TO THOSE I'VE LOST.
THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING YOU'VE SHARED WITH ME—FROM WISDOM TO UNWAVERING UNCONDITIONAL LOVE, AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ —LIZ
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WE STAND PRECARIOUSLY BALANCED AT A DISTINCT POINT OF NO RETURN— PERHAPS IN A SENSE ALREADY TOO FAR GONE.
WE ARE DROWNING IN A SEA OF ENDLESS "CONTENT" PRODUCED AT RATES NEVER THOUGHT POSSIBLE BEFORE IN OUR LIFETIMES; CONTENT THAT HAS BEEN HOMOGENIZED AND HYPEROPTIMIZED FOR CONSUMPTION ON AS MANY PLATFORMS AS POSSIBLE. ITS UBIQUITY HAS SEEN FAR REACHING CONSEQUENCES: WHAT WE NOW FACE IN OUR EVERYDAY LIVES IS PERPETUATED BY A RACE TO THE BOTTOM PRIMARILY MOTIVATED BY CAPITALISM, AND THE INSATIABLE NEED FOR PERPETUAL GROWTH TO APPEASE SHAREHOLDERS WHOSE GLUTTONOUS APPETITE FOR PROFIT KNOWS NO END. IT IS NOT ENOUGH ANYMORE FOR AN ONLINE PLATFORM TO SIMPLY EXIST ON ITS OWN MERIT, BUT TO ALSO BE EVER EXPANDING; EVER CHANGING; EVER PROFITABLE TO FIT THE GRANDIOSE DESIRES AND VISIONS OF THE HANDS THAT PULL THE STRINGS. FOR ONLINE "CONTENT" CREATED AND HOSTED ON THESE PLATFORMS TO RAKE IN AS MUCH ATTENTION AND ENGAGEMENT AS IT CAN— THE MORE VISUALLY AND AUDIBLY CHAOTIC THE BETTER.
A MODEL OF THIS NATURE IS UNSUSTAINABLE AND UNTENABLE, IF NOT OUTRIGHT HOSTILE TO THE HUMAN SENSES ENTIRELY. IT'S VERY MUCH A DEPARTURE FROM THE "INTERNET" I WAS ONCE FAMILIAR WITH IN WAYS I NEVER COULD HAVE ANTICIPATED. THOUGH FAR FROM PERFECT, IN ITS PAST LIFE, IT REPRESENTED TO ME A VAST, SPRAWLING LANDSCAPE ABUNDANT WITH INFORMATION AND KNOWLEDGE THAT WAS PROVIDED BY FIGURES FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE— RESOURCES ONE MIGHT NEVER BE EXPOSED TO OTHERWISE IN THEIR MORE IMMEDIATE PROXIMITY. THIS CURRENT ITERATION OF THE WORLD WIDE WEB, HOWEVER, HAS FORGONE ANY NOTION OF RECIPROCITY AND BRINGING PEOPLE TOGETHER AS IT HAD ONCE PROMISED; INSTEAD, WHAT WE'RE CURRENTLY EXPERIENCING (IN SOME WAYS HAVING BEEN FORCED UPON US) IS THE END RESULT OF PROFIT-DRIVEN ATOMIZATION. OF HYPERPERSONALIZED, OVERLY INDIVIDUALIZED USER "EXPERIENCES" THAT CREATE AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT QUASI-REALITY FOR EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US, WHETHER WE'RE AWARE OF IT OR NOT. OUR LIVES ARE SHAPED BY THESE PERCEPTIONS OF WHAT ADVERTISERS ULTIMATELY WANT TO SELL US. OF WHAT THE ALGORITHM THINKS WE WANT (OR "SHOULD" WANT). AS THE WORLD'S LARGEST SEARCH ENGINES ALL COMPETE TO MASQUERADE AS EVERYONE'S PERSONAL ASSISTANT (AS OPPOSED TO WHAT THEIR ORIGINAL FUNCTION SERVED), PEOPLE ARE SLOWLY AND GRADUALLY UNABLE TO RELATE TO EACH OTHER AS THEIR RESPECTIVE PLANES OF REALITY BECOME MORE AND MORE FRACTURED.
IN OTHER WORDS, SOWING DIVISION ONLINE IS MORE PROFITABLE AND ATTRACTIVE TO THOSE IT SERVES TO DIRECTLY BENEFIT. THE WRITING HAS BEEN ON THE WALL FOR A LONG TIME NOW.
HAVING COME TO THIS PAINFUL REALIZATION IN RECENT YEARS, I DON'T SEE A PLACE FOR MYSELF IN TODAY'S INTERNET. IT'S FOR THIS REASON THAT I WANT VERY LITTLE TO DO WITH IT. WHAT MINIMAL ONLINE PRESENCE I WOULD LIKE TO CONTINUE CULTIVATING WILL BE DONE ON MY OWN TERMS.
THIS SPACE HAS BEEN CRAFTED FROM THE GROUND UP WITH LOVE AND CARE BY A PERSON WHO FINDS THEMSELVES INCREASINGLY FRUSTRATED AND ALIENATED BY THE CURRENT STATE OF THE ONLINE WORLD. ONE THAT HAS METASTASIZED FROM THE BEACON OF OPTIMISM THAT OPENED THE DOOR TO INFINITE POSSIBILITIES — OPPORTUNITIES TO LEARN AND COMMUNICATE AND SHARE INFORMATION AND EXPERIENCES WITH OTHERS — INTO SOMETHING WHOLLY UNRECOGNIZABLE. SOMETHING I FIND, QUITE FRANKLY, MALIGNANT IN ITS OWN WAY.
IN THE AGE OF SOCIAL MEDIA (OR "CONTENT CREATION"), THERE SEEMINGLY IS NO SPACE TO BREATHE. TO LET SOMETHING JUST BE, TO STAND ON ITS OWN MERIT, UNAFFECTED AND UNINHIBITED BY MEANINGLESS, ARBITRARY FACTORS SUCH AS "ENGAGEMENT" OR "LIKES".
INSTEAD, THERE IS A HEAVY EMPHASIS PLACED ON THE PERFORMATIVITY OF WHAT ONE CAN TANGIBLY PRODUCE— A COMMODITY DRIVEN BY ITS POTENTIAL TO BE MONETIZED BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY. IF IT IS NOT PROFITABLE THROUGH THE ACT OF GARNERING ATTENTION, IT HAS NO USE, NO PURPOSE. MOVEMENTS ON THESE PLATFORMS ARE TRACKED, DOWN TO EVERY CLICK, SCROLL, TAP. WHAT'S MORE, THIS MODEL, PERHAPS BY DESIGN, DOES NOT DISCERN BETWEEN POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE FEEDBACK, MAKING FIGHTING BACK AGAINST THE TIDE A FRUITLESS AND TIME-WASTING ENDEAVOUR. ANALYTICS ON FEEDBACK—GOOD OR BAD—ARE QUIETLY COLLECTED AND FED BACK TO AN ALGORITHM TO SERVE YOU MORE OF THE SAME DIGITAL SLOP, ALL IN THE NAME OF ENGAGEMENT.
MY PERSONAL BELIEFS ARE STAKED IN AN INTERNET REMOVED FROM THESE INVASIVE AND EXPLOITATIVE PRACTICES. THE ONLY WINNING MOVE IS NOT TO PLAY.
THIS WEBSITE NEITHER SEEKS TO INFLUENCE NOR EDUCATE, BUT TO PAY TRIBUTE TO AN ERA GROWING MORE AND MORE DISTANT, AS OUR ONLINE WORLD CONTINUES ITS VIOLENT DEATH SPIRAL INTO NONFUNCTIONAL IRRELEVANCE. I CONSIDER IT A SMALL PLOT OF LAND TO CALL MY OWN, CARVED OUT AMID THE DIGITAL STATIC OF CHAOS AND VIRALITY TO HOST MY OWN WORKS IN A SPACE IN WHICH I'M FREE TO INDULGE HOWEVER I LIKE, HAVING NO CONCERN FOR NEUROSIS-INDUCING MONETARILY QUANTIFIABLE MEANS OF OUTSIDE INTEREST.
CONTAINED HERE ARE SMALL DIGITAL TCHOTCHKES CREATED NOT FOR ANY KIND OF PROFIT MOTIVE, BUT JUST FOR THE SAKE OF IT. FOR MYSELF.
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