"Anyone can at any time slip away from what has been publicly conceded and relapse into the hidden nonpublic." Martin Heidegger
Recently I have decided to take a break from most of social media, it has been consuming my time, and filling my soul with nothing but despair and angst. I am not a luddite and obviously use technology and engage in forms of social media. However, I have noticed time and time again that is not free, and the cost is too much to bear.
Anytime I find a slight lull in my day, whether it be during a movie, quiet moment with a friend during lunch, or playing with my cat. There it is, the glow and sirens call of my smartphone. Instead of tossing my phone in a river, and hiding in the forest, don’t worry I haven’t ever been to MIT, I am withdrawing in increments.
I haven’t turned into some ultra efficient worker bee in the interim, but I have been tapping into my own humanity. In these sense that I am cultivating what matters to me. Taking long walks, mostly listening to Audiobooks or interviews regarding what I write about here. Writing like a madman, and devouring theory. It has been nice.
What I have noticed however, is that people try to pull you back in, as if the magnetism of the phone itself wasn’t demonic enough. I have been sent reels, memes and various aspects of social media via text message. Certain aspects of Instagram for example were extra nefarious. Reminding me of moments I would like to forget and shy away from. Seeing the best and worst of humanity on display in real time with each swipe. From people enmeshed in materialism, hedonism, to rampant sexual acts or seductions. AI generated images and videos that birth new simulacrum. We are divorced further and further from Gods grace.
This is not a commentary on anyone who uses these services, I am sure I will come back into the fold. Dissent will not be tolerated.
I want to keep reading books, to call people on the phone, to actually feel and be connected. Each of us is guilty of prioritizing screens over authenticity and being present. Every moment needs to be intriguing, stir either our loins or appetites. Lead us not into temptation, is not one of Meta’s mission statements.
I could fill volumes discussing the link between capital and social media, better and more informed thinkers have done so. I will let Mark Fisher rest for once, and instead plea for our souls.
The fight between good and evil is not just in our hearts but our hands, literally and figuratively. Quitting drinking and drugs at times feels easier than this. Most people respect when you say, I am not drinking, I have a problem. However, when it comes to smartphones no such rule is in place. Its the wild west out here.
A land that has no laws, and if the rules exist, they will be broken repeatedly. I know I cannot sit in my apartment reading books all day, nor do I want to. It is a vaccine that I must take continuously. To prevent the further degradation and pollution of my soul.
Until I can wrap my head around myself, I cannot be vulnerable and open with others. And adding the obscurity of texting, emojis and heart reacting compounds this problem. I am surrounded by replicants and am unsure if I am human myself. My soul needs more than Dove soup, all the wire brushes in the world could not remove the filth that has accumulated within it.
I ask only for mercy, for not only myself but for all of us. Those who were sent East of Eden, plotting our exit with Google Maps. Marching to our demise to the soundtrack of notifications and advertisements. No podcast, Tiktok, or emoji can fulfill the death of God.
We can only rediscover the Holy Spirit in contemplation, prayer, and an internal silence. Hearing whispers among the droning of simulation, machines and addicts.
“Lead us not into temptation, is not one of Meta’s mission statements.”
A high point in what is an another great post. Can I quote this?
Man we are on the same page here. I've felt so much better after deleting my Twitter account earlier this year, but I do fall into the instagram trap or refreshing videos. Instagram is insidious because its so mindless that you end up flicking through stuff for an hour without even noticing. I told myself, what is the point of havign this, it does nothing for me. So I deleted the apps off my phone and only bother when I sit down or repost something. I think I'm going to limit myself to this place only.