what is the internet for?
i once thought we built it to connect with each other. to seek out far-flung stories from people we may never meet, as well as the far-flung oddities of our next-door neighbors.
but then i got confused. i began to mistake digital interaction as a “good-enough” substitute for human conversation.
i got so excited about the ability to track how many likes or comments or “friends” i had that i forgot: all those numbers only matter inasmuch as they intersect meaningfully with another human’s Real Actual Life.
digital technology—the internet in particular—is amazing. in my current view, it has three excellent uses:
- coordination
- connection
- expression
am i hosting a meeting or event out there in “foodspace” (i.e., not cyberspace)? i’ll use digital technology to coordinate with the humans that want to join in.
am i looking for a job, a recipe, or another group of humans who are interested in doing an activity or pursuing a line of thinking that matters to me? i’ll use digital technology to find connection with those humans or ideas.
and as evidenced by this very page: i’ll use digital technology to express myself.
one person’s opinion, of course. i am actively attempting to resist other uses for digital technology.