Disclosure: how much is too much?

I have been thinking about what remains of my online presence. I'm not writing about the trails carved out of the digital jungle by my browsing and general internet use. Rather, I am thinking about this blog. Do I keep blogging, or change it to a static website? Maybe I should do away with both ideas, and have no online presence at all. 

 

Regarding blogging 

I enjoy writing. I like banging out some words on either a page or a screen, and then refining them. I like the thought that maybe someday there will be someone who reads my words, and finds something that resonates. There's a hopeful romanticism in it. I like practising that process, getting better at it. And it is a growing history of who I was over time. 

 

Regarding a website

There is a minimalist appeal to the idea of changing from this blog to a static website. Putting some information or an opinion up once in a while, and rarely updating the thing. Almost once and done. I like the idea because it would take me one step further away from the quagmire of the internet and all of its distractions. I could always practise my writing offline. So the only real disadvantage to having a static site rather than a blog is that there would be no trace of my evolution. 

 

Regarding the scorched earth option 

There are two things which I like about having neither a blog nor a website. First, that I would free up time, concern, and a small amount of expense. Second, I would be limiting the amount of information which could be used against me. 

The matter of damage mitigation is big. I have had people use my online information against me. It made me reluctant to share. When I put things out into the digital world I am often holding back, and the full story isn't there. So I'm now wondering - if, in blogging, I am presenting a partial truth, then what is the benefit of blogging at all?

Bill Gates' essay on preparing for a future with AI

A few days ago, Bill Gates published an essay on the challenges of transitioning into a future that is deeply integrated with Artificial Intelligence (A.I.). It's a good essay and I recommend reading it. 

https://www.gatesnotes.com/a-turbulent-ai-era-and-critical-choices-to-make 

I won't talk much more about the essay. Mr. Gates explained his concerns and hopes well. 

Personally, I think that the widespread integration of AI is a problematic pursuit. Some of my concerns are shared with Mr. Gates. But I think that it will result in: 

• higher unemployment; 
• increased disparity between rich and poor people; 
• lower self-esteem; 
• further degradation of social connectedness;  
• worsening of population decline;  
• decline in critical thinking skills; 
• loss of oversight of AI systems; and 
• a potential near-extinction threat to humanity. 

I will admit that the last concern, about the near-extinction threat, seems dramatic and sensationalist. But there have already been reports of AI agents going rogue, and operating beyond intended parameters in order to achieve their issued objectives. Combine that with the reality that AI is currently being used to further develop itself, and there is a real possibility for dramatic unexpected outcomes. However, I also believe in the resiliency of humanity, so I doubt that I complete extinction of the species would occur as a consequence of AI development. 

For now, I will not explain my noted concerns further. I feel that it will be more useful for people to reflect upon them and consider how they might come to be realised.  

Farewell to the final social media accounts

I have finally deleted the last of my social media accounts. Over the years, plenty of people have spoken and written about the problems with social media. More than enough has been said, so I won't say much more about those downsides. But I will take a few minutes to mention the various platforms which I've deleted accounts from. 

It started with either Facebook or Twitter. I'm not sure which was first. It was a long time ago. This was back when Twitter was stilled called Twitter rather than X. Even then I could see how toxic the Twitter space could be. I used to tweet mostly political content; a topic which attracts people with strong opinions. I decided that I didn't want that hostility in my life, so I deleted Twitter. As for Facebook, I got tired of a few things: the same memes circulating for weeks; petty drama and arguments; and having my content weaponised against me by a former partner. 

The next account to go was LinkedIn. I grew tired of the pretentious posturing of ambitious people, who tried to appear relevant by posting exaggerated career boasts. I never posted much on LinkedIn, but again, I found that some of my content was being weaponised against me. So I decided to deprive such malicious people of their ammunition. 

Next up was Instagram. This is a platform which I have revisited a few times as a user. Each time with different content. Photography, art, and gardening were the main types. Instagram became an addictive time-waster, so I left it. 

Reddit was the next to be deleted. Time wasting and unpleasant arguments were the reasons for leaving. In the early days I found Reddit was a fun place with mostly nice people, but behaviours changed over the years. 

The next one was a recent deletion, and a pretty big one for me - Discord. I wasted hours every day shooting the breeze, joking around, and having pointless discussions on Discord. I'll admit that I had a lot of fun on the platform, but I don't like the time-suck that it became. And you know what - now that I've been clear of it a while, I don't miss it at all. 

And for the grande finale... insert drum-roll please... YouTube. I had that account for 19 years. Nine... teen... years... Getting rid of that account felt like slaying the final dragon. And as of today it's gone. Of course I can still use the platform without an account, and I'm sure I will from time to time. But the subscriptions and suggestion algorithms kept me hooked, watching more videos than I ever intended to. 

 My relationship with the internet has been a long-running, and ever-changing one. Filled with curiosity, joy, and enthusiasm in the beginning. As the years went by, it became an experience of frustration, disappointment, and far too much wasted time. I don't know where it will go from here, but I think it will continue to be minimal.

Giving myself space to think

I'm in one of my dumbphone phases, and it feels good. Ever since I purchased my first smartphone I have often alternated between smartphones and dumbphones. My first smartphone was a Samsung Galaxy S2. I don't remember when I purchased that phone, but it changed my life for the worse. And every smartphone I've had since has been a bad move in many ways. 

I'm not going to going on a rant about smartphones being pure evil. It's not my responsibility to decide which tools, technology, and equipment that other people should use. Everyone needs to figure that out for themselves. Similarly, the world has no place telling me which things I should use. 

Despite all of the wonderful features and conveniences that a smartphone can bring to my life, the math doesn't add up. There's the cost of the phone and a decent data plan to make the most of it. There are privacy concerns, because without good cyber security habits then a smartphone might be a weak point.  But the biggest issue is the time wasted. 

There is a lot of advice to help phone users to keep their screen time in check. I might have tried every strategy that exists, or come close to it. I have also failed and using raw willpower to change my phone habits, and it doesn't work for long. I have even tried coaching myself and re-framing my relationship with my phone to think of it merely as a tool. None of it has lasted. The only strategy that has consistently helped me in reducing screen time is to switch to a dumbphone, and to access the internet on a computer. 

I know it's not a perfect strategy for everyone. Plenty of people would be merely shifting their screen time from one device to another. But it works well for me. I somehow manage to keep my computer time to a low level. And I feel better for the arrangement. 

More spare time. Less stress. 

There's space to think, which can be uncomfortable if you haven't sat in silence for a while doing absolutely nothing else. It gives me a moment to notice the concerns in my mind, the tension in my body, and the emotions which I often ignore. All of those things are important channels of information. Ignore any of them for too long and life soon flips upside down. 

There is also space for gratitude. Appreciation of simple things like food, water, the necessities of life, the creature comforts, and the beauty of whatever is nearby. Any time that gratitude becomes a habit, life takes on a sweeter flavour.  

Review: Cast Away

I finished reading the novel Cast Away, by Francesa de Tores. Perhaps it could be classified as historical fiction. It tells a fictionalised version of the time Alexander Selkirk spent stranded on an island off the coast of Chile in the early 1700s. 

The story tells the story of a crude man who is broken down by solitude and his reflection upon his life. With the absence of other people, all notions of his identity are challenged. He learns some hard lessons about the true necessities of life. He becomes changed by his time on the island. 

The author did a wonderful job of telling a story which balances history with an engaging narrative. I was glad to have read this book, and I felt a little sad when it was finished. 

 Final score: 4.5 / 5