Post:001

I have been thinking a lot about the shift in social media and how it affects me, a full-time UX engineer and illustrator. Social media is a great tool to meet fellow artists and fans, to get your work out there, and to try and reach many more people that you could not otherwise do if not for these tools. The downsides, however, seem to be rapidly increasing to a point where it is difficult for me to keep up.

Constant Connectivity & Immediacy

I am an anxious person even though I don't always seem like it on the outside. Modern social media platforms seem to thrive on this sense of immediacy and expect that you are using their application all day, every day. Always connected. And it's not just the phone but it's also all the apps on said phone and the pressure to reply immediately to any post, any message, everything.

It's incredibly overwhelming for me. I go through waves where I disconnect myself from everything and don't respond or post because I am so burnt out. Part of the issue also comes from being an artist and trying to hustle on platforms that are actively working against you. It's exhausting. 

Algorithms

Modern social media platforms design algorithms to keep you clicking. Their interest is in what is going to keep people on this site the longest and what is going to get them revenue. So they create alternative feeds where they give you popular posts and advertisements and you don't get to see your friends/people you are following and neither are they seeing your posts. (Or replies. A recent phenomenon I have been dealing with on Twitter is that I do not see replies on my posts, suddenly I am following people I never followed, and unfollowed people who I've chatted with for years.) A true timeline is best for users but it is not their prerogative. 

The Human Psyche

I firmly believe that humans were not meant to be constantly barraged with everyone's deepest, darkest thoughts and secrets at all hours of the day. Places like Facebook and Twitter see engagement from people who argue constantly because someone couldn't keep a thought to themselves. I also tend to feel incredibly overwhelmed seeing people's thoughts on every topic constantly. 

I know I have also fallen down the trap of unsolicited comments on the internet and try to do better.  I grew up with using the internet as a second world, a space that existed separately from the real world, and it's been an interesting shift over the years to how the two have blended and become one. But that also causes problems where people will post ideas, lose friends, get into arguments, and wonder why. This is a reflection of yourself in the real world.

Why does SpaceHey (or Retro Social Media) work for me?

It happens to be contrary to all the points above. I can log into the website and not be barraged with thoughts. I can view blogs and profiles at my leisure. I enjoy the creativity and seeing how people decorate their profiles - it's like having your own room on the internet and being able to decorate it how you want. No ads, nothing being pushed at me. I can take my time looking and responding to people. It's very pleasant.

I feel comfortable and happy. I love looking at my profile, meeting other people through their profiles, having casual discussions on blogs and comments. I don't have to hustle or worry about being constantly connected. I guess I just crave that casual connection with others. :)