Monday, August 23, 2010

Sometimes



I wish there was a website where I could go and experience the pure informational sensation of the internet condensed into one place. A blended flashing smoothie of video game trailers, emails from valued people, videos of uncanny events... every node of stimulus out there packed into a clickable KABLAM. Satisfaction.

Then, with the click of a button, I could relay my recent experience out to every person in the world, all at once. The sensation i sent out would then be so wonderful and affective that everyone in the world would click their "like" buttons and trigger holographic lucky charm marshmallows to rain over me and my computer.

But... I can't shake the feeling that I'd grow tired of their marshmallows. I'd probably start searching for better ways to display my torrent of social affirmation such that it was "cooler", and thus more likely to inspire further likes. Heck, I'd probably get tired of the KABLAM site itself after awhile and be left with a longing desire for more... a feeling that the internet had let me down.

Is this it?

I'm growing tired of my knee-jerk search for affirmation from the internet. Every idea I encounter becomes valuable only in its ability to be spread out to the masses. Is this the nature of memes? Of ideas? Must they exist only to be communicated?

Perhaps thought has always been tailored to attract the reward of a few "likes".

Do me a favor? Don't click the like button, don't forward the link. Don't quantize me this time.

Because that's what we do, what we've always done: categorize ourselves, the world and the way we see it into ways that are measurable, improvable and thoroughly fictitious.

Long story short: I deactivated my facebook account so I could start living again. I'm moving to San Francisco.