Hello Webworm! Thanks for having me here again. This is one of my favourite places on the internet, and I’m happy to discuss anything that came up in my article (or any of the previous ones!)
I wanted to quickly pop a couple of caveats on the article because it’s hard to do in text when it’s already a bit much! The first is, when I say “crypto is fucked” or “Twitter is fucked” I don’t necessarily mean that they’re going to disappear tomorrow. That’d be a risky prediction! I wouldn’t be surprised if both lingered on for a good while yet. What I mean is that they are profoundly dysfunctional, and that the dysfunction is apparent to pretty much everyone, and they can’t easily be fixed - if they can be fixed at all.
The second big one is that I don’t think that Mastodon on its own is a cure-all - there is plenty there that’s problematic! - but I think that federated media might be the start of something much better for internet communication. I just think it’s so weird that we’re completely used to having massive companies spy on is, or that we outsource moderation to teams of contractors who get PTSD for a living. It’s so strange when you think about it! I really recommend the book I mentioned, Chokepoint Capitalism, because it goes into detail about the problems with how megacorps have captured huge swathes of culture and are squeezing creatives (the people who actually make things) for everything they have.
The internet is a surreal, absurd, maddening hell hole, and I often think I should just leave it... But I can't. It's too fascinating. It's too unique. There's never been anything like it, good or bad.
I worry about what it's doing (and done) to my psyche. I recoil at the misinformation, alternative facts, and downright ignorance. And then I revel in the world's of knowledge and information, or marvel at the convenience and how much smaller the world feels.
I think the internet is awful... And our only hope. We are facing so many problems that are not just local, but affect the entire planet, and we need to work together as a species to fix it. And we've literally NEVER done that. It's not been possible... Until now. The only way we can fix this shit is with the global communication made possible the internet.
But only if we can stop shitposting, doom scrolling, and trolling each other in to oblivion.
It's fascinating (and more than a little horrifying) watching our strange species struggle with these existential problems as we go through the mother of all growing pains. We happen to be alive in what I think is the most interesting of times humans have ever seen.
Thanks to all the writers at Webworm for trying to provide some semblance of perspective in this insane pre apocalypse. It all helps.
I still differ with Josh on one thing though; I still have faith in blockchain tech. Crypto is often a cesspit of awful late stage capitalism, but I still think the technology holds a world of promise for the future... I guess we'll see.
I ruthlessly curated my twitter feed, and, given that I was never likely to be subjected to the vileness and vitriol that many had to endure, my experience has been mostly positive and very useful for my work. BUT, you are right, Josh, over on mastodon, it feels like the utopian days of the early Internet - a sort of digital Cheers, where everyone knows your name and when you pull up a toot, Norm leans over and you're in a conversation. To extend my oldskool metaphor, being able to choose which bar (instance) you hang out in and understand which lowlifes your bar's bouncer (admins and moderators who run each instance) will kick out, is liberating. I'm only new to mastodon, but already I think that safety is why the conversations are better and you can have them with a more diverse range of people who you have never met. The fact that they are there means that the admin has not kicked them out of the bar, so there is a sort of dick filter in place.
Also, it is cool to be able to be subscribe to instances that are locally run. Like most things I find useful, I pay for my subscription to cloudisland.nz which is run by the inimitable Aurynn (and I see from Josh's post that Tom Eastman is there too so I must look him up - finding people is a little more difficult on mastodon).
I found this piece exceptionally well written, and heartbreaking. I too remember the hope, unpredictability, and yes, decentralized amorphousness of the Internet when it first began (when it was written with a capital I). I have despaired. I don't know if I have the energy to engage in something new but it seems it's worth it. Oh, and I know someone who lost his life savings to crypto grifters.
Josh! This is so excellent. So much to think about now in a cohesive way rather than just feeling uncomfortable and overwhelmed about how ick this has all been.
Honestly I think it's a good opportunity to quit infinite scrolling hot takes, and get that addiction out. You can work out if you are addicted by contemplating whether you can quit them all cold turkey.
Nov 23, 2022·edited Nov 23, 2022Liked by David Farrier
Now that I've deactivated my Twitter account, I'm considering dipping into Mastodon. The quote "TERFs and transphobia that curse the big social media sites are outright banned“ is a strong selling point.
Nov 23, 2022·edited Nov 23, 2022Liked by David Farrier
Thanks for sharing. I work on a couple crypto projects and I love/hate it. I’m not an investor but I do enjoy that the artists spend a lot of money on printing, can make money off their NFTs. This is on a small blockchain though that doesn’t charge high fees. I made a content creation site that allows the user to post videos and set their price. Get paid in BSV…which is hard to convert to USD, but it was fun to make and another way to let people feel like YouTube stars. The wallet will use USDC which is by Circle pay, supposed to be protected? Besides all of that, I hate the drama behind it and don’t like how celebrities encourage the pyramid schemes. So I don’t know what to think, there are days I would rather write a ghost hunting app lol but I can do both
My kid’s school focuses on Native Americans which I’m glad. They are heavy on Martin Luther King day and talk about slavery & segregation. This is Columbus, Ohio though. More rural areas don’t want to teach these subjects because parents don’t know how to handle hard subjects. My 2nd grader brought this home: Squanto Friend to the Pilgrims. https://imgur.com/a/dT1KGKK
The image you shared from your friend reminds me of the similar material I read in school back in the 90’s in rural NW Ohio.
Fantastic piece, Joshua! Definitely hit a little too close to home in a lot of spots. Social media is so incredibly ingrained in our lives and it's hard to break the cycle. It's terrifying to be honest. I've signed up for Mastodon but am reluctant to try it and get sucked into something new again. I'm mostly on Twitter just to watch it implode but it's also a nightmare to watch in real time. In regards to Thanksgiving, David, I enjoy the food (I love cooking!) and the fellowship of it all but struggle with the violent history associated with it. It's a balance of being thankful for what we have now and acknowledging the awful atrocities commited.
Seeing you made the move Josh gave me the impetus to brave this new world of Mastodon. Its a bit confusing at first, not as hand-held, but it's all good!
When I hear of Thanks Giving" I think of "Bury my Heart at Wounded Knee" which I first read in my 20s and I am now rereading along with One Blood which documents the relationship between the Aborigines and early settlers and missionaries in Australia. Both are hard reading for they do not flinch at recording the atrocities committed as colonialism spread its shadow across the lands of the first nation people. Not only were there mass killing and theft of land, Australian settlers in the frontier areas would kidnap women and young girls to be used as sex slaves. No age was too young for the depraved white colonists. While some stood up against this behaviour, their voices were silence by the greed, avarice and depravity of the majority who hungered for land, gold and women.
In the USA, the abhorrent doctrine of manifest destiny justified the murder of the first nation people and the theft of their land. The equally abhorrent doctrine of the curse of Ham justified the enslavement and transportation of Africans. Yet to have an honest discussion about this history is to be accursed of being a "Critical Race Theorist" which has become a shibboleth for anything that critiques the mythology of America as a land of justice, freedom and harmony. White school children need to be protected from the truth, lest they be ashamed of their country and being white. Better, then, to have a sanitised history which reinforces national myths, than be confronted with the uncomfortable truths of our history. But the blood of the innocent victims of colonialism and manifest destiny cry out for justice and no matter how hard the protectors of myth try, the truth has and will come out.
Nov 24, 2022·edited Nov 24, 2022Liked by David Farrier
Blockchain technology will never be decentralized because it will never be standardized. Decentralization is a myth-- a pitch for a product that cannot exist, because nobody will agree.
Thousands of blockchains, thousands of cryptocurrencies, spawned all from bickering and disagreements, 90% of which are stored on some server in a dude's closet, some dude totally convinced he's the REAL decentralized hero, despite being entirely centralized unto himself. A true libertarian utopia.
Was just reading a Guardian piece on Mastodon yesterday after noticing that @seditiontrack had shifted alliegance from Twitter. Kindof glad crypto is circling the drain, last year I spent time during the big lockdown practicing crypto trading then finally landed on collecting CNFT art/trinkets, which I quickly grew tired of because it encourages watching a screen every waking moment. I fully endorse outdoor activities and adventures as antidotes to the soul-drain the internet provides, nothing fills my tank as successfully as living on the wilderness edge.
I appreciate the comment quote included at the end of the article, David. Cheers!
The Arise podcast was fantastic! The Panel was brilliant - they gave me hope in NZ again. I liked the compassion they showed for those who join Megachurches genuinely wanting to follow Jesus. And the depth of knowledge and understanding they had on the complexity of the issues that surround Megachurches.
Also, how does Mastadon work? How is it funded and maintained? What's the risk it will go like Twitter or Reditt when it reaches a certain size?
I’m kind of relieved that crypto is fucked because I never really understood it and always got annoyed at people obsessing over it...I feel the same way about the stock market though and that’s like...a real thing...so maybe I should change...It’s all just so boring and annoying to me.
I’m also a weirdo that doesn’t have Twitter but is enjoying watching the chaos unfold via instagram and tiktok 🙃
Also - I grew up in Wisconsin and most people there have never been taught anything true about Native Culture at all. I didn’t learn until I went to college and took a class on Native History.
I live in LA now and most people are aware the Thanksgiving story is a myth but also have no idea who’s land we’re on.
Hello Webworm! Thanks for having me here again. This is one of my favourite places on the internet, and I’m happy to discuss anything that came up in my article (or any of the previous ones!)
I wanted to quickly pop a couple of caveats on the article because it’s hard to do in text when it’s already a bit much! The first is, when I say “crypto is fucked” or “Twitter is fucked” I don’t necessarily mean that they’re going to disappear tomorrow. That’d be a risky prediction! I wouldn’t be surprised if both lingered on for a good while yet. What I mean is that they are profoundly dysfunctional, and that the dysfunction is apparent to pretty much everyone, and they can’t easily be fixed - if they can be fixed at all.
The second big one is that I don’t think that Mastodon on its own is a cure-all - there is plenty there that’s problematic! - but I think that federated media might be the start of something much better for internet communication. I just think it’s so weird that we’re completely used to having massive companies spy on is, or that we outsource moderation to teams of contractors who get PTSD for a living. It’s so strange when you think about it! I really recommend the book I mentioned, Chokepoint Capitalism, because it goes into detail about the problems with how megacorps have captured huge swathes of culture and are squeezing creatives (the people who actually make things) for everything they have.
Beautiful work.
The internet is a surreal, absurd, maddening hell hole, and I often think I should just leave it... But I can't. It's too fascinating. It's too unique. There's never been anything like it, good or bad.
I worry about what it's doing (and done) to my psyche. I recoil at the misinformation, alternative facts, and downright ignorance. And then I revel in the world's of knowledge and information, or marvel at the convenience and how much smaller the world feels.
I think the internet is awful... And our only hope. We are facing so many problems that are not just local, but affect the entire planet, and we need to work together as a species to fix it. And we've literally NEVER done that. It's not been possible... Until now. The only way we can fix this shit is with the global communication made possible the internet.
But only if we can stop shitposting, doom scrolling, and trolling each other in to oblivion.
It's fascinating (and more than a little horrifying) watching our strange species struggle with these existential problems as we go through the mother of all growing pains. We happen to be alive in what I think is the most interesting of times humans have ever seen.
Thanks to all the writers at Webworm for trying to provide some semblance of perspective in this insane pre apocalypse. It all helps.
I still differ with Josh on one thing though; I still have faith in blockchain tech. Crypto is often a cesspit of awful late stage capitalism, but I still think the technology holds a world of promise for the future... I guess we'll see.
I ruthlessly curated my twitter feed, and, given that I was never likely to be subjected to the vileness and vitriol that many had to endure, my experience has been mostly positive and very useful for my work. BUT, you are right, Josh, over on mastodon, it feels like the utopian days of the early Internet - a sort of digital Cheers, where everyone knows your name and when you pull up a toot, Norm leans over and you're in a conversation. To extend my oldskool metaphor, being able to choose which bar (instance) you hang out in and understand which lowlifes your bar's bouncer (admins and moderators who run each instance) will kick out, is liberating. I'm only new to mastodon, but already I think that safety is why the conversations are better and you can have them with a more diverse range of people who you have never met. The fact that they are there means that the admin has not kicked them out of the bar, so there is a sort of dick filter in place.
Also, it is cool to be able to be subscribe to instances that are locally run. Like most things I find useful, I pay for my subscription to cloudisland.nz which is run by the inimitable Aurynn (and I see from Josh's post that Tom Eastman is there too so I must look him up - finding people is a little more difficult on mastodon).
I found this piece exceptionally well written, and heartbreaking. I too remember the hope, unpredictability, and yes, decentralized amorphousness of the Internet when it first began (when it was written with a capital I). I have despaired. I don't know if I have the energy to engage in something new but it seems it's worth it. Oh, and I know someone who lost his life savings to crypto grifters.
Josh! This is so excellent. So much to think about now in a cohesive way rather than just feeling uncomfortable and overwhelmed about how ick this has all been.
Thank you!
Honestly I think it's a good opportunity to quit infinite scrolling hot takes, and get that addiction out. You can work out if you are addicted by contemplating whether you can quit them all cold turkey.
Now that I've deactivated my Twitter account, I'm considering dipping into Mastodon. The quote "TERFs and transphobia that curse the big social media sites are outright banned“ is a strong selling point.
Thanks for sharing. I work on a couple crypto projects and I love/hate it. I’m not an investor but I do enjoy that the artists spend a lot of money on printing, can make money off their NFTs. This is on a small blockchain though that doesn’t charge high fees. I made a content creation site that allows the user to post videos and set their price. Get paid in BSV…which is hard to convert to USD, but it was fun to make and another way to let people feel like YouTube stars. The wallet will use USDC which is by Circle pay, supposed to be protected? Besides all of that, I hate the drama behind it and don’t like how celebrities encourage the pyramid schemes. So I don’t know what to think, there are days I would rather write a ghost hunting app lol but I can do both
My kid’s school focuses on Native Americans which I’m glad. They are heavy on Martin Luther King day and talk about slavery & segregation. This is Columbus, Ohio though. More rural areas don’t want to teach these subjects because parents don’t know how to handle hard subjects. My 2nd grader brought this home: Squanto Friend to the Pilgrims. https://imgur.com/a/dT1KGKK
The image you shared from your friend reminds me of the similar material I read in school back in the 90’s in rural NW Ohio.
Fantastic piece, Joshua! Definitely hit a little too close to home in a lot of spots. Social media is so incredibly ingrained in our lives and it's hard to break the cycle. It's terrifying to be honest. I've signed up for Mastodon but am reluctant to try it and get sucked into something new again. I'm mostly on Twitter just to watch it implode but it's also a nightmare to watch in real time. In regards to Thanksgiving, David, I enjoy the food (I love cooking!) and the fellowship of it all but struggle with the violent history associated with it. It's a balance of being thankful for what we have now and acknowledging the awful atrocities commited.
Seeing you made the move Josh gave me the impetus to brave this new world of Mastodon. Its a bit confusing at first, not as hand-held, but it's all good!
I am @marz99@mastodon.nz
When I hear of Thanks Giving" I think of "Bury my Heart at Wounded Knee" which I first read in my 20s and I am now rereading along with One Blood which documents the relationship between the Aborigines and early settlers and missionaries in Australia. Both are hard reading for they do not flinch at recording the atrocities committed as colonialism spread its shadow across the lands of the first nation people. Not only were there mass killing and theft of land, Australian settlers in the frontier areas would kidnap women and young girls to be used as sex slaves. No age was too young for the depraved white colonists. While some stood up against this behaviour, their voices were silence by the greed, avarice and depravity of the majority who hungered for land, gold and women.
In the USA, the abhorrent doctrine of manifest destiny justified the murder of the first nation people and the theft of their land. The equally abhorrent doctrine of the curse of Ham justified the enslavement and transportation of Africans. Yet to have an honest discussion about this history is to be accursed of being a "Critical Race Theorist" which has become a shibboleth for anything that critiques the mythology of America as a land of justice, freedom and harmony. White school children need to be protected from the truth, lest they be ashamed of their country and being white. Better, then, to have a sanitised history which reinforces national myths, than be confronted with the uncomfortable truths of our history. But the blood of the innocent victims of colonialism and manifest destiny cry out for justice and no matter how hard the protectors of myth try, the truth has and will come out.
Blockchain technology will never be decentralized because it will never be standardized. Decentralization is a myth-- a pitch for a product that cannot exist, because nobody will agree.
Thousands of blockchains, thousands of cryptocurrencies, spawned all from bickering and disagreements, 90% of which are stored on some server in a dude's closet, some dude totally convinced he's the REAL decentralized hero, despite being entirely centralized unto himself. A true libertarian utopia.
Daaaavvvvviiiiidddd!!!!!!! Just got my ticket for the Perth showing of Mister Organ. CAN. NOT. WAIT!!!!!!
Great article, thanks Josh and David!
Was just reading a Guardian piece on Mastodon yesterday after noticing that @seditiontrack had shifted alliegance from Twitter. Kindof glad crypto is circling the drain, last year I spent time during the big lockdown practicing crypto trading then finally landed on collecting CNFT art/trinkets, which I quickly grew tired of because it encourages watching a screen every waking moment. I fully endorse outdoor activities and adventures as antidotes to the soul-drain the internet provides, nothing fills my tank as successfully as living on the wilderness edge.
I appreciate the comment quote included at the end of the article, David. Cheers!
The Arise podcast was fantastic! The Panel was brilliant - they gave me hope in NZ again. I liked the compassion they showed for those who join Megachurches genuinely wanting to follow Jesus. And the depth of knowledge and understanding they had on the complexity of the issues that surround Megachurches.
Also, how does Mastadon work? How is it funded and maintained? What's the risk it will go like Twitter or Reditt when it reaches a certain size?
I’m kind of relieved that crypto is fucked because I never really understood it and always got annoyed at people obsessing over it...I feel the same way about the stock market though and that’s like...a real thing...so maybe I should change...It’s all just so boring and annoying to me.
I’m also a weirdo that doesn’t have Twitter but is enjoying watching the chaos unfold via instagram and tiktok 🙃
Also - I grew up in Wisconsin and most people there have never been taught anything true about Native Culture at all. I didn’t learn until I went to college and took a class on Native History.
I live in LA now and most people are aware the Thanksgiving story is a myth but also have no idea who’s land we’re on.
I’m celebrating Thanksgiving on Tongva land.
America is very flawed. 🦃