Breaking Internet Habits
First blog post! I've been learning lots and lots about the old web/web revival movement but just learning isn't enough for me. Obviously, with the existence of this blog and my site, I've been applying some of the things I've been learning... But funnily enough, some old habits die hard.
It's hard to separate a lot of old web concepts from concepts that also exist in other lifestyles, like Slow Living, rejecting capitalism, rejecting algorithm-based social media, etc. These are also lifestyles that I'm trying to implement into my own, which makes some stubborn habits even more annoying.
- Apologizing for taking a while to reply
I feel as though fast replying, constantly being able to contact people for non-emergency chit-chat and constantly having access to other people has kind of thrown mindfulness and intentional communication out the window. It's exhausting, for me at least, to always feel the need to reply quickly to people, and it's something that I'd like to change. More emailing, less instant messaging literally all throughout the day, from the time I wake up to the time I go to sleep.
- Expecting quick replies
This ties in with the previous point. I also have to be more patient of others in how they strive to slow down their life and take breaks from the internet!
- Providing engagement to -bait/troll posts/low effort posts
Where it's on Tiktok or Reddit or a niche forum you're in, it doesn't matter: There's going to be nonsense that you just shouldn't interact with. This could be because it's ragebait and the content creator is literally making more money with the more people that interact with their post. Or, it could be someone purposefully spreading misinformation. Or it could be a troll that's bored. It's an old internet rule: Don't feed the trolls. Just block and move on. It's a hard rule to implement because nobody is immune to it but it's gotta be implemented. Spending all day irritated, annoyed and demoralized is just a waste of time.
- Surf less, do more
I think it's really easy, for me especially, to surf the web and dive into niche forums about certain topics, like hobbies or activism, but then... not actually do those things irl. The internet is great but I think irl is great too :)