In the last few years, I’ve watched the tone of the Internet take a dark turn. When I say Internet, what I really mean is social networks. I’ve met many people in real life, because of interactions online. It’s been awesome to find people with similar interests and backgrounds, but equally awesome to find people from different interests and backgrounds. I think it’s helped me grow as a person.
Before Twitter, I was an active user on FriendFeed (2007-2009). Then Facebook purchased them and I switched to Twitter. I’ve watched the Twitter platform evolve over time. Some changes I’ve liked and some changes… Well, you can’t win them all. But Facebook has been something altogether different. I never saw the draw of Facebook. I feel I created a Facebook account due to peer pressure. If I wanted to talk with people from school or from when I was in the Marines, they were all on Facebook.
I’ll admit, I’ve been more of a lurker on Facebook than anything. It’s because I roll my eyes at most of the conversations that have anything to do with differences in race, gender, or political affiliation. Often, I read two or more people having a civil dialog and in waltzes someone uninvited to the conversation. This person demands to be heard. They are a friend of a friend or a relative. They generally speak in platitudes and absolutes. They are certain that others are wrong, if they don’t agree 100% with them. Lastly, they have no qualms insulting you.
Looking at both Twitter & Facebook platforms, neither are perfect. But Twitter appears to be working toward taking a stand to prevent the spread of misinformation & hate. This week, as I read posts and saw video footage of the rioting and marches taking place for Black Lives Matter, I saw Twitter and Facebook trolls come out of the darkness at a rate I’ve never seen. I’ve known they exist on the platforms. But recent events have brought them into the light. Just yesterday, I saw someone spouting hate, using racial slurs and making hollowed threats on Twitter. In short order, several of us reported the account. The account was quickly suspended because it violated the Twitter rule against hateful conduct.
This should be how society works. I get that it’s their First Amendment right to say whatever they want. But, if a platform has rules against saying certain things, then you either follow the rules or you find another platform, even if you are the President of the United States.
But Facebook seems to be going down a different path. They are mostly silent when false or hateful statements are published. They act like they are not responsible. But they created the platform so they can make and enforce the rules. They appear more focused on increasing the number of user accounts on their platform than doing the right thing.
Just as you can take a stand and ask your racist relative to shut their mouth and to get out of your house, if Thanksgiving dinner gets ugly, you can take a stand if the platforms you use don’t do a good job of creating a safe space for people to have a rational dialog.
For those reasons, I finally deleted my Facebook account.
