I believe that the Internet's greatest gift is bringing people together. I spent a lot of time as a child chatting with other children, creating things for other children and finding fulfllment.
But, none of that negates the great dangers of the Internet, not only for children, but for adults. It exposes us to dangers, and slowly erodes our humanity and empathy for each other.
How can I fight this? How can I take my humanity back? I can't completely disconnect, I'm an artist! I need to make money. I need to network. And, anyway, I love what the Internet used to be. I can't throw out the entire medium.
I think the answer is to change myself.
What if I stopped blindly flipping between social media platforms? What if I limit myself? Set "office hours" for the work stuff, and "personal hours" for the rest?
I think it could work, but I need to be selective. What is it, exactly, that I need to remove?
Debates. I need to remove all debates. Reading them, commenting on them, all of it.
I don't need to give up on politics. There are a lot of things about me and my joys that are "political." I don't think I need to live a completely conflict-free life to be happy. I can keep conflicts. I can keep problems. And I can still better myself.
So what, specifically, do I need to cut out?
Basically, if I'm not seeking real connections, I'm not putting myself out there. My website is not for everyone. But it is for making real connections. I want to connect to myself. "Heal my inner child," as they say. I'm gonna seek to learn, not to feel. Seek to connect, not gain noteriety. I want to be better. With all the time I spend on devices, I should be the most learned person on Earth, but I'm not. So, here are some ways I can do better:
The tricky part is something like Youtube. It's definitely a form of social media, but also a treasure trove that I'd be foolish to overlook during project time. We'll try using it without social functions to start. If needed, I can also make a new profile.