Is it time to move from social media to blogs?

This began as a Twitter thread.

I’ve finally put my finger on a thing that annoys me—probably, all of us—about social media. When we check in on our friends and colleagues and what they’re sharing, we are constantly bombarded with simplistic attacks on our core beliefs, especially political beliefs. “This cannot stand,” we say. So we respond. But it’s impossible to respond in the brief and fast-paced media of Twitter and Facebook without being simplistic or glib. So the cycle of simplistic glibness never stops.

There are propagandists (and social media people…but I repeat myself) who love and thrive on this simplicity. Their messages are more plausible and easier to get upset about when stated simply and briefly. They love that. That’s a feature, not a bug (they think)!

I feel like telling Tweeps and FB friends “Be more reasonable!” and “Use your brain!” and “Chill!” But again—everything seems sooooo important, because our core beliefs are under attack. How can most people be expected to be calm and reasonable? People who take high standards of politeness and methodology seriously naturally feel like quitting. But social media has become important for socializing, PR, career advancement, and (let’s face it) the joy of partisanship. “I can’t quit you!” we moan. But, to quote a different movie, this aggression will not stand, man. Our betters at Twitter and Facebook agree, and so they have decided to force the worst actors to play nice. But they can’t be trusted to identify “the worst actors” fairly. They’re choosing the winners.

What’s the solution for those of us who care about truth, nuance, and decency—and free speech? I don’t know, but I have an idea. Rather than letting Facebook and Twitter (and their creeping censorship) control things, I’m going to try putting content updates on my blog. I’ll still use Twitter and Facebook for Everipedia announcements and talk, and I’ll link to blog updates from both places. But you’ll have to visit my blog to actually read my more personal content. Anyway, I’m going to give that a try.