Save America: Find peace away from billionaire-controlled social media
Commentary by Andy Pope | FāVS News
Has anyone suspected that this quick dismantling of our government is not merely the reckless, haphazard joy ride of the richest manic man-child in the world?
Has anyone begun to ponder that the destruction of the United States government is deliberately intended to weaken America? That the black MAGA hat worn is merely a smokescreen?
It does not seem plausible that Elon Musk, as close as he is with China, would be about making America great again.
The idea that the layoffs of 5,000+ government employees are going to help us pay off the national debt also leads to a quagmire. What happens when a weakened America gives money and therefore power to the nations we owe? Those nations become stronger while ours is weakened.
Significantly weakened, by the way — to the point where even the workers who are in charge of the maintenance of our nuclear stockpiles have been fired.
I see journalists on YouTube discussing this crisis, and everywhere hosts are still laughing, deriding their adversaries, rendering flamboyant theories as to what exactly is going on. But to my eye, a lot of what is going on is this:
These talk show hosts and news commentators are themselves pathetically hooked into the vanity of their images on social media, the camera angles, the sight lines and the Hollywood-like fascination of it all. The lure of the online performance draws them in and distances them from the feeling of horror that any sentient American should surely be feeling by now.
We as a people have become even more desensitized and removed from the feeling of what is actually happening, as we too hook ourselves to our favorite channels. We watch this devastation as though it were a nightly hobby or a form of entertainment.
The many components of social media are designed to draw us in and keep us there. Whether the news is good or bad, the powerful lure of social media remains the same.
And now that the news is not only bad, but catastrophically bad, the magnetic force of social media still strikes us at our core. The horror of the news itself is merely brushing against the peripheries, far from our bombarded hearts.
Social media also highlights the divisions and enmities among us. Left rails against Right and vice-versa. But this is not a partisan issue.
What we are witnessing is a massive judgment being rendered against the constitutional government of America. Whether that judgment is coming from heaven or earth, it is coming.
Can we change that? Yes we can.
Imagine another world
But first I would like to suggest we imagine a world in which the very devices and platforms that have transformed nerdy rich kids into Big Tech oligarchs did not exist at all.
A world in which the very things that have made these people into billionaires ceased to be.
In that hypothetical world, what would happen to the tech bros? Their life blood would be severed. It would be as though someone had pulled the cord.
I grant you such a world is easier for me to imagine than some. I’m in my 70s, and I was MIA for 12 years on the streets. The world changed around me, but the streets remained the same.
So I didn’t use a smartphone till I was 63-years-old. This is coming from a guy who didn’t send an email till he was 46-years-old. I remember life before email — how much more relaxed people were, even on the most stressful of days. And I remember life before smartphones and social media.
And life was better, kinder, more equitable, more reasonable and simpler then.
Now some of the youngsters will smirk and see this is as the die-hard reminiscing of an Old School nut. But there’s something deeper here. The way that even talented, motivated journalists are responding to this national emergency shows more about their addiction to smartphones and social media than it does about anything they actually say or believe.
I know someone who could easily have published a number of passionate, powerful columns by now. What do they do instead? Post passionate, powerful Facebook stories every 20 minutes or so. These stories reach their friends, such as me, who already agree with them.
When are they going to get off their rump and post a column? When they get off their phone is when!
Honestly, it gives new meaning to the words of Marshall McLuhan: “The medium is the message.” People do not soak in the social message with which they already agree, as they receive an entirely different message:
“This person sure is spending an awful lot of time on their phone!”
But let me take the log out of my own eye here, before presuming to yank the splinters from the eyes of the relatively innocent. While I no longer use a smartphone, I sure have been glued to the computer — and YouTube has been a large part of that adhesive. How much good can I possibly be doing humanity while drooling behind a computer screen?
It’s true I have made some strides. It’s been almost two months since I’ve used a smartphone; I do not miss that annoying device, and I am proud of myself for having let it go. But the increased attachment to my laptop makes it as though I’m trying to turn back the hands of time. I’m trying to slowly get back to 1999 — when I bought my first personal computer — and gradually, piece by piece, heal all the damage that has been done in the past 26 years.
Whose purposes do we serve?
While I certainly don’t expect people to suddenly heed the call and ditch the devices right off the bat, I would still like to suggest some calculated media fasts. I personally don’t think the current national emergency is going to be solved through social media. More likely, it will be solved when we take to the streets en masse. The social statement of a strong street presence is, to my eye, a far more effective picture than that of a strong social media presence.
I suggest that the next time we log on to Facebook, let’s stop first, and think along these lines:
“An immature, giddy, spoiled brat named Mark Zuckerburg runs that site. A self-serving juvenile like Zuckerberg is the person whom we support by logging onto Facebook. Why should any of us be about making that dangerously rich man any richer?”
On approaching X (formerly Twitter), remember:
“A megalomaniac named Elon Musk, already the richest person on earth, owns and runs that site. Any particular reason why the most richest, most egomaniacal person on earth should become even more so?”
Heck no! Elon’s messed us up enough already. Same goes for Larry Page and Sundar Pichai. Every time we support Google or YouTube, we make the rapidly increasing social distance between us and the billionaire tech bros even greater.
As for Jeff Bezos, if I break down and spend $4 on a Kindle book of poetry written by a dear friend this morning, that will be my first Amazon purchase in over three years. (I think I’ll ask her to mail me a hard copy.)
No eulogy for the deadphone
On Jan. 1, I posted a version of Auld Lang Syne on my Youtube channel and ditched my iPhone thereafter. Since then, my blood pressure has gone down, and people are commenting on how much more relaxed and available I appear to be. Let’s put it this way. I was more relaxed and available during the 12 years when I was homeless without a smartphone, than I have been for the past eight or nine years with a smartphone. I used to think living inside was what made me uptight. Now I know better.
I receive more uptightness, more nervous tension, from operating a smartphone inside than I did from not operating one outside.
Is it too much to ask for us to at all to at least take some kind of dedicated social media fast? I know we have come to be dependent on the instant communication. I know now is not the time for us to be disconnected. But can we not find a healthier way to connect than this?
Can we not find a way to connect with each other in real, meaningful ways that do not support multi-billionaire oligarchs?
Conclusion
I propose we all step outside of ourselves, long enough to take a serious look within. The people of America are not going to be able to stand up against guys like Musk if we keep giving them exactly what they want. So I move we start taking a few small steps away from all of this “antisocial media.” Let’s experience for ourselves how life feels when our attachment to digital devices and online platforms is greatly reduced.
I know what happened with me. And It’s not just the smartphone. You can’t imagine the sense of freedom I experienced when I first realized there was no law telling me I absolutely had to take my laptop with me every time I stepped out the door.
I’m not saying I have the answer. I will also concede that my own addictive-compulsive tendencies may be a bit worse than others when it comes to these highly-addictive contraptions. But there is a component of addiction called denial — and I hope I don’t overstep my bounds in suggesting that many people have severe problems with digital media and yet are so engrossed in the global phenomenon, they don’t even see how badly it’s been hurting them.
But they might see it, next time they take a break. Or if not then, the time after that. All I am saying is — give peace a chance. In a world without online stimuli, I assure you, you will find peace.
And let there be that blessing of peace on earth among a people directed toward creating it. And let that peace begin with me — with us — with individuals — in this generation. As for me, I shall put my money where my mouth has been. Just for today, I will enjoy the sunshine, I will go on a run, I will go the church and play piano, I will go offline. I will get with nature and revel in her natural beauty. It may be my last chance to get with nature — before nature gets with us, if you know what I mean.
Let’s get it together, America! We cannot let Elon Musk or anyone of his ilk wreak havoc on out hearts. Let’s ditch the devices, and get our hearts back.
We may even get our country back.
The views expressed in this opinion column are those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of FāVS News. FāVS News values diverse perspectives and thoughtful analysis on matters of faith and spirituality.
Every word. I joke that I am too anti-social for social media — but social media is also too anti-me. And you. Is social media even social? Isn’t it really para-social?
My son and I were discussing dead internet theory and I find it truer than not. It’s best for me to use the internet with intention and deliberately. Find what I need and contribute only to those spaces like this — the algorithms I prefer to boost.
I am drafting a column inspired by Guy Debord’s “Society of the Spectacle” and I saw Debord’s Spectacle vs Reality everywhere Andy described the social manipulation going on.
The world is starved for off-screen sages like Andy.
Your column warms my Luddite heart, Andy. I am mystified by folks who pay more attention to their smart phones than to those right around them….and I am worried that without a smart phone and multiple apps I won’t be able to function much longer. Yet I have friends and family members who stay connected with each other through social media and seem to be able to balance this activity with active participation in local community organizations. As for saving the world through not engaging in social media, I don’t share your optimism that this will do the trick.
I did not intend to express optimism. I think a careful reading of the column reveals this. It does however express hope.
I love your columns and was impressed by your piano piece.
I do have a smart phone, but I am not attached to it. My son has me on his family plan and gives me his old phone every time he upgrades. I spend less than 20 minutes a day on it (it sends me a message) and that includes being put on hold while trying to make my appointments. I spend a lot more time on my laptop where I read articles from a dozen news feeds from far left to far right. Ben Franklin was asked how to know the truth because the 5 newspapers in Philidelphia had such extreme and divers views. He said to read the views on the right AND the left and the truth lies somewhere in the middle.
Although his name only appeared on 2 of the papers, he printed 3 of them and sold paper and ink to the other two.
My journalism prof stated that a good article will tell you what they are going to say in the first paragraph, tell you in the body and tell you what they said in the last paragraph. I can scan many articles and know the gist with little time wasted. Some articles attract me, but after I read several of the same author, I have a good idea where they are going with just the title.
I do love technology. My first wife called me from Manila airport, 4 minutes, collect, operator assisted, 1974, and it cost me $80. My current wife, also a Filipina, talks to family members up to 10 hours a week, facetime, included in whatever our son is paying for his family plan. I like calling my wife from the grocery store and asking if I got everything on her list. I do need the app to check in and out my grandson from pre-school. I signed up for fb in 2012 to connect with friends and write only things that honor God along with an occasional family photo. I can’t remember ever even checking out an add unless you count news feeds. I have never bought anything online, but I do my banking online.
At 73, my peace comes from serving my God and my family, working in my garden and still being amazed by nature.