Why Do We Do Social Media?

Why do we even do social media? Do we not have lives? Do we not have face to face relationships? I remember when I didn't do anything on Facebook, I didn't have an account. I finally got one when I went to Salina for a job thing, don't ask me why I did it. And then someone who was supposedly helping me in a certain unnamed business in Tennessee told me he wanted me to have a "presence" on Facebook. That is, he wanted me interacting, I'm sure, in a way that would expose people to what he was doing. So that didn't last very long. That was 10 years ago. Right now, I want less to do with it than I ever did. I am not interested in people giving me "gifts" on Facebook. I'm not interested in how many followers I have. I have never been interested in self-promotion. I'm not interested in being "monetized." I have a job and when I don't, I cannot imagine spending time trying to figure out how to make more money on social media. Instead of being a way to build community I really believe it destroys more relationships than it builds. I have lost count of how many people have "unfriended" me whether it was for my Scripture posts or my opinions about the Covid shutdowns or my pro-life stance. Robots have restricted me for sharing videos labeled "misinformation," "disinformation," etc. and now that they have AI throughout, I don't even think it's possible to believe much of anything that is posted. All you can mainly do is agree or disagree with people's opinions, which is pretty depressing in the main. I honestly doubt very much if our opinions are changing anyone's minds. I am sure the "algorithms" clump everyone of like political persuasions together, so what are we doing other than venting and nodding our agreement with our fellows? When I graduated from a Tennessee University with a Ph. D. the guy who spoke said, "If you remember just one thing from my talk it is this word: cyberspace." Yes, he really said that. I remember it all right. I have no idea what he really meant, other than this is what we're entering into, so get ready. That has been true, and I am not sure how beneficial this has been. I am not going to say more about that because I am not interested in complaining either. If I am going to blog and if I'm going to have anything published on social media, I want it to be edifying or inspirational or at least not depressing. There's enough depressing information and enough depressing opinions out there already. I am not going to say more about that because I am not interested in complaining either. If I am going to blog and if I'm going to have anything published on social media, I want it to be edifying or inspirational or at least not depressing. There are enough depressing information and enough depressing opinions out there already. I am not sure what I will be writing every day but I will be writing something. Questions, not answers. The answers are in God, as they always have been. People will continue to debate and disagree. I hope we are not experiencing the decline of America as many are saying. However, I have definitely witnessed a decline even in my lifetime, and it is concerning. I enjoy the connections with people I will probably never meet in person, but they will not replace the connections I can make in person, with children, with co-workers and with people I meet in person on a daily basis. And that is all I wanted to share today.