I’ve been feeling an almost overwhelming sense of dread and frustration lately. And I’m just reaching out here — are you feeling it too?
I know that dread has a LOT to do with the many news feeds that come through my phone (day after day after day), and I’ve thought more than once that I should just turn them off and stop the madness. Just disconnect, says the little voice in my head, and most of the time, I think that little voice is right.
But then I think, isn’t it just as dangerous to ignore what’s going on around you? Isn’t it important to keep up with how our world is evolving?
The thing is, most of what pops up in those feeds isn’t actually news anymore, and I’m not sure how to tell the internet that I only want to read the real stuff. Not the news from this party or that group, but specifically — and only — the stuff that’s absolutely true. I don’t think bots and algorithms can tell the difference.
And worse, I don’t think we can either. At least, not all the time.
And then, even if I did manage to figure out that particular bit of magic, I’m not sure that it would matter. Because the real stuff isn’t necessarily better than all the made-up stuff we’re taking in every day.
And as we all continue to merrily move further to the right or to the left, I see us losing the…