dreaming of a better internet
craving online spaces where the pace is slower, the vibes are better, and that make us feel good about ourselves and the world. this is a collection of musings on a cozier, more magical internet
sari and
dreaming of a better internet
A recent study by the National Bureau of Economic Research found that the majority of respondents would prefer to live in a world where TikTok and Instagram did not exist!
Jonah Peretti • The Anti-SNARF Manifesto
But the bigger loss of human agency comes from the billions of people that use these apps. These deep learning AIs are designed to maximize the time we all spend on these apps. While you are reading this memo, you are probably jonesing to switch over to Instagram or TikTok. It turns out when an app company doesn't care about content and asks an AI ... See more
Jonah Peretti • The Anti-SNARF Manifesto
The news stories and journalism that break through aren’t the most important stories, but rather the stories that can be shaped into SNARF.
Sometime since the rise of recommendation algorithms, social media became a little... cacophonous. Every page refresh serves you new and personalised content on a silver platter, just for you. Although, many people seem to be growing tired of this constant flow of information. In 2024, I began a video series, Corners of the Internet, sharing websit... See more
Matthew Prebeg • “A quiet shift is taking place”: On being a creative in the age of content
Bluesky acts more like a particularly large Discord server--a place to socialize, bullshit, banter, and kill time--than it does like a proper Twitter replacement. For many people I think this is fine; I’m not sure how much the world needs a “Twitter replacement” anyway. But the distinction is still important. Part of what’s made Twitter so attracti
... See moreBrian Merchant • Bluesky's Success Is a Rejection of Big Tech's Operating System
the ascent of Bluesky. The decentralized social network hit 15 million users last week, and claimed the no. 1 spot on the App Store, above ChatGPT and TikTok. At time of writing, it still held that spot, all thanks to users fleeing Musk’s X-né-Twitter, the introduction of some good and innovative features, and the refreshing sense that someone is a
... See moreBrian Merchant • Bluesky's Success Is a Rejection of Big Tech's Operating System
distribution soul searching
Troy Young • No, The Web Is Not Dead
the new reality: chat pulls knowledge and attention away from pages on the internet.
Erin Kissane, Writer/Researcher - XOXO Festival (2024)
youtube.comPlatforms like TikTok and Instagram are engines of distraction and cultural rot. They stand in front of the more difficult but more rewarding aspects of life: deep work, intimate connections with friends and loved ones, focused attention for hobbies with intrinsic rewards. By training users to crave constant novelty and the immediate approval of an... See more
Adam Singer • TikTok and Instagram are intellectual poison
"Irony is the song of a bird that has come to love its cage." - David Foster Wallace
I have thousands of photos of my children but few that I’ve set aside to revisit. I have records of virtually every text I’ve sent since I was in college but no idea how to find the ones that meant something. I spent years blasting my thoughts to millions of people on X and Facebook even as I fell behind on correspondence with dear friends. I have ... See more
Ezra Klein • Happy 20th Anniversary, Gmail. I’m Sorry I’m Leaving You.
The Sunlight caressed my skin, sending goosebumps all over. I love the Sun, but the colour I couldn’t stand. The yellow of hay, the red of wine, the dreamy white that reminded me of paper. I tend to look at the Sun through some sort of filters: camera lenses, windowpanes, leaves, as it stretched the street, flirted with the flowers, bathed the peop... See more