Platforms for Distraction
A note on scrolling vs action
Over the past two weeks, I’ve seriously considered deleting this entire account.
Being vulnerable is risky, but it has also somehow opened up real life connections and friendships in ways I never imagined.
The more dedication and commitment I put into these new real-life relationships- and the more open and vulnerable I am in those relationships- the more I feel like any amount of social media is an enormous distraction from true community building and the activism it takes to build the next world.
None of this is inevitable. America as a mass surveillance state is not inevitable. AI stealing all of our humanity and stability is not inevitable. Techno-fascism and crony capitalism is not inevitable.
We are the adults. We get to choose what future we want for ourselves and our kids. We get to build systems that actually work.
But it is hard to do that if our time and energy is being used to make and repost opinions and ideas on TikTok and Reels. Those of us who know we are the visionaries need to start treating it like activism. We need to walk the walk. Less scrolling. Less contemplating. More action.
Furthermore, the platforms we are using to share our “Solarpunk” and “matriarchy” ideas are actively involved in harming us. Where is the mass movement to delete our data from these platforms? Where is the mass movement to move to ethical alternatives or old school solutions?
For now, my Substack will remain up. Because I now know with 100% certainty that there is power in vulnerable stories. But I won’t be trying to grow. I won’t be posting “regularly.” I can’t commit to a lot of reading, though I am trying.
When I have something to say, I will be sharing it. In the meantime, you can find me with like-minded people who know the future can still be beautiful for our kids if we are willing to fight for it.
With love (and justified rage),
KB
I hear you Kendall, and I'm glad you're here. I'm also glad you're finding purpose in your community.
I agree that anything you do online feels like it's taking away from effort you could put into the real world. This is why I started the guest series. It's not about clicks. It's about connection through storytelling and the series is creating this powerful reminder that we are not alone in our struggles. I spend time on Substack, but I have been off all of the other social media platforms for 2 years, it's amazing how much time that frees up. I've seen Tik Tok, and it's amazing, and I will never be on that platform. I know too much about technology to trust it at face value. The psychologists and neuroscientists working with big tech companies to create increasingly addictive and manipulative software are way smarter than I ever will be, and so I don't consume.
Big picture, the guest series will hopefully spin up into a podcast to reach more people, and give traumatized people a place for community. I'm always thinking of ways to turn digital effort into real life change.
Once the 20 parts of the series are complete, I'm printing a hardcover copy for each contributor, then I'm sending one copy to Anderson Cooper, whose podcast about grief made me believe that I could help people going through difficult things. Then I'm going to print 1000 copies to sell to give the proceeds to a scholarship fund for suicide survivors.
Just letters and words turned to ideas and thoughts for clicks, but I think we can change some lives too. You may not feel like you're doing anything important here, but trust me, you are.
I completely agree and you are one of my favorite Substackers! This is by far the best social platform I’ve seen for actual conversation and community building. I’m still on Instagram but I don’t keep the app on my phone.
I’m thrilled about your guest series!