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?