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On Disconnecting from Social Media

I’ve flirted with the idea of scrubbing my social media presence for a while now - aside from being a time-suck, we’re entering an era where these giant conglomerates aren’t just ethically ambiguous anymore, they’re starting to seem downright morally bankrupt.

Jaron Lanier has a new book where he outlines why everyone should delete their social media accounts (right now!) that I found particularly good at articulating why I eventually bit the bullet and deleted all my social media profiles.

  • Argument 1: You are losing your free will.

  • Argument 2: Quitting social media is the most finely targeted way to resist the insanity of our times.

  • Argument 3: Social media is making you into an asshole.

  • Argument 4: Social media is undermining truth.

  • Argument 5: Social media is making what you say meaningless.

  • Argument 6: Social media is ruining your capacity for empathy.

  • Argument 7: Social media is making you unhappy.

  • Argument 8: Social media doesn’t want you to have economic dignity.

  • Argument 9: Social media is making politics impossible.

  • Argument 10: Social media hates your soul.

Recommended reading: Do You Have a Moral Duty to Leave Facebook?