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Since quarantine started in early March, Iāve had more time on my hands than usual. To fill this time usually spent with friends and outdoors, Iāve been watching Twitch streamer Hasan Piker. Piker, a political commentator, streams every day to thousands of viewers and has been a great resource to help me learn more about leftist politics. For years, I found myself encapsulated in the āInstagram-activismā bubble while not really understanding the context and gravity of the things I was advocating for. I had good intentions, but if someone really dug into my positions I wouldnāt have been able to back them up confidently. Thanks to Piker, I believe I can articulate leftist talking points in a better manner while understanding the historical context and nuance that comes with them. Itās really important to understand how weāve gotten here as a country in order to advocate for the future, and I encourage people to reflect on their own beliefs and their ability to defend them. Thereās always more to learn.
Nov 5, 2020
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š£everything is politics. from vaccines to lgbt matters, politicians have leveraged the things conservative americans donāt understand to stoke fear and confusion.
this isnāt anything new. what is new is the algorithms that reenforce those fears. comment sections weāre told to treat like real conversation just flooded with faceless accounts saying their most vile inside thoughts. itās easy to want to interact and easier to just read it all and be mad. but every second spent engaging is another brain scrambling distraction.
these sensationalized posts and comments do nothing for education, understanding, or empathy. even on the left, slacktivism actively hurts the cause. theres an idea that someone who holds ignorant beliefs is *bad* in all politicized fields. but letās be real, just because uncle jeff is pissed about tuck underwear it doesnāt mean heās a climate change denier. generalizing people is exactly what politicians want from us.
social issues are important and politics arenāt going away from that any time soon. but social media is a slippery slope and i personally refuse to engage. when it bleeds into my real life (āparents just WANT their kids to be transā) i try to engage in conversations that get to the root of the issue. whereās this info coming from, why do you believe that? these are the kind of questions strangers wonāt ask them on the internet.
misinformation is a sickness that weāre all plagued with. to find some truth and understanding we cannot be having these discussions on platforms like facebook or instagram or twitter. if we do, weāre just giving these tech ceos and politicians what they need: engagement and fear
this isnāt anything new. what is new is the algorithms that reenforce those fears. comment sections weāre told to treat like real conversation just flooded with faceless accounts saying their most vile inside thoughts. itās easy to want to interact and easier to just read it all and be mad. but every second spent engaging is another brain scrambling distraction.
these sensationalized posts and comments do nothing for education, understanding, or empathy. even on the left, slacktivism actively hurts the cause. theres an idea that someone who holds ignorant beliefs is *bad* in all politicized fields. but letās be real, just because uncle jeff is pissed about tuck underwear it doesnāt mean heās a climate change denier. generalizing people is exactly what politicians want from us.
social issues are important and politics arenāt going away from that any time soon. but social media is a slippery slope and i personally refuse to engage. when it bleeds into my real life (āparents just WANT their kids to be transā) i try to engage in conversations that get to the root of the issue. whereās this info coming from, why do you believe that? these are the kind of questions strangers wonāt ask them on the internet.
misinformation is a sickness that weāre all plagued with. to find some truth and understanding we cannot be having these discussions on platforms like facebook or instagram or twitter. if we do, weāre just giving these tech ceos and politicians what they need: engagement and fear
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š©Every few weeks I watch a video essay that convinces me to get things like Instagram off my phone again and pick up a book, go outside. This is one of those essays.
Jul 3, 2025
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š¢Thinking, writing, and talking about how social media orgs self- and co-regulate. PI.FYI, youāre my online happy place ā„ļø
Top Recs from @seth-kaplan
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š§If you use the default iPhone weather app youāre dead to me. One emoji for the whole day? Really? Grow up. What if itās going to rain and then be sunny? Donāt you want to know? I recently picked up The Weather Channel Premium and, my god, my life has changed forever. When I go to check the āDAR (my cool word for radar), I can now see when rain and snow will stop and start in my EXACT location. Itās incredible. It also comes with a new enhanced lightning map with a 30-mile radius. And to top it off, you can go full-screen. Only $30/yr.
Nov 5, 2020
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š§This past month, I invested in a standing desk for my home office. And Iāve gotta tell you, itās pretty sweet. Want to play videogames standing up? Now you can. Want to package orders standing up? Now you can. Want to shitpost on Twitter standing up? Now you can. With the UPLIFT Standing desk, anything is possible. They have loads of different wood types/finishes for you to choose from along with many other customizations. I went with the walnut option and it looks amazing.
Nov 5, 2020
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šµTouche Amore, a LA post-hardcore band, released an amazing new record this past month. This record is already high up on my list for AOTY 2020. I thought it would be nearly impossible to top 2016ās Stage Four, but Touche may have done it. This album has pop-punk bangers, emotional heartache, and makes me feel alive.
Nov 5, 2020