The World You Were Born in No Longer Exists

Growing up I was surrounded by computers. The Internet seemed like a place you could escape to. Flash games, Encarta, and a wide variety of fun websites. Fast forward to now, and the barrier between the internet as a space and the 'outside' has never been more blurred. It used to be that you visited the internet but now we are online all the time, chronically if you will. Most of us visit the same three or four websites almost every day. I remember I had to wait until I got home and opened Messenger on the home computer to see any messages I had received since the last time I logged in. Now we are expected to be reachable 24/7 since the majority of us have a computer in our pockets at all times. The boundary between the online and offline is now a piece of glass, physically and metaphorically.

Building a house in borrowed land

Over the past few years most of my internet activity happened on Instagram. As much as I personalize my profile, ultimately, Instagram is not mine. It could cease to exist tomorrow, and with it, tons of images, messages, moments, would be gone forever. We already saw this recently when tons of archived stories stopped being available, seemingly forever. No explanation or reinstatement. This made me realize that I was building a house in borrowed land. They could kick me out or this piece of land could just disappear. Where am I going to 'live'? I have no brand deals with Instagram, I am not earning money by posting there or by keeping your attention there. Many times, the interests of Instagram do not align with my goals. If you add to that the format limitations and the missing features (my main account still can't have more than 10 photos in a carousel post), it is clear that it's time to start looking for a new place to 'live' online.

The internet is dead, long live the internet

I am sure you've heard in the last year or so, of people talking about 'brain rot', 'doomscrolling', 'being chronically online'. These terms are all a result of the effects of companies spending millions of dollars to get as much of your attention as they possibly can. If something is free, you're the product. Short term content, quirky gimmicks, algorithms taking advantage of fear-mongering to show you outrageous posts so you stay, even if it's a tiny bit longer, on their platform. All so they can serve you another ad. It doesn't have to be this way. We can connect meaningfully and consume responsibly. There are no ads on this site, I don't track anything you do on here, there is no login or account information. You can come and go as you please. Updates are posted on the home page so if there's anything new, you'll see it there, otherwise you're free to go. No algorithm trying to grab your attention. It might not be perfect, but I believe it is a step in the right direction given the current moment.