David- So many true insights here. I especially relate to: “It wasn’t like this when I was little.” Deeper questions that you answered here really shows ways things change. I appreciate the clues as to better ways to arm oneself from turning ‘dumber or meaner.’
Thanks for this. Over the past few weeks I’ve made a huge effort to stay off of social media. I have found myself far more present and with a lot of free time. Perhaps it is partially due to the free time, but I have found myself reading more media with which I disagree. this is all good.
One of the things that's most helpful in this regard is to remove social media apps from our phones. I've been tempted to do it lately with the Substack app, and just resisting because there does seem to be a pretty close correlation between Notes activity and increasing subscribers. So it seems like I can still justify it... What do you think?
I have been online since the earliest days (I was one of the developers at Prodigy back in the 1980s). In the 1990s I had an online friend and mentor named Sheldon Brown who stressed the point of always signing his posts with his real name and providing a lot of "non-relevant" context about his life in his posts. You knew you were interacting with a complex thinking real human. I have tried to follow his example in my online life and have never regretted it.
David- So many true insights here. I especially relate to: “It wasn’t like this when I was little.” Deeper questions that you answered here really shows ways things change. I appreciate the clues as to better ways to arm oneself from turning ‘dumber or meaner.’
Thank you so much for your kind words, Thalia! I'm so glad you liked it.
I strongly recommend the books of Douglas Rushkoff, who inspired this one: https://rushkoff.com/books/ He's one of my biggest influences, especially on technology and media. I wrote more about him here: https://www.godofthedesert.org/p/7-great-counterculture-authors-who
Thanks for this. Over the past few weeks I’ve made a huge effort to stay off of social media. I have found myself far more present and with a lot of free time. Perhaps it is partially due to the free time, but I have found myself reading more media with which I disagree. this is all good.
You're welcome. I'm glad you like it.
One of the things that's most helpful in this regard is to remove social media apps from our phones. I've been tempted to do it lately with the Substack app, and just resisting because there does seem to be a pretty close correlation between Notes activity and increasing subscribers. So it seems like I can still justify it... What do you think?
Speak for yourself.
I have been online since the earliest days (I was one of the developers at Prodigy back in the 1980s). In the 1990s I had an online friend and mentor named Sheldon Brown who stressed the point of always signing his posts with his real name and providing a lot of "non-relevant" context about his life in his posts. You knew you were interacting with a complex thinking real human. I have tried to follow his example in my online life and have never regretted it.