indirectly encourage others to read it?
Social Media
Although we might consider it this for different reasons, I think everyone with any kind of conscience considers social media a digital cesspool. Right and left cannot agree on anything, but we should be able to agree on that, if only because it:
- It contains plentiful, evil content (regardless of differences in what we consider evil)
- It is designed (intentionally or otherwise) to increase division
It is probably no less evil than other things I consider extremely bad (e.g. Playboy)…or whatever you consider that way.
Yet I stay on it. I learn things I wouldn’t know otherwise. It’s the easiest way to stay in touch with family and friends, including new friends I wouldn’t have if it weren’t for social media (one of the things that make it hardest for me to leave). It allows me to reach people with my passions, from RC car’ing to the Gospel.
But. It. Is. Evil.
It. Is. Addictive.
It. Is. Wasting. My. Time. And. Eating. My. Soul.
And, worse than my Playboy hypothetical, it is being weaponized to stifle free speech under the guise that private companies can do whatever they want. It is putting its finger on the scale of the elite controlling the world, both by censoring anything it finds objectionable and by amplifying echo chambers that encourage people to be at each other’s throats (while generally trying to make it so only one side is actually strangled).
Why? Because it helps the few (elite) at the expense of the many (you and me). And because…
It. Is. Evil.
It does not believe in the principles elicited in the Constitution. It definitely doesn’t align with Judeo-Christian morals.
It. Is. Evil.
It. Is. Eating. Our. Souls.
So, if I tell you that I want to stay on it because it’s a great way for me to…
- Get information and learn what’s going on in the world
- Stay in touch with friends and family
- Reach people
What should you tell me?
Goodbye (Probably)
I have “probably” in parenthesis in the title, because I have not 100% decided to leave yet. Maybe my judgment is too harsh and social media is only problematic, not evil, and as such, the positives outweigh the negatives.
I am interested in your thoughts. Your views are important to me. You are important to me. Please comment below or reach out to me privately.
I have “big tech” in parenthesis, because I suspect my judgement of the big tech social media services (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc.) are accurate…but what about alternatives like Parler, Rumble. Sure, they may not do what I consider especially troubling (censoring one side), but they are likely cesspools too.
And when I say, “Cesspool,” I include material from “my side.” It is horrible out there, and I have contributed to it. Please forgive me.
So, unless someone convinces me otherwise, goodbye. Not because I don’t like you, but because I do love you.
I can’t do it any longer. I cannot keep poisoning myself and, even if that was okay, I cannot continue to encourage you to poison yourself.
What will it mean? I almost definitely will leave Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. I will still have multiple web sites, although I’ll probably zap some of them too. I may still use YouTube for work-related things.
I will try to be reasonable without being hypocritical. I will fail at some level.
Staying in Touch
I am not going to drop off them today. I will stay on for a little bit for two reasons:
- To get your feedback: tell me if you think I am bonkers and why
- To give you time to know how to get in touch with me
Even after I disappear, if you don’t have my contact information already, you can reach me at:
- me@alan.zone
- PO Box 444, Strasburg, CO 80136, USA
- (877) 547-2682 (it is unlikely I will answer, so please leave a message)
I will keep contact info up-to-date here on the Alan Zone.
If you would like me to stay in touch (heck, I might even write you a real, physical letter sometime), please send your contact info either to me@alan.zone or as a text or phone message to (877) 547-2682. You can also give it to me on social media while I am still on (although I plan on checking it infrequently).
UPDATE January 9, 2021: I am @JegErAlan on Parler, Gab, Rumble, and NewTube right now. You’ll find very little there (e.g. I just created accounts for the last two).
UPDATE January 10, 2021: I am Alan Fahrner on MeWe.
Remember
I want to stay on social media, because I love you.
I am leaving social media, in part, because I love you.
Most importantly…
I love you.
P.S.
Two things:
- I reserve the right to edit this to fix typos, improve my English, and to fill in gaps. 🙂
- Yes, I can understand the argument, “If all the good people leave social media, then…” I’ll make a deal, you tell me how I can convince my wife using that with a strip club, and I consider it. Not the strip club. The argument. 🙂