First of all, I'd like to extend a big warm, fuzzy HELLO, in alphabetical order, to...
Anna, (high five!)
Bruce, (hey chocolate-loving BFF!)
Guillaume, (chat va toi?)
Jenna, (yo girl!)
Kari, (hi, it's me again!)
Lucien, (je t'inclus même si Feedburner t'a refusé)
Nevena, (on va y arriver avec les médias sociaux!!)
Nicolle, (hey awesome cousin!)
Rachid, (salutations de l'Alberta!)
Rob, (hey stranger!)
Valérie (COUCOU ma belle!)
Yvon (the scale of consciousness...)
It feels truly WONDERFUL to write a blog knowing that someone will actually read it! This blogging platform (Blogger) is created by Google, you see, and ever since Google+ was cancelled, all the people who were following my blog automatically got removed, bringing my readers down to a big fat ZERO. How depressing is that?
This happened a while ago, I can't remember exactly when, and I was too discouraged to do anything about it. I didn't have the time or the energy to invest in troubleshooting this issue, and my blog didn't even have a "subscribe" button or a way for anyone to sign up for it. Despite all this, I kept on writing because I'm a blogger at heart, with or without readers. But boy oh boy, you have all given me a huge boost in motivation by signing up here. THANK YOU! 💝
By the way, about a week ago, my daughter Emma and I did a photoshoot at home. Our cat Precious was VERY upset that we disturbed her nap on the couch! She is a little bipolar, but we love her anyway. And now, moving on to the subject of fitting in with the radicals...
Lately, I've really been thinking about the whole social media gimmick. Nevena, I think you summed it up beautifully in your latest email by saying: "il semble que les réseaux sociaux n'offrent que l'illusion de la connexion qui nous manque (personnelle, physique, spirituelle ou autre)." Translation: "It seems that social networks only offer the illusion of the connection we lack (personal, physical, spiritual or otherwise)". How true. The whole social media experience obviously doesn't compare to genuine in-person interactions, yet many of us feel this pressure and bittersweet desire to participate online. After all, we are social creatures wired for connection, so it makes sense to want to take whatever we can get!
There are obviously many benefits to social media, like staying in touch, gaining visibility, and let's not forget the "social voyeurism" that's part of the package, whether we like it or not. But how aware are we of the price we are paying by default when we use platforms such as Facebook and even Google. What's the cost? It's no secret that all our personal data is being collected and we are constantly being targeted by aggressive advertisers who track and record our online behaviours. As the documentary The Social Dilemma states, by using these platforms, "we ARE the product." We are nothing more than consumers being emotionally manipulated to spend as much as possible. It's truly a dilemma and everyone has to make their own informed choices based on what's most important to them.
I recently decided to ditch all mainstream social media platforms and joined only one: MeWe. The design is very similar to Facebook, but they define themselves as "the social network built on trust, control and love." There are no ads, no spyware and no newsfeed manipulations. It's a lot less "happening" and busy than Facebook, and yes, this alternative platform has attracted some right-wing radicals, but this doesn't bother me because I don't plan on friending them or joining their groups. I think we can peacefully cohabit this cyberspace that includes people from all walks of life, cultures and belief systems. After all, we are all human beings just trying to do the best we can.
It occurred to me recently that perhaps my pronounced interest in spirituality, consciousness and mindfulness makes me appear like a bit of a radical or an extremist to the mainstream masses? I'm OK with that! So far, I feel right at home on MeWe. It feels clean, fresh and genuine. I've had to dig a little, but I have discovered a few hidden gems already. Thanks so much for reading! Have a wonderful week!
Lise Villeneuve
Visit my website: www.lisevilleneuve.com
You can subscribe to my blog here: https://www.lisevilleneuve.com/blog
Join me on MeWe: https://mewe.com/i/lisevilleneuve
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