Facebook, Facebook, Facebook. What are we going to do with you? It hasn’t been a flattering few weeks for the social media giant, as more and more whistleblower documents come to light.

After skimming the news stories, and listening to bits and pieces of testimony, I’m gathering that we’ve all been part of Mark Zuckerberg’s controlled experiment to bring about the demise of civilization as we know it.

In theory, those secret algorithms running behind the scenes are doing their job, bringing you more of what you’re interested in, more of the things that bring you joy.

For example, when we first got our dog, I sought out other pages specific to our breed to connect with other Airedale owners. From their temperament to their grooming to how to hunt with them, I had a lot to learn, and I wanted real, firsthand experience. Of course, after I joined my first one, five other suggestions popped up in my feed. I started seeing lots more advertisements for grooming equipment, training programs, and adorable homemade doggy sweaters, too.

One time, a professional photographer from Germany shared a photo of his dog on its birthday. Whether or not he meant to say it, or the translation just happened that way, he stated that the dog was “still quite rude for his age.” It gave me a good chuckle, because Duncan, can, on occasion, be quite rude. It turns out that old, rude, German dog was Duncan’s grandfather! A few days after the original post, our breeder shared it and explained the link. In that moment, Facebook seemed like a pretty special place.

For me, Facebook makes a lot of things in my life easier. I’m always the person who thinks of the right thing to say 15 minutes after I should have said it. I’m a person who can express myself much more clearly through writing than any other medium. I’m also the worst person in the world for documenting any of my kids’ achievements or accomplishments. Facebook allows me the opportunity to think before I speak, and press delete a lot, and for the past 12 years, it’s served as a baby book for all three of my kids.

When I first started using Facebook, it seemed to me like everyone was sharing their own personal stories. Over the years, I see fewer and fewer of these types of posts, and more and more sharing of links and memes. To me, one of these easiest ways Facebook could fix a lot of its problems are to simply remove the “share” button. It seems counterintuitive to a medium that is supposed to bring us together, but “sharing” is just too easy. It’s as easy to share the funniest “Office” meme you’ve ever seen as it is to share something that is wrong, factually wrong, or just plain hateful. Once you start sharing from a certain type of site or a certain message, guess what Facebook directs you toward. Yep, more of the same.

I rarely share things that other people write. If a meme makes me laugh until something hurts, I will take a picture of it and share it, rather than share a link to a page where I can’t guarantee I support the rest of their material. If I find something truly informative or something that makes me say, “wow, that’s thought provoking” after I read it, then I will consider sharing it, along with some thoughts about why it spoke to me. Primarily, I want my corner of the internet to be a place where people can come to laugh, to “visit” with family and friends, or to take a minute and really think about something.

One of the memes that caught my eye in the last few weeks was the one about “American made goods wouldn’t be stuck on boats.” This one caught my eye because both my conservative and liberal leaning friends shared it. Sure, on the surface, it seems like a good idea, right? Buy American! Who can’t get behind that idea? The right and left got a lot of mileage out of that one.

Unfortunately, it’s not just the goods that we buy from the rest of the world that are stuck on those boats. The goods that America manufactures and ships out to every corner of the world aren’t going anywhere either. U.S. manufacturing also imports raw materials to support our American factories that manufacture American exports that are a vital part of our economy. The shipping crisis is a global phenomenon that transcends an isolationist trade policy and can’t simply be solved by expressing the “Build American” sentiment. Actions speak louder than memes shared on the internet.

It just frustrates me greatly that at a time when we’re so able to communicate quickly and easily around the world, we seem to be more intent on dividing ourselves and finding people who are just like us. When I was growing up, the “think globally, act locally” slogan was popular. I don’t think there was ever a more appropriate time to revive that mantra than a global pandemic, and yet, now, I think the slogan has become “ignore the globe, and do whatever you want at home” and the addendum to that is “make sure that whatever you’re doing is Instagram worthy.”

I don’t want to give up social media. Over the last year, especially, it has become a vital link in keeping in touch with extended friends and family. But, I’m also tired of being bombarded with the “alternative facts,” hatred, and dissent that I see being shared over and over again, and I’m tired of having unfollowed so many people that my feed is now just advertisements for dog toys and anti-aging products. At least the dogs will benefit from my online presence, and if I ever feel like going out in public again, I’ll look as if I haven’t aged a day.

Liz Pinkey is a contributing writer to the Times News. Her column appears weekly in our Saturday feature section.