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Published November 7th, 2022
With the latest changes in ownership in regards to Twitter I have been reflecting on the short duration in which I had a Twitter account. I have contemplated about creating a new account but I stop short of creating an account without first understanding my reason for needing or wanting to have a twitter account or any social media account for that matter. I had long ago deleted the account because I never really posted anything at all, I had no followers and most had the account out of worry that someone else might make a post claiming to be me when they were wanting to defame my name or character. I had no enemies so that argument was a moot point but even if it had happened I think that once it was discovered that the real me had no social media then hopefully the damage would be minimal but in this post political landscape I've come to realize that this idea no longer has merit in today's cancel culture which I have no intention in participating in. When I was younger I wanted validation and cared what people around me thought about me, being older and wiser I don't really care what people thing about me and strive to live my life for myself. There was a time when I thought I could change the world for the better using social media until I realized what I cesspool the majority of platforms are that for the most part are not tools for smart people but are simply time wasting landscapes for the simple minded masses that adhere to a collective hive mentality.
My Pinterest account I keep because it's ability to help me with ideas and discovery new idea or learning something new about myself and what I like. My Instagram account could likely be done away with if I were able to find a better source of discovery of knowledge nuggets such as quotes are finding people of interest with ideas without needing to put forth too much effort but I always have to keep my guard up against possible manipulation through unwanted misinformation campaigns, ads, and an algorithm that doesn't value education and knowledge. I don't forsee myself getting a twitter account again and I am going to work towards deleting Instagram if I find a better knowledge nugget platform elsewhere.
In general I am working toward getting rid of all unnecessary sources information about me on the internet by looking for old accounts and deleting them or making them non-public so they are unable to be found. In my younger dates I would have wanted to be found but today that is no longer true and do not want to have myself be easily found online. I enjoy my empty voicemail box that no one ever calls because I no longer give out my phone number. I do wish however that I had a friend that shared my interests even as much as I love my solitude. This may due to that fact that my evenings are not my own and neither is my free time or personal space for that matter. There are often times where I would just like to be alone with a book but I don't have this luxury being a parent to 4 children. en enjoy the time that I get without but also look forward to the day when they can care for themselves as adults.
I understand that having social media in today's world seems critical to be able to connect with other people especially when interactions in the real world are limited or even non-existent for many, myself included. It's difficult to find places to connect offline when everyone is online. My preferred method of communication is textual chat and email but I'm making sure the methods of communication that I use now support perfect forward secrecy (PFS) and encryption technologies to keep conversations and information private. Today's communication is heavily centralized and it needs to move to decentralized methods if we don't want our future to be a totalitarian one. I will continue to remove myself or resist joining any social media platforms where I'm able while keeping my eyes open for new decentralized technologies.