WHAT KILLS SOCIAL MEDIA FOR ME IS NOT SILENCE, IT'S SILENT THEFT.

I don't dislike communication. Quite the opposite.

What I dislike is the illusion of communication.

Social media promises dialogue, exchange, feedback. In reality, it mostly delivers silence. Or worse, a kind of invisible presence that watches, consumes, and moves on without leaving a trace.

I publish something, an image, a thought, a project, sometimes something that took hours or days of work and reflection. It gets views. Sometimes many. And yet, almost nothing comes back. No questions. No opinions. No disagreement. No curiosity. Just numbers.

This is what bothers me most, the total lack of real two-way communication.

People sneak. They look. They scroll. They consume. But they do not engage.

They do not ask why. They do not challenge. They do not add meaning.

And before anyone says "that's just how it works now", that is precisely the problem.

Likes are not conversation. Views are not interest. Reach is not connection.

They are metrics, not exchanges.

As a photographer and videographer, my work is not meant to be silent decoration. Images are questions. Videos are statements. They are meant to trigger something, a reaction, a thought, even a disagreement. When everything is reduced to passive consumption, the entire process becomes strangely empty.

What frustrates me is not the lack of praise. I am not looking for validation.

I am looking for dialogue.

A simple question.

A critical remark.

A "why did you choose this?"

A "I don't agree, and here's why."

That is where things become interesting. That is where ideas evolve. That is where work gains depth.

Instead, social platforms encourage people to stay invisible. To observe without being seen. To consume without responsibility. To avoid commitment. Silence becomes the default behavior.

In contrast, real conversations still exist elsewhere. In emails. In meetings. In long messages. In real life. Even on websites, where someone takes the time to read, think, and then write back with intention.

That is why I increasingly prefer publishing on my own platforms. Not for reach. Not for algorithms. But for clarity. For ownership. And for the possibility, however small, of attracting people who actually want to engage, not just watch from the shadows.

If you have something to say, say it.

If you disagree, disagree.

If you are curious, ask.

Silence may be comfortable, but it adds nothing.

There is another aspect that has slowly drained my desire to publish on social media.

Silent copying.

Not inspiration. Copying.

I have absolutely no problem with inspiring others. I actually enjoy it. I give workshops for that very reason, to share processes, ideas, mistakes, and ways of thinking. Inspiration is healthy, it pushes everyone forward.

Plagiarism is something else entirely.

Over the years, I have seen wannabe photographers quietly mimic my images, my framing, my lighting choices, sometimes almost line by line. Other production companies lifting my texts, reusing the structure of my website, even mirroring the way I present my services, word for word, section for section.

And they do it silently.

No conversation.

No credit.

No question.

No exchange.

Just observation followed by imitation.

What makes it particularly distasteful is not the act itself, but the absence of honesty. If someone came to me and said, "Your work inspired me, can we talk about it?", I would gladly engage. That is how knowledge circulates. That is how craft is transmitted.

But silent copying is not learning. It is extraction.

It strips creative work of its context, its intention, and its ethics. It reduces effort to something that can simply be absorbed and reused without acknowledgment.

This behavior thrives on social media precisely because it encourages passivity and invisibility. People can observe endlessly without ever revealing themselves. No accountability. No responsibility. No dialogue.

And that brings me back to the same core issue, the absence of two-way communication.

When exchange disappears, so does respect.

That is why I am increasingly careful about what I publish, where I publish it, and how much I reveal. Not out of fear, but out of principle. Creativity deserves conversation. Ideas deserve attribution. Work deserves respect.

I will always support inspiration, education, and transmission.

I will never support plagiarism disguised as silence.

If you learn from someone, acknowledge it.

If you borrow, credit.

If you admire, engage.

Anything else is just hiding behind a screen.

And this is exactly why I dislike posting on social media. Sorry for that.