Quel surprise. Facebook finds hate drives revenue. Angry people persist on the site longer and click on more stuff. Longer. And the money keeps rolling in, so no one is going to institute reforms.
And Fb is no longer just Fb. It's instagram. It's Whatsapp. And who knows what else.
And they know. Their own research shows that the more you use the apps, the worse you feel about yourself. The worse you feel, the angrier you get. The angrier you get, the angrier you get. And that spells revenue.
Full disclosure: I was on Fb probably about 15 years ago. I never could grok the whole system. You have to keep strangers to "like" your post and "friend you." The more friends, the more power. This is not user friendly, it's user-fiendly. And then I realized they grabbed hold of my contacts and were contacting them with meaningless garbage.
Nobody messes with my contacts. I pulled everything that day. I found a NYT's article on how to pull your account on Fb and did so. I never went back. And I never wish to. I'm too busy with reality to get into virtual reality.
Two years ago when I went to Israel, my group "required"(not really optional) everybody to download the Whatsapp app to "communicate."
I just don't get it--we all have working phones. Why can't we just call. Leave a voice mail. (I won't get into all those people who don't clean up their voice mail boxes--I do. Your phone call really is important to me). If you don't want to leave a voice mail--why not just send an e-mail? Oh, the book I could write would be neverending--a perpetual work in progress--tentatively titled, "What's wrong with people?"
I found Whatsapp quite annoying. I'm just not a virtual person. I want real connection. Voice to voice, face to face. Not Facebook to Facebook. As soon as I got home, I deleted it.
Facebook went down for a few hours on Monday. I never noticed. I don't get it--why do you have to use Fb to access the internet? I order from various stores--I go to their websites and order. If you don't have a website, forget it. I have a website and I don't even sell anything--except me. It's very easy to make a website and run it. In fact, I'm in the process o setting up a second website---All things Ferenczi (or Ferenczi Lives). If I can't get you to connect with me here--try over there. My can do spirit will just wear you down.
Like Ferenczi, I am upbeat. I am happy. I don't want to be on sites that bring me down. Why would you?
I like to use my energy to produce. Not reduce.
So, my suggestion--log off Fb. Log off Whatsapp. Find a nice quiet space, where you won't be interrupted. Where you feel safe. Relax. Think of something that makes you feel safe. Then, let your fingers go down, down, down to they touch your happy places. Relax. Just let your fingers explore. When you let yourself feel jolly, there can be no unhappy endings. There are magnificant endings. And there are quiet happy moments. And all are good. And are real.