Is there an intelligent way to use social media?

The “evils” of social media have been getting a good deal of press lately. Zuckerberg’s decision to no longer do fact checking on Meta has been controversial. Excessive time spent on social media by kids (and adults) has been blamed for less healthy mental conditions. The platform X is used by people sowing discord and disinformation to the detriment of our country’s political stability. 

Recently Tim Stahmer posted on his Assorted Stuff blog this cartoon and comment:

For me, the value of social media hit a peak several years ago and since has been on a steep decline. It would certainly have greater worth if more people would adopt Pig’s stupidity filter… https://www.assortedstuff.com/stupidity-filter/

With Zuckerberg’s decision to stop fact-checking, I have a friend who simply has decided to stop using Facebook. I deleted my Twitter account when Musk bought the company. I have no interest in joining Blue Sky.

Yet aren’t social media networks simply tools, and like other tools, be used for both good and ill? One of my axioms is that the same hammer can be used to both build a cathedral and break its windows. So while the negative uses of social media platforms seem rampant, are there ways we can teach kids how to use these tools in ways that may be of value to them? I would suggest:

1. Limits. I restrict who and what I follow on Facebook, using it to mainly keep up with friends and family and a few (travel) companies. I have long ago blocked the comments of those people who are overly political. I hit the “Hide all from…” link on posts daily. My feed is still a little cluttered, but it does not seem to contain the nut job opinions and factoids from either the left or right. Choose carefully who to friend or follow.

2. Purpose. My use of social is, well, social. It’s to keep up with people I actually know well enough to pick out of a police lineup. I do NOT use it for news. I do not use it to shop. I do not use it to inflame others with my political opinions. I expect and try to demonstrate the same behaviors online that I would at a F2F get together.

3. Alternate sources of information. Unless it knowing where a buddy went on vacation or if a grandchild is in a science fair contest, I do not look to social media for news. I trust vetted news sources like newspapers, magazines, and public radio. Are these all bias free? Of course not, but they try to be. The newspapers I read make an attempt to share the opinions of both liberal and conservative columnists.

4. Alternate means of communication. Which leads me to acknowledge that I communicate by other means than social media. I make phone calls. I send text messages. I read books and magazines. I listen to news on the radio and on television. 

5. Alternate uses for devices. I do spend a lot of time on my computer, my tablet, and on my smartphone. But a small percentage of that time is actually on Facebook. As a volunteer driver of clients to medical appointments, I spend a lot of time sitting in waiting rooms while they seed their health care specialist. I pass the time by reading an actual book on my phone. I read magazines and books on my tablet. I play games on my computer (a self-limited amount), book travel arrangements, and pay my bills. I write. I use my phone for GoogleMaps and as a camera. Having a smartphone doesn’t mean having to use it solely for looking at social media sites.

But perhaps I am not a good source of advice about using social media. I was 50 years old when MySpace launched, followed by Twitter a couple years later. Communication and information retrieval and online shopping have never been “baked in” to my habits. I’ve never been professionally dependent on LinkedIn. Never even posted an original dance to TikTok or shared any naughty photos of myself or others. I’m a bit of a digital troglodyte. I even still read real newspapers and books (although in digital formats).

Social media is not going away. We better learn to use it wisely, and perhaps more importantly, teach our kids to do so as well.

Your tips to improve the use of these tools?

My advice to retirees: It’s better to be too busy than not busy enough

Image source

Idle hands are the devil’s playground.

Before retiring in 2019, I attended a number of “preparing for retirement” seminars. Most often these were organized by financial institutions that wanted the attendees to enroll in one of their investment programs. When reading AARP and the financial pages of the newspaper, most retirement advice still centers around financial needs - how much will you need, will it last your lifetime, how can you protect your savings, how much can you withdraw each year?

What is insufficiently discussed is how one spends one’s retirement time. For me, a blank date on my calendar is worse than a balance on my credit card.

My pre-retirement life was very, very busy. I had a full time job as a school tech director. I wrote monthly columns and regular magazine articles. I published several books. I spoke at state, national, and international conferences about ten times a year. I held offices in my local Kiwanis club. And tried to spend as much time as possible with my family. Oh, I mowed a big lawn, shoveled a long driveway, and cooked many a supper. 

Suddenly, few of the obligations of my working days were there anymore. And one can only watch so much TV, read so many books, or take so many naps. Here is how I fill my days:

1. Volunteer. I give rides to those who can’t drive volunteering with a non-profit. I drive a shopper bus for a senior living center a couple times a month. I now am a Certified Ombudsman Volunteer, visiting and advocating for assisted care facility residents. I lead hikes for a state outdoor club. I probably average 20+ hours a week doing volunteer work. I would advise finding activities that suit you. I spent time as a substitute teacher and a volunteer grocery shopper and found I really didn’t enjoy either job so I quit them. We should all look for ways to expand our volunteer experiences. They not only help others, but help ourselves as well.

2. Exercise. I have a routine. Three workouts a week at the local YMCA of an hour each (weights and cardio). I walk at least 3 miles three or four times a week. It’s the rare day I don’t do an hour of exercise. It’s good not just for one’s physical health, but one’s mental health.

3. Socialize. I have regular meetings with friends each week or month. I spend a lot of time with my significant other. I go to Rotary meetings twice a month and volunteer on occasion with them. Many weekends involve group hikes. I chat with people at the Y.  And one of the nice things about giving rides to others is that you get a chance to visit with them and get to know them a bit.

4. Travel. If the body and the pocket book are up for it, I advise going places. I like traveling locally, nationally, and internationally. I enjoy active trips that involve hiking or biking. Increasingly, I appreciate guided adventures like those provided by Road Scholar. Good to see the world a bit and give the brain a bit of a workout.

One activity which has been on my “to-do” list is to start taking classes again. Not sure why I’ve not been more proactive about this. Our universities offer free classes for seniors as do many other organizations. I don’t really want to do online learning from my recliner. Maybe 2025 will be my learning year.

So anyway, it’s good to have a full calendar. I thought of this yesterday when a ride I was to give was canceled and a visit to my senior center was rescheduled due to a COVID outbreak in the building. Suddenly a full day of commitments became vacant. Luckily, I had a dinner out and a live play performance to attend last evening.

Stay busy, my retired friends. Let’s all make the most of our remaining days years.

How do they know?

A couple weeks ago, I made an old family casserole using the directions on the scanned recipe card above. 

A couple days ago, I got the following post in my Facebook feed:

 Coincidence? I sincerely doubt it. Just how did Zuckerberg know I used Jiffy brand cornbread mix and target advertising posts to me about it in Facebook?

I doubt he found "Jiffy" in the handwritten graphic in my GoogleDrive. I don’t remember emailing or texting anyone else about the recipe. I have no “smart” devices in my home that may have peered over my shoulder while I cooked or listened if I mumbled the directions aloud.

About all I can figure out is that my local grocery store to which I have a loyalty membership sends Mr. Z a list of all the products I buy from them each time I shop. Although I don’t remember seeing any FB ads for my food staples like pot pies or frozen pizzas. Hmmmmm. 

While I can’t think of a specific example, there have been times when I have mentioned a product in passing when conversing with a friend only to have that product appear on social media. How does the internet “hear” me talking? Or am I simply becoming paranoid in my dotage?

OK, I know my email, my texts, my blog posts, my online purchases, and my Google searches are all available to the highest marketing bidder. I accept that and to a degree, possibly benefit from it. I know if I click on a story in my GoogleNews feed, I will see more like it. (You have no idea how many inappropriate outfits Katy Perry wears to public functions!)  Our data is basically public if we choose to use free online tools. 

But to steal data from my grocery list? It never occurred to me.