In recent years, social networks have changed profoundly, transforming from virtual meeting places for dialogue into hostile and fragmented territories. At first, platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram seemed to promise a space of freedom: anyone could express their opinions, find like-minded people, and build communities around shared passions and values. Today, however, this utopia seems distant. Social networks (some more than others) have become places where authentic discussion is often stifled by algorithms that favor polarization and virality, at the expense of depth and mutual respect.

The large companies that control these platforms have gradually taken on the role of arbiters of public conversation. On the one hand, they often apply arbitrary censorship, removing content and profiles without clear explanations, sometimes targeting activists, journalists, or ordinary users who raise uncomfortable issues. On the other hand, they tolerate phenomena of hatred, bullying, and disinformation, especially when these generate traffic and, consequently, advertising profits. The logic of profit seems to prevail over that of social responsibility: what matters is keeping users glued to the screen, even at the cost of exacerbating conflicts or turning a blind eye to violent or toxic content. Not to mention when they use their platforms to serve those in power or how they use users’ data.

In this context, building real communities becomes almost impossible. Groups that arise spontaneously risk being deleted or imploding under the weight of controversy. Dialogue is reduced to opposing slogans, to a miserable and discouraging “sports fan mentality,” while those who seek depth are often ignored or attacked. Social networks, born to unite, today seem more than ever to be instruments of division, where people’s voices count less and less compared to the interests of big corporations.

For this reason, after a long period in which social networks were useful for keeping in touch with friends and family back home while we lived elsewhere, they no longer reflect my feelings or my way of communicating. In business, where many experts tell me I could benefit from properly managing my profiles and/or training the algorithm, I have decided to use a different kind of communication. I will surely never have thousands of followers or fans leaving emojis and likes, but my “target” consists of real people. My clients and suppliers are people I call on the phone, meet in person or talk to remotely, who interact with me in real conversations. I’m not saying it’s not fun to occasionally scroll and watch funny cat videos or satirical memes, but it just means that these things don’t guide my steps or set the pace of my days.

I have decided, for my life and my work, to follow a famous and viral meme circulating on Meta’s channels.