October 2, 2026
The Contamination of Your Brain
I admit it, I’m a social media hound.
Although my tastes and what I view may vary, it usually lands on checking local news outlets, what friends post and local events.
It’s mostly Facebook. I gave up X (Twitter) when the Nazis took it over. I have Bluesky, but frankly, keeping up with more than one platform is a chore. I giggle at “Truth Social” – it’s a compelling exemplary case for the mental deterioration of the Orange Slob (and frankly, anyone who follows it).
But lately, especially on Facebook, as the election nears, with the ramping up of authoritarian threats and actions by right-wing zealots, as well as the AI that is it’s engine, content is becoming more and more irrelevant, and as a result, more and more useless. And annoying A page titled “Jesus Is King” with a photo or the Orange Slob pointing to the sky, useless names generated by thousands of bots showing AI generated crowds at rallies. The theme goes on, ad nauseum.
My first mistake was responding with a comment; once that happens the algorithm tips that content in it’s favor, and more shows up. Blocking, making “less interested” a choice is futile, pages still show up. So for now, I’ve selected “friends” to only show up in my feed; but that weeds out my legitimate sources (Reuters, AP, NPR, other activist and informational organizations).
So for now, it’s a Facebook “fast.” I’ve cleared my cache, cookies, and any other defining info; I now go to directly to the websites I choose.
And I feel better already.
If it’s not obvious, remember that social media is NOT a substitute for legitimate dissemination of news and gathering of information. It is an aggregator, and a bad one at that; based upon the crap-for-humans that run social media and AI, it will not get any better. If anything, the propagation of propaganda is by intent, and it’s not for the public or common good. Coupled with AI, it’s pervasive, and incites violence, suicide, anger and a host of other social ills. Altman, Zuckerberg, Musk, Thiel and all the others don’t give shit about you; they want your data so they can use it against you and engage it as “currency.” Fuck them. Go directly to the news or organization’s site.
To count on Facebook, X, or any other nonsense is to contaminate your brain. So be careful, it’s the only one you’ve got.
See ya next week; on a personal note, I’ve been thrust in the role of caregiver for someone close; it takes time and energy. I’ll get some cartoons out soon, maybe reflecting on caregiving.