I No Longer Use Social Networks (Except One) — I Don’t Miss Anything, And You Would Neither
Social networks are too toxic for mankind.
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Let me avoid clickbait: The one social network, but technically it is an antisocial network, which I still use is LinkedIn.
LinkedIn and how I handle it
I use it for professional reasons since this is where my clients find me. Professional reasons are the only reason I would use these toxic platforms. If you ever find me on Facebook or anything, it would be to promote my business. But in my current business, strategy consulting, thankfully, I only have to deal with LinkedIn and none of the others.
And LinkedIn is bad enough: There is a new category of content emerging on LinkedIn, which I believe is best described as selective virtue-signalling. Some people on this platform make a living teaching people how to create “content” for LinkedIn, including all-time instant classics such as:
- Our global behemoth company supports LGBTQ — My thoughts: Well, that is great. Why don’t you virtue signal your high minimum wages? Nothing to signal there? How come?
- Our automobile company is showing off its sustainability — Well, that is great. And to achieve that, your product line consists mostly of SUVs? Electric-powered versions do not make it any better. Manufacture smaller cars! Better yet, start lobbying for trains. Then you can claim to be sustainable.
- I am a man and just did something that in the 1950s would not have been associated with my gender — Well, that is great. You don’t see me posting every time I use a vacuum cleaner, but I am sure grateful for you sharing that with me.
- The list goes on
I have made a policy that I only open LinkedIn when I receive messages or other direct requests, for instance, for connections. It took a little while to set up the notifications on my app correctly, but I managed to. I very much recommend proceeding like this unless you want to be knee-deep in virtue-signalling idiocy every time you accidentally open the app.
