Day 020. Breaking the Scroll: 91 Days Off Social Media & Rediscovering Life IRL
A Millennial's Digital Detox Diaries: Are there alternatives to Big Social?
Eighth time around, this annual sabbatical, always feels new.
One. Because each year I do different number of days; this year being the longest —91 days to be exact.
Two, because the technology I leave behind is always so different. Whether it’s the algorithm that’s changed or the UX (the design and the app’s experience) that’s evolved. A year is a lifetime in technology.
I am always intrigued, my revelations plenty.
This year as I write to you in real time, one question keeps coming back: how can we co-exist better with social media?
What’s better for me isn’t necessarily what’s best for you.
The standard of better is entirely subjective. Especially in this context, better is measured on a scale that’s most relevant for you.
Everyone has their ‘drug of choice’ when it comes to social media. For me its Instagram. But it can be X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn, TikTok, or something else.
So, what’s better is relative. Like how much alcohol we drink, we are accountable for our actions. This is what makes all of this so hard.
We are fighting an urge run by algorithms—our biology is attempting to go against years of data, made to grip you, in just the right combinations, to keep you hooked, confused, and satisfied at the same time.
To quote one of the greatest thinkers this era, Yuval Noah Harari, calls AI “alien intelligence.” And no, he’s not talking about the neon green martians kind, but alien as in an ‘other’ kind of intelligence.
Meanwhile, as every keystroke is being recorded by Big Social, like the AI optimised search bar that suddenly appeared on our WhatsApp and on Instagram accounts? The intelligence of LLM’s are nothing like what we’ve ever come in contact with.
As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly ingrained, complex, and sophisticated in our daily uses, these services and their supporting infrastructure are rapidly evolving, with their impact broadening.
We are not in control of the pace of technology.
We are not in control of how technology is developed.
We are not in control of Big Social and the incentives it’s motivated by.
However,…
We are in control of our mind and our time.
We are in control of how we choose to engage with technology.
We are in control with how we participate in Big Social.
I say this because there are truths I am grappling with:
Algorithms are not going anywhere, so how do I take advantage of this technology versus allowing the technology to take advantage of me?
Big Social is not going to disappear, so how do I use the algorithm and the technology to my advantage instead of seeing it as a misfortune or a disadvantage?
The pace of innovation is only going to get faster, so what are my values and standards on how I want to use Big Social? And it’s technologies?
The more sophisticated the algorithm, the more vulnerable I am against its potential to manipulate and influence, so how can I be more proactive about educating and protecting myself and my loved ones?
Algorithms already rule our world, so how do I manage my exposures? How can I control its influence over me? Is it even possible, to stay autonomous and independent in the face of a sea of algorithms? C
I am for technology, but I am also for humanity.
The two doesn’t have to be in contention. But with wars and an arms race to develop more sophisticated technologies (and weapons), the pace of technology tends to win over humanitarian considerations—because fear is a very powerful emotion.
With an ever increasing thirst for dominance, heightened competition, and the hunger for control over the world’s economy (wealth and resources), the legacy incentive structures that led us to where we are today, are the foundational principles that continue to drive most of innovation today.
This is what scares me the most.
GOOD NEWS.
There are alternate communities sprouting online:
Have you heard of Perfectly Imperfect? They’re “ a newsletter offering ‘A Taste of Someone’s Taste.” Well it’s now also a social network of its own, with its own app; which I am testing out and already a part of.
It’s a community that’s claiming its fight against corporate algorithms. It’s for recommendations of real things by real people. How novel!
It’s a little funny that the online counterculture of today is to cultivate a community of real things and real people made by human beings, for human beings. Try explaining that to your grandparents!
“In this context, PI.FYI is an attempt to build a social network that rediscovers the internet’s early promise of connection, without the creeping sense of homogeneity that has resulted from years of algorithm-driven growth.” — “Can Everyone Be A Tastemaker?”, Joseph Bernstein, The New York Times, 25 January 2024.
BUT, Perfectly Imperfect announced it’s leaving Substack.
It’s opened a real can of worms, because: is Substack becoming just another dopamine dealing algorithmic behemoth that’s cleverly presenting itself as an alternative to Big Social? Is it honest about it’s offering as a counter-culture to Big Social? Or is it in fact becoming another type of Big Social?
I cannot give you a straight answer on this. A new dilemma has reared its head in me. But, for now, I am still satisfied with what Substack offers me. I am thinking to diversify though.
Have you heard of Fediverse? Neither did I, until this weekend.
“Fediverse is a new word made of two words: ‘federation’ + ‘universe.’ It is a ‘federated’ social network running on free open software on a myraid of computers across the globe. Simply speaking, this means that many independent groups of people connect as peers to one another by running many different kinds of openly-governed software on many different kinds of networks.”
In other words, it’s a universe of decentralised social networks.
“There’s no central corporation, ‘platform’, ‘back-end’, or website coordinating and controlling all the activity. ‘Fediverse (often abbreviated to ‘Fedi’ and used as a prefix) has no built-in advertisements, no unaccountable algorithms, no big corporations dictating the rules. Instead, we have small, cozy communities of like-minded people, we work out moderation and other messy human issues at human scale.”
If this is all new to you, as it is for myself, New_ Public’s article is a helpful pool of information.
You can also follow me on my Mastodon account, if you’d like. But this is as far as I am involved.
There’s hope.
It’s nice to know that there are real people and real communities thinking of real alternatives to Big Social. It’s also nice to see that these individuals are putting in real work into building this dream.
What do you think about Big Social? What do you think about these alternate solutions? Do you know of any others?
This series is accessible and open to all readers interested!
Feel free to share this with someone who might enjoy it. You can forward this or hit the ‘❤️’ button below so more people can find their way to this, too.
You can subscribe today if you want to receive these editions directly into your inbox or upgrade your subscription to access the full archives, the Members Only library, bitesize, poems with audio recordings—or simply upgrade to support my work.
Stay tuned for the next edition!
Thank you for spending some of your day with me.
Day 019. Breaking the Scroll: 91 Days Off Social Media & Rediscovering Life IRL
Social media normalises life to be lived for others versus for ourselves. We’re made to believe, that life is meant for an audience.
Day 018. Breaking the Scroll: 91 Days Off Social Media & Rediscovering Life IRL
📢❗🚨 We are nearly at the end of our series. 📢❗🚨