Autumn last year, I got to the point where I was so fed up with social media, I ended up deleting all social media apps from my phone. Why? In part of not being available all the time, but also a bit due to being sick and tired of AI slop, bots, and most content creators. Yes, I do see the irony of that, as I write two book blogs, and me posting this online.
Why do I write and post this post on a book blog? It’s partially linked to books and reading, and I’ll talk about it later.
With the screens and social media, I sometimes feel a few (or a lot) of us has lost some of the connection to other human beings, as “everything” is either surface level or performative, combined with the mentioned AI slop and the rest of it. There’s also plenty of people who has stopped posting on social media (and stopped using it altogether), which makes the AI slop more visible. Weirdly enough, perhaps not using social media too much, can be a good thing, as it forces people to check in on each other if they want updates.
That said, as quite a few people are busy with their lives, sometimes it could take a while for a reply to come, if at all. Considering how busy people are, combined with social media, and some other factors, no wonder why there’s a loneliness epidemic going on. What happened to meet up with people and talk? Damn it, sometimes it is those damn screens that is the problem, as it creates a distance between people. A quick text isn’t the same as meeting up.
A good thing about me removing the social media apps from my phone is that I didn’t get those pesky notifications that often distracted me while reading, and that’s the key here – those screens can be distracting at times. By putting away the phone, it enabled me to be more present when I was reading.
This leads me to another topic of thought – the whole analogue trend, such as collecting/owning physical media and having hobbies. As long as it doesn’t involve overconsumption, I do think it’s overall a good thing. Having a stack of DVD’s to choose from during movie night? It decreases the decision paralysis a bit, as all the options on streaming can be a bit overwhelming. Another benefit of for instance owning physical media, whether it’s CD’s, DVD’s, or books, is that we own it and not at the mercy of the streaming gods, in case they decide to remove a movie or a band from their streaming service. Of course, we also don’t need an internet connection to listen to a CD on an actual CD player, just saying.
Another aspect of being slightly more analogue is all those fun hobbies one has time for when not scrolling social media, whether it’s sailing, reading, gardening, playing a musical instrument, drawing, knitting, or something else entirely. While technology can be great and there’s plenty of apps, there’s something special about mastering a skill that technology can’t replicate.
This leads me into thinking about some other recent trends, such as personal curriculum and renaissance (wo)men. While it is a good thing that people want to improve themselves and their minds, I think one must be a bit careful not turning it into a different kind of hustle culture. Currently I get the impression that those striving to become renaissance men are the intellectual version of a gym bro. Of course, one could argue a library is the gym for the brain, and with the lower literacy rates, that’s something positive.
That said, whether it’s striving to become a renaissance man, having a personal curriculum, getting a few hobbies, or whatever it is that makes people get off their screens and either use their brain, be more present, or create a deeper connection, I do believe that’s a good thing. All these trends do show there’s plenty of people wanting to get off the screens and/or fight brain rot. While I can admit I’m still using the laptop quite a bit, with a bit of just “quickly” checking Facebook, and thus still being “a work in progress” when it comes to getting off the screen, there’s hope.
As there’s an undercurrent with people feeling the disconnect that comes with the screens, just maybe there’s hope in creating deep and meaningful connections with people again, as well as being more present and intentional with what we do. Fingers crossed trends like going analogue, having a personal curriculum and/or hobbies, and other things become more of a lifestyle rather than “just” trends. I do believe a lot of us need a break from screens and being so much online. An added bonus if more people read more books.
Why do I write and post this post on a book blog? It’s partially linked to books and reading, and I’ll talk about it later.
With the screens and social media, I sometimes feel a few (or a lot) of us has lost some of the connection to other human beings, as “everything” is either surface level or performative, combined with the mentioned AI slop and the rest of it. There’s also plenty of people who has stopped posting on social media (and stopped using it altogether), which makes the AI slop more visible. Weirdly enough, perhaps not using social media too much, can be a good thing, as it forces people to check in on each other if they want updates.
That said, as quite a few people are busy with their lives, sometimes it could take a while for a reply to come, if at all. Considering how busy people are, combined with social media, and some other factors, no wonder why there’s a loneliness epidemic going on. What happened to meet up with people and talk? Damn it, sometimes it is those damn screens that is the problem, as it creates a distance between people. A quick text isn’t the same as meeting up.
A good thing about me removing the social media apps from my phone is that I didn’t get those pesky notifications that often distracted me while reading, and that’s the key here – those screens can be distracting at times. By putting away the phone, it enabled me to be more present when I was reading.
This leads me to another topic of thought – the whole analogue trend, such as collecting/owning physical media and having hobbies. As long as it doesn’t involve overconsumption, I do think it’s overall a good thing. Having a stack of DVD’s to choose from during movie night? It decreases the decision paralysis a bit, as all the options on streaming can be a bit overwhelming. Another benefit of for instance owning physical media, whether it’s CD’s, DVD’s, or books, is that we own it and not at the mercy of the streaming gods, in case they decide to remove a movie or a band from their streaming service. Of course, we also don’t need an internet connection to listen to a CD on an actual CD player, just saying.
Another aspect of being slightly more analogue is all those fun hobbies one has time for when not scrolling social media, whether it’s sailing, reading, gardening, playing a musical instrument, drawing, knitting, or something else entirely. While technology can be great and there’s plenty of apps, there’s something special about mastering a skill that technology can’t replicate.
This leads me into thinking about some other recent trends, such as personal curriculum and renaissance (wo)men. While it is a good thing that people want to improve themselves and their minds, I think one must be a bit careful not turning it into a different kind of hustle culture. Currently I get the impression that those striving to become renaissance men are the intellectual version of a gym bro. Of course, one could argue a library is the gym for the brain, and with the lower literacy rates, that’s something positive.
That said, whether it’s striving to become a renaissance man, having a personal curriculum, getting a few hobbies, or whatever it is that makes people get off their screens and either use their brain, be more present, or create a deeper connection, I do believe that’s a good thing. All these trends do show there’s plenty of people wanting to get off the screens and/or fight brain rot. While I can admit I’m still using the laptop quite a bit, with a bit of just “quickly” checking Facebook, and thus still being “a work in progress” when it comes to getting off the screen, there’s hope.
As there’s an undercurrent with people feeling the disconnect that comes with the screens, just maybe there’s hope in creating deep and meaningful connections with people again, as well as being more present and intentional with what we do. Fingers crossed trends like going analogue, having a personal curriculum and/or hobbies, and other things become more of a lifestyle rather than “just” trends. I do believe a lot of us need a break from screens and being so much online. An added bonus if more people read more books.
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