1/ A while ago I responded to someone who said: "I confess, I’m #sus -picious of those who join a social medium and follow *nobody*; those for whom it’s just another broadcast medium. I’m not saying they’re bad or wrong. Just that I’m suspicious (which might be a #MeProblem, as my daughter might put it.)". My (edited) response follows:
2/ I have a different view: I'm not interested in making others part of my #SalesFunnel #EgoBoost or #SocialPyramid . And I'm not interested in others making me part of theirs. I can interact with people directly, *without* follows or followers. I just won't appear in "followers-only" threads. Ultimately, my thoughts are #valid, whether or not I have an #CaptiveAudience on #mastodon or on any other other #platform I don't control. I'm good though. A-Types gonna' #AType
3/ As a #miniorty , as someone who #FellOff the ladder, I can't separate myself from the ideas of #exploitation and #WealthExtraction .
(see: https://mas.to/@umai/109396579427955804 )
When I was working in #tech and had 4 job titles and 4 bosses - but *0* decision-making power, I thought I could handle it, until I couldn't. The resulting #burnout #adversity #depression and #negativity took over my life. And like the tick of a clock, my various #SocialNetwork 's faded to black.
This book review came to mind while thinking about current events in #technology Review: Progress and #Poverty https://gameofrent.com/content/progress-and-poverty-review Q: What does a book review about #georgism have to do with tech? A: The idea of #platforms as a kind of #DigitalLand , of billion-dollar companies cultivating (i.e. extracting wealth from) huge userbases (i.e. humans, i.e. the 'land') to enrich themselves in vastly disproportionate ways. The wealth leaves but doesn't return. #taxtheplatform
4/ In hindsight, there was nothing I can do to save my #relationships in those conditions. Nothing personal, but the #master does not hold space with with the #slave . Ask #EdmundBurke Ask #FriedrichNietzsche Ask #Kanye
"If it ain't about a dollar, I'm a holla' at you later" -- #AzealiaBanks
5/ I've said before that two of the biggest influences on my #computing was the #SearchEngine and the #EdwardSnowden disclosures. Personal #website ? #blogging ? I stopped that noise in the 1990s. I'm not a fan of #BigData / #TheCloud. It's why I used #GNUPG back in the day. It's why I use #signal now. It's why #privacy is so important to me (see: https://mas.to/@umai/109396586906133485 )
"Anything you say can and will be used against you." -- Every authority figure - ever.
1/ The #signal forum discussion thread (over #SMS removal) is over 1.3K comments. For many people, using Signal was more about #convenience (it handled two messaging formats) than about #privacy (#EncryptedMessaging). Take away SMS, and Signal is no longer worth using, worth keeping, or worth suggesting. That's not why I came to use Signal. For me, privacy is like clean water. It's something many people take for granted because they never had to live without it. #technology
6/ And I did not even touch on engaging on #SocialMedia with #depression or #adversity . Like, so, I'm supposed to do an #introduction ? List my #interests ? How about no, I can't. Because in the space I live in, nothing really matters. Anything I would have listed, died a long time ago. #apathy is a thing. #poverty is a thing. So are #cptsd #anhedonia and #dysthymia
Did I ask too much? More than a lot? You gave me nothing, now it's all I got. -- #JohnnyCash covering 'One' by U2
Umai