I decided to write my first LinkedIn newsletter for 2025 about one of the most serious risks to humanity today (apart from climate change and cybersecurity): social media, especially now that the TikTok ban date has arrived.
There has been a lot written about social media, and you can readily find all kinds of studies (both positive and negative) that have been done over the years. We’ve also seen some alarming news stories about how social media influences elections, and we all know that it still happens today.
What is the end outcome of all this discussion and debate over TicTok and other social media? NOTHING!
Today, social media is like the air we breathe, and some people want to just control it. The ban on TikTok looms, but we may avoid it if a US firm (or oligarch) acquires it. All we’re doing is turning over control to another entity. Who would like to bet on whether it will be for the better or worse?
As oligarchs take over countries in more obvious public displays (they are no longer hiding), they understand that they can manipulate popular behavior through social media. The issues are well-documented, and there are several great discussions on Netflix and YouTube (another dominating social media platform). Have you noticed how YouTube forces you to jump through hoops to watch videos? Signing in as a guest requires extra clicks. You now have commercials running on every video, and clicking skip ad merely moves to the next ad. This is akin to “let’s see just how far we can push and manipulate a human until they do what we want by signing up with all of their personal information so we can really control them” .
And I haven’t even discussed Facebook, Instagram, or the others. They are all the same, and it’s funny to watch how they all try to explain (spin) why they’re different to the public.
Only the people have the power to effect this change, but they are already addicted to social media, so I doubt anything will ever change. Sure, you may raise the access age or add some meaningless requirement to make it appear as if you’re doing something, but ask any kid how easy it is to get around any such restriction. Isn’t it the right of every kid to circumvent all restrictions in life?
The emergence of “influencers” is one potent side effect of social media, and they are for sale to help their followers get in line. I believe that some of these influencers have excellent visual and communication talents, but the majority chose to use the platform to promote idiocy and crap rather than something more worthwhile. It’s seems like a waste of a brain, but I don’t blame them. They are a product of the social media era, and that is how they opted to make a career; if you get lemons, make lemonade!
I am hoping one takeaway message is to motivate individuals to see through the fog of social media and do whatever they can to change their behaviors and realize when they are being brainwashed.
While I understand that there are many positive aspects of social media, they are all fighting to control our thoughts and actions in some way, if we let them.
Advertisers invented these popular thought-control mind games. The psychologists and data scientists refined the targeted objectives. The social media platforms corralled the sheep under false pretense. The algorithms automated the game to magnify the results, and AI will now amplify the volume to 11. Some may even argue that the control game began hundreds of years ago with religion.
I’m on the back end of the 9 holes with a little wisdom, so this mess will be left for the younger generation to untangle. Perhaps one of them will have the bravery to do what the older generations have failed to do after they opened Pandora’s box, releasing a mountain of uncertainty, and turn blind eye.
The challenge is monumental and you need to think and act without a box! Silly restrictions will do nothing! People will use VPNs to circumvent or discover other creative ways to gain access to TikTok (we already see the chatter on the Internet). Worse, when more bad actors enter the game, this may lead to an increase in cyber attacks against users. How many will be duped into using bad “VPNware” that will hurt them!
Full disclosure: I was a TikTok fan, and I spent a lot of time scrolling through the content feed until one day, when I interviewed two cybersecurity experts who divulged the dirty secrets. I deleted the app after the call, and that was my end of TikTok days.
I must admit that had withdrawal symptoms, but I’ve been TikTok-free for over two years and it’s not so bad. In reality, the amount of time you can reclaim to do other more interesting and fun stuff is priceless! Who will die and say I wish I had watched more TikTok? While I still need some social media, such as LinkedIn, to function in the world, I try to limit everything as much as possible!
“PLEASE DO NOT HAVE THE TIkTOK-ERS COME TO LINKEDIN”.
I’ve already seen more inappropriate clickbait content being put into LinkedIn, and I believe the algorithms is changing the game as more AI is being applied. Please push back before the social media flood gates of hell opens up on LinkedIn.
Hey, LinkedIn, we don’t need a scrolling video feed! If that’s your idea to give the TikToc-ers another platform after the ban, please don’t do it! LinkedIn is NOT TikTok!
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