Making a difference
This is such a thought provoking video.
Chamath Palihapitiya, Facebook’s former vice president for user growth, expresses his concerns over social media and the irresponsible use of venture capital to fuel the companies that have propelled it to stratospheric heights.
He makes the usual criticisms about quick dopamine hits and creating a vacuous, false image of perfection but goes on to discuss having an impact on what he can control and it makes me think.
What do I control?
I have already taken control over my own immediate sphere: me. I’ve stepped back and reassessed, but what next?
My eldest daughter is 18 next year so we’re past the point where I can't be telling my kids what to do. They can make their own decisions.
I have a blog, a platform but, as much as I may voice my concerns, the impact is limited. I may intersect with others whose concerns are along similar lines (it is human nature to seek out complementary and complimentary voices after all) but still the reach is small.
The internet was designed as an equal playing field but, let’s face it, that’s not the case. Take this point in the video:
”In the absence of capital you’re irrelevant. With capital you’re powerful.”
Palihapitiya states that it is a moral obligation to “go after the money” and, once you have it, use it to promote your world view.
“Don’t sell out!”
Some just want to be rich, some crave fame for fame’s sake. Others want to make a difference but often feel unable unless they are one (or both) of the above.
So it becomes a question of scale: what can we achieve with what we’ve got and how can we pitch that against those who have decidedly more?
While it’s nice to see some want to give back after gaining sufficient wealth it’s a shame that they must do so from a position of guilt having benefited so handsomely from the very systems that they now criticise.
Many don’t see the way things are as toxic; they don’t appear to engage with anyone who expresses a political or cultural opinion - a sad fact in itself. But the problems extend way beyond the divisions created in society, the factions and bubbles we find ourselves in.
And I ask myself again:
- what do I control?
- what influence can I have?
- should I try to?
I don't think we have to do things at scale to make a difference. We all have a sphere of influence (family, friends, workmates, neighbours), and that's where I think our greatest responsibility lies. Although we may only influence a few people, they each have a sphere of influence, and it ripples out. Don't underestimate small and local.
Ah, but sometimes those are the hardest spheres of all.
Being off work for such a long period opens up a lot of thinking time I wouldn’t normally get. This can be a double edged sword. On the one hand I’ve had time to add functionality to the blog, read more and take an online course but, on the other, I’ve had the capacity to really examine what I’ve been doing for the past 18 months. I think I've reached one of those junctures where I'm not entirely sure what I want to do or achieve with my online presence. It happens from time to time and I've been through various phases in the past 14 years or so, wanting to be or accomplish different things. I know one thing: social media is not the way I want to spend my time. Returning to social would be doing so just for the sake of it, not because it would actually achieve anything. It's not as though I would be using it as a tool to promote something more worthwhile. I'm not running a business or promoting a product or book, using it as a customer service avenue or outreach tool. No, I would be simply posting status updates for the purpose of posting status updates. And without a goal or plan even my blogging is starting to feel a little empty. I have no need to modify the site or develop new functionality - I'm very happy with how it looks and works - so "getting meta" is not currently an option. Although that can only be a viable one for so long. I think my desire to make a difference is actually down to wanting to achieve something worthwhile, something of value. Not financially but creatively. I want to produce something that stands out, stand alone; something I can be truly proud of. Instead I just scrawl angst-ridden words on to a page - words about nothing in particular. I dance around the matter rather than actually doing something about it. But therein lies the problem: I don't know the what or how. If I did I'd be doing it already! (By pen) (I wrote this last night while unable to sleep and was unsure of whether I should post it. But I decided not to censor myself and the best way to hold myself accountable is to put it out there.)