How to Leave an Internet That’s Always in Crisis

I do think the internet used to be a lot weirder. Certainly more specific. It used to be a place you’d go for a specific interest. Now it is just the context of life and the way you communicate.

I just don’t think people have adapted to being in touch with so many humans at every moment and getting this much information. Now, I imagine people will adapt. But we are in this generation where it wasn’t like this fully when we were growing up.

It’s this idea that we’re all communicating informally, but at the same time we’ve adopted a lot of the practices of public figures or like, I dunno, brands. And that is a really weird and stressful thing.

the internet used to be a place! Or at least it was for me. I love how the internet exposes the weird and funny things about being a person alive in the world.

Even when there’s not big news about an election or a war or a pandemic, there’s always something. There will rarely be a day where there is no emergency on Twitter, because there are emergencies everywhere in the world. And it’s tough to live in a place that’s always in a state of emergency.

if your authentic impulse is not to post, these apps make you feel like this antisocial piece of shit.

going back to that idea of awareness of algorithms, I think one thing that really separates people online generationally is the divide between who has really tried to create stuff online. The savviest older-generation users are usually people who work in media, and they are exposed to how online content is made and travels. It’s not that they can’t... See more

It makes me feel ancient to say this, but I see a lot of much younger people engage with some of my writing about technology, and they’re like, “Stop overthinking it, man. We’re all just online. That’s life!” And they are right, and I am overthinking it. But our experiences are different!

everyone is a creator and influencer to their own small communities. And there’s this expectation that’s trickled down to everyone with an account that you need to acknowledge all kinds of potential audiences if you choose to post. Even if you’re just sharing about your own life, you need to take it into account. Posting is much more complex.

With Twitter especially, like during COVID, it was my attachment to society and community. But Twitter really flattens everything. Like, a tweet from a real, expert doctor about a COVID study would come after a tweet from somebody who doesn’t know anything and was making a glib joke about COVID case rates. Now, I can tell myself rationally that one... See more