Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips

Why disdain fake news and social media? Let’s embrace it for what it gives us—a new excuse.

I recently learned that fake news on social media controls the world. All money flows in a direction it flows because it is directed by fake news. All elections are won by fake news purveyors. Even the wiggly waggly direction taken by hurricanes are the result of the winds of fake news. Perhaps I exaggerate a little.

Fake news thrives on social media because social media is no-cost to use and the social media providers welcome new users because that raises the prices they charge for ads. And then the social media celebrity billionaires complain that they allow fake news to thrive and, well, wait a minute, that sounds a bit hypocritical, so maybe that is fake news, or not. Anyways, I digress.

Disclaimer: Yes, some persons go on social media and write horrible things. I am as disgusted as the next person.

Be that as it may, let’s embrace fake news on social media as the premiere excuse it brings us all.

• My favored candidate is not elected?
• Polls show that the majority doesn’t like my position on an issue?
• The price of my stock goes the wrong direction?
• Employers want skills I lack and don’t want skills I have?

Fake news on social media did it. That must be the reason for all these things.

But I can’t point to a disinformation campaign and the specific fake news on social media. No worries. I can go on social media and write about it anyways. Now the other guy can point at me and complain about my fake news on social media.

So come on folks. Let’s stop our stopping of fake news on social media. If we ban it, we’ll have to find another excuse. But maybe that isn’t bad news. I’ve always been able to find yet another excuse when I don’t like whatever.

Readership on my blog drops? No problem. Fake news on social media is the excuse, uh, er, I mean reason.