Elsewhere

A couple of days ago, I deactivated most of my social media profiles. I’m taking a break for many reasons, mainly because we have reached a point where the cons of using them outweigh the pros.

Social media companies care primarily about engagement because that’s what their business model is tied to. For as long as this remains true, they will keep making design decisions that increase the amount of time and attention we give to them ad infinitum. Our emotional well-being and personal nourishment will always be an afterthought.

By introducing shorts, for instance, YouTube changed our behaviour, from one that was essentially intentional, to one running on autopilot. We no longer have to think about what we want to watch in order to use the platform.

If the signal vs noise ratio of social media was already low, Generative AI is making it worse by amplifying its worst qualities and lowering the barriers for people to share content that is insipid, uninspired, and fake.

If we are what we consume, I want to pick the content I interact with a higher degree of intention. I want to pick thoughtful, honest, calm. I want to prioritise few long-term relationships and spend more time creating and engaging offline.

Now, I haven't lost hope on social media. In fact, I believe the best is yet to come. Protocols that enable interoperability, that give people control over their curation experience, and consequently make the existence of smaller platforms tailored to fewer people are on the way (think how you can use any client for email). Until then or for the time being, I'll be elsewhere.