Oh, Hey - Remember That Time?

Hey there.

It's been a while, I know.

This isn't some big "I'm coming back" type post. I was just thinking fondly of this place today and found myself logged on and looking around to see what's up.

So what's up?

What did I miss?

Is thinking still allowed here?

Looks like a lot of shit has been happening.

Well, a lot of shit has been happening all over, really.

Social media is kind of a joke, for one thing. Twitter and Facebook and YouTube are all authoritarian bullies. Ugh, it's just stupid, you know? People getting suspended and blocked and banned for things that they said that aren't even illegal. I, know, "Muh private uhhhh" argument. Not like these companies are even really private anyway. Big tech companies and the government are assets of each other. At this point the tech companies are tipping the scale and becoming more powerful than the government. It's one thing to say "We'll bomb this city if you don't comply". It's another to say "We'll shut off your countries internet if you don't comply".

That's too much power in the hands of too few.

It's why we need decentralization again.

Not just of digital technology and currency (which we DO desperately need), but of culture in general.

People really should become more self-sufficient. Just as a general practice, for their own good and the good of the culture.

But who am I to judge about that, really? I'm plugged in. I'm swamped with bills for stupid shit. Totally swamped I say! Like, not even a little bit joking. Like, I'm-probably-getting-taken-to-collections not joking.

...And that's a problem.

Feels like I've been working hard my whole life and no matter how much I work, how much I improve, how much better my current job is than the last one, no matter how good my side-hustle is... I just get poorer and poorer.

Maybe that's what got me thinking about Steemit again.

There was a period of time there where Steemit made my world bright. I was making a really substantial income on here and I felt really good about myself and my future. It was literally a second income that matched my day job. And I credit that good time to the awesome people that followed me and upvoted my content. Y'all gave me an authentically warm feeling about myself and my life.

It felt like I had some self-worth.

But such is the nature of life that things don't last.

I wish the internet was more like it was back in the early 00s. Things were freer back then. You could stumble across some really disturbing and disruptive shit. I authentically saw things that changed me as a person back then. And even though it's more sanitized since the social media publishers control everything now... there's less to learn.

There's less to experience.

Steemit is like the old internet.

I hope we can get this thing together, guys... I really do. Because something like this could really change the world in a very positive way.

Well, I suppose I can hold a little hope for that.

@shayne

Image from pixabay