You see a lot of hand wringing about social media and division and isolation. I think that the division and isolation are real but it puts the cart before the horse. We are divided and isolated because we have lost public space and public time. You can't afford to go out and be with people or even pursue solo delights, like walking, fishing, bird watching or what have you.

If we think about semi common land as places where you can be with others away from work it will include places like pubs and cafes, parks, forests, hills, clubs dedicated to games or shared interests. The costs of entering have increased. Transport is expensive, adequate gear costs, the drink or the cake is exorbitant. Many of these places require a critical mass of people to survive. There are less people with the time and the resources to maintain or participate in shared activities.

It becomes the preserve of the rich few. They in turn mark their enclosure by making it seem like possession of the right, hyper-expensive gear is a prerequisite of entry. You rarely see people out for a cycle in a pair of old trousers, a t-shirt and battered old bike these days. It's all lycra and carbonfibre.

We lack the time and the energy to do it even when we have the money. So we turn to youtube and social media to fill the lack, but the division will remain until we can get the boot off our faces by freeing up access to the common and the semi-common. Then we can be with each other again.

#Commons, #SocialMedia, #CapitalismIsKillingUs