The Melting Pot

While sitting atop my fence with a bag of popcorn, waiting for the Facebook, Instagram and Threads mud-slinging escapade to calm down, I’ve been trying to understand the anger, spite and fury that seems to have consumed so many. On one hand, we have social networks using algorithmic timelines - which slowly surround people with content likely to engage them - because that’s the end game of the puppet masters. They don’t really mind what you’re talking about, as long as you’re talking about it within their walled garden - under their watchful gaze. On the other hand, we seem to be moving towards online platforms with little or no guard-rails in terms of what people can post. It might be that giving the worst of us just enough rope is a good thing - because the most objectional impulses will be laid bare for all to see - making discovery and eradication of those we would rather not interact with that much easier. If you think about it though, what’s the difference? A machine figuring out who you tend to interact with, and curating that which you see - or you curating what you see, by blocking that which you would rather not. Both routes reach the same result - a user-base that slowly divides based on personal prejudices. Perhaps it’s natural that people coalesce into like minded communities. All the “social internet” has really done is throw everybody into the same melting pot - levelling the playing field for a while - causing the same sorting to happen that would otherwise have happened through other means - be that societal, cultural, or whatever else. Anyway. Enough pontificating. I watched a wonderful movie late last night - quite by accident - called “Colette”, starring Keira Knightly and Dominic West. It’s a dramatization of a true story - of the life of French author Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette. I don’t want to ruin it if you’ve not seen it - suffice to say if you love writing, reading, and books, you’ll love the movie.