Social media intrigues me. The thought that people from all over the world (except some socialist countries--just think of the irony of that...) can interact, communicate, share interests, even engage in commerce.
But, since there is opposition in all things, there's a dark side. Anything that can be used for good will inevitably be reprogrammed and used in other ways.
Take, for example, Instagram, though I find the same thing happening with other social media platforms. Requests from total strangers to have me "follow" them are coming in all the time, but more recently, they've been showing up more on Instagram, which is interesting because I actually spend less time on Instagram than others.
I'm in my mid-fifties. I know there's a lot of bad things out there. Throw away all the other possible reasons these people--interestingly enough all young, all women--want me to follow them, and it must all boil down to one simple reason...
Money.
They're looking for money.
Not companionship as some claim, not banter, not anything but money.
This is where I don't know if they know anything about me. Since everyone's information is most likely available to any and all who want it, any research on me or my family will show I'm not loaded. I spend very little online--even my salary is public record. I don't have a lot of disposable income to spend on whatever it is they're selling. Plus, there's the very real possibility that these people don't even exist, at least not in the form they're presenting themselves.
Maybe they're using a shotgun marketing approach--send out thousands of requests to snag a few. Perhaps. Personally, I don't really want to know or find out more. When these requests come in, I ignore them. I don't know if I get a lot--maybe a couple every other week. That might be excessive; it might be low. I have no idea. But, I do know that I'll most likely keep getting a few of these requests...
And I'll keep ignoring them...
Because I don't think they know me at all.
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