Agalia Tan

The status signal is circular: you can afford to be selectively online because you have capital, and being selectively online signals you have capital. The rest of us are still grinding for algorithmic visibility because we don’t have another choice.

the true benefits come from understanding, savoring, and timing the consumption.

The feed does not privilege singularity. It privileges continuity. A post is not a durable unit; it is a moment in a stream. Imagine scrolling and finding a storytime or a piece of episodic content; you don’t know the next offering the feed will bring you—you might as well lock in and watch all 20 parts of the story.

This is not merely a creative... See more

value practice over perfection.

Not self-interested. Not pandering. Not content for content’s sake. Not always available on demand. Not something you own. Not endless, mindless scrolling. Not an industry cheerleader. Not blindly accepting the status quo. Not about the award you paid for. Not permanent. Not predictable. Not about us. Not about you. Not opposed to change. Not... See more

scrolling narrows the field of my curiosity. I take what I find there; I don’t make adventurous or consequential inquiries. I used to sit with boredom all the time—oh, I flinched and chafed, but I always found my way out, or around it. In habitually checking messages, I lost the chance for intimacy with slow dawnings, the feel of big decisions... See more