Who’s at the front?

If we are all following each other on social media someone is surely at the front? Or is it more like some digital Ouroboros *, swallowing up it’s own rear end and everything that comes out of it?

That’s an image that no one needs in their heads.

Social media is a pretty mean and acidic place at the moment, divided opinions, unrelenting anger and pointless vitriol on the most meaningless discussions. I miss just going on to have a laugh and maybe learn something from a different perspective. Ahh those were the days.

People keep saying to unfollow people that post things that you do not want to see, and I am gradually doing that, the thing is that people I like sometimes post things that I don’t. Should I react angrily and send them pixellated pitchforks? Or should I do the grown up thing and realise that they are entitled to have their own opinions.

Obviously that one, but it seems that is hard for some people. Years ago there were loads of TV programmes where people who did not like a particular TV programme they could complain about that other programme on that programme.

I am going to make it simple for the hard of thinking here, just turn it off.

What I find most baffling is people telling people that they are unfollowing or unsubscribing. I mean, if the person has done something awful, then maybe it kind of makes sense, but surely just disengaging from their toxicity is better for you?

When people make posts like “I am clearing up my timeline, if you can see this then I think of you as a real friend.” Get to fuck. When you get there, please keep going.

Incidentally, there is a special place in silicon hell for those people that cut and paste things like “Only my real friends will share this…” That is accurate, and now you know you have no real friends. Excellent work, we have all learnt something.

I prefer to take my followers and followees out sniper style, one minute they are there, the next they are gone. I am like a digital ninja, it often is weeks later when people realise that I have karate chopped their online arm off.

As a serious point why tell people that you are unfollowing them? What do you hope to gain, is it that you want to make them miserable and upset? That is a pretty mean thing to do. If you think that is a good idea I would definitely not want to follow you. Incidentally if you tell people online to kill themselves then take a cold hard look at yourself.

People are people, and some people are just arseholes. We are all arseholes sometimes, and when you realise you are being an arsehole stop it and apologise. Sadly some people are just always arseholes, I am looking at you insert easy target here.

“But Trev, didn’t you just make a joke about someone and be nasty about them? LOL ROFL etc”

Well,

A) No, you did. I just put a pointer in for you to mentally fill in yourself.

2) If I had I would have punched up, the person that I named would be someone in a privileged position who uses it for personal gain. See Piers Morgan/Hatie Cockpins and so on. That is what you have to do with comedy, punch upwards.

If you punch downwards you are an arsehole (See previous point) and a bully. Stop it.

So in summary then, social media is a bit fucked up, you know why? Humanity is a bit fucked up. We are part way through becoming what we could be, what we should be. If we carry on the way that we are doing then we will never achieve it. In fact there is a good chance that we will wipe ourselves out, imagine that an animal making itself extinct.

We carry within the capacity to be much better than we are being, but we also carry the capacity to be much much worse.

The decision is ours and no one elses.

There is no back up file of the human race.

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ouroboros In case your classical education is not up to much like mine. I found out what this was from watching Red Dwarf, no really.