Written originally into a response to a Facebook post from someone moaning about social media, got really long - I got carried away and enjoyed writing, so now I thought to share it with ya'll
Enjoy my first foray into writing an opinionated article here on Steemit :)
Ah! but my friend! the story does not start neither does it end on Facebook. The future, in fact has begun - it’s just not actually on Facebook and neither will it be. Some say Facebook is like cocaine, and not in a good way, in a dopamine addiction way! how so relevant in this context, is merely how pointedly you do observe; we’re all hooked. And yes, [FB] is becoming merely a mind-control tool attempting to garner your data and use it to condition you to buy things. So, it is going to fail, as anything that lacks true freedom invariably does - eventually. So, do allow me to indulge in some futuristic predictions. Nothing scary, but you might need shades (if the future is to be so bright after all)..
Soon the next generation will arise who are not interested in going to bars and pubs, or even malls and condos as we know it, (and hopefully not cocaine, either - they all seem to be too busy vaping?). Yet I’ve seen they also reject the system, corporations and everything they stand for. Heck, some kids already think "Facebook is lame, my parents use it". You'll surely need to observe or retell these diatribes again, once the bold next-gen whom are not driven by ‘likes’ ‘follows’ or ‘friends’, but use crypto-currency backed payment systems for content creation or consumption, work, and eating, and hang out with their real friends and neighbours in augmented or virtual realities, arise. The technology is already appearing. With it, the ability to become more ‘free’ is driven only by the availability of technologies, being in the hands of the people. Working from anywhere to anywhere without travel, seamless - instant - replicable - scalable - and low cost - is where crypto-currency changes everything. These are the mechanisms, which will fill the void for all the jobless factory workers soon being replaced by robots and automata. Small homes and neighbourhoods become a hotbed of small enterprise community once again. It is within our possible options! In a future moment that could be envisioned, with zero or limited reliance or interference from corporations, banks, exchange rates, fees (mostly fiat currency) - things start getting quite interesting, you’re enabled to do what you want, go where you want, see who you want, meet with who you want - And that’s exactly what the men in grey don’t want. The point here I am making (apart from again summing up the Matrix, as many have before) is that these 21st century communities and neighbourhoods will become the ‘new normal’. Just in fact Facebook is (was) the early prototype, and will eventually fall just like AOL, Netscape, and Myspace. Likely very soon, and overnight as an unexpected alternative gains traction and millions join at once. (Likely candidate or early prototypes exists, I will share another time……. Ok go on….. it’s called steem.io go check it out and call me crazy. Beyond that, I don’t know much yet. Apart from all the other comments on here about communication and bringing people together. All of this relies heavily of course on the Internet remaining free - you touch on this point, almost - missing the fact the censorship is failing however knowing that not all are lemmings. How it's going to work in reality of the next decade is anyones guess, quite frankly. As I myself can’t predict all of the future, I can definitely tell you however (and no offence to anyone here) that there are other online communities and social networks that will make you see that FB is (if not already) just the McDonald's version of hundreds more worthy places to hang out on the 'net - now or in the future. There is a brave new world (or neighbourhood) out there, you just have to look for it.
"You take the blue pill, the story ends. You wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill, you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes"
So, for me I just going to cold store away some bitcoin, maybe some alt coins, spark another owl, and see what happens.
