I fractured my ankle on April 15 (of course I remember the exact date). I'm in a cast and on crutches for the first time in my life. It's not so great. My husband has been very attentive except when he's been absent, namely a four-day conference last week, a D&D game (on Mother's Day...), and a three day trip to another state to visit a client starting next Monday. I was threatened by the no-nonsense Orthopedic Nurse Practitioner to eat A LOT more protein and take Vitamin D3 so she can see more bone-growth if I want to avoid surgery. I want to avoid surgery, but now eating is joyless.
I'm grateful for visits from my children and the company of the one just home from school, but I'd also really like to vacuum. (You know it's bad when you *crave* housework). And I don't want to depend on my children for company. Plus there are a couple of big stressors, including an event I'm planning, a renovation I'm overseeing, and care I'm coordinating. Also, I'm feverish.
As one can imagine, I'm craving a little comfort. I remember just a few years ago that there were go to websites where I could read something was either cheerful, aspirational, educational, or just plain enjoyable. Foolishly, I sought those things out this week, and I can say that those things do not exist. Everything that tech watchers have been warning about for the last quarter century have finally arrived, and just in time for one of the most difficult stages in our history.
Much has been written about our BS regulatory environment's contribution to the lack of actual innovation and the exploitative nature of the tech behemoths still standing. That's all true. But what people aren't talking about enough is the way that everyone is "monetizing" themselves. It's not a new trend--it's just a little younger than blogging--but it makes the internet less a haven and more a source of, well, the same kind of grift we see in the rest of the media landscape. There's still great *content* out there...as long as you're willing to pay for it. There are some things I am, in fact willing to pay for, but for the most part, I'd rather buy a book. Sorry.
I think the most difficult part of the New Internet is YouTube. It feels sleazy in the way those websites with pass throughs to porn sites feel sleazy, with the added nauseating element of AI "recommendations" which are clearly enhanced ads. Things like this used to make me hyperventilate; now they're just exhausting.
I don't think there's a silver bullet, although I did gasp with pleasure when I successfully transferred my YouTube subscriptions to my RSS reader. Yay, a little less nausea, but it doesn't mean the whole paradigm hasn't decayed.
Do I have more to say? Maybe, but since my computer and phone seem to be freezing up, I'm going to take that as a sign to grab a book.
Deb in the City
