After all these years I finally gave in and joined Twitter. It only took about a month for the disease of social media to infect me. Today, I deleted Twitter.
Social media isn’t just a social disease, it’s insanity. It’s making us less free, it’s the root of just about all things wrong. Sorry people, anyone who’s on it is insane.
So I wrote this to Anand Giridharadas, the reason why I joined Twitter.
Howdy brother,
We started coding the world’s first private network in 2007. I saw then, what’s happened now, that social media would become a social disease. I couldn’t believe that people would fall for it. I was sure they’d be furious when they discovered they were the product being sold. I imagined them showing up to Facebooks door and doing this:
After all these years I finally gave in, joined, just so I could follow you. But then I found myself getting sucked in. I started losing time. I started reading threads. I got addicted, exactly what the engineers designed social to do. I even sent out a Tweet. And it only took a month.
No way. I’m not going to do it. I’m not getting sucked into the abyss.
It really sucks, that the only way I can follow you is on social media. Because I think you’re one of the brightest minds out there and a super important voice for our time.
But I’m not going to poison myself. That’d be like eating meat. Or to start doing drugs or drinking again (I’ve been clean since 4.16.07. My wife since 7.4.05).
You guys complain about the machine, talk about how much Twitter sucks. But then you’re feeding the machine by being on social. You say “how else will people find me?”. You could have a blog. You could have a email newsletter. How did we find great services/stuff/goods/services before social media? We talked to others.
I love your words. But I think you’re ignoring what social media has done and will continue to do to us unless we the people, walk away.
Yes, we need new networks. I know what they are, what needs to be done. Maybe we’ll dust off our code.
But what I’m not going to do, is compromise my values. I will not feed the machine and I’m pleading with you too, to stop feeding the machine. To follow your words.
If Twitter sucks, why are you on it? Walk away, my brother. Tell others to do the same. I would pay for your words. I bought your book. I’d pay for others words, too. Surely, I’m not alone.
Please stop feeding the machine. I love you and your familia, brother.
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