Seneca’s Letters From a Stoic — XCI. On The Lesson To Be Drawn From The Discontinuation of Google+
By: Smillew Rahcuef
Tags: Self Improvement, Stoicism, Life Lessons, Social Media, Humor

This was not Seneca’s Google+ profile picture, by https://www.pexels.com/@skitterphoto

Google+ discontinuation was announced (to the public) in December 2018, with April 2, 2019, as the effective date. This led Seneca to write:

“Every great creation has had granted to it a period of reprieve before its fall.”

Seneca goes on to highlight the fact that the efforts we put in Google+ over all these years will be lost in a matter of hours. Google+ is but an example; it could as well concern any other social media platform that was or will be discontinued.

Indeed, Seneca starts the letter with these words: “Our friend Liberalis is now downcast; for he has just heard of the [blocking of his Instagram account].” Liberalis is most probably an Instagram Influencer close to Seneca. Some argue, however, that Liberalis is secretly a Russian citizen and one of the spouses fighting in court over this account with 1M+ followers.

Either way, Seneca alerts us that this fate isn’t limited to the physical persons. Indeed, “the destinies of men, no less than those of cities, are in a whirl.” He takes the specific example of, what is generally agreed by translators to be, the burst of the dot-com bubble.

“Whatever structure has been reared by a long sequence of years, at the cost of great toil and through the great kindness of the [VC funders], is scattered and dispersed by a single day.”

Building upon the case of a famous social network from the beginning of the century, Seneca emphasizes that, with time, absolutely nothing will be left.

Do you not see how the foundations of [MySpace] have already crumbled to nothing, so that no trace is left to show that they ever even existed?

In the view of these examples, Seneca encourages us to “fortify our minds against the evils which may possibly come.” And he spares none in his description.

The following might be a difficult read for some of the more sensitive readers.

Seneca mentions evils such as the readers that do not clap, the single clappers, the commenters that do not clap, the commenters that did not read, the commenters using the piece for self-promotion, the loss of followers, and the list goes on.

As he’s listing the evils, Seneca again insists on the fact that anyone and anything is concerned. The forces of destruction and oblivion can, and will, affect single accounts, platforms, whole websites, and even, with time, the Internet itself.

“The works of [internet itself] are harassed; hence we ought to bear with untroubled minds the destruction of [platforms].”

The number of views, of monthly users, or the dividend per share don’t matter. Sooner or later, the mighty will fall like “places which once stood far from the sight of the sea are now covered by the waves.”

Seneca brought us as close to despair as dysfunctional wifi can, but he also has words of solace and hope.

Indeed some of these evils can be avoided. Seneca is kind enough to remind Liberalis, and all of us, to play according to the rules of the game. Each platform has its terms and policies. Each community has its guidelines. They apply equally to all members, and it’s our choice to click to accept them or not. Anybody can get its account blocked for violating terms of use, even influencers close to Seneca.

“Into such a world have we entered, and under such laws do we live. If you like it, obey; if not, depart whithersoever you wish.”

Besides, Seneca adjures us not to forget that trolls and haters should be dismissed. Why an influencer (like Liberalis, for example), or a top writer, should care about the poisonous comments coming from one of their followers? Especially when the said followers don’t have any themselves?

“What madness it is to be afraid of disrepute in the judgment of the disreputable!”

He asks this rhetorical question: “Does it do any harm to a good man to be besmirched by unjust gossip?” Any good man, or woman, would answer by the negative without hesitation.

In the same manner, death is nothing to be feared of. After all, “no one of those who malign death has made trial of it.” And those who did never came back to defame it.