In a perfect world
Accepting reality and making adjustments
Hi there,
Last week, I asked you to ask me a question. A reader asked a question I’m answering in today’s newsletter: In a perfect world, what does your relationship with technology look like?
Five things to share:
In a perfect world, technology serves me, I do not serve it. In a perfect world, technology is a simple tool that helps me function in my day to day life, like the shoes I wear or the pots I cook in, but never a replacement for the love, companionship, connection I seek, nor an escape from reality; a reality perfectly fit and good enough for me. In a perfect world, the war over my attention has been won and I claim victory.
Offline (NSFW): A satirical short comedy about a grandmother who accidentally deletes the Internet of her computer, causing it to disappear world wide. (One can only hope…)
A quote I want to share with you:
Life isn’t run by principles but by adjustments.”
— Margaret Atwood in the Edible Woman
A book about the ironies and absurdities of modern life.
Technology has become nature and there is no going back to how things were. So, refuse the ironic voice, turn off notifications, tweet sparingly, take a few days off at a time, and sign in only with clear intent, not to satisfy a craving for distraction or attention. This is the bed we have made, and, for the most part, we have chosen—and sometimes borderline forced— to lie in it.
A question for you: In a perfect world, what does your relationship with technology look like?
That’s all for this week!
Thank you for reading, and please share with anyone you think may benefit.
If you’re seeing this newsletter for the first time, you can subscribe below.
Until next time,
Mehret
Love this!
For me, in a perfect world, tech is a neutral tool, as good or as bad as the person using it, not a system that bends users to its own murky goals and dubious values. The workings of social media algorithms are transparent and customizable based on a user's consciously chosen preferences, not on where they direct their attention subconsciously. In a perfect world, the costs of tech are visible up-front: Users pay for the product or service rather than becoming the product or service.
For many of these reasons, I really appreciate Substack! This platform gives me hope that there are real ways to enjoy the benefits of tech (the interpersonal connections, the illuminating information) without the insidious downsides that characterize so many popular platforms today.
Thanks for sharing my piece, Mehret! Looking forward to reading yours here later......offline!