I'm deplatforming from social media...

About a week ago I posted this on FB:

https://www.facebook.com/phedhex/posts/10109136712222269

This came just a few days after I made a Twitter thread on the topic of “Designing for Exit”:

https://twitter.com/phedhex/status/1196724690808496128

The public declaration that I want to design a way out of these systems has been good for me. At this point, I merely have an awareness and a commitment, but that’s still good. I imagine that the next steps here are to continually build upon a code of conduct to help me feel more in control.

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On the same topic, last night I was talking about some of these issues with a friend and I came up with a term I was pretty happy with — which was “attention economy pyramid scheme”. This describes what it feels like to be producing content that keeps people coming back for more.

As an example, I think we all sense that YouTube is a machine that runs on consuming attention. They deploy creators and incentivize us to capture audience (more attention). They feed us with tips and tricks on how to create successful channels, which sometimes feel like instructions on how to create click bait. The whole thing feels kinda greasy. Like, yes, I’m creating an audience, but I’m also shuttling my captured audience off into the rabbit hole that is the YT recommendation algo — but like it’s a tax I’m willing to pay.

On top of this, I can sense that the way to win the game is to create content that gets your audience to proselytize and funnel in more attention.

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Anyhow, I don’t have answers yet. I can’t help but feel that I’m just being an annoying old curmudgeon who just pines for an internet that no longer fits in today’s world. That said, I’m going to experiment with trying to be more thoughtful and deliberate with how I direct attention w/ my online activity. I have a new soft rule for myself that I won’t post to FB anymore EXCEPT to whine about this stuff.