"I have opinions on the big things, of course. I think almost every problem regular people have is a result of wealth and power being hoarded and wielded by the ruling class for their own gain."
I fear this is how the ruling class keeps the regular people as regular people. Feeding them entertainment that keeps them arguing about the things that just don't matter.
This is so true! I feel that a side of us has also got addicted to other people’s opinions. The amount of times I open the comment section just half-way through forming my own unique opinion only to check if I am on the ‘right side’ of the things is so problematic. As if I need people to tell me what to think because god forbid I am ever caught on the unpopular side of opinions
It would be EXTREMELY interesting if you or somebody reverse-engineered a kind of social graph or workflow examining how the "contagion" of a bandwagon-effect opinion gets started and spreads through the commentariat.
Then people on the same path you're on would be able to guard against the wave when it starts to ebb and drown something otherwise objectively deserving of survival and celebration.
Not to mention making for an illuminating Internet culture take for a dream publication...
Loved this piece, I like to go into films with an open mind and to watch unaware of any discourse and it's always so interesting to see how the general letterboxd/online opinion differs from mine. I had this recently with the film Megalopolis, I thought it was so cool and then saw everyone online hating on it.
So happy I clicked on this. Ironic maybe, but I feel so validated that both you and the people in the comments have experienced the same thing I have.
It’s something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately, especially as someone who grew up on tumblr and was exposed to The Discourse from a young age. A lot of the time I felt that feeling of “oh well, I like it, so who cares” but the discourse is always pervasive and if it doesn’t get to you in one way, it will get to you in another.
I too find myself turning to comment sections to figure out how I should feel about things if I’m sitting somewhere not on either side and I hate that. I can see parallels to this in many areas of my life and I just wonder when I stopped being able to tell what I liked.
This resonated with me massively. I’m coming up to a year since quitting Twitter and it really has altered the way I see the entire world. Things I found so utterly important this time last year are almost laughable now
One time in 2015 I disagreed with an NPR personality about something on Twitter , we were actually mostly on the same side I was just in articulate and his following jumped onto me. Like quicker than I could clarify my point, there were memes flying up about me missing the point. I got off Twitter and cried for like 3 days. It felt exactly as you said, like people were agreeing for points with the celebrity. And thinking back how I had done similar things myself. How easy it is to forget that *most of the people were interacting with are people.
I believed you when you said you really didn’t have thoughts to share. But then you dropped two brilliant observations (most regular people’s problems are caused by the hoarding of wealth and power by others, and social media platforms like X encourage hot takes that create conflict). I’m bummed you are getting back into the discourse! But I get it.
Reading this, whether the invisible hand of the algorithm knew it or not, really nudges me closer and closer to digging my heels into substack, and essentially “vanishing” off social media—OR, having an incredibly strict relationship with instagram where I don’t watch or share memes, and basically use it as an online scrapbook. Wasn’t that what instagram was originally intended for, anyway?
I also think when you said about how you can find yourself taking a stance that is similar to the people whose POV and side are ones you want to be on is like half internet poisoning and half feeling unsure of what take TO take. It dawned on me in the middle of a therapists-only forum that I really ought to use my voice even if it’s not aligned with the general public—not to be contrarian for the sake of being contrarian, but as an exercise in finding and standing by my own voice.
And of course remembering that my stance is fluid—and that the take I have at one point in time may not always be the same in another.
Recently had to rejoin Twitter for work and ugh, it felt gross. Made me see I really wasn’t missing anything and so many things are sooooo insignificant
It’s kind of wild to talk to friends who are offline. You realize none, or very little of, this shit actually matters.
The internet is like permanent detention, and you’re trapped with the worst people you could imagine.
You can’t leave but if you work at you out on your headphones, block them (out), and focus on the things you care about.
You can leave.
I just had this discussion today.
I stopped with FB, Twitter, Insta, etc years ago. Never really snapped or tiked the tok.
This year I dumped the Washington Post and NYT subscriptions.
Know what happened?
I became a much happier human.
Yeah, I still check in with AP, Reuters, BBC every so often. Look in at WSJ through Apple News from time to time.
But I found myself a lot more centered, less enraged, and a lot more willing to engage, with nuance, people that have politics different than my own.
The mass media internet is a fkn trap designed to keep you pissed off at your neighbors so you don’t notice billionaires robbing you blind.
The internet is an echo chamber of people who think the entire world is online. Who convinced you that you can’t leave?
Your relationships with those you love will strengthen and the relationships that enrage you will wither to irrelevance.
We often forge our own chains
I am partially and aspire to be fully the friend who is offline. I don’t have TT, IG or the forsaken X.
Been pondering a lot more to leave behind.
I was so afraid to click this but I am happy I did :)
SORRY I USED U FOR CLICKBAIT
Well written piece that your brand got me to click on it from haha
"I have opinions on the big things, of course. I think almost every problem regular people have is a result of wealth and power being hoarded and wielded by the ruling class for their own gain."
I fear this is how the ruling class keeps the regular people as regular people. Feeding them entertainment that keeps them arguing about the things that just don't matter.
This is so true! I feel that a side of us has also got addicted to other people’s opinions. The amount of times I open the comment section just half-way through forming my own unique opinion only to check if I am on the ‘right side’ of the things is so problematic. As if I need people to tell me what to think because god forbid I am ever caught on the unpopular side of opinions
It would be EXTREMELY interesting if you or somebody reverse-engineered a kind of social graph or workflow examining how the "contagion" of a bandwagon-effect opinion gets started and spreads through the commentariat.
Then people on the same path you're on would be able to guard against the wave when it starts to ebb and drown something otherwise objectively deserving of survival and celebration.
Not to mention making for an illuminating Internet culture take for a dream publication...
I stopped engaging with discourse when I saw most of my favorite movies growing up were critically panned like who cares what others think
Well said! I hear you on the 🐒 hot takes. I’m looking for that magic middle of being engaged without manufacturing in 2026 too.
Loved this piece, I like to go into films with an open mind and to watch unaware of any discourse and it's always so interesting to see how the general letterboxd/online opinion differs from mine. I had this recently with the film Megalopolis, I thought it was so cool and then saw everyone online hating on it.
Based
So happy I clicked on this. Ironic maybe, but I feel so validated that both you and the people in the comments have experienced the same thing I have.
It’s something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately, especially as someone who grew up on tumblr and was exposed to The Discourse from a young age. A lot of the time I felt that feeling of “oh well, I like it, so who cares” but the discourse is always pervasive and if it doesn’t get to you in one way, it will get to you in another.
I too find myself turning to comment sections to figure out how I should feel about things if I’m sitting somewhere not on either side and I hate that. I can see parallels to this in many areas of my life and I just wonder when I stopped being able to tell what I liked.
Thanks for this
This resonated with me massively. I’m coming up to a year since quitting Twitter and it really has altered the way I see the entire world. Things I found so utterly important this time last year are almost laughable now
One time in 2015 I disagreed with an NPR personality about something on Twitter , we were actually mostly on the same side I was just in articulate and his following jumped onto me. Like quicker than I could clarify my point, there were memes flying up about me missing the point. I got off Twitter and cried for like 3 days. It felt exactly as you said, like people were agreeing for points with the celebrity. And thinking back how I had done similar things myself. How easy it is to forget that *most of the people were interacting with are people.
I believed you when you said you really didn’t have thoughts to share. But then you dropped two brilliant observations (most regular people’s problems are caused by the hoarding of wealth and power by others, and social media platforms like X encourage hot takes that create conflict). I’m bummed you are getting back into the discourse! But I get it.
only in safe, small doses—don't worry!!
If you liked Saltburn I think you would love “The Talented Mr. Ripley”
Reading this, whether the invisible hand of the algorithm knew it or not, really nudges me closer and closer to digging my heels into substack, and essentially “vanishing” off social media—OR, having an incredibly strict relationship with instagram where I don’t watch or share memes, and basically use it as an online scrapbook. Wasn’t that what instagram was originally intended for, anyway?
I also think when you said about how you can find yourself taking a stance that is similar to the people whose POV and side are ones you want to be on is like half internet poisoning and half feeling unsure of what take TO take. It dawned on me in the middle of a therapists-only forum that I really ought to use my voice even if it’s not aligned with the general public—not to be contrarian for the sake of being contrarian, but as an exercise in finding and standing by my own voice.
And of course remembering that my stance is fluid—and that the take I have at one point in time may not always be the same in another.
Recently had to rejoin Twitter for work and ugh, it felt gross. Made me see I really wasn’t missing anything and so many things are sooooo insignificant