But perhaps the greatest of these sins is convincing ourselves that posting is a form of political activism, when it is at best a coping mechanism — an individualist solution to problems that can only be solved by collective action. This, says Cross, is the primary way tech platforms atomize and alienate us, creating “a solipsism that says you are the main protagonist in a sea of NPCs.”
“Everything on social media is designed to make you think like that,” said Cross. “It’s all about you — your feed, your network, your friends.”
It’s me reading this You Can’t Post Your Way Out of Fascism piece by Janus Rose of Vice. Even despite the Vice, it gives some things to think of.
Many Twitter refugees made a good choice in migrating from Musk’s X to Bluesky, carving out a new online space that is inhospitable to bigoted debate bros and time-wasting trolls.
Yeah, I wrote my own Twitter refugee story (in several pieces, not finished completely yet) in my primary blog.
Trusted information networks have existed since long before the internet and mass media. These networks are in every town and city, and at their core are real relationships between neighbors — not their online, parasocial simulacra.
That’s what I’m starting to notice, since I’m living much more in the real world that surrounds me and my family.
“For most people, social media gives you this sense that unless you care about everything, you care about nothing. You must try to swallow the world while it’s on fire,” said Cross. “But we didn’t evolve to be able to absorb this much info. It makes you devalue the work you can do in your community.”
The “online brain”: how the Internet may be changing our cognition
The internet has conditioned us to constantly seek new information, as if becoming a sponge of bad news will eventually yield the final piece of a puzzle. But there is also such a thing as having enough information.
Enough information, what a great way to put it!