Stuck in a social media silo?
Rather than fostering spirited debate, Twitter, Facebook become echo chambers for many
already September, and with the presidential election only two months away, I thought I’d be annoyed — oh, so annoyed — by now.
But it’s been strangely quiet; the vitriol and partisan low-blows from all quadrants of the political spectrum are mostly absent from my daily social media stream. Sure, like everybody else who spends a lot of time online, I hear about it when the president makes a surprise appearance on the website Reddit to answer questions from Web users. I’m still exposed to election-year controversies involving chicken restaurants and the word “rape.” Read more technology news and reviews on Omar L. Gallaga’s blog at But as those discussions get uglier and more personal than what’s on the news, they seem to bypass me.
On Twitter, Facebook, Google+ — even in my email inbox — the teeth-bared political stuff has not bubbled up like it usually does in the months leading up to a big national or state race.
I am pretty much apolitical. In my social media postings, I’m required (blessedly) by my job to refrain from posting my political leanings or to get involved in controversies out of my area of coverage.
But the silence is still weird for me. I’m beginning to wonder whether I’ve done too good a job insulating myself from the things that used to bother me in social media.
When I started on Twitter more than five years ago, I carefully curated my stream, making sure to follow locals and others who posted intelligent, useful stuff. I made it a point to follow diverse people: I wanted to see what people of all political stripes and from many different cultures and economic backgrounds had to say.
That lasted maybe six
It’s very likely you’ve used one of these before, but you may not know that the humble USB flash drive is known by a variety of other names.
They plug in to computers or other devices with USB ports and can be used to store files or in some cases speed up a computer’s functions by providing additional usable memory.
Because they’re easy to use and transport, they’ve largely replaced CDs and DVDs as the easiest way to physically move data around if the option to send files via the Internet or with a wireless connection is unavailable.
Interchangeably referred to as “thumb drives,” “USB sticks” or even “keychain drives,” they used to look unassuming, but now they come in many shapes, sizes and colors. There are USB flash drives built into jewelry and toys. There’s even a design we’ve seen of a bloody, severed digit (fake, of course) with a USB connector. It’s literally a “thumb drive.”