zlacker

(Corporate) social media is a casino or shopping mall. There are fun things to do there but it's not a place for serious things. It's designed by intelligent people to be addictive like a drug. They hide the clocks and outside world, comp you food and drinks, and dazzle you with lights and sounds to keep you there as long as possible. Every moment you spend there is profit for them and a loss for you. The only thing you gain is the rush of being there.

>>noman-+(OP)
My social media presence directly affects my income, as the more I talk about the stuff I'm doing, the more visibility it gets, and the more money I make. Social media visibility (while doing something interesting) is also a good way of getting podcast invites and similar opportunities for even more visibility.

Social media isn't the only means of getting visibility, but it's a very important one.

>>margin+01
I get it. You go where the people are. That doesn't really negate anything I said except the rush part. Although being able to afford food is certainly a rush.

>>noman-+n2
The part I'm raising an objection about is "[that it's] not a place for serious things". It's in many ways key to being able to do serious things, if used deliberately. It's the mindless consumption part that is bad, and the point of my original post is that you can largely engineer that away.

>>margin+S4
Let me clarify. I'm not saying serious things aren't happening there. I'm saying serious things don't belong there. You're doing serious things there despite the fact that it's an addiction machine engineered for mindless consumption. You're at the casino selling to the gamblers while they're gambling because it's the only place in a 50 mile radius where people can hang out.

I'm not talking about lowercase social media which is generally socializing online. I'm talking about the massive survelliance and engagement bait economy that props up these horrifying data behemoths that cynically run these networks for giant profits.

You're there because you have no choice. You have no choice because that's where everyone is. That's where everyone is because of inertia, addiction, and novelty.