Social media is addictive, and intrusive

THE EDITOR, Madam:

Mark Zuckerberg is in court, apparently for the first time, defending his products from the accusation that they are addictive, and deliberately so.

As a retired, grumpy, senior I try to avoid the world of influencers, the latest challenge that may injury me and certainly online medical advice that could kill me. Of course much of it is right but how can I tell? I get my medical advice from my local, living, doctor.

The only service I regularly use is YouTube. I use it as a learning tool, how to use my new coffee machine or how to turn off all of the beeps on our new car. This sort of information is reliable and accurate but I am still getting videos about coffee grinding a month later. It keeps feeding me suggestions that I might be and usually am interested in and it’s hard to stop.

I worry when YouTube knows more about me than many of my friends.

DENNIS FITZGERALD

Melbourne, Australia