Read this and still thinking about it! I'm not enjoying Bluesky so far, but that's largely connected to me not investing in it or setting it up well yet. Do you think it's at all meaningful that Bluesky is a benefit corporation and thus not mandated to increase shareholder value? This is something I can't decide what I think about for myself.
I did have a lot of trouble trashing the platform despite the way it operates! I like that you even have the option to host on your own server if you wish, thereby not enriching some evil digital landlord. But I just can’t get past the psychology of the whole thing, unfortunately.
I loved Bluesky in the beginning! But after spending enough time there, I've noticed the same things you wrote about here. I don't go online to perform a persona or get scolded for having a different opinion. People have no tolerance for nuanced opinions anymore, and there's no point in showing up somewhere (Bluesky) they're not only not seen, but castigated. The loudest voice, or the one that bought their way into having influence, always wins on short form social, and a lot of them are just a different voice of fascism. This past week totally turned me away from the platform - the worse things get, the more hysterical people are behaving. Womp womp.
Holy shit you just put together so many thoughts and feelings I’ve had about social media and tech and fascism into one neat argument. I feel like I need to read this 100 times. Gonna grab your book. Looking forward to reading your other work on the topic.
I appreciate this so much. I have been thinking about deleting all social media. I wholly believe life is in our present experience, and I try to maintain boundaries with social media. I struggle to let it all go because I imagine that without it my work might significantly suffer. I also might imagine my way out of that fear. Either way, I sit with the question daily. Thank you for this stirring essay. 💚
The thing that scares me about the video for The Wall is that I don't think it's going to look like this, if we all become numb. I think we'll still have intact buildings and green lawns and flowering cherry trees, but we won't see them. We'll be too protective of our patch of lawn; we won't let neighborhood kids play in the street. We'll be trapped inside our comfortable homes, numb.
This is great. I always appreciate your commentary - it is clear-eyed and frank without being hysterical and catastrophic. Maybe that's just a purely stylistic choice, but I appreciate it. You touch on the same problems I have with most social media. I quit Twitter in 2011 (I think) after being on it for a few years. I saw where it was going and I saw the attention and energy it stole from me. Some of what you write here reminds me of arguments Freddie de Boer makes quite a bit about the left and its lack of political structure, its enforcement of language and aesthetics in place of a true politics. His pieces have really made me rethink how I have conceptualized politics and activism the last few years. You're very different people and writers, but I always learn from reading both of you. You may not agree, but I could see you both agreeing on quite a lot.
I've been thinking for a while that there's something about long-form content that the Left, social movements or whoever needs to embrace. It's why Substack is good. The short form tweets or instagram infographics boil things down to a simplicity that is simply not adequate in our current political moment. The problem is that the Twitter (or Bluesky) left has infected how people think in real life about social movements to our detriment. This wasn't always the case but it feels especially pronounced post-pandemic. There have to be alternatives that can accurately describe and debate the social conditions and problems that we face. Perhaps Substack is that place!
Everything you’re saying is spot-on. I think the messaging on Bluesky and subsequent hand-wringing without an actual *why* is a huge problem. Sure, what ppl are saying is problematic is to some degree, but not based on how they’re activated and talking about it. Like so much on the left, the messaging absolutely sucks.
If people would only explain how the major founder of this platform, has goals of disseminating the media industry, and has gone to the far right. And how that explains why this platform funded who they did for their grant program. I see so much weird propaganda on here that sounds leftist, like “let’s make companies ethical,” then when I click further into the content, they’re bolstering other tech “philosophers” who write frequently about how democracy is a failure and we need to have government-companies.
Explaining the app like this instead of making it about morality, how, this app has an intention of legitimizing far right speech and walling us all into another app we creatives feel we can’t afford to leave (like artists on IG)…it’s overwhelming and scary. Nothing to hand-wring about. It is making me want more creatives and media ppl to get into tech development though.
Ty for this. I'm having some real issues with people demanding a certain kind of moral purity that inevitably leads to writers silencing themselves.
As always, spot on. And I appreciate the recognition of your own shortcomings when it comes to the siren song of the promise of dopamine.
Also, THIS:
“The algorithms marketed as “AI” are the tech industry’s revenge on everyone who has the creativity they’ve always envied.”
Read this and still thinking about it! I'm not enjoying Bluesky so far, but that's largely connected to me not investing in it or setting it up well yet. Do you think it's at all meaningful that Bluesky is a benefit corporation and thus not mandated to increase shareholder value? This is something I can't decide what I think about for myself.
I did have a lot of trouble trashing the platform despite the way it operates! I like that you even have the option to host on your own server if you wish, thereby not enriching some evil digital landlord. But I just can’t get past the psychology of the whole thing, unfortunately.
I loved Bluesky in the beginning! But after spending enough time there, I've noticed the same things you wrote about here. I don't go online to perform a persona or get scolded for having a different opinion. People have no tolerance for nuanced opinions anymore, and there's no point in showing up somewhere (Bluesky) they're not only not seen, but castigated. The loudest voice, or the one that bought their way into having influence, always wins on short form social, and a lot of them are just a different voice of fascism. This past week totally turned me away from the platform - the worse things get, the more hysterical people are behaving. Womp womp.
Holy shit you just put together so many thoughts and feelings I’ve had about social media and tech and fascism into one neat argument. I feel like I need to read this 100 times. Gonna grab your book. Looking forward to reading your other work on the topic.
Thank you! I hope you enjoy Image Control!
This was so good!! Perfectly captured the same ickiness I feel on Bluesky.
I appreciate this so much. I have been thinking about deleting all social media. I wholly believe life is in our present experience, and I try to maintain boundaries with social media. I struggle to let it all go because I imagine that without it my work might significantly suffer. I also might imagine my way out of that fear. Either way, I sit with the question daily. Thank you for this stirring essay. 💚
The thing that scares me about the video for The Wall is that I don't think it's going to look like this, if we all become numb. I think we'll still have intact buildings and green lawns and flowering cherry trees, but we won't see them. We'll be too protective of our patch of lawn; we won't let neighborhood kids play in the street. We'll be trapped inside our comfortable homes, numb.
this was so good I retroactively paid for it
Ugh, thank you so much!
Finally, some clarity & compassion.
I wrote about some similar things in my first post this week. We’d maybe be better off in a non-dopamine heavy public space just talkimg
This is great. I always appreciate your commentary - it is clear-eyed and frank without being hysterical and catastrophic. Maybe that's just a purely stylistic choice, but I appreciate it. You touch on the same problems I have with most social media. I quit Twitter in 2011 (I think) after being on it for a few years. I saw where it was going and I saw the attention and energy it stole from me. Some of what you write here reminds me of arguments Freddie de Boer makes quite a bit about the left and its lack of political structure, its enforcement of language and aesthetics in place of a true politics. His pieces have really made me rethink how I have conceptualized politics and activism the last few years. You're very different people and writers, but I always learn from reading both of you. You may not agree, but I could see you both agreeing on quite a lot.
I've been thinking for a while that there's something about long-form content that the Left, social movements or whoever needs to embrace. It's why Substack is good. The short form tweets or instagram infographics boil things down to a simplicity that is simply not adequate in our current political moment. The problem is that the Twitter (or Bluesky) left has infected how people think in real life about social movements to our detriment. This wasn't always the case but it feels especially pronounced post-pandemic. There have to be alternatives that can accurately describe and debate the social conditions and problems that we face. Perhaps Substack is that place!
Johann Hari’s Stolen Focus is solid at detailing the impact of many social platforms.
Delicious. So so fucking good
Everything you’re saying is spot-on. I think the messaging on Bluesky and subsequent hand-wringing without an actual *why* is a huge problem. Sure, what ppl are saying is problematic is to some degree, but not based on how they’re activated and talking about it. Like so much on the left, the messaging absolutely sucks.
If people would only explain how the major founder of this platform, has goals of disseminating the media industry, and has gone to the far right. And how that explains why this platform funded who they did for their grant program. I see so much weird propaganda on here that sounds leftist, like “let’s make companies ethical,” then when I click further into the content, they’re bolstering other tech “philosophers” who write frequently about how democracy is a failure and we need to have government-companies.
Explaining the app like this instead of making it about morality, how, this app has an intention of legitimizing far right speech and walling us all into another app we creatives feel we can’t afford to leave (like artists on IG)…it’s overwhelming and scary. Nothing to hand-wring about. It is making me want more creatives and media ppl to get into tech development though.
This was great. I too struggle with the allure and instant hit of BlueSky when I feel like where I should be putting my energy is in Substack.