I keeping coming back to the humble blog.
For a long time I kept thinking I could make social media work for me as a place to share my thoughts, writing, and creativity. Finally, I have come to grips with two facts:
First, social media is no longer designed to primarily benefit users or create genuine spaces for sharing ideas and conversation. Rather–and we all know this to be a fact now–it is designed to maximize profits for the product owners, to make users into products, and bring out the worst in people as individuals and groups.
Second, while some people may be able to thrive in such an environment, I am not one of them. I prefer quieter, more thoughtful spaces, that facilitate true community. Forums, blogs, email newsletters. Human-generated content. The Old Internet.
Now, were these spaces perfect? No, there was plenty of toxicity to go around, but I still found it much easier to manage, to choose where I wanted to interact and with whom, and how.
Now, I’m blogging again. At least for this week, even though barely anyone reads or visits this site.
I may share to social media and continue to interact with some guardrails in place, but it’s time for me to acknowledge and accept that I simply don’t like being there. Even though I often feel compelled to “check in,” I’m never happier after doing so. I realize now there’s a sense of social interaction that staves off loneliness and boredom, but in the end it’s a very shallow connection and superficial entertainment at best.
Facebook still has a possible use as broadcast and organizing tool for me, but only if I really double down on the discipline. And I’m just not sure I either have the energy for that or really want to encourage other people to be there at all.
The truth is that I think we’d all be much better off abandoning Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok, etc for the ways of the Old Internet.
So I’m blogging again in 2026.