Who knew I would be gone from blogging for so long?
It's been a very busy two months, so I haven't really had time to post on here. Most days have been work, gym, home, bed.
And it will still be like that until next week. March is the worst time for people in non-profits, most of us our fiscal year ends in March. Which means everyone tries very hard to spend a lot of money very quickly. Which means my life has spiraled out of control, as per usual, until fiscal year end!
I was watching a youtube video of someone who I really like, and he got me thinking about social media as a platform. Back in the days, I remember when all these platforms were used for fun, conversation, and some business.
I miss the days when online felt like a bunch of online communities and secret worlds.
Everyone talks about wanting to be found online, or wanting to find things online, but sometimes, I don't want to be found, or known about, or commented on. Every now and then it can be fun, but most of the time, you can't replace being together with people in person. Sometimes digital can bridge the distance, but often we are missing those things that matter most to us. Being close to someone...physical contact, being in common places together.
At my friend's concert band last night, there was, as always, multiple members of the community in the audience, from politicians to local activists and people from the local old folks home, etc. It was something you don't always see these days.
Real communities are ones where people know what they care about and why, and what they definitely don't care about. In today's world of too much information, sometimes cutting things out is as good as adding something in. We live in a world of many choices, but few good decisions. Sometimes, it's a world of few decisions, paralyzed. A place, a real place, with a community, means that there are traditions and things people come together to do regularly...it's something that's very precious in a big city, in a digital world, etc.
I guess I hope that in the future, technology doesn't get in the way of people living their lives, like I feel it does now. I think most of the things we use that are short form technologies, are bad for most of us. Other than email, online maps, and a few messaging services, the world would probably be better off without the rest of it, honestly.
And that's my Luddite thought for the day.
