Why Social Media is a Swamp (and Why I Started a Blog in 2026)
Social media is a swamp. I have had several people ask me why I started a blog in 2026. To me, the answer is obvious, but to others, it might look like a lapse into a bygone era. Engaging with modern social media is akin to intentionally dumping Miracle-Gro on mosquito eggs. Harmless at first, but over time, it breeds a relentless swarm of distractions that just leave you angry and itching.
I was an early adopter of social media. Yes, me. This grumpy, bearded man trapped in a 70-year-old woman's body could once be considered cool. I'm still trying to confirm my actual account creation on Facebook, but I have posts going back to 2005, which means I would be considered an "early adopter" of the platform. I don't know how old anyone is reading this, but I even had a short stint on MySpace, and before that, I used AOL Instant Messenger. Not only that, but I even have a memory of using bulletin board services (BBSs) during the early rapid expansion of the Internet. Yeah, I guess I am getting old.
Why am I telling you this? It's called establishing credibility. I have been using social media so long that I have become a de facto expert on the topic, and that is precisely why I can tell you how horrible it is.
In the early days, it started out innocent enough. It was a fun way to keep up with friends and share stupid Internet content. A far cry from what it is today. But, in watching its evolution, it's become something else entirely, and it's not great, not great at all.
I don't specifically know when that transition occurred. Maybe it was when I started to get old. You know the saying: "If the music is too loud, you're too old." Well, the social media machine is deafening, and I absolutely hate it. Do I continue to use it? Yep!
Why do I continue to use something that I absolutely detest? I don't really know anymore, and that's the worst part. I, and I'm sure many like me, continue to use the excuse, "It's the only way I can stay in touch with friends and family, of course." That's bullshit. For the most part, the people I want to keep up with, I do, and everyone else, meh.
Why Social Media is Trash
I could list a plethora of reasons why social media today sucks, but I'm going to give you just three simple reasons:
1. The User Base. In the early days of Facebook, it was strictly college students that could use it. You couldn't have access unless you had a .edu account. What was the reason for this? It was a simple way of gatekeeping to ensure that you kept the population of users that they desired. That's back when Facebook was fun and new, and you could take great joy in sending someone "a poke". It was an easy, indirect way to flirt with people and post all the dumb shit you were doing because, let's face it, college students are the stupidest group of people on earth, and Facebook provided an outlet for their (our) antics.
Since then, the platform has been opened up to all people, and that's part of the problem. When it was all college students, you had a predominantly like-minded body using it: stupid f*****g college students. But since everyone now has access, it has become a place for everyone to be shitty to one another. Just look at all the trash on Facebook these days. Damn it, even governmental organizations are posting things that belong in the movie Idiocracy. Everyone has a voice, but that doesn't mean they should always use it. Sometimes it's best just to STFU. Facebook should've stayed with the college students...because they're stupid like social media.
2. Monetization. Money ruins everything. Correction: the American way of capitalism ruins everything. Facebook gave rise to "The Influencer" and the world has been worse for it since then. So you may be asking, what about all the other platforms, "like TikTok!" or "Snapchat," or "Instagram", or whatever other ridiculous, mind-destroying platform there is out there. You may also think that, "Wow, I really love all of those platforms!" No, they propagate stupidity, and you are dumber for it. Stop using them immediately, and it doesn't really matter what the platform is because they all function the same way.
All of these platforms make money off advertising revenue and capturing your data to better sell you shit you don't need. So, the monetization of social media has vastly deteriorated the welfare of everyone that uses it.
3. Mental Health. Social media doesn't make you feel good about yourself or others. Frankly, it has an inverse effect. I don't know anyone who feels better after wasting time on social media. If you do, you're a sociopath. It has been proven repeatedly that the use of it increases rates of depression and potentially contributes to increased suicide among youth. The worst part is all of these companies know what they're doing to people, and they don't care. The only solution to reining them in is government intervention, and because of lobbying, they don't do anything about it. Our politicians just keep gargling the balls of all of these tech bros.
The Real Alternative
In getting back to my original point, I started a simple, unadulterated blog to avoid the pitfalls of the aforementioned blight of mankind. I know people are looking for real connection and something that is real. Not the filtered, monetized garbage that you get everywhere else.
The other reason I write is purely because I want to, and if people read it, great! If not, that's OK too because you still have that freedom to choose without the nagging thought that some AI may be forcing you into it. So, help me help you. Read something real. And maybe, just maybe, someday you can throw a little cash my way to support the effort. I mean, I hate the monetization of the internet, but a dad's still gotta buy pepperoni pizza and camper fuel. Kidding... mostly.
Dad out.