P-R-I-V-A-C-Y …IS IT A DIRTY WORD?

Love it or hate it, social media is here to stay.

And yes, I’m a fully paid-up member of the social media circus, so I won’t winge too much. However….

Let’s not kid ourselves. Social media serves the creators of these platforms more than it serves us. Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook, Instagram) …Elon Musk (X, formerly Twitter) …and ByteDance (TikTok) etc. These entrepreneurs have mastered the art of stealing our valuable attention and selling it back to advertisers. That’s business.

However, we’re not their guests or ?special buddy. ?We are a user …a product …a number in their money matrix.

So recently when I saw an influencer (who will remain nameless), ?complaining about the downside of social media, after reaping all the benefits – it was ?hard to muster much compassion. I’ll be honest I got lost my temper!

Because there’s a deeper and more unsettling truth. Social media activates?the worst parts of humans – a couple of lines of text even turned JOY into Godzilla! ?It also amplifies the narcissistic, attention-seeking, validation-hungry parts of humans. We willingly enter into a toxic abusive relationship, but keep going back for more despite knowing it’s bad for us.

….The social platforms know this.

But so long as consumers stay in La-La Land … it’s all good.

The platforms exploit a basic human need – that of recognition. We bathe in the ‘likes’ - shoot up fake dopamine - ?and zone out. That’s no accident. ?Social media is meant to be addictive. just like crack cocaine it’s designed to exploit the unsophisticated dopamine system and bring us non-stop pleasure.

Like I said, I’m not complaining because I’m also guilty of ?feeding ?the machine. That’s how business works in the 21st century.

?But ?I’m not na?ve enough to think there isn’t a cost – because there is.

In the UK we say: ?‘there’s no such thing as a free lunch.’ ?When I engage with social media, I know I am trading a part of my soul (is that too deep?). ?Even though I convince myself ?that ?it’s just ?business.

Intrinsically I am trading a? part of my ‘human-being’ in a way that I am ashamed of.

That’s why it feels so uncomfortable.

That’s why it feels so unnatural.

…because it is.

There’s a primitive part of me that knows ?public visibility can be dangerous – “ be different, stay in the background.” ?Protecting my privacy ?keeps me ?safe.

Do you remember the good old days? Before every thought, every life event ?was NOT broadcast to the world via a device that tracks our location?

Back when news came in slow trickles. There was ?snail mail (letters), ?newspapers and radio broadcasts. Today everything's fast and furious - ?instant posts, ?endless scrolls. You can plug yourself in 24-7.

I can’t put the genie back in the bottle.

But every now and I can reclaim ?the lost art of privacy. ?I owe it to my emotional and mental health.

I’ve been reading an advertising book this week (Micro Scripts by Bill Schley) - ?It reminded me about ?the 70s campaign ?‘SAVE THE WHALE!’

Perhaps I should ?start up another one …. SAVE THE BRAIN!

And while I'm at it, campaign to make ?P-R-I-V-A-C-Y

...a registered endangered specie.

My peace of mind & sanity ?is the only piece of real estate that belongs to me. Perhaps it shouldn’t be for sale.

Thank you for listening to my little rant (much appreciated).

AGREE or DISAGREE?

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EVENTS COMING UP ZOOM TRAINING + Q&A :

HOW HIDDEN BEHAVIOURS IMPACT ?BUSINESS PROFITS ??(The Negative Impact In Business)

Thursday 3rd October, 4pm BST, 11am EDT, 8am PDT

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