EVERYTHING ISN'T AWFUL - Brittlestar’s Weekly Newsletter - Issue #7
Happy Sunday. I’m having a coffee and trying to get comfortable on this couch. That’s how old I am… getting comfortable is a chore. Urgh… Kids these days with their flexible spines.
EVERYTHING ISN'T AWFUL
Social Media is wonderful.
It connects us in ways that were not so long ago previously unimaginable. We get breaking news from around the world (politics, etc.) and from our family and friends (Mom and Dad made a Tik Tok account for some reason).
Joy, pain, celebration and suffering. All shared at the tap of your finger.
(the ‘suffering’ part being your parents’ Tik Tok account)
It’s truly wonderful.
But here’s what sucks about it…
If you follow me on Facebook, you probably only see the occasional post from me. That’s because their algorithm is trying its best to only deliver content it thinks you want to see.
I actually post multiple times a week on Facebook but only a fraction (2-8%) of the people who’ve chosen to follow me get to see what I post.
So if I do a video about the crappy weather in Calgary and you’ve been looking at, or engaging with, posts about Calgary or crappy weather, you’ll see it.
Otherwise, you won’t.
Usually, that’s awesome. Who doesn’t want more of what they like? The problem is, the algorithm isn’t looking out for your best interests.
You know how when you’d stay at your grandparents house, you’d get to eat the sugary cereal and treats your parents would never let you have because they had to live with you and you turned into a flesh and bone version of the Chucky doll when you ate nothing but sweets?
Yeah, social media algorithms are like that.
Think of them like robot grandparents, ready to bend to your every hinted desire. If your grandparents weren’t like that, imagine the algorithms are Xzibit from Pimp My Ride and he heard you like fish so you’re entire car is now an aquarium on wheels and your gear shift is the snout of a hammerhead shark.
They have the best of intentions (increasing the usefulness and enjoyment hopefully) but they aren’t so great at knowing your best interests.
So, if you get stuck in a bad news vortex… the algorithm thinks you want more. Stupid algorithm.
I don’t have an answer on how I, or anyone reading this, can change that and maybe we just can’t. However, I think it’s important to be aware of it.
I think one thing we CAN do is amplify Good. Maybe that will tip the scales and teach the algorithm that we’re more than just car crash rubberneckers.
When some good news pops in to your timeline, like or share it. Amplify it.
That’s my rule with any video of Gurdeep Pandher dancing that comes across my screen.
There is lots of pain, injustice and suffering in the world… but everything isn’t awful.
Amplify Good.
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Gurdeep Pandher of Yukon on Twitter: "With Bhangra dance in the Yukon's pristine boreal forest, I am forwarding joy, hope, and positivity across Canada and beyond.… https://t.co/LKMFqnEqBQ"
“With Bhangra dance in the Yukon’s pristine boreal forest, I am forwarding joy, hope, and positivity across Canada and beyond. https://t.co/190d2ssuPb”