MY (MAC) LAPTOP: This is an application downloaded from the Internet. Are you sure you want to open it?
ME: I am aware that I should have an... installation floppy disk? A DVD, maybe? But just this once, it happened not to be available, so yes, I downloaded the software from the bloody Internet, would you MIND SO MUCH just opening it?
Is there a term for the concept of switching all (or as much) of your digital life to old school text based interfaces for the purpose of reducing sensory input, convenience and dopamine traps? Is there a community for that and how many useful tools are there for that? #computers#digitallife#qualityoflife#add#adhd#linux
It's getting really blurry when tech companies break stuff that used to work because they're the asshats or when they are implementing a new security feature to protect us from the other asshats on the internet.
By making some simple changes, you can minimize your digital footprint even if you can't erase it completely, and still have a drastic effect on your security & privacy.
This morning I woke up and checked my email from my phone. Some emails, some newsletters I never subscribed to. Went for breakfast, listened to some news on pay TV and was greeted by ads. Drove my car and the integrated Android Automotive navigator showed sponsored activities en route. Arrived and walked for 20 minutes, passing buses full of ads and billboards. Read some news on my phone and even with a blocking DNS, I saw various ads. Later, went shopping, needless to say, I was submerged in ads. Meanwhile, four or five calls from spammers, obviously. Got home and nearby, a car with a megaphone advertising a circus. While dining, watched some YouTube videos. Ads now outweigh content. Opened Facebook, sponsored content is more than my friends' posts. Opened Mastodon and... nothing, no ads, just content. Not sure if I should be moved or bewildered, but one thing's clear: from dawn to dusk, we're continuously bombarded with ads. Or perhaps we're being profiled and becoming even more a part of the system. Can this really sustain or are we hitting saturation, where this bombardment doesn't achieve its aim but pushes us to reject?
Yesterday afternoon, I decided to conduct an experiment. Let me clarify, it holds no scientific validity. I'm connected to various people across multiple social networks. Some contacts overlap, others (like on #Facebook) are primarily known from 'real' life. I try to live with positivity and optimism, and this sentiment reflects in my posts on social networks. Any #algorithm should recognize this. However... in the #Fediverse, I see beautiful pictures, technical posts, constructive dialogues, occasional negativity, sporadic hate speech but, overall, the experience is relaxing, enjoyable, and pleasant 😌. On #Twitter and Facebook, on the other hand, I'm immediately confronted with irritating posts or normal posts filled with bickering comments. In general, the experience is much more negative, gloomy, and depressing 😞.
I've realized that the algorithm thrives on people's negativity. Irritated people engage more, respond more. In short, they use social media and see their ads more frequently.
I strongly feel that someone in this world has realized that there's much to gain from #angry people 😡.
One thing about modern times that is really beginning to tire me is the absence of physicality.
Now yeah yeah it’s on me to change that, but news, books, comics, everything I consume is digital. My ipad is an extension of me at this point.
Hell, my cat must think it’s a part of me.
Dreadful.
But I have been priced out of physical objects a long time ago.