Influence

  I spend a great deal of time on Facebook, far more than I should but call it a guilty pleasure. I was here when everyone was farming. Then the farms all closed down and the political storms arrived. Users were being blocked and people were being placed in "jail." I was incarcerated on several occasions but eventually paroled. I don't hear much about any of that anymore. The truth is, I don't hear much from anyone anymore. I still post my morning greetings and receive those in return. That is one thing I take pleasure in, a sort of check in. There are a few that will enter into a bit of discussion every now and again. Those are getting fewer. I'm not certain as to why that is, but I have to consider that it may be me. I don't see a lot of back and forth between others however so maybe it is just a general thing. This social media stuff is still in the experimental phase. Facebook is twenty years old now, just a generation. The generation that began using it has aged and interests changed. Facebook is for old people, that's what I've been told. It is useful for selling things though, as evidenced by all the advertisements. 

 Now we have to start being aware of artificial intelligence. As if there weren't enough fakes and phonies on Facebook, a computer may create more. Although I think you would have to say replicate more so than create. Hey, is that you? I may never know for certain. Being somewhat a skeptic most of the time I'm not easily taken in. I find it an annoyance at times, this inability to just believe what I read or see with my own eyes. I seldom click on any link provided. It isn't so much that I don't trust the person sending it, as the link itself may be the problem. I don't know how to verify a link is 100% safe and secure to send to anyone and I'm sure many others of my generation don't know either. I'm not certain I want to expend the energy to find out, most links I would send are just an amusement anyway, so why risk it. That's what annoys me. Facebook started out as a way to compare photographs of students at Harvard. What was the initial intent? 

 Facebook is still an amusement to me. I do enjoy the meme's and stories. I like seeing the photographs of distant and interesting places in the world. I enjoy posting my attempts at humor and enlightenment. Something strangely satisfying about posting a picture of your cake just out of the oven. It's nice to brag about the grandchildren and their accomplishments. I like hearing about those I knew years ago or simply went to school with. It's fun to "see" how they have changed or remained the same. The perceptions of our youth are certainly different than the perceptions of today. I enjoy a lively discussion but sadly that doesn't happen often. People tend to act differently when protected by distance. Facebook is a bold new world! 

 I'd say Facebook is in its' second generation now. The first one imploded during the Trump years. The big division occurred. For a while Facebook became somewhat of a police state. Free speech was being stifled and those decisions were influenced by big money. The rise of the influencers! There are those that are paid to be social media influencers. In the past we called them salesmen. Yes, there job is to get you to buy a product. There is little difference between selling a physical product and an idea. All it takes is the proper influence. All you have to do is convince someone of what they need. Today it is more about convincing others I can give you what you want. It's a subtle distinction. Works best when you don't allow other salesmen to pitch their products. 

 The thing is it has always been that way. You buy a product or donate to my campaign with an expectation of a return. It is something you want. Doesn't matter if it is a bicycle or world peace. What influences your decision? Everyone is doing it is the most popular reasoning. The only thing standing in the way of most decisions are your moral values and the law. When you can be convinced that the moral choice is the immoral choice, everyone is doing it, all that needs to change is the law. The second generation of Facebook will play a role in that. It's an influencer. I just don't think it will have as much influence as it enjoyed the first time around.