I finally quit Facebook and the rest of social media to follow

I never really got it.  Social media is what I mean.  It is probably because I am of that generation where we didn't grow up with social media or the internet.  I was twenty-six when I got my first email address.  I was, by the previous generation's standards, introduced to technology at a young age.  I remember seeing the first Apple computer in my elementary school.  It didn't really do much but there was one game loaded on there - Lemonade Stand.  The graphics were, by today's standards, ridiculous but we learned about basic commands and how to use a keyboard.  I grew up with home game systems like Atari and Nintendo but my friends and I would still go to the mall and play games at the arcade.  

In the mid to late nineties, I bought my first real computer.  It was an HP desktop and I bought it at Radio Shack. It was such a big deal for the store that the sales manager locked the front door as three associates went through how to set it up and made sure I was going home with all the correct boxes.  Three people helped load the boxes in my car!  When I got home, I was so excited to set-up my new computer.  It took about an hour to connect everything and then another hour to load all the programs on to it.  Eventually I was rolling with PC programs like: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and some other useless software.  I had ordered dial-up internet but I was told it would be a couple of weeks. 

Eventually the local internet guy came with a modem and connected it to my phone.  After twenty minutes or so, there was that, soon-to-be, iconic sound of the dial-up modem connecting to the World Wide Web.  Whoa!  That was an exciting moment.  I learned how to use a search engine and soon realized that I could search for literally anything.  I think the search engine I used was Alta Vista.  By today's, super-charged, Google standards, it was slow and not very effective at finding what you were looking for.  It was more like a better version of the Yellow Pages. 

From that point forward, the internet experience was about to make a rapid change.  Early social media platforms like Myspace and messaging programs like ICQ completely changed the way we communicated...and it was only the beginning.  Eventually more "sophisticated" social media platforms like Facebook came along and suddenly it seemed the human race was "programmed to receive" as Don Henley so eloquently put it in the song Hotel California.  He also went onto write, "You can check out anytime you like but you can never leave."  

Here we are in 2019 and now everyone and their dog has a Facebook account, an Instagram account, a Snapchat account (for those under the age of 30), a Pinterest account, a Youtube channel, and probably more.  Most communication is done via texting and messaging.  Meeting for coffee and a chat seems to be a thing people of my generation and older still try to hold on to but it too seems to be slipping away.  

I admit that I got swept-up in the social media and online presence madness.  I had just come out of owning a couple of brick and mortar businesses and realized (quite late) that the new business model was online.  I re-structured my remaining business to more of an online venture and beefed up my social media marketing and advertising campaigns.  It all seemed to be working pretty well.  There were some technological hiccups but the freedom from a long-term lease was worth it.  A few years ago we started to hear concerns about accounts getting hacked and Facebook and Google spying and I thought, "Is that really anything to worry about?"  It turns out I was really naive. 

Last week my Facebook account was hacked and some jerk replaced my photos with those of the most despicable person who led a German political party to power in the 1930's and 40's.  I will not write his name but you know who I mean.  I was horrified.  Suddenly "friends" were questioning my beliefs and I was made to look like, not only a fool, but associated with a monster.  I quickly changed my account password but it appears I was too late.  I quit the account and signed up under another account but by this time there were now two accounts and one had/has permanent photos of me and this monster.  

I officially quit Facebook and I am dismantling the rest of my social media life.  When I read about online bullying, I thought it was something that happened to vulnerable teens.  I was so wrong.  It can happen to anybody.  I am going to speak with my children and get them on board with quitting social media.  Currently, the loneliest generation is the youngest generation.  There is something wrong with the way we are communicating.  I am so profoundly shaken by this violation.  I have learned much and I remember why I was hesitant to be part of the social media movement in the first place.  Now I am working to dismantle my virtual self and return to my true self.  

I hope I can continue using a blog to at least express myself but we will see.  Perhaps you could call me and we could meet for a coffee?  It would be my pleasure.  

Peacefully,
Brett