One nifty effect of Facebook’s “Memories” feature is that, because I’ve posted a lot about news and issues related to my work over the years, I can see what was happening in a given week over the past ten(!!) or so years that I’ve had a Facebook account. Of course, this is ultimately depressing, because things aren’t really getting better. Here’s a picture of this week over the past few years:
- In 2010, a piece about Facebook asking people to submit IDs to prove their identities.
- November 17-20, 2012 contained a ton of awful news: Eskinder Nega’s appeal was postponed (he remains imprisoned); Gaza residents were anticipating an Internet shutdown and David Cole wrote about material support laws affecting who can or cannot have a Twitter account.
Other weeks have looked fairly similar. What I’m struck by most is how little changes, how the rhetoric of both sides of each issue remains about the same, or worsens. On so many indicators, the world is getting better, but from where I sit, it certainly doesn’t feel that way.