By Anna Mussmann
I’ll admit it: I want people to read the
things I write. At least, I want the people who want to read the things I write
to read them.
When I post articles from this blog on
Facebook, they fall, of course, into the great algorithmic stream ostensibly dammed
and channeled so as to show each of you what you are most likely to want to
see. Yet the stream doesn’t belong to either you or me. It’s Facebook’s stream,
and they keep asking me to pay them money to show you my posts.
Facebook's pay-to-play system isn't the only impediment, either.
You probably heard about the surge of “deplatforming”
that followed the 2020 election. Do you know, for instance, that it is now officially
against Youtube’s
policy to allow any content “alleging widespread fraud or errors changed
the outcome of a historical U.S. Presidential election?” Or, for another
instance, did you hear about the bishop blocked
from Twitter for tweeting in opposition to assisted suicide? Or that Facebook would not
allow the Lutheran Center for Religious Liberty to “boost” a post in response to violence in the U.S. capital?
I’ve been wondering lately about the
future of this blog—especially about my ability to share it.
A while back, Facebook attached a warning
label to an article from this blog. The label said our piece contained inaccurate
information about Kenyan obesity rates. Now, in reality, the article did not
mention obesity, Kenyans, or even Africa. Yet the warning popped up anytime a
reader tried to share the post. It may well have been a mere error—just a
coincidence. Yet there was no way to appeal the label, and that says something about Facebook's priorities.
It would be nice to have a way to
connect with each other independent of the big tech platforms.
What about
signing up for the Sister, Daughter, Mother, Wife newsletter? You can do so in
the right-hand sidebar on this site. You’ll probably hear from us once a month.
You’ll get bonus content (including a chance to join a discussion group). It
will be fun! It will help stick it to the technological overlords and their all-powerful
algorithms!
Do note that if you want to subscribe, you'll have to hit confirm in the email you get after signing up
Hoping to connect,
Anna
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