001: social media vs sanity
Thanks so much for tuning into my latest attempt at a consistent newsletter. You can expect a mix of my photography, personal writing, info on upcoming exhibitions, events, print sales, and glimpses into the process of my personal and client work. and of course, for subscribers, recommendations. I love to be a cheerleader, an amplifier, a connector! It’s all in the name.
thank you for letting me see myself, 2023
the internet feels bad, right?
really bad! as it reflects and amplifies the worst of our offline lives. As it creates a dissonance that makes us feel a deep unease. Many people I know are jumping ship from instagram and twitter to other apps, or at the very least have voiced an intention to do so.
This time last year, I was facing a social media reckoning of my own. My screen time was at an all time high. On a weekly, sometimes daily basis, I would see the worst thing I had ever seen in my life coming from an ongoing genocide. And I was looking for a balm or antidote in the same place. As a result, my wartime PTSD from my teen years was triggered, and the images on my phone were responsible. I felt immense guilt for wanting to put my own comfort over being informed and supportive. But it was necessary to change my relationship to these apps.
I reflected on how my parents used to receive information about what was happening back home in Lebanon. Lebanon only became free from Israeli occupation in June 2000, and my parents lived many timezones away from their parents and siblings. My dad would buy international cards on a regular basis. He would start his day early with a phone call to his mother. When we had dial-up, he would check various news sites from the region online before leaving for work. And after dinner, he’d get online one more time to see if anything else had transpired.
This helped me reach an admittedly embarrassing conclusion: despite freelancing for publications of note and being a supporter of print and local journalism, social media had become my primary news source. I know I’m not the only one. It is consistently the fastest way to receive breaking news direct from the source. But I had to ask myself, what is the benefit of reading this news within minutes? Who will I be able to help? What benefit do I get from refreshing my phone multiple times an hour? I’m sure there are a few, but at this time, the negatives were certainly outweighing the positives.
So I changed the way I consumed news. If my parents could stay informed with fewer (and less technologically sound) resources, so could I. This involved finding news sources I trusted and bookmarking their homepages, paying for independent journalists’ newsletters, setting boundaries with myself and social media (not starting my day with it, not checking instagram during a lunch break at a shoot), and overall, using those apps less often.
Here are some prompts to help you find a conclusion that works best for you:
What facets of social apps and services do I enjoy? What are facets that I used to enjoy that have changed or no longer exist?
What do I want to get out of social media apps and services?
Are there other spaces, online or offline, that can fill these wants and needs?
Can I create an online or offline space that can fulfill these wants and needs, or improve upon existing spaces?
What am I willing to tolerate from the free apps and services that I use? This could include parts of the user experience, policies, ownership, statements, and more.
Who are three journalists that I trust, and how can I access their work off of apps?
this essay is just one part of a newsletter that was sent into the world on 2.13.25. for the full take, including work and event updates and recommendations, subscribe here.