dreaming of a better internet
sari and
dreaming of a better internet
moments
slrncl.com“The internet, as we have known it, has evolved from a quaint, quirky place to a social utopia, and then to an algorithmic reality. In this reality, the primary task of these platforms is not about idealism or even entertainment — it is about extracting as much revenue as possible from human vanity, avarice, and narcissism.”
Quick Links for Wednesday, January 3
slapping the table, easy way to put it about the current state of the internet
the good internet doesn’t disengage us from the real world. it makes us live better in the real world.
The trouble with the internet, Mr. Williams says, is that it rewards extremes. Say you’re driving down the road and see a car crash. Of course you look. Everyone looks. The internet interprets behavior like this to mean everyone is asking for car crashes, so it tries to supply them.
‘The Internet Is Broken’: @ev Is Trying to Salvage It (Published 2017)
so @julesterpak articulated this on her tiktok (linked below)
Social media's positivity/toxicity is inherently about user intent. There's a huge difference between:
a) posting to get a reaction
b) archiving a memory that you're comfortable... See more
Nix 🕊twitter.comLarger, it’s a signal of what’s desired all throughout culture today: like-minded communities, decreased hostility, and just some simple good vibes.
Substack • The Rise of Low Sodium & Gentle Gaming
Playful software often conjures up video games, but I don't mean that. Where I see the lack of play is in consumer software: design tools, social networks, dating apps, messengers. Borrowing from Brian Upton's The Aesthetics of Play , I'm talking about play that isn't segregated from ordinary life, “[play that's] embedded within ordinary life;... See more
XH • Internet Playgrounds
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.