Originally, I joined Facebook to connect with friends and family; to have good debates on current topics. What started out to be an innocent and friendly association, turned filthy.
The first time I really, really noticed that Facebook affected me, and not some other obscure person rumored to be disgruntled, was when I made a simple comment to a group of people talking about ethics. I made a benign comment "All men are greedy." I was hoping for a discussion from my peers about it, when instead, Facebook blocked it and sent me a notice saying that I committed a violation. They mentioned that if I didn't retract it, I could lose my account. It was at that moment I realized they meant business - and that business is one of ethics and social morality control.
Facebook has gradually been accumulating a very powerful position of influence on citizens here in the U.S. and around the world. I asked myself, as I noticed the growth of the company, "Is Mark Zuckerberg's morality, the morality I wish to operate my life by?"
Facebook is a very powerful organization. It allows social and political discussions to spread quickly and efficiently. I'm not sure if you caught that last comment. "It allows" was the key phrase. We think WE are the ones in control of our comments. Are we really free to comment? Freedom always has a cost that is not easily paid.
Scene 1: During the Arab Spring movement, Facebook was used to contact people effortlessly and spontaneously. Like a brush fire, the movement in 2010 spread through Arab nations quickly, with devastating effects - at least for the Status Quo. Leaders were toppled before they knew what was happening. Communication was the key, and Facebook was the platform that supported it.
Scene 2: During the 2016 election, it seemed that Hillary Clinton would be the new president of the United States. Even down to the last hours, political predictions pointed to a landslide by Hillary. Unfortunately, the tide quickly changed when Florida went for Trump; then Rust Belt states and some northern states. It was over when Pennsylvania sided with the Republican candidate. Facebook allowed disinformation (in both parties) to run rampant through its social media platform. However, the Republican Party used social media like a battle axe. Even though Hillary outspent Trump by a large margin, the network of communication through Facebook is what changed minds - and votes.
Scene 3: During the 2020 election, it seemed that Trump had the upper hand in winning by a landslide. Biden was beyond his years and making many verbal mistakes. Trump began the year triumphantly defeating the impeachment accusations and receiving praise from Democratic governors for helping them during the Covid-19 pandemic. However, midway into 2020 Facebook allowed only certain information to be seen. This time, the Democrat party used Facebook and their allies in the press. Truth on Facebook was now determined by a panel of employees...and the results? Joe Biden is President
Scene 3 Bonus:
Twitter was actually the first to ban the President from posting comments, while Google used algorithms to suggest more liberal articles to its customers. Major Social Media platforms and a majority of the New Media ignored, slanted, or in some cases even lied about about Trump and the Republican party (1). While President Trump and other leading conservatives were blocked or locked-out of social networks, the press focused on Covid-19 contagion numbers and protests for racial justice. Whether President Trump deserved his demise or not, is a topic for future discussion. The political pendulum swings Left and Right, but justice should always stay steady. Unfortunately, these powerful groups are beyond the reach of voters, and now actively engage in these and other nefarious tactics that can manipulate its customers to force any official from office.
Analysis:
As I said earlier, Freedom has a cost, and the cost for me is losing a good communication tool. I have to remind myself that it IS only a tool. I am not leaving Facebook because it allowed people to overthrow governments in Arab states, or because Hillary lost, or that Trump lost. I am leaving Facebook because it has the ability and power to manage or control human events with impunity.
No corporation should have so much power and influence, from Sea to Shining Sea, to affect the tides of changes so easily. THAT is why I am leaving Facebook, and why I won't continue to fund their misuse of social dynamics. Don't get me wrong; I still randomly glimpse pages and information Facebook provides. But now I watch the behavior as an outsider and take note for future reference of the destruction it causes.
Facebook has quickly risen from a simple dating service, into a fully matured multi-billion manipulated social networking operation. As all large corporations peak to their zenith, the decline curve of business opportunities are soon to follow. It is predictable that like all other famous companies, another new and improved version will come along to take its place. And as far as I am concerned, it can't come soon enough.
(1): https://www.amazon.com/Slanted-Media-Taught-Censorship-Journalism/dp/0062974696
