Thread by @The_War_Economy

Snowden is completely right. This is why the Internet was built to allow for anonymous users. It's why people are terrified of 4chan.

True anonymity is the most dangerous weapon in the world.

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When I first went onto the Internet, I had my own set of usernames, which slowly changed and evolved throughout my life, I'd say The_War_Economy is the third iteration of online personas that I've held.

How many times have people been screwed over by something they said years ago, because it was attached to their actual name and personality? It's ridiculous, it's stupid. And yet they won't even consider trying anonymity for ten seconds.

People roleplay all the time, pretend to be others when they do not match them. Look at every single actor and actress in the world. They play a different role for your benefit. Sometimes they try and conflate the two, because people prefer their fictional selves to the real.

Social media was the first step towards a cyberpunk reality where fiction is reality and reality is fiction, simply because people got better and better at lying. But everybody always forgets two rules.

Don't trust strangers.

Everybody on the Internet is a stranger.

Even if you've seen them on the television, heard them on the radio. You don't actually know them. Even if they have that blue verified mark, you still don't know them.

The other rule is don't believe everything on the Internet.

These two rules built the Internet. People like having online personas different from their real personas. "The Internet Hard Guy", you've seen it all before with the ridiculous comments you'll have had from private messages or in response to things you post.

The Internet was No Man's Land for hundreds of thousands of people.

MySpace was the first step towards removing their anonymity, but there was still a hint of anonymity to it, mainly because people didn't think social media wouldn't kick off as it did.

Thanks, Tom.

Zuckerberg and Facebook was the next step - the true removal of anonymity, where you had to have your real name. And not only that, but you HAD to be on Facebook, otherwise you're an out-of-touch loser.

And there had to be a set of rules that applied to everybody cross-culture.

Then Twitter came along and gave you a blue verified tick for confirming your lack of anonymity, which somehow then got conflated with your statements being more important than others, simply because you stand out more.

Anonymity matters. There are millions of people who use the Internet every single day. They call people who are anonymous "cowards" now, but I guarantee you, they were anonymous at one point too.

How many times do celebrities hide their identity in public to keep the fans away?

How much do you think these people would pay to delete all of the information about themselves from the Internet?

"The Right to Be Forgotten".

I'm sure if everybody had the actual option, if it were placed in front of them, they would smash that button so hard that the Earth would shake.

Ultimately, however, social media is still an addiction that people cannot shake off. But you will, and you don't realise it yet.

I'm only on Twitter because of Trump. I'm sure there are hundreds of thousands of people that are only on it now because of him.

The day that his Presidency ends, or the day that Trump leaves Twitter, that's the end of social media. And that's okay.

You don't need the approval of millions of people. You're special in your own way. You don't need somebody to try and bring you "up to their level", because I'm sure their level, your level and the guy next to you's level are all completely different levels.

Facebook and Twitter got you addicted to this complete desire for approval from strangers and people you've never even met. Facebook through 'Likes'. Twitter through 'Retweets'.

Hell, even 4chan has (You)s.

It's okay to be forgotten, to live your life in peace. A lot of people would prefer that option.

Social media is literally the only reason why the world has become hyperpartisan.

Without it, I wouldn't even know the political persuasions of The Avengers.

When social media ends, you'll also see people finally stop using their phones in the middle of conversations, and actually pay attention to the person sat next to them. That'll be the next step.

And, finally, human connection will actually be restored.

There is a light at the end of the tunnel. You might not see it, but I do. And it's okay to engage in the Twitter Civil War that we're all in, but there'll come a day when you'll put your phones down and your laptops away and simply say "I'm done".

Pay attention to the town you're in, the neighbours you live next to, the family you belong to, the people in your immediate path.

Because of social media, people take up a thousand causes to show just how virtuous you are or how hypocritical you are.

Virtue signalling is pointless because there's just too many causes out there for everybody to care about. It used to be that you'd take up one, maybe two, causes in your life. Now you have to approve / disapprove of a thousand causes and a billion people just to be accepted.

Do you really think I'll meet anybody in Hollywood? The answer is yes, I met Malcolm McDowell once, he was a pretty cool guy, doesn't afraid of anything. But do you think the people in Hollywood go to sleep and think "wow, I wonder what The_War_Economy is thinking right now?"

The answer is no. And that's okay.

Just learn to love yourself and everything'll turn out okay, because there's a lot of hatred in this world, but there will come a day where everybody will finally put their phones away, and everybody will heal together.

Social media was a mistake.

The end.