Thoughts on social media

Minus keeps producing thought provoking posts. This time I’m writing as a result of reading a post by Ron Bronson. Couple of interesting passages in there:

The thing I loved about Tumblr and miss about blogging generally, is the rapid nature of getting ideas out widely.

This raises an interesting question: why do we post content on social media? You know what, let me ask you this question directly: if you do use social media, why do you post on there? I personally know why I post on this side and that is to help both my own thinking process and to try generate interesting conversations with others.

But I suspect most of social media is not driven by those two motives these days. The dopamine rush and the need to find some sort of validation are both very strong componente of what social media has become.

If we don’t care about the likes and the possibility of going viral, then there’s no reason for using a social platform instead of a personal site. If the goal is to have a place where you can share content and ideas, a personal site is the perfect place to do it.

In fact, the pandemic changed my habits from posting daily to pretty much only posting either monthly or every few weeks when something not mundane is worth sharing. I like this trend, but I want to be even more extreme about it. Does that mean posting a “monthly digest” post where I share everything I did worth nothing? Or something else?

Why not ditch a schedule altogether, Ron? Why not share what you think is worth sharing when you think it’s worth doing? Social media algorithms have tricked us into thinking that life has to follow a regular pattern. You have to post constantly or you risk fading into oblivion. I call bullshit on that. The people who care about you and what you do will check on what you’re up to regardless. And they’ll do it at their own pace and convenience.

Divorcing the personal from the content feels like a solid direction towards the “internet of yore” where you don’t generate content in the hopes of selling it (or yourself…)

This is what we need more of in my opinion. We need more content that is not commercially driven. And that can only happen when you get back your place on the web and you do things at your own pace, following your own rules. The tools are out there. Emails and RSS still exist. We don’t need DMs and algorithms. Own your content, create your own personal space, and follow your own schedule.