The answers to these questions and many more… were stuck in my head for 24 hours recently thanks to a ban from Facebook affecting my ability to comment, post, react, and message in their ecosystem.
The charge? Sarcastically saying “men are pigs” in a display of empathy toward a female friend. What I, a biological male who identifies as a man, thought was a joke was instead taken as damning evidence that I was out of compliance with Facebook’s “community code”.
The punishment? A twenty four hour ban. This ban included both Facebook and Messenger, the later of which is the meat of my gripe. No phone number to call or text friends? Shit outta luck. Not even the vague dismissive positivity of the thumbs up button will afford me any pity during my twenty four hours of lonely hell.
To nonaddicts it sounds like an inconsequential timeout. But to a generation raised on the belief that Facebook is the next email/telephone/telegram/mail, a ban of even as short as twenty four hours is a devastating shunning.
To those who think the above is hyperbole, think about how Facebook is posturing as a replacement ecosystem on Android devices and trying to usurp SMS and the various Google chat offerings. It feels reckless as hell trusting such a fickle master with this kind of pivotal role in my life. With the proximity of the net neutrality repeals and having learned from the misdeeds of AOL in this matter, I think more alarm bells need to be going off in regards to censorship.
Let me say “men are pigs”! Let me die on that cross, and let people block me if angry react face is not strong enough. Foster an environment where the average user has the strength to choose what to take on board instead of watering down every message for the masses.
Move off Facebook. Come on over to a mastodon Server instead.
Just started a personal one to try it out. I’m @dave@puz.fun