Late Night Ramble: Media, Ideals and Accountability

I'll be the first to admit that I generally avoid the mainstream news and broader social media circus, but it's hard to avoid entirely. And sometimes I "fall into the rabbit hole" because someone sends a link, or I'm encouraged by a friend, and so on.

My avoidance of the MSM is not actually for some deeper or ideological reason, but simply because I quickly get exhausted by the way people so often just end up yelling at each other without even the slightest intention of listing to anyone else. And most of the time? They are debating opinions, not actual facts.

With sadness — generally — I watch as people blindly stand by some set of ideas or ideals they have adopted as their GOD, and those people are caught in the throes of some kind of cognitive blindness that precludes them from perceiving any alternatives to their own carved-in-stone ideals.

What's worse is that they also tend to be utterly unable to stand in any form of personal accountability for the impact they are having. I guess, because their ideals are "GOD," and Gods are infallible, right?

For example, I have never been fond of the Reddit platform, because even though there can be some useful information there, god forbid you somehow use some version of grammar or opinions that upsets some imperious Redditor or Subredditor who summarily erases your comment/inquiry and then bans you from some group/page for your transgression.

It's one of the reasons it always made me feel really anxious when — back in the early days of "Hive 1.0" — someone would gleefully exclaim that "we could become like a Reddit on the blockchain!"

Oh, hells to the NOH!

I find a small sense of relief in knowing that some of the troll-like creatures suggesting such a thing are no longer active here!

Humans Behaving Badly...

I owned and operated a retail store for many years, and it never ceased to amaze me how rude many people are to retail sales clerks.

Having spent far too much time studying human psychology, it was rarely an issue over actual bad service or incompetence when there was a problem... it was an issue of someone who perhaps felt powerless in their own life getting to "throw their weight around" with people they perceived themselves to be superior to.

Treating people badly does not make you powerful! It makes you an a$$hole, particularly when you're applying it to someone you know is bound by a "the customer is always right" service standard.

It was always revealing to see such people's demeanor change when they went from thinking I was just a salesperson to the store owner.

The reason I (at least temporarily) have higher than normal level of interest in external social media is primarily related to @leofinance's ongoing initiative to double Hive's active user base.

Hats off to them for attempting to do this... but are we standing in accountability — individually, and collectively — for what people will find here, when/if they do start showing up, in numbers? Are we being the sort of community that someone would wish to adopt and stay part of?

What's my point?

Well, my long stint in the marketing/advertising field taught me that it doesn't do you a lot of good to bring a large crowd in the front door if that crowd isn't offered an experience that makes them want to stay and come back!

Are we ready, as a community, to raise our efforts to engage with people, back to the levels we once enjoyed?

Standing in accountability: Yes, I admit it has been a long time since I just randomly surfed Hive in search of new content creators. I need to do better; get outside my circle of people and communities I typically follow. With the exception of a small number, we all need to do better.

@leofinance's efforts won't matter if those of us already here don't pull our weight!

Thanks for stopping by, and enjoy the remainder of your week!

Comments, feedback and other interaction is invited and welcomed! Because — after all — SOCIAL content is about interacting, right? Leave a comment — share your experiences — be part of the conversation! I do my best to answer comments, even if it sometimes takes a few days!

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Created at 2023-09-20 23:46 PDT
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