While most of you were busy scrolling through your feed last week, a slow but steady movement gained momentum to #DeleteFacebook.

The social media giant has been mired in controversy after it was revealed it had been selling its data B次元官网网址� er, your data B次元官网网址� to companies using it for profit.

But, was this really news? Exactly where did we think all that content was going?

Last Friday, Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps declared she would log out of her Facebook account for the last time in this, an election year. This from an incumbent candidate whose first term win was largely credited to social media. In a blog post explaining her decision, Helps spoke of persistent misinformation marring her dialogue with constituents. She called Facebook a B次元官网网址渢oxicB次元官网网址� space of B次元官网网址減sychological violence.B次元官网网址�

It was a moment to pause. If a person running for mayor in the capital city of the province of British Columbia doesnB次元官网网址檛 need social media B次元官网网址� do we?

The quick answer is yes. There are a ton of benefits to social media. For example, the immediacy of it allows news organization, such as the Goldstream B次元官网网址 Gazette, to keep you up-to-date with breaking news and community events. It allows people to connect and engage in a different way. That can be very positive or it can be challenging when others arenB次元官网网址檛 respectful.

And now, more than ever, we need to be aware of the information we are plugging into these sites. Even with strict privacy settings, a small friend list, and closed groups, the information you post online is out there and you really have no control over who sees it.

There is at least one lesson to take from the reaction to FacebookB次元官网网址檚 dirty little secret, and from VictoriaB次元官网网址檚 mayor decrying the community relying on the worldB次元官网网址檚 worst game of telephone for pertinent information: critical thinking is a skill seldom used online these days.

Instead of rushing to erase your existence from the cyber realm B次元官网网址� which is just more smoke and mirrors B次元官网网址� itB次元官网网址檚 time to B次元官网网址減ut social media in its placeB次元官网网址� as Helps said. The information highway that has captured our brains still exists, just like it did before social media came up the on-ramp.

Just think carefully before you post or repost.

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