Will #DeleteFacebook save us from an expected apocalypse?
Seventy years ago, we met Winston Smith, whose ever-changing reality was defined by Big Brother. But we weren't able to comprehend the big picture. In 1990s, Neo gave us another opportunity, taking us deep into the blurring-merging boundaries of reality-ignorance. We still didn't get it. Now, #DeleteFacebook has given us an actual chance to make the ultimate choice: will we wake up this time?
The beginning of the revolution
Here's what's happening: Facebook is in trouble for letting a third party get its hands on its users' information, and using it to shape political opinion during the 2016 US elections. So many of Donald Trump's fans had no clue their "support" was being 'created' by some unheard-of entity. And thus was born the #DeleteFacebook movement: people are now deleting their Facebook accounts in anger.
But how surprising was it, really?
But should it be any surprise? A handful of corporations are controlling almost every product we see around. Facebook, with 2.2 billion monthly active users by 2017 end (70% of those with access to internet), has an equally formidable hold. And it's just one of many technological giants, which aren't known for upholding individuals' right to dignity and, by extension, freedom and autonomy.
Here's what the "guards of the internet" are up to
Google, considered the storehouse of all virtual information, was fined billions of dollars for manipulating search results (you see only what Google wants to show you). Facebook and Twitter actively block critics of those in power in different nations (so you might not even know about gross violations in your own country). Dig deep enough and you'll find the skeletons (if Google lets you).
Do you realize what this means?
A consequence of this is loss of autonomy. Technology has become a powerful force, even deciding which government to bring to power. Facebook is one product of technology; where it's conditioning minds like never before, people feel freer because of it. And free people, thinking for themselves, is the antithesis of what technology seeks. Hence a balance between individual freedom and technology is impossible.
But can you change things at all?
Recognizing this is one step. How do you leave something that has shaped your life? Here's the key: to rule, technology has to ensure people remain ignorant of its power. For that, it has to continually feed distracting material to them while depriving them of natural boosters, like love/empathy. So technology has to ensure individuals' loyalty is to the system rather than to people.
So what will you do?
Our prime tasks are to expose the instability in the technological society and propagate an ideology that opposes this system. Only when the system is shaken will a revolution like #DeleteFacebook will be possible. This calls for extreme de-addiction, simplicity and renunciation. Or, we could sit back as polluted-air, unhygienic-food, contaminated-water and sheer dumbness, by-products of technology, kill us slowly. The choice is ours.
