In the digital age, where an insurmountable ocean of data and information flows seemingly unabated through multiple platforms, it is easy for anyone to share their thoughts and opinions. Way back in the day ,we were sold on this idea of sharing of ideas and pictures as a means to be “connected” with family, friends, colleagues and the world at large in a capacity never before experienced in recorded history. It seemed rather benign, but simultaneously captivating — back in the late 1990s when this “plugging” into the internet began. In time, we assimilated into platforms like Facebook and Twitter and Instagram on a scale no one could have imagined back when Y2K was an acronym for the end of the world.
Somewhere along the way these apps and platforms that were marketed and sold on the premise of people being “connected” to others was really a matter of corporations being connected to us. It seemed rather harmless at first, but before anyone realized what was truly happening to them, an addiction had grabbed ahold of the human psyche for which no remedy could be prescribed to withdraw from it. The very notion of someone stating openly that they don’t have a Facebook or Twitter account or even an email address elicits perturbed expressions. As if, not being “plugged” into a mega-corporate “Matrix” is somehow in contrast with normal human behavior.
The idea of having a social media platform to share pictures with family is like that old used car sales pitch of a jalopy’s previous owner only driving the thing to the grocery store and home. It was a sales pitch and we were duped. Because now society is hooked on this social media cocaine and the pushers will literally eliminate you if you try to interfere with the distribution of their product. Just like real-life drug cartels will chop a rival into pieces, so will the corporate giants to anyone and everyone who dares steer the masses away from their business.
Now, one could look at this in a trivial sense, but it is quite literal. People with conservative viewpoints and even fringe voices like Alex Jones have met a fate of silence for interfering with an agenda — one could equate it to politics, but this is about money, power and control. And let’s not kid ourselves, while drug dealers sell a product that essentially destroys people’s lives, their health, and their communities, the mega-social media giants aren’t interested in turning people into literal meth heads — but addicts of a different kind. People aren’t losing their teeth or selling themselves on the streets for another like or click on their retweets. But people are losing something very precious: their minds.
There are countless blogs and articles from very intelligent and thoughtful people who talk about the intricacies of what the tech giants are doing in respect to algorithms and data-driven marketing on a massive scale. Pointing out the problems can only get people so far, and if they get too close to the truth, they are shadow banned, silences, blocked, locked out of their accounts, have their posts taken down, put in Twitter jail, et cetera, et cetera. One could suppose this is not what was sold to us when we signed up for sharing pictures with our family and friends, right?
So, this is why it would be wise for anyone with “controversial” ideas or fringe ideology to do what the tech giants cannot erase: go back to print. That’s right, good ol’ paper pamphlets, newsletters, self-published books, and get your message “out there” the old fashioned way: grassroots hitting the pavement, social gatherings, car windshield flyers, business cards, and underground zines. No one will be able to delete something on paper. The message will be permanent. It sure beats being silenced completely.
Now, going back to print sounds like a silly idea. But it actually isn’t. This article and practically everything I ever write exists on hardcopy as well. Why? Because I don’t trust the internet. And why should anyone? The mega-matrix complex proves time and time again they cannot be impartial or trusted. They manipulate, annihilate, and erase people from their platforms simply for speaking their minds — or having controversial ideas. And since it is obvious people aren’t allowed to hear contrasting points of view in true debate formats, perhaps it would behoove everyone to take their power back in the form of ink and paper. Produce more books, have more non-electronic literature in your hands to pass along to others. As for video and audio content, there are ways to make hard copies of them as well.
If people were truly honest with themselves and think back before the age of social media, before hyper-immersion of the 24/7 news cycle, one could conclude division among people was much more tolerable than it is today. Sure, people were ideologically diverse, but at the end of the day, we could still eat a meal and laugh together. We could enjoy each other’s company in spite of our differences. People could argue and still be friends. But those days are long gone. We’ve become a world of crackheads in denial of their addiction and defenders of their dealers and echoing dissent of morality and decency — in the name of morality and decency!
Last I checked, print shops are still in business and home printers are relatively inexpensive. Use them before they become erased as well. Carvings on rocks will be far more difficult to distribute.
