<unlike-us> Getting more optimistic about system change

[gertml]

After having banged my head against the walls in the sustainability
area for many years, where hardly anything is practically
possible, more cracks have been appearing in those walls, so
one can start seeing through. We have clearly seen through its
walls how dangerous Facebook really is and that it is absolutely
futile to expect it to be of *any positive social use whatsoever*.
We (critics) were protected by choosing *not to use it*, but to
focus on alternatives instead. Thanks to philosophy and questioning
the answers.

The fediverse and other (P2P) protocols to connect social media are
working. It is getting rid of all the advertising that drives
people crazy. It allows for free association, not "recommended"
association. It gets rid of central control (and easy surveillance).
Anyone who feels like, can run their own instance and *help connect
people*.

This is what I hoped for and now it is happening. Some may think
it goes slow, but perhaps this is an advantage, so we can think
about what we're doing and change course if needed. Because code
is law. Code determines whether people are all individuals or
can also act as a group. Whether people can be consumers or also
creators. This is what decentralization makes possible. And with
that, we are now changing the system.

Let's hope that in our systems, *quality* of life now trumps
everything else, so that it can carry free exchange of ideas and
become a fertile breeding ground for much more system change.

The inflection point came in 2018 and from then on, those who ask
to "Follow us on Facebook" were unfortunately making dangerous
fools of themselves, not frivolous fools...

The medium is the message.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_medium_is_the_message

--Gert