Photo by Ian Hutchinson on Unsplash It’s been said that protesting against Facebook (“FB”) is like protesting against the telephone. FB is the cornerstone of so many social media/marketing strategies — from those of huge corporations to beginning bloggers. Yet, I’ve never jumped on the FB bandwagon. I finally got a FB page that I rarely use. I only use it to gain access to a very few specific groups that can’t be found on any other platform. FB is included on the list of social media plug-ins that comes automatically on website platforms (and is included on this site), so if you do wish to spread content via FB you are welcome to. But Gluten Free Safari does not have a specific FB page.
That being said, somehow Instagram (though it is owned by FB) doesn’t bother me as much. For one thing, Instagram was far easier to set up without having to have advanced technical knowledge to avoid divulging information that should be protected. For another, Instagram is a natural fit with a food blog. So the nascent Instagram site for Gluten Free Safari will exist in hopefully expanded form!.
My big issues with FB involve privacy and its famous/infamous “algorithms.” Long story short, I don’t want to “lean in” and cede over my privacy to Mark Zuckerberg and his minions so that they can make billions of dollars.
I decry 1) the misinformation allowed to fester on FB;
2) the FB algorithms the whole purpose of which is to continue to silo humanity, rather than to expose us to a variety and wealth of ideas and content.
3) The tendency of too many who rely on FB for information, even though FB is not subject to the same standards and laws of other journalistic organizations. In fact, relying on one’s FB feed for “news” is dangerous: it doesn’t matter whether you’re Left, Right, or where you fit on any given spectrum. Reading a “news feed” that is really just an increasingly narrow and cacaphonic echo chamber doesn’t inform, it divides.
I know some otherwise very well-educated and intelligent people; who, because they only consume news on FB, have some serious misapprehensions. For instance, that the Covid vaccine contains tracking devices so that some mystical force will be directing humanity in unison at a future date. Funny this has never been a concern with any of the flu vaccines.
It is our responsibility as citizens to be well-informed — from a variety of sources — so that we can make informed political votes and informed votes as consumers with our dollars, and to learn, learn, learn. We are so lucky to be living in the most powerful country in the world. But that power only persists because of each of us.
If we cede our responsibility to be as smart and informed as we can about politics, food, the environment, civil and human rights, health, the economy — and everything else that matters — we cannot rely on the reputation of the United States for a good life and a good country. The United States of America is up to each of us. It’s constantly in a state of flux. It’s an idea, a constitution, a set of expectations and civil institutions and traditions.
If we get sloppy as to our responsibility in any one of these areas, the country suffers. In turn, the world suffers. And we suffer. It’s up to us.
That being said, somehow Instagram (though it is owned by FB) doesn’t bother me as much. For one thing, Instagram was far easier to set up without having to have advanced technical knowledge to avoid divulging information that should be protected. For another, Instagram is a natural fit with a food blog. So the nascent Instagram site for Gluten Free Safari will exist in hopefully expanded form!.
My big issues with FB involve privacy and its famous/infamous “algorithms.” Long story short, I don’t want to “lean in” and cede over my privacy to Mark Zuckerberg and his minions so that they can make billions of dollars.
I decry 1) the misinformation allowed to fester on FB;
2) the FB algorithms the whole purpose of which is to continue to silo humanity, rather than to expose us to a variety and wealth of ideas and content.
3) The tendency of too many who rely on FB for information, even though FB is not subject to the same standards and laws of other journalistic organizations. In fact, relying on one’s FB feed for “news” is dangerous: it doesn’t matter whether you’re Left, Right, or where you fit on any given spectrum. Reading a “news feed” that is really just an increasingly narrow and cacaphonic echo chamber doesn’t inform, it divides.
I know some otherwise very well-educated and intelligent people; who, because they only consume news on FB, have some serious misapprehensions. For instance, that the Covid vaccine contains tracking devices so that some mystical force will be directing humanity in unison at a future date. Funny this has never been a concern with any of the flu vaccines.
It is our responsibility as citizens to be well-informed — from a variety of sources — so that we can make informed political votes and informed votes as consumers with our dollars, and to learn, learn, learn. We are so lucky to be living in the most powerful country in the world. But that power only persists because of each of us.
If we cede our responsibility to be as smart and informed as we can about politics, food, the environment, civil and human rights, health, the economy — and everything else that matters — we cannot rely on the reputation of the United States for a good life and a good country. The United States of America is up to each of us. It’s constantly in a state of flux. It’s an idea, a constitution, a set of expectations and civil institutions and traditions.
If we get sloppy as to our responsibility in any one of these areas, the country suffers. In turn, the world suffers. And we suffer. It’s up to us.
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