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Singing the Praises of Social Media | Michael Feldstein

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Singing the Praises of Social Media | Michael Feldstein

Some of you might remember a column I wrote a few months ago, where I recounted my unfortunate experience of being sucked into a TikTok video – and then mindlessly spending an hour of my precious time scrolling through inane videos. I vowed that it would never happen again, and so far I’ve kept to my promise.

Since that time, the State of Montana has issued a formal ban on using TikTok because of privacy concerns, and others are asking for other legislative measures to prevent children and teenagers from using the social media app. While I sympathize somewhat with the concerns about TikTok, and would certainly not lose any sleep if TikTok would simply disappear, the fact is that bans virtually never work … and even if controls were put into place, it would be almost impossible to enforce.

But enough about the negatives inherent in TikTok. Today I’m here to extol the virtues of social media – specifically Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and LinkedIn – and how I have leaned to embrace the medium and use it to maximum advantage.

Here are five reasons why social media has become a valuable part of my daily life… and why those who have shied away from using it might reconsider.

First of all, it is highly efficient. In addition to the exposure I receive from having my column published in the print edition of The Jewish Link, I also can benefit from posting a hyperlink to my column once it appears online – allowing the 2,200 “friends” I have on Facebook outside the NY metro area, in Israel, and in other parts of the world to read my column, too (at least those friends who are allowed to see it after they pass through Facebook’s complex algorithm). I continue to be amazed at the likes and comments I receive from different people across the globe who, if not for Facebook, would never have seen my columns. Thank you, Facebook!

It was also a highly efficient medium to distribute funeral and shiva information about our daughter Tova’s tragic death. Our shul email lists successfully provided the information to all those who live locally here in Stamford, but with one post and a click of a button, I was also able to share the news with hundreds of others who live out of town. Dozens and dozens of people attended Tova’s funeral and/or paid us a shiva call after hearing about her death through social media. Sharon and I were comforted by their presence, which certainly would not have happened without the help of Facebook.

And talk about a perfectly efficient application for makeshift Friday night minyanim – WhatsApp allows you to accurately count at least 10 attendees as late as 10 or 15 minutes before a minyan start time, thus avoiding the problem of showing up for a minyan and finding out there are only eight men.

Second, it has allowed me to reconnect with people I have not seen in decades – some with whom I go back to elementary school. During COVID, a couple of fellow alumni started a WhatsApp group for our high school class – it is still active today, with fellow classmates sharing news of simchas with each other and mini-reunions in Israel between those who live there and those visiting the country.

Third, I have read many interesting articles and posts on social media that friends have shared with me, written by people who I did not know. This in turn has allowed me to build new and meaningful online friendships, all of which would not have been able to happen if Facebook did not make it so easy to share posts with friends. And while I admit there have been a few non-productive discussions I have had on social media, for the most part I have engaged in some very productive dialogue with others on halacha, current events, and other matters of Jewish interest, which I have found extremely enjoyable and worthwhile.

Fourth, Facebook and LinkedIn are excellent research tools when you want to find out more about an individual. Whenever I have a call or a meeting with a new person in my profession, the first thing I do is check his or her LinkedIn page, in order to see if we have any mutual contacts. If we do, I’ll often call the mutual contact to get an assessment before I meet or speak to the individual.

Similarly, when we were actively recruiting new families to move to Stamford, I would often want to extend an invitation to them to spend Shabbat with us at our home. Before I did, I’d check out their Facebook profile for mutual friends – and get a reference from someone who I trust. While I didn’t expect an ax murderer to be interested in moving to Stamford, I always felt a little better if they were friendly with a few people I knew. You can also get a pretty clear picture of their hashkafa and religious outlook by the friends they have on social media.

Finally, as a marketer with an entrepreneurial spirit, I always admire those folks who have been able to start their own business. And Instagram has made it incredible easy to begin a business on a shoestring – and scale it as you desire. I know several people who have built successful businesses utilizing social media tools. What a great application!

To be clear, all of the accolades I have outlined must be measured against the total amount of time you spend using social media. There are plenty of people who waste several hours of the day on multiple social media platforms they use, especially if they are logging on for no reason except to explore. This is not the way to harness the power of social media. However, if you visit with a purpose, it can be a much more satisfying and productive experience.

Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn and Facebook. I’m always looking for new and interesting online friends!

Michael Feldstein, who lives in Stamford, CT, is the founder and owner of MGF Marketing, a direct marketing consulting firm. His articles and letters have appeared in The Jewish Link, The Jewish Week, The Forward, and The Jewish Press. He can be reached at [email protected]

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Social media blocks are “a suppression of an essential avenue for transparency”

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In this photo illustration the word censored is seen displayed on a smartphone with the logos of social networks Facebook, WhatsApp and YouTube in the background.

Once praised as the defining feature of the internet, the ability to connect with physically distant people is something that governments have recently been seemingly intent on restricting. Authorities have been increasingly pulling the plug, putting over 4 billion people in the shadows in the first half of 2023 alone

Social media platforms are often the first means of communication to be restricted. Surfshark, one of the most popular VPN services, counted at least 50 countries guilty of having curbed these websites and apps during periods of political turmoil such as protests, elections, or military activity.

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Former Myanmar colonel who once served as information minister gets 10-year prison term for sedition

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Former Myanmar colonel who once served as information minister gets 10-year prison term for sedition

BANGKOK (AP) — A former high-profile Myanmar army officer who had served as information minister and presidential spokesperson in a previous military-backed government has been convicted of sedition and incitement, a legal official said Thursday. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Ye Htut, a 64-year old retired lieutenant colonel, is the latest in a series of people arrested and jailed for writing Facebook posts that allegedly spreading false or inflammatory news. Once infrequently prosecuted, there has been a deluge of such legal actions since the army seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021.

He was arrested in late October after a military officer from the Yangon Regional Military Command reportedly filed a change against him, around the time when some senior military officers were purged on other charges, including corruption. He was convicted on Wednesday, according to the official familiar with the legal proceedings who insisted on anonymity for fear of being punished by the authorities.

Ye Htut had been the spokesperson from 2013 to 2016 for President Thein Sein in a military-backed government and also information minister from 2014 to 2016.

After leaving the government in 2016, Ye Htut took on the role of a political commentator and wrote books and posted articles on Facebook. For a time, he was a visiting senior research fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, a center for Southeast Asia studies in Singapore.

After the army’s 2021 takeover, he often posted short personal vignettes and travel essays on Facebook in which he made allusions that were generally recognized to be critical of Myanmar’s current military rulers.

The army’s takeover triggered mass public protests that the military and police responded to with lethal force, triggering armed resistance and violence that has escalated into a civil war.

The official familiar with the court proceedings against Ye Htut told The Associated Press that he was sentenced by a court in Yangon’s Insein prison to seven years for sedition and three years for incitement. Ye Htut was accused on the basis of his posts on his Facebook account, and did not hire a lawyer to represent him at his trial, the official said.

The sedition charge makes disrupting or hindering the work of defense services personnel or government employees punishable by up to seven years in prison. The incitement charge makes it a crime to publish or circulate comments that cause fear, spread false news, agitate directly or indirectly for criminal offences against a government employee — an offense punishable by up to three years in prison.

However, a statement from the Ministry of Legal Affairs said he had been charged under a different sedition statute. There was no explanation for the discrepancy.

According to detailed lists compiled by the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a watchdog group based in Thailand, 4,204 civilians have died in Myanmar in the military government’s crackdown on opponents and at least 25,474 people have been arrested.



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Top CIA agent shared pro-Palestinian to Facebook after Hamas attack: report

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Top CIA agent shared pro-Palestinian to Facebook after Hamas attack: report

A high-ranking CIA official boldly shared multiple pro-Palestinian images on her Facebook page just two weeks after Hamas launched its bloody surprise attack on Israel — while President Biden was touring the Jewish state to pledge the US’s allegiance to the nation.

The CIA’s associate deputy director for analysis changed her cover photo on Oct. 21 to a shot of a man wearing a Palestinian flag around his neck and waving a larger flag, the Financial Times reported.

The image — taken in 2015 during a surge in the long-stemming conflict — has been used in various news stories and pieces criticizing Israel’s role in the violence.

The CIA agent also shared a selfie with a superimposed “Free Palestine” sticker, similar to those being plastered on businesses and public spaces across the nation by protesters calling for a cease-fire.

The Financial Times did not name the official after the intelligence agency expressed concern for her safety.

“The officer is a career analyst with extensive background in all aspects of the Middle East and this post [of the Palestinian flag] was not intended to express a position on the conflict,” a person familiar with the situation told the outlet.

The individual added that the sticker image was initially posted years before the most recent crisis between the two nations and emphasized that the CIA official’s Facebook account was also peppered with posts taking a stand against antisemitism.

The image the top-ranking CIA official shared on Facebook.

The latest post of the man waving the flag, however, was shared as Biden shook hands with Israeli leaders on their own soil in a show of support for the Jewish state in its conflict with the terrorist group.

Biden has staunchly voiced support for the US ally since the Oct. 7 surprise attack that killed more than 1,300 people, making the CIA agent’s posts in dissent an unusual move.

A protester walks near burning tires in the occupied West Bank on Nov. 27, 2023, ahead of an expected release of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Israeli hostages. AFP via Getty Images

In her role, the associate deputy director is one of three people, including the deputy CIA director, responsible for approving all analyses disseminated inside the agency.

She had also previously overseen the production of the President’s Daily Brief, the highly classified compilation of intelligence that is presented to the president most days, the Financial Times said.

“CIA officers are committed to analytic objectivity, which is at the core of what we do as an agency. CIA officers may have personal views, but this does not lessen their — or CIA’s — commitment to unbiased analysis,” the CIA said in a statement to the outlet.

The top CIA official has since deleted the pro-Palestinian images from her social media page. Hamas Press Service/UPI/Shutterstock

Follow along with The Post’s live blog for the latest on Hamas’ attack on Israel


Neither the Office of the Director of National Intelligence nor the White House responded to The Post’s request for comment.

All of the official’s pro-Palestinian images and other, unrelated posts have since been deleted, the outlet reported.

Palestinian children sit by the fire next to the rubble of a house hit in an Israeli strike. REUTERS

The report comes as CIA Director William Burns arrived in Qatar, where he was due to meet with his Israeli and Egyptian counterparts and the Gulf state’s prime minister to discuss the possibility of extending the pause in fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip for a second time.

Israel and Hamas agreed Monday to an additional two-day pause in fighting, meaning combat would likely resume Thursday morning Israel time if no additional halt is brokered.

Both sides agreed to release a portion of its hostages under the arrangement.

More than 14,000 Palestinians in Gaza, including many women and children, have been killed in the conflict, according to data from the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health.



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