Yesterday I wrote an email talking about the Great Indian Rope Trick. Spoiler Alert: I explained how it is a centuries-old scam. I also talked about how current-day scams use a similar distract-and-pickpocket method. Here’s the relevant excerpt.
The next time you feel too distracted or too deeply engrossed in “something” that you aren’t paying anything for – stop and think. Think about how the Magician makes a living. Think where his pickpockets are hiding.
That “something” could be social media, or news channels, or empty political rhetoric, or meaningless reality shows. All these “free” distractions work only when there’s some scam behind them. Just because it’s not obvious what that scam is doesn’t make it any less dangerous.
I repeat: Do read the full article for context. It’s the second paragraph above that backfired a bit on me. Many readers were offended that I called Social Media a scam. After many back-and-forth conversations with multiple people yesterday, I am ready to offer some explanation about why I decided to include Social Media in the list in this paragraph.
Here are some disclaimers:
- I genuinely believe the primary intent of Social Media is not to connect people, but instead to sell information (personal and psychographic) to the highest bidder
- I am aware that many companies (including my own) use social media for marketing by using that same information, so I can clearly see how this sounds hypocritical on my part
- I’m pretty sure I am digging myself into a bigger hole with this explanation
With that out of the way, let me try and explain what I meant yesterday.
I am a big fan of magic. In a typical magic show, you are aware that the magician will fool you. There is an unsaid agreement that the magician will say (or pretend) he’s doing something that is guaranteed to be a lie. When the presentation of the trick ends, you are left speechless because something totally unexpected happened. The magician is expected to misdirect your attention towards something else, so when the trick unfolds you’re entertained.
There is a willing suspension of disbelief, and in agreeing to see a magic trick, you have given permission to the magician to fool you.
There isn’t any malicious intent behind fooling people with a magic trick. It is meant for entertainment only.
But assume the magician decides to abuse the attention and the trust he has earned. To make money from the audience in a way that was never made clear. Say he starts selling the phone number you used to buy a ticket to his show. The people who buy that information could well be robbers who now know the date and time when you will be away from home.
The magician has now lied about his intention of collecting phone numbers to do something nefarious. That is when it becomes a scam.
A social media company follows that formula. They let you into their walled garden. They spend millions of dollars to research human behavior – to ensure they find the best way to keep you on the platform as long as possible. Then they sell that time, attention and personal information you shared with your friends to marketers.
The primary usage of that information is to show targeted ads based on your engagement on that platform. That same information has been used to influence democratic elections, to create artificial sadness in people (for research purposes), to spread government propaganda, and for much more.
That is why I believe Social Media is a scam. I know they make you agree to a 10,000-word legal document which says somewhere that they will do this. I’m sorry but that doesn’t get them off the hook in my books.
There I have said it. I still think Social Media is a scam. But, that point is moot. My strongly held belief could be contrary to what you feel. But, let’s try to agree on one thing if we can.
If you are in the process of setting up a new business and fighting for sustenance or growth, do yourself a favor. Disagree with my opinion all you want, but consider stopping spending a lot of time on social media and instead focus on the business.
Unless social media is your business. Then, you do you.
Yours,
Abhilash Purohit