Back to the Future...
I've been part of the tech industry since I graduated from school in the late 90's. In that time I've watched software change the world. Mostly for the better, but unfortunately lately it's been doing the opposite. The increased use of social networks as weapons of disinformation and attacks on democracies world wide has me feeling like shit when I can't unplug from Facebook or Twitter. And I know I'm not alone:
Every day there seems to be a news article highlighting the damage being done on social platforms and the platform holders inability or lack of desire to do anything about it. I've been guilty of the same thing, threatening to stop using Facebook and yet still continuing to post crap that doesn't need to be on Facebook.
Starting today I'm taking back control of me. I'm taking back control of my online identity and I'm doing it by returning to the 90's by running my own site where I control my data. I won't be writing long form pieces about technology or the latest trends in games. I'll just be posting personal things that I would have posted to Facebook like hiking photos, or hot sauce fermenting tips.
There are no Facebook trackers on this blog, there are no Google analytics tags or ads of any kind. You don't need to sign in to read it nor do you need to comment or like anything. I will be posting links to my Facebook account when I write new posts to allow people to know when I post if they're at all interested. In this way Facebook becomes an old school RSS provider.
This is not the ideal solution. I won't be fully deleting my Facebook account or picketing Zuck's house. But it is a start, for me. If it helps even one friend think about how they start to do the same then it'll be worthwhile. Either way I'll still enjoy posting pictures of things I'm doing and music I am listening to. Hopefully in a world with a little more sanity and a little less prone to QAnon echo chambers.