Can we just be honest? It's time to ghost social media and the billionaires who run it.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

I think it’s time. Grab only what you can carry and meet me outside. We’re leaving social media. We tried. We failed. Let’s just move on and laugh about this later.

-snip-

Let’s just agree to walk away

The arrival of Musk at Twitter is being heralded as some kind of protection of free speech. It’s also being fretted over by people who are convinced he’s going to let the social media platform descend into pure chaos as (more) misinformation and Truth Social conspiracy theories take hold and spread.

-snip-

So who was actually surprised when hate speech spiked as soon as Musk took over? Obviously, Twitter wasn't exactly a bastion of love and acceptance before new ownership came in. It played its part in spreading hate, racism and misinformation throughout the country's recent rough patch.

But do you believe that's going to get better or worse with somebody with Musk's history on the platform now having total control? Especially after he fired the person in charge of, well, moderation. That move alone kickstarted the discussion of former President Donald Trump making a hateful return. How many warning signs do you need to see that, as bad as things were on the platform, they're going to get worse?

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/opinion/can-we-just-be-honest-it-s-time-to-ghost-social-media-and-the-billionaires-who-run-it/ar-AA13J02s

[kysrsoze]

1. I truly believe if we don't reject social media, it will be the downfall of our society.

I've felt this way for a year or so. The way these sites push certain agendas and amplify certain voices/opinions and over others is extremely damaging. They become echo chambers and destroy the notion of truth and ratchet up anger. I've seen so many relationships destroyed over politics, and it's not gotten any better. It's actually far worse now.

[question everything]

2. It is not just hate speech. It is that for too many social media is their sole

source of information. It has eliminated the desire, at least in theory, to hear more than one side.

It is the easy way to just click on a link.

I think that the Russians interfered in the 2016 elections when many on social media clicked on links.

It is the quick acceptance here, too, a twit as real news, instead of the wishful thinking by the twiter.

It is the inconsideration by many here to copy and paste a comment instead of linking a tweet.

It is the belief by many, also here, that senator so and so or general so and so personally replies to their twits.

Social media can have value if we take it for what it is: quick posting of what comes to one mind without much thinking instead of "breaking news."

[Scrivener7]

3. I totally agree, but I don't think it will ever happen. It is designed to give people

regular small hits of dopamine and rather than admit they are addicted to something that is harmful to them, they choose to believe they need it, or they don't need it and they can "quit any time but stop bugging me about it, there's nothing wrong with it."

DU is the only social media I use, and I readily admit I'm a little addicted. Thankfully, EarlG is a lovely person who cares about his users wants a better world.

Recognizing I was addicted to Musk's and Zuckerberg's products would freak me out.

[FirstLight]

4. I agree....BUT...

Facebook is my downfall and huge time sucker, I know. BUT there's people on there that I would probably lose contact with ...friends from writer's groups on the platform from across the country, old HS friends who I have been able to reconnect with and would like to stay connected with. I dont know what the answer is.

Maybe as an experiment I'll send out a message to my friends and see how they would approach staying in touch without the platform?

[Chakaconcarne]

5. There are other ways to connect with people...

We did it pretty easily before Social Media.

Dump it all... there's some good to it, but it's mostly poisoning our society.

[GenXer47]

6. at the zenith of communication in human history

have we come to realize there is such a thing as TOO MUCH communication?