What's in a Number?

[kmo]

In recent conversations, I've been returning to the idea that Facebook and social media generally are driving us insane. Social media, and Facebook in particular are certainly useful. I went to my 30-year high school reunion last year, and Facebook played a major role in shaping that gathering. The Friends of the C-Realm group on Facebook puts me

Comments

No horse

[dode]

I really enjoyed the semi-rant from the end of episode 512 that covered this. I tend to agree that social media or the way a lot of people are using it is driving us nuts. Partly I blame how it has typically become reactive. Adopting an app or allowing your web browser to interrupt other activity creates an irritation or starts brain juices flowing that drive us away from thought and toward snarling. I noticed that earlier technologies like Usenet generally degraded as more become tended to be always on. In the days of dial-up and download there was always time for thought and the possibility to edit a post before the next batch of messages were exchanged.
Douglas Rushkoff seems to be drifting in the same direction on his musings about social media and the impact of the great distract-or. It might be worth trying to pick this up again with him.
I'm trying to disengage at least with parts of social media and have disabled all messages, making time in the morning and evening to catch up with the friends and acquaintances I value there. I'm also trying to get back into the habit of using LJ but it's been some time.
I avoid sitting on anything with teeth but have frequently listened to the podcast while rowing both on and off the water. Before moving back to the UK it was part of my commute turning an hour of european motorway into something I looked forward to in the mornings.