What's this all about, then?
I'm not really on social media.
Well, I am - it takes up a lot more time in my life than I wish it would, and there's so much easy, mindless content to browse and read about. But it's browsing, not actively participating. The news feeds are algorithmically biased designed to keep you engaged on the platform so that more ads can be served to you, and it's just...well...super effective at doing that.
Damn computers.
I couldn't work out what exactly I wanted to share with the world on social media. I've got a lot of people on social media from a lot of different circles of my life, or people who I added a long time ago that I met once or twice. Do I actually want them to know about my life? (No) Do they even care? (Probably no?) Do I even follow what they do? (Yes, religiously. It's a problem).
For the people who I'm close to, I'd rather just talk to them in person anyway.
Maybe it's got to do with the fact that tone doesn't come across well in just plaintext (which...I'm...using now to communicate with you...hmm). If you've ever received a text or an email or some sort of message from me, you'll know that I love using emojis (at least the old school text ones XD :D :O :P), because I'm scared to death that my tone won't come across correctly, and the other person will take offence to something I've said.
Regardless, I still wanted a way to share things that I do in my life with people I care about...and that's, well, you - if you're reading this! I briefly tried a scheduling cycle for Instagram, sharing pictures and short captions about my life, but it wasn't the right form for me. I just wanted a place that could be just mine, where I could share my thoughts on things (semi-filtered), create content, and care less about chasing likes or comments.
Hopefully next time, Something More Substantial!
Chat soon :)
Real Life Recommendations
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Black Mirror - This anthology series is a wonderful exploration into new forms of technology, and (often) the dark underbelly of how it could affect our lives. Early seasons are much more shocking / out there, but the stories are still told well throughout the series. I'm sure many of you will have heard of it, but as a fan of sci-fi it's a recommend from me!
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Never Split the Difference - a book written by a former FBI hostage negotiator - very practical advice and techniques to help you persuade others better. Sounds boring but the anecdotes are interesting just by themselves - and they illustrate how to use the techniques...not saying you'll ever need to save a hostage, but the principles are there!
Adventures on the Information Super-Highway
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Lebron's Promise School - this is one of my favourite stories in the last few years; Lebron set up an 'experimental' school that focussed on the most underprivileged, and supported the entirety of their lives (not just helping the kids themselves, but also supporting their parents and local community). The innovations of the school (students making 'promises', integrated support across the community and having an idol to aim high at) are very interesting to see! Not sure how replicable they are (since Lebron is such a big part of it) but nonetheless the results are exciting
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Chinese students get told to stop playing Fortnite - interesting article about how China's control of the internet / your home computer could be...good? China is a complex place I'll probably delve into in a future newsletter
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Sam Altman - the days are long but the decades are short - the current chairman of Y Combinator (a very big and successful startup incubator) with a list of learnings from his past decade of life. These sorts of lists are pretty same-y but I think Sam's has a few nice nuggets