How does one exist online, right now, without being a constant mess of anxiety? It’s what I’ve been working on lately. I’ve told you about rejecting anxiety bait and not getting your news from social media, and both of those can make a big difference. But there’s something even simpler that I think can help: […]
Category: Commentary
Canada: it’s time to boycott American social media
The dumbest trade war in world history is underway and Canadians are responding to the idiocy by changing their spending habits. American liquors have been pulled from store shelves and Canadians are trying to replace American products with Canadian equivalents at the grocery store. This is a great example of patriotic unity during a time […]
Don’t get your news from social media
This is the second article in a series about how to function as a human person online in this clusterfuck of an era. You can read part one, about rejecting anxiety bait, here. A curated social media account can expose you to new ideas, help you keep in touch with friends, and maybe even help you […]
Reject anxiety bait
The past month has been the longest year of my life. I’m sure I’m not alone on this. It is impossible to ignore the onslaught of bad news, which I’m not going to highlight here. What I am going to do is recommend that you take care of yourself. If the world is going to […]
the future of mindless scrolling
What is social media for? I would argue, perhaps naively, that social media is a tool we can use to connect with each other. The companies that run social media networks, meanwhile, mostly see social networks as a tool for capturing as much attention as possible. I can think of no better illustration of this […]
The internet doesn’t have to feel like this
Living online can feel…numbing. Bo Burnham perhaps captured that best with That Funny Feeling, a song made up of various unrelated phrases that simulate the feeling of scrolling. deadpool’s self-awareness/loving parents/harmless fun/the backlash to the backlash to the thing that’s just begun On and on it goes, and on and on you scroll, until your thumbs (and soul) […]
Find small ways to feel like yourself
I’ve been freelancing as a journalist full time for two and a half years now, which feels great. I am occasionally exhausted, and sometimes miss the camaraderie of being on a team, but on the other hand I am no longer miserable. Pros and cons. There are all kinds of reasons I was unhappy working […]
You’re doing great.
I want to talk to you, yes you, about any lingering sense of guilt you might have. Let it go. You’re doing fine. Better than fine: you’re thriving.
Tech is cool; business is boring.
AI isn’t a solution looking for a problem—it’s a market strategy made by people who aren’t even thinking about problems.
Watch me be in three meetings at once
You can be forgiven if you have the impression that I hate AI. I do have profound concerns with the ways the technology is being rolled out, sure, but I’m still an enthusiast at heart and I love playing around with this stuff. This week I wrote about a free transcription application that took a half-hour episode […]