If you want to be social then be social. But social media is a poor virtual substitute these days, which seems to becoming more and more negative. It used to be fun, and was always good for a few laughs when on the toilet, but anxiety amongst the youth is intense due to online peer pressure, and the amount of hate speech and misinformation on all these social platforms is very sad.

I originally joined Facebook because of the movie “Material”. It was a cool, easy way to share updates on the film’s development and progress, and also, to circulate Material news amongst my friends and colleagues. Then, a few years later, I signed up on InstaGram – that too looked like a bit of harmless fun. I used it mainly to share jokes and make people smile. I think I was doing ok. Sometimes I posted something that was not funny and missed the mark. I believe I have a good sense of humour but I can make mistakes. Especially in today’s world where one has to be overly sensitive and careful. God bless political correctness.

A couple of days ago I must have posted something that was considered to be inappropriate by an algorithm. A few minutes later I was locked out of my IG account and also, FB kicked me off too. It did allow me to appeal and now I am waiting to see … from what I read on Google there is a chance I will not be allowed back in. I have never had an issue like this before so I was quite surprised. Let’s see … it could mean that my social media days are coming to an end. If I am not allowed back in then it was not meant to be, and perhaps I should be thankful. I think Facebook and Putin share a common theme: evil.

What a week this been, and it is only Wednesday. Bitcoin is down, which to me is a good barometer on the world markets and global mood. I figure it means that people want their cash under the mattress. Perhaps Mr. Ramaphosa inspired this action. Yes, the markets are heading south and there are very tough times ahead. All that money printing in the US had to catch up with the world at some point. And we are all going to feel the squeeze. Not much to laugh at at the moment, including my last joke posting, apparently. Joke low, inflation high.

The saddest thing for me is the war in Ukraine. People are dying everyday. Innocent, kind folk, and from my perspective, America and the West are paying lip service to Mr. Zelensky, who is trying so hard to persuade the world’s leading countries to help. Ukraine needs weapons, and fast. If Russia wins this war, which I just can’t believe will happen, then what kind of a world are we living in. A disgusting world. And we will all pay the price if evil is allow to triumph over the truth.

That silly InstaGram page of mine was a way to try add some humour to the world. And yes, I didn’t get it right 100% of the time. And alas, I reckon my social media days have been halted, thanks to the Zuck and his amazing algorithms. It was a bit of silly fun while it lasted. Perhaps I will be unbanned, but it doesn’t look like it. Wow, years of mainly cool jokes, and then a dodgy one and bye bye. Doesn’t feel pretty apt. Which was the name of my IG account: PrettyApt (like this blog).

I am not a comedian, but I am quite funny, even f I say so myself. I was thinking: it can’t be easy for comedians these days. Especially online. One has to be so sensitive and so PC. Phew!

I was going to post the alleged rule breaking joke here on my blog but then I realized that WordPress most likely have the same bots. You can email me and I will send you the trouble making meme. If it upsets you please let me know, and if it makes you laugh, please let me know too. You can reach me on ronnie@prettyapt.com. Yes, I understand the problem but I really don’t get the part about go directly to jail. What ever happened to 3 strikes and you’re out?

As my friend Gus said to me, this is definitely a symptom of troubled times and of a company that is outsourcing decision-making to machines. Difficult times ahead, on the big social experiment online and on life in general. The headlines this week are here to stay. The next 6 months are going to be rough.