Not buying it, Mark!

N

Hey, Mr. Z!

I thought you should know that I’m not buying into what your new Meta proposes, or what you’re trying to sell. Here’s the deal….

Your other enterprises have always felt like traps to me—seemingly innocent entertainments with seeming social benefits that may also be clever ways to insinuate your way into people’s  decisions, life purposes and identities.

Meta feels the same way. I checked out the word in the *Hebrew and found its meaning tinged with ambition, as in “reach for”. I looked at your new logo—perhaps a symbol of infinity, but maybe also a Möbius strip. I saw warning signs:

  • You seem to be inviting us to reach for more than we ever imagined for ourselves. Connections, sure, but also infinite knowledge and presence.
  • “Infinity” is something only gods can claim as their own: eternal existence, life without boundaries, everything possible. That’s the stuff of self-idolatry.
  • If the emblem is a Möbius strip, another set of curiosities: It starts as a two-sided strip of paper, gets a single twist, and then becomes a shape that has only one side! That feels like a subtle threat: There’s only one way to think about virtual technology, and Meta will determine that pattern of thought.

If I were a conspiracy-guy, I’d look at your presentations about Meta and wonder whether you’re promising us god-like capabilities if we buy your propositions and your technology. In my understanding of the past, folks who go down this road—virtual or not—end up in history’s trash heap. (Check out Daniel 4 for King Nebuchadnezzar’s sad story.) That’s been true for any number of reasons, mostly the obvious: None of us will ever be gods-come-to-earth.

Sorry, Mark, but I’ll never be your customer, your product or your follower….

 

* Other sources claim that “meta” is connected with Hebrew ideas about death. Greek derivatives show “meta” as a prefix meaning “more comprehensive” or “transcendent.” The word does not usually stand alone as a noun, but derives most of its meaning from its contexts. Hence my comments to Mr. Z…..

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About the author

Bob Sitze

BOB SITZE has filled the many years of his lifework in diverse settings around the United States. His calling has included careers as a teacher/principal, church musician, writer/author, denominational executive staff member and meat worker. Bob lives in Wheaton, IL.

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By Bob Sitze

Bob Sitze

BOB SITZE has filled the many years of his lifework in diverse settings around the United States. His calling has included careers as a teacher/principal, church musician, writer/author, denominational executive staff member and meat worker. Bob lives in Wheaton, IL.

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