hot take, social media
I think social-media-as-a-service has done far more damage to society than even public commentators recognize; because it has deprived an entire generation of learning both how to build community yourself, and why that is an important and necessary thing to know.
hot take, social media
@joepie91 I wonder, actually. While it's true that the new generation can't build communities because it never learned the skill - I see them youngsters be very apt at organizing spontaneously, and they are very politically active and don't tolerate politician bullshit.
The political systems of today are actively hostile against any change that isn't backed by extremely centralized effort. I wonder if we'll see things changed when the system comes crashing down with young people straight up ignoring institutions and societal orders that failed them.
hot take, social media
@KFears I think it's a bit of a "trial by fire" situation; people learn organizing because they *have* to, and in the process learn (some) community building skills.
Unfortunately that's learning to build a *very particular kind* of community, one that aims to fight something that already exists. But once the problem is solved you need a different kind of community, one that *builds things up* and sustains them for the long term, and that requires very different skills.
I don't have concrete data to back this up, but my suspicion is that this might play a role in the tendency for revolutions in dire circumstances to result in decades of misery afterwards; because the revolutions are carried out by battle-minded folks, and they are not prepared to do the second, constructive part of the process.
hot take, social media
@joepie91 I fear there's not much that can be done here. If people are consistently denied every ability to organize constructively - destruction is the only future remaining.
re: hot take, social media
Seriously. The internet was a mistake
re: hot take, social media
@CosmickTrigger I wouldn't extrapolate it to that. The internet itself is quite decentralized, and the issue I'm describing is happening at the point of centralization that's built on top of that.
It relates much more to the incentives of capitalism than it does to the internet, as either a concept or a design.
hot take, social media
@joepie91 it’s also diminished their ability to learn how to build an identity.
Like you for example can post on any platform and I’ll know who you are, you’re not “joepie91 on XYZ platform”. Being reduced to a single profile (or even multiple profiles) limits your ability to grow beyond the constraints of those social media profiles.
Even communities built on platforms like Discord, Fediverse, GitHub, Facebook, etc… are too narrowly focused to show what you’re capable of.
A personal website, blog, forum, or other medium that is only limited by your own imagination and creativity really build an identity no social media platform ever can.