Over recent weeks we have witnessed some big fallouts in the world of big tech and social media.
Twitter has been going into a tailspin following the purchase by billionaire Elon Musk, which some say is written in the stars… Astrologer @ChaniNicholas shares:
Elon Musk took Twitter over as Mars - the planet that brings about a lot of havoc and destruction - stationed retrograde in the sign of Gemini - the sign of mass communications - and we could imagine if there was an animal associated with Gemini - it might be a tweeting bird.
At first, I’ll admit I had high hopes and some intrigue around Mr Musk’s desire to takeover Twitter, his opening statement about free speech and the importance of the digital Town Square initially made me happy and excited that someone is wanting to change the situation on big tech and censorship. I personally have had issues over the way Twitter and other social media platforms – such as Meta and YouTube – have handled this over the past couple of years. I feel that the government–driven propaganda and censorship have us sleepwalking into a form of totalitarianism…
Alternative voices are stigmatised by a veritable Ministry of Truth, which is crowded with “fact checkers.” Freedom of speech is curtailed by various forms of censorship and self-censorship; people’s right to self-determination is infringed upon by coercive strategies, which impose heretofore unthinkable social exclusion and segregation upon society.
– The Psychology of Totalitarianism by Mattias Desmet
Above is part of Elon Musk’s statement when he bought Twitter, but instead of being a ray of sunshine and freedom in the social media arena, it seems Mr Musk instead could be destroying the platform, with ‘Goodbye Twitter’ and ‘RIP Twitter’ trending last week following a mass exodus of staff.
Musk had emailed Twitter employees, saying: "Going forward, to build a breakthrough Twitter 2.0 and succeed in an increasingly competitive world, we will need to be extremely hardcore". The email asked staff to click "yes" if they wanted to stick around.
- Reuters.
We also have seen Meta aka Facebook’s stock tank by something like 700% as well in the past few weeks, resulting in Zuck laying off 13% of his workforce – which is around 11,000 staff across the company.
Investors wiped $80bn (£69bn) off the market value of Facebook and Instagram's owner, Meta, after Mark Zuckerberg's company reported profits had halved during the third quarter as advertisers reined in spending amid the global economic downturn.
– The Guardian
Zuck shared the news with this statement…
We’ve shifted more of our resources onto a smaller number of high-priority growth areas — like our AI discovery engine, our ads and business platforms, and our long-term vision for the metaverse. I’ve also made the hard decision to let people go.
Source: FB Newsroom
Note that Zuck has spent BILLIONS on the Metaverse and wants to continue to put in $10 billion annually. As humans, we are not very good at understanding what a billion really means. I love this illustration of the magnitude of difference between billion and million:
A million seconds is 12 days.
A billion seconds is 31 years.
Let that sink in for a moment.
Meta has spent $36 billion building the metaverse but still has little to show for it.
– Business Insider
I wrote this poem a couple of years ago, which you can find in Social Media For A New Age 2, which feels more relevant than ever…
Billions of users,
And dollars too,
Zuck’s been riding high
But does he really know what to do?
From his dorm room,
To the board room,
To everyone’s pocket
Where we consume.
He thought he was on a roll…
But are things now out of control?
So what does this all of this mean for YOU and me?
I have often spoken about a coming decentralisation of social media and the web, as we diversify away from centralised platforms such as Facebook, which I think will only continue to grow. When stuff like this happens, we often see people looking for different places to join or hang out online. Joining apps like Telegram, or using platforms like Substack, who seem genuine in their support of free speech.
Here is an overview of the current social media universe as designed by @visualcap take a look at the social media and messaging apps as though they were planets… Depending on your business model you can still connect and communicate with your audience on smaller planets if you choose to.
This new moon in Sagittarius draws our attention to our spirit of adventure and how we interact with new perspectives, so it’s good time to explore other possibilities.
Web3 platforms are also being hailed as a possible way forward, these sites offer a more open and decentralised social media, where users will own all of their content, own the relationship with their audience, are resistant to censorship and control how their data is used – sounds like a dream, eh?
According to @metav3rse, decentralised alternatives include: Instagram to @pearlapp_ , Twitter to Mastodon or Diamond App, LinkedIn to @joinentre and publishing to @viamirror.
Not heard of them? No, me either, but it is worth us paying some attention to this space as it develops.
The potential for these big platforms collapsing is possible. I will never forget what happened with MySpace, and it would bode us all well not to forget either. When it comes to the digital Town Square, as a small business or for solopreneurs and Influencers, I often think it is best to focus on one platform, especially when starting out. However it is always wise not to put all of your eggs in one basket in your business and being flexible is advisable.
Whether it be blogging, email, or trying out other Town Square / living room digital spaces, other planets in the social media universe, can be beneficial. If we are in the business of relationships rather than in the business of platforms, I also believe that your audience will come with you. You can also try listening or asking your people to find out where they themselves are going.
Are you using platforms outside of Meta, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube?
In a recent interview with Cassie Widders for The Social Self Podcast, when talking about The Future of Social Media, I spoke about how important it is that we choose ‘your pace and your space’. Rather than doing all platforms, blindly, because that is all we know, instead consciously choosing platform/s that suits both you and your social media style, your morals and ethics best.
Karmic chickens are flying home to roost. Between now and March 2023, we will see some major developments at all levels as Pluto completes his 2008-2023 transit of Capricorn and power shifts towards the People, away from crumbling Capricornian institutions rooted in gaining material power and control through exploitation. Next spring, Pluto’s long 2023-2044 journey through Aquarius begins. The sign of the human collective, Aquarius symbolises an energy driven to pursuing and promoting ideals for creating a fairer, more equal world. It is a highly rational, technology and future-oriented.
– Lorna Bevan, Hare in the Moon Astrology
Some INNER UNICORN QUESTIONS to leave you with: 🦄
Do you think Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk know what is best for the future of the internet?
If we want to have a say in the future of social media, how can we be more actively engaged in the process?
If social media platforms are out of alignment with your own personal morals and ethics, will you look elsewhere to communicate and connect?
I would love to hear your reflections in the comments below.
And if you enjoyed this article or others from me please consider sharing with like hearted folks, thank you.