Ira Cogan

I went the last couple of years only participating there every now and then. I log in, I check the “memories” or “on this day” or whatever page to check if I posted something years ago that I’m embarrassed by. People change over time, and I don’t delete things that were written by a person who saw the world differently than he does now, and I don’t delete things that were written as a reaction in real time to current events. Like, conversations, or just whatever I was thinking about a particular thing that I don’t think anymore knowing what I now know -I don’t delete that because I think those posts should be held to that standard.

But I do delete idiotic or offensive things I wrote in the past for the sake of being idiotic or offensive. When I first signed up for that thing in 2007 (19 years ago!) it was a place to chat with a handful of friends not unlike the cafeteria lunch table in high school or a dive bar. Social Media Manager, Influencer, and Content Creator were not occupations, and smartphones and the mobile internet were still in their infancy compared to today. Also, it wasn’t a place I’d regularly bump into my relatives… So yeah, it was kinda like a dive bar for me.

So, I still log in there almost daily, I look at the “memories” page, and although tasteless posts don’t come up too often, they come up every once in a while and I delete those. And then, ideally, I log right out. But sometimes I don’t, and I waste a buncha time… but I did successfully barely participate on that thing for a while… And then the Knicks made the finals! So the last couple of weeks I participated again but I think I’m done with that, at least for now.

I figure by not participating, I avoid contributing to the network effects of that thing. And from what I see there, I am missing out on a few things, but the cost is too great.

I figure if I can abstain from contributing to the network effects of that place, maybe it will inspire others to do the same. I also figure by sticking with this thing you’re reading right now, it will remind people (well, myself really lol) that there is a world out there outside of Instagram, Facebook, and the like and that world is just… better.

That’s all for now.

-Ira