SNAFUBAR Reports — 15.02.2021
Preface
I think this is attempt four. There are several unfinished drafts of this newsletter, which all started fine, but then I couldn’t finish and by the time I returned, it felt like too late to send it. And another one it felt like it still needs some work because the piece I wrote evolve into something bigger and needs more research and thinking time. I’m keeping them to return later but instead of working one of those I’ve decided to start with a new one.
I know it’s been a long time but TL;DR explanation is 2021 started way busier and faster than I expected. Maybe I’ll talk about that later.
How are you all doing?
SNAFUBAR as a Tool for Freeing Mental Bandwidth
Lately, I’ve been keep returning to my SNAFUBAR idea and how it actually explains how I see the current situation of the world more than I first imagined. There’s too much in it waiting for me to unpack.
One major train of thought I keep returning is the need for embracing or making peace with that fact. Where I’m geographically plays a big role in this, but it seems like the only way to keep a glimmer of hope alive. The way things are developing around and how others reacting to it doesn’t really leave much space for hope, let alone optimism. To keep going is to make peace with the fact and find a way through it.
Because if one doesn’t accept the world around it as it is and tries to dress up with fiction, disappointment is inevitable. Trying to find small things to hold on and feed your optimism is exhausting and not worth the effort. Especially if you’re fully aware of the fact that what you’re living through is nowhere near to be fixable with small adjustments. Thinking and writing like this will seem cynical and depressing for sure but when the world around me and the reality of it only stays on its feet because of made up stories and badly written fiction, a little cynicism can be used as a strong shield.
Of course this doesn’t mean that there isn’t anything good happening around here. There is but happening only through a tiny group of people who also tries to survive through this madness. And putting one’s all hope to build an escape hatch or solve all of this systemic and global issues is not realistic.
The political landscape is no different from dozens of websites using all the same template but changing their theme colors to look different. That’s why I’m not even planning to talk about it to you. Instead, I want to tell you to read Ethan Zuckerman’s Mistrust, which I started recently and finishing soon, just when I needed. His way of approaching the issue of trust and how an insurrectionist approach to solve this problem needs to be taken more seriously.
Which is a part of my idea of embracing the SNAFUBAR. Because when you understand the landscape you’re in not even have anything left to be fixed, you can free yourself from the mess of cheap politics and daily arguments which doesn’t even want to change anything and look for what you and people around you actually need to do for a better future. Of course this is no easy task but when you can free some mental and emotional bandwidth, it will get easier. At least that’s what I’m hoping for.
PS for Johannes, I haven’t forgotten about the shirt idea. 😉
Status Report
Since the last time we spoke, I wrote a couple blog posts and did my regular writings over at NewsLabTurkey. Also, the other consulting and training works are keep going somewhat regularly.
January was a quiet busy month for me in the media appearance sense. Especially with all the people in Turkey getting worried about the recent WhatsApp policy changes, I gave many interviews and comments in Turkey. And it all started with a simple Twitter thread which went viral and brought more than 3K new followers and actually made me want to use Twitter even less.
- Alternatif Bilişim ile Gözetim Kapitalizmi Webinarı
- Yaprak Özer ile Medya ve Geleceği Üzerine Bir Sohbet
- WhatsApp, Güvenli Mesajlaşma ve Gizlilik
Also, recently joined to Clubhouse and I know for many it’s the place where VC and start-up people hang around, but it actually has a potential for a good place if you choose where you want to hang around and who you want to talk. I will probably write something longer on the blog, but I feel like I should spend a little more time first.
Quote of the Week
By embedding its values and goals into concrete technologies, capital seeks to assert dominion over the future — constraining what type of social change is viable. This makes techno-politics a natural battleground for staging struggles over what utopias are imagined and whose utopia is materialized.
—Jathan Sadowski, Future Schlock
Epilogue
Guess that’s all I have for this time. Currently, I’m working on a plan for how to write and think more on the internet, so you might see some format changes on the places like here and blog. When it becomes something I can understand myself, I’ll write about it, I promise.
Take care of yourselves and see you around!