Years ago I was
reluctant to join Facebook. But I have
to admit, it did help me reconnect with a few people who I had lost touch with.
And, at times, it’s helped me connect
with more people about my art and widen my circle a bit. But in recent years, Facebook has become more
and more about algorithms that essentially are designed to make you look at
advertising rather than what your friends might have posted. I don’t know how many times I have heard
someone say, “Did you see…….on Facebook?” Facebook becomes less user-friendly as time
marches on and I find it less useful.
In the past week there
has been a big push, or should we say putsch,
to force drag queens and other performers to use their “real” names – the names
that appear on their drivers’ licenses, etc.
While I mostly am known as Tofu, the DMV does not call me that. Not that the name my parents gave me, Scott,
is a big secret. It’s just that more
people know me as Tofu. I figure it’s a
matter of time before my account is suspended.
Well, I am on the docks, have boarded the ship and am leaving the
dictatorship of Zuckerbergland.
There are so many good reasons
why people use different names socially, and in some cases there are serious
issues where people need to protect their privacy. For example, one of my friends is a
psychologist who uses a pseudonym so his patients are unable to find him on
sites like Facebook. It’s not about being
secretive or clandestine. This is what
people like mental health professionals, teachers and even law enforcement
might choose to do in order to maintain the social boundaries they are
accustomed to creating in their day-to-day worlds.
Many of my closest
friends have always refused to join and many other of my friends on Facebook
barely use it anyway. I don’t need this
anti-social network. I always enjoy
hearing from you. Call me, write a
letter, send me a postcard, or a regular old email. I will continue to post my latest work and
news about upcoming art shows on this blog.
Follow me here. You can also
always reach me via my website tofuart.com.
Now, back to making art,
or meeting you for coffee…..
makes sense....meeting for art or coffee is so much better than FB...and i like the name Tofu! There are a whole lot of folks I know who are using altered names on FB....I don't see what the problem is....
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