Thanks, Stalker! or: How I Finally Quit Social Media
An unorthodox way to cut ties with social media.
I’ve spent most of the last year glued to social media, particularly a private subreddit where a small and carefully selected community talked about stocks, the economy, gardening, travel, cooking, and lots of other wholesome topics. There were about 700 of us, and it was fun while it lasted.
I’d had a bit of a premonition that it wouldn’t last forever. Personally, I believe every community (be it a private subreddit or a department you work in) has two extremes: the golden age and the age of shit. (It’s very scientific, I know.) Sometimes, you get lucky: you get a great new manager, or transfer into a happy little department, or end up in a nice little community on social media. Eventually, though, it falls apart: your manager quits, or there’s a massive re-org, or your little online community splinters.
That sets off a long descent into the age of shit: it usually takes a while to hit that rock bottom, and once you do, things will slowly and gradually get better. It’s worth noting, though, that one age can last just as long as the other: there are no rules, only two opposite polarities. And so it was with my wholesome little community when one of its members blew up, started harassing me on each and every post I’d made…
