Y'know, I could have sworn the full essay was online somewhere but I don't see it now. I think I may have originally got the book (the collection it's the first part of) from the library. A real gem!
This was great.Always good to read your stuff. Love how you broke down bullshit. One point of departure for me though. I can see why people lately trust TikTok as a media source. They see a genocide unfolding there that they do not see on the news. Or to quote a recent tweet by ARX-Han: "In virtually every other context, the smartphone is an engine of state surveillance and control, and yet in the case of an ongoing genocide, it suddenly inverts in function and the consent manufacturing apparatus spins out of control. Truly a dual-use technology." But other than that, I wish saw more posts from you. Great to read you again.
IDK, choosing to give ones trust to a demonstrably untrustworthy platform like TikTok because someone has lost faith in "mainstream" journalism, feels to me kinda like buying drugs from the guy behind a 7-11 because purdue pharma is untrustworthy. It strikes me as ill-considered. This isn't an arab spring scenario, TikTok boosts performance, not activism.
(Also thanks for the kind words! I always hope to see a comment from you, Mo!)
First of all, APPstinent is a great name. I always try to remember that the Internet is ultimatley a tool. But it's not always the right tool for the job. Like it's great for checking the weather but when it comes to maintaining friendships the Internet can't hold a candle to IRL (despite what tech companies will pretend).
That said, I do think it's important to at least know about new tech, because knowing innoculates us against being easily manipulated by it. Like if someone never learned about how advanced AI voice mimicry has gotten, they could be easily be scammed out of their money by a fake phone call from a "friend".
Thanks for the insightful comment and I'm looking forward to checking out your writing!
Totally! I had the same realization with news after going on a trip without a phone signal for ten days. Also, let's be honest, a lot of what is called "news" isn't really news if you think about it. I still read national and global news, but I also have an RSS reader I keep stocked with local blogs and the free weeklys. Also Instagram (on a computer, not a phone) is actually a good place to keep up with local goings-on. So I'm reading "news" but it's stuff like- "there's a new bird watching group starting in a park nearby" which is a lot less likely to cause anxiety 😅 As you said- the truly important national stuff seems to find its way no matter what.
Thank you for introducing me to George Saunders's quote, crazy how accurate it is to this day. Which, I suppose, was the point.
Y'know, I could have sworn the full essay was online somewhere but I don't see it now. I think I may have originally got the book (the collection it's the first part of) from the library. A real gem!
No worries Justin, I was able to find it
This was great.Always good to read your stuff. Love how you broke down bullshit. One point of departure for me though. I can see why people lately trust TikTok as a media source. They see a genocide unfolding there that they do not see on the news. Or to quote a recent tweet by ARX-Han: "In virtually every other context, the smartphone is an engine of state surveillance and control, and yet in the case of an ongoing genocide, it suddenly inverts in function and the consent manufacturing apparatus spins out of control. Truly a dual-use technology." But other than that, I wish saw more posts from you. Great to read you again.
IDK, choosing to give ones trust to a demonstrably untrustworthy platform like TikTok because someone has lost faith in "mainstream" journalism, feels to me kinda like buying drugs from the guy behind a 7-11 because purdue pharma is untrustworthy. It strikes me as ill-considered. This isn't an arab spring scenario, TikTok boosts performance, not activism.
(Also thanks for the kind words! I always hope to see a comment from you, Mo!)
Great analogy
First of all, APPstinent is a great name. I always try to remember that the Internet is ultimatley a tool. But it's not always the right tool for the job. Like it's great for checking the weather but when it comes to maintaining friendships the Internet can't hold a candle to IRL (despite what tech companies will pretend).
That said, I do think it's important to at least know about new tech, because knowing innoculates us against being easily manipulated by it. Like if someone never learned about how advanced AI voice mimicry has gotten, they could be easily be scammed out of their money by a fake phone call from a "friend".
Thanks for the insightful comment and I'm looking forward to checking out your writing!
Totally! I had the same realization with news after going on a trip without a phone signal for ten days. Also, let's be honest, a lot of what is called "news" isn't really news if you think about it. I still read national and global news, but I also have an RSS reader I keep stocked with local blogs and the free weeklys. Also Instagram (on a computer, not a phone) is actually a good place to keep up with local goings-on. So I'm reading "news" but it's stuff like- "there's a new bird watching group starting in a park nearby" which is a lot less likely to cause anxiety 😅 As you said- the truly important national stuff seems to find its way no matter what.