Over the past few years, I’ve decreased my involvement with social media. I now rarely post on Facebook, almost never on Instagram, or Twitter, and you may have read my piece on my downgrade of LinkedIn. Outside of Quora and YouTube for entrepreneurship matters, I’m off social media, except in the rare occasion I feel like sharing something.

There are several reasons I’m leaning away, and it’s nothing new, really. For one, I’ve always been focused on my work, much of which I can’t share with the world. I spend a lot of my time thinking about our clients, questions on Quora, and solutions to client company problems, and besides, I don’t take much time off. It’s not like I can talk about their issues or share what’s up, so I’m like a submarine that occasionally comes up for air. I have these big gaps of silence when I’m writing or working on something, then when I do come up, there isn’t a lot I can say. It’s in part, why I’m here. It’s in part why I’m on Quora. In a way, Quora is me coming up for air.

When I first started on social media, it was fun to catch up with people who I fell out of touch with for years, and had no idea how to reach. This was followed by people I don’t even know who wanted to connect, usually because of E@RTC, and their posts hold little context to me because, well, I don’t know who they are in the first place. I follow some people who don’t know me, but there is always some reason.

Then over time, social media became the constant drone of political rhetoric, and some really vile stuff. I ended up not wanting to be friends with some who’s posts made it clear they were shockingly dreadful people to begin with, people who don’t bother trying to be a better human and wished horrible things on others who hold different points of view. Actively participating in riots, and screaming for the death of those with whom you disagree is not a good human. We wonder how the justification mindset for mass genocide happens in the first place. I’m guessing that’s where it starts.

Free Speech

I worked for a library system right out of high school. My job was working in the print and graphics shop. I remember the director of the library calling a meeting for all staff at the library. There was a movement underway to ban certain books at the library that depicted something related to homosexuality, and a group wanted the books out of the library. The director stood up in front of all of us and gave a lecture about the importance of free speech and his unwillingness to cave. He pointed out what happens when free speech is infringed. The speech was so good, I was convinced it was the right stand. I kept thinking about the concept of who gets to decide what is and isn’t acceptable speech?

There is a reason why it’s the very first amendment, and it’s a good one. His speech to all members of the staff had a profound impact on the course of my life and I understood its importance. It’s why I always encourage debate in companies. It goes a long way towards keeping them honest!

Free speech is how you fight oppression, and it’s critical to the improvement of any society. You don’t have to look far to see what happens when it’s suppressed. Pick any direction of the compass and read world history about the results of suppressing free speech.

That simple concept of free speech never left me, and so when I see big social media censoring anything, not because it directly advocates harming anyone, I think wow, this is bad for any free society. Freedom of expression is in part what made me chose my college, because if you know me, you know I love to listen to a good debate. A contributing reason for my attending The Evergreen State College was because, at the time it, the school encouraged debate and called it “seminaring” which sometimes looked more like an argument, but it was thought-provoking. Open debate is not welcome at that school anymore. It’s why I don’t support the school, and I think it has a lot to do with why it’s failing as an institution.

I believe in freedom of the press, the freedom to express and debate ideas as a way to improve anything. Even when I don’t like what people say, they still have a right to express stupid ideologies and weak arguments. It’s the debating of these ideas, and the application of some common sense that ultimately will prevail, but that’s why some speech is suppressed. It’s because the ideology trying to cancel free speech wouldn’t hold up otherwise.

Someone will try and read into this post, which misses the point entirely if you you’re one who does just that. Don’t be intellectually lazy. Think about the consequences because they apply to everyone. Free speech is critical to a free society and that big tech’s active suppression of free speech plays a big part of my absence from social media.

Okay, time to dive back below the surface for a while. I have work to do.