Yes!! Agreed. The real work is in person but being able to look out over the parapet from time to time to hear from the experts that capitalism hides (covid, lived experiences, etc) is what I’d miss especially. But even as I write this I think it’s still that dopamine hit hiding within excuses as surely that’s all findable too if I look hard enough off Twitter.
Thank you - I have always felt regret for the price you and your family have paid for being there ( available) for us in the resistance group. I have valued your time and effort more because I can see the cost. All throughout this pandemic I have tried to find new ways to see things because the old systems have let us down, or perhaps they are just spent. This writing has given me more to think about. We can do better- I know.
Such a great essay. I'm so glad I have not been lured by social media platforms and only use them to disseminate truth, heartfelt stories and spiritual wisdom or to fight against hate, lies and misinformation. Above all, I love my God, my family, my friends and my pets - nothing else really matters.
Thank you. You said so much of what I've been thinking and feeling. I miss the message boards of the old days. I love being connected with my friends and family out of town. But I'm not willing to be part of this degradation of our society anymore. I'd just moved to Twitter to be on FB less. Now I guess I will leave it all.
Another great essay ECM! One to make us think about what are we really doing here. Your point about us just being data points to sell goods for oligarchs really hit home. We laugh when an ad shows up in our feed but the always insidious algorithm rules our lives. While reading this I had a vision of the algorithm as a huge dragon monster gobbling tiny people and their dreams up like so much bird seed. I pretty much gave up FB. Twitter is okay if one is careful who they follow and who they let follow them (even though we must stay ever vigilant of bots and trolls). But I am struck that the top ten richest men (note white men) own major media and streaming sites, most of our communication mechanisms and vehicles. This is by design. It makes me appreciate the Atelier even more! Thank you again for your ongoing insights and vision to give us pause, step back and go, "Whoa."
Great essay Elizabeth. This is an appropriate & worthy Birthday present to yourself. Have you considered that? I hope others take your words to heart. ❤
I’ve been grateful to have your wisdom and guidance to rely on these past years, along with the community that formed around your broadcasts.
But I’ve found myself grateful, too to NOT be famous, to be able to still be relatively anonymous, even in the small state where I live. You have paid a heavy price for sharing your guidance. Worse, so have your children. And I can appreciate your superlative mama bear parenting while wishing you didn’t NEED to be so fiercely protective all the time. As you have taught us, that level of vigilance creates a stew of neuro chemicals that are toxic if maintained too long in too high a level.
I recently learned the term “para social relationship” and realized that not only does that describe my daughter’s crush on Alexander Hamilton, but it also encapsulates the way many in our community feel like you are a personal friend, when to YOU we are strangers.
Social Media plays havoc with our sense of community, allowing us to communicate in a way we would with our intimate friends to mass numbers, far beyond what would be sustainable in “real life.” And to have these companies controlled by billionaires, each a narcissistic man-child ? Shivers.
So thank you for yet more nourishing food for thought. I’m happy to pay for the privilege of continuing to learn from you.
I completely understand why you would want to step back from social media, as it's no doubt been a double-edged sword: surely it has helped you build your brand (I learned about you through Facebook and have followed you on Twitter since you left FB), but it has also subjected you to abuse, stalking, and other things that I couldn't imagine having to endure on the daily basis you have. An "Internet famous" person, especially a woman, has to deal with so much more than nonfamous people do.
As a nonfamous person, I've found that social media has provided me an opportunity to keep up with people I care about (but would not likely make the time to email) and enhanced a lot of my local relationships as well (this is far more true with Facebook than Twitter). It has given me creative work opportunities, such as doing artist interviews for a gallery in Australia, that would never have otherwise come to me. It has brought me real-life friendships with people I would never have met offline, such as a couple 300 miles from me who gave me great support through my divorce several years ago. I've been a freelancer for 20 years, so it has given me a virtual "water cooler" for discussion of current events, etc. And it gives me a forum for discussing a frivolous pastime I enjoy in a community I'd have a hard time finding offline.
Social media is successful in part because it satisfies other needs besides dopamine hits. I am glad it became a "thing" after I was a full-fledged adult, and I definitely agree with your concerns for very young people. But on the whole, my cost/benefit analysis is a lot less clear-cut than yours; so much depends on what we're getting and seeking individually. But this is a thought-provoking piece, and I'm glad you shared it.
As always, Elizabeth, you so perfectly sum up what so many of us feel but few have the gift to express as well as you do. As you describe, my level of anger and outrage is mirrored by how much time I spend on social media overall, and reading posts of those with whom I ferociously disagree only exacerbates and fuels this anger. I'm so very grateful to have the Atelier and Patreon platforms to continue to both interact and learn from you. Sending light and love to you on this next step on your path. ❤
This resonated with me. I spent the last week insanely busy teaching yoga to middle schoolers while also trying to keep an eye on my gig as the Mayor of a small, but highly visible village. At the end of the day, I had no energy left to try to "engage" community members on social media. Engagement on social media feels like another part of my JOB that at times truly feels soul sucking at times - it didn't start off that way. When you reach the point of considering whenever posting... "Could this be used against me?" by someone who is looking for a crack to pry into and open.
People who feel like it's OK to be rude, nasty or even threatening range from as close as my over the fence neighbor 50 feet from my back door, who sent emails to my official account after I blocked on social media and from texting me, threatening towards our dogs,- to someone in Kansas who saw the name of our Village on a "christian" website with photos of a community member who has a national presence being removed from a school board meeting after refusing to wear a mask. (This meeting had nothing to do with me or the Village) I have had a man who lives outside of our Village who called my office phone screaming that I should go sit in a corner and think about what I and people like me have done that caused police officers in Harlem to be murdered. By the way, with google and social media, it's pretty easy to find out where these people live to report if anything ever happens in real life to me. The police department is just below my office in the building.
I didn't mean this response to be so long, but I wanted to share that even in a job that represents a total population of a little over 5,000 residents - social media just doesn't feel worth it anymore. I really want to connect with real people who live in the community and want to work towards the good, progress, equity, and flavored with a little kindness.
Yes!! Agreed. The real work is in person but being able to look out over the parapet from time to time to hear from the experts that capitalism hides (covid, lived experiences, etc) is what I’d miss especially. But even as I write this I think it’s still that dopamine hit hiding within excuses as surely that’s all findable too if I look hard enough off Twitter.
Thank you - I have always felt regret for the price you and your family have paid for being there ( available) for us in the resistance group. I have valued your time and effort more because I can see the cost. All throughout this pandemic I have tried to find new ways to see things because the old systems have let us down, or perhaps they are just spent. This writing has given me more to think about. We can do better- I know.
Such a great essay. I'm so glad I have not been lured by social media platforms and only use them to disseminate truth, heartfelt stories and spiritual wisdom or to fight against hate, lies and misinformation. Above all, I love my God, my family, my friends and my pets - nothing else really matters.
Thank you for this!
Thank you. You said so much of what I've been thinking and feeling. I miss the message boards of the old days. I love being connected with my friends and family out of town. But I'm not willing to be part of this degradation of our society anymore. I'd just moved to Twitter to be on FB less. Now I guess I will leave it all.
Another great essay ECM! One to make us think about what are we really doing here. Your point about us just being data points to sell goods for oligarchs really hit home. We laugh when an ad shows up in our feed but the always insidious algorithm rules our lives. While reading this I had a vision of the algorithm as a huge dragon monster gobbling tiny people and their dreams up like so much bird seed. I pretty much gave up FB. Twitter is okay if one is careful who they follow and who they let follow them (even though we must stay ever vigilant of bots and trolls). But I am struck that the top ten richest men (note white men) own major media and streaming sites, most of our communication mechanisms and vehicles. This is by design. It makes me appreciate the Atelier even more! Thank you again for your ongoing insights and vision to give us pause, step back and go, "Whoa."
Thank you. Love you. Please stay safe.
Great essay Elizabeth. This is an appropriate & worthy Birthday present to yourself. Have you considered that? I hope others take your words to heart. ❤
Amen.
I’ve been grateful to have your wisdom and guidance to rely on these past years, along with the community that formed around your broadcasts.
But I’ve found myself grateful, too to NOT be famous, to be able to still be relatively anonymous, even in the small state where I live. You have paid a heavy price for sharing your guidance. Worse, so have your children. And I can appreciate your superlative mama bear parenting while wishing you didn’t NEED to be so fiercely protective all the time. As you have taught us, that level of vigilance creates a stew of neuro chemicals that are toxic if maintained too long in too high a level.
I recently learned the term “para social relationship” and realized that not only does that describe my daughter’s crush on Alexander Hamilton, but it also encapsulates the way many in our community feel like you are a personal friend, when to YOU we are strangers.
Social Media plays havoc with our sense of community, allowing us to communicate in a way we would with our intimate friends to mass numbers, far beyond what would be sustainable in “real life.” And to have these companies controlled by billionaires, each a narcissistic man-child ? Shivers.
So thank you for yet more nourishing food for thought. I’m happy to pay for the privilege of continuing to learn from you.
I completely understand why you would want to step back from social media, as it's no doubt been a double-edged sword: surely it has helped you build your brand (I learned about you through Facebook and have followed you on Twitter since you left FB), but it has also subjected you to abuse, stalking, and other things that I couldn't imagine having to endure on the daily basis you have. An "Internet famous" person, especially a woman, has to deal with so much more than nonfamous people do.
As a nonfamous person, I've found that social media has provided me an opportunity to keep up with people I care about (but would not likely make the time to email) and enhanced a lot of my local relationships as well (this is far more true with Facebook than Twitter). It has given me creative work opportunities, such as doing artist interviews for a gallery in Australia, that would never have otherwise come to me. It has brought me real-life friendships with people I would never have met offline, such as a couple 300 miles from me who gave me great support through my divorce several years ago. I've been a freelancer for 20 years, so it has given me a virtual "water cooler" for discussion of current events, etc. And it gives me a forum for discussing a frivolous pastime I enjoy in a community I'd have a hard time finding offline.
Social media is successful in part because it satisfies other needs besides dopamine hits. I am glad it became a "thing" after I was a full-fledged adult, and I definitely agree with your concerns for very young people. But on the whole, my cost/benefit analysis is a lot less clear-cut than yours; so much depends on what we're getting and seeking individually. But this is a thought-provoking piece, and I'm glad you shared it.
As always, Elizabeth, you so perfectly sum up what so many of us feel but few have the gift to express as well as you do. As you describe, my level of anger and outrage is mirrored by how much time I spend on social media overall, and reading posts of those with whom I ferociously disagree only exacerbates and fuels this anger. I'm so very grateful to have the Atelier and Patreon platforms to continue to both interact and learn from you. Sending light and love to you on this next step on your path. ❤
This resonated with me. I spent the last week insanely busy teaching yoga to middle schoolers while also trying to keep an eye on my gig as the Mayor of a small, but highly visible village. At the end of the day, I had no energy left to try to "engage" community members on social media. Engagement on social media feels like another part of my JOB that at times truly feels soul sucking at times - it didn't start off that way. When you reach the point of considering whenever posting... "Could this be used against me?" by someone who is looking for a crack to pry into and open.
People who feel like it's OK to be rude, nasty or even threatening range from as close as my over the fence neighbor 50 feet from my back door, who sent emails to my official account after I blocked on social media and from texting me, threatening towards our dogs,- to someone in Kansas who saw the name of our Village on a "christian" website with photos of a community member who has a national presence being removed from a school board meeting after refusing to wear a mask. (This meeting had nothing to do with me or the Village) I have had a man who lives outside of our Village who called my office phone screaming that I should go sit in a corner and think about what I and people like me have done that caused police officers in Harlem to be murdered. By the way, with google and social media, it's pretty easy to find out where these people live to report if anything ever happens in real life to me. The police department is just below my office in the building.
I didn't mean this response to be so long, but I wanted to share that even in a job that represents a total population of a little over 5,000 residents - social media just doesn't feel worth it anymore. I really want to connect with real people who live in the community and want to work towards the good, progress, equity, and flavored with a little kindness.