Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
It’s impossible to write something without first thinking of it. Because of this, much of what I think, or think about, comes from the internet. So, naturally several essays I’ve written have referenced, reflected on, or otherwise reacted to the work of others. In this post I’’m trying to challenge that tendency a bit. So I will not do any upbuilding, pretentiously cite poetry, or indulge in gratuitous block quotes. I’m not evening going to link. It’s going to be hard.
I’ve also recently realized, partly due to Substack notes, that one type of writing and thinking that compels me - that which I might seek to imitate or follow in the tradition of - is something like criticism. And there are many, many writers doing internet and cultural criticism that are smarter and more insightful than I am, so I’m trying something new.
One of my own critiques has been that the digital world has insufficiently developed and integrated norms. So even though critiquing is fun, I’m going to do something purely positive and posit some.
These norms are meant to pertain to internet-native experiences and smartphones, rather than legacy experiences which are enabled or strengthened by it. Watching TNF on Amazon prime doesn’t meet the criteria. Also, these norms apply to my experience as a normal person without a million followers or a professional life online; so if you’re famous, proceed with caution.
This post is not a sign that I somehow follow these perfectly. I am not a paragon of internet hygiene. These also aren’t ironclad rules, they can and should be selectively ignored in certain circumstances. And, anyone reading this is (probably) an adult. Do whatever you want.
I’ve tried to order these norms from least controversial to more controversial, or perhaps most well-integrated to least.
don’t believe everything you read or see or hear (on the internet)
if other people can see your screen, be careful what you look at
in general, don’t use your phone at dinner/in class/in a meeting, unless you’re being rude on purpose
“like” everything your friends post, if you see it, and outside of obvious exceptions
use google maps
arguing with strangers is probably a waste of time
in general, don’t be anonymous
be conscious of the tradeoffs you are making, especially with respect to time
you don’t have to react to, or even read, any specific post/tweet/video etc
use the internet almost exclusively to seek out specific information
the obverse of the above: eschew suggested content
if you must seek out suggested content, cultivate trusted sources
to that end, trust in individual writers (content creators, youtubers, whatever) that earn it
less trustworthy are outlets, companies, brands etc.
least trustworthy of all: the grand ineffable algorithms of big tech
related to (2), even if you have complete privacy, try to respect (institutional) boundaries that the internet flattens
pay for good writing/thinking
comments on writing are gold. comments on video are mostly worthless.
use the internet as a tool rather than a destination
don’t use your phone first thing when you wake up
regularly sanitize your phone
avoid very large and very small communities. there is a sweetspot
don’t pirate/steal content
don’t keep your email up on your work computer, but check it at intervals
related to (10), presumptively don’t buy whatever is advertised to you
contra (13), try to evaluate content independently of its source
seek resonance rather than truth
don’t use more than one independent screen at a time( i.e. multiple monitors is OK, scrolling twitter while watching TV is bad)
purely internet status should be measured in its material rewards, i.e. money/status/benefits in meatspace. the same goes for crypto tokens.
relatedly, that which is worth doing/experiencing can (not must) be done outside of the internet
in other words, the internet can’t produce its own meaning
again relatedly, try not to let internet goods (followers, reddit karma) influence your decisions, unless they can be cashed out IRL
the obverse of (22), seize opportunities IRL that wouldn’t exist without the internet
err on the side of posting rather than not
relatedly, ruthlessly unfollow people you don’t know/care to know anymore
in general, don’t “like” anything unless you want to increase its reach
related to (4), set aside a regular, specific time to be phone/internet free
utterly disregard the difference between a green and blue text bubble on imessage
the sacred and the profane still exist, even if they are effectively costless to access
Thanks for reading! Any feedback is very helpful for me.
Have a lot of thoughts on these, and they are well founded and clearly well intentioned. I might posit that for those without the same work/life relationship as you (for example, entrepreneurs with online businesses) there are always trade offs to engaging with social media, and the line of where and when to engage becomes blurred. That being said, good piece, would love to see you dive deep on each of these.