The New Social Circles

Lately I've been finding myself wanting to escape from all sorts of social networks. Either because I don't support their leaders' values (or lack thereof), or because they've become toxic places and sources of anxiety (and attention drains). I've already deleted my Facebook account and recently deleted my Twitter account. I never had TikTok and for now I'm only on Instagram (and WhatsApp if you count that).

While quitting sounds like a good idea, I also feel that I'm betraying that part of me that fell in love with the internet and what it could create in terms of inspiration and creativity. Reading this edition of Dense Discovery made me feel that I'm not alone in this feeling.

Something is changing in our relationship with social media. For years, conversations about 'digital detox' felt like self-care platitudes – well-meaning but ultimately superficial. This time around feels different.

Kai, the author, then continues by stating how "spaces we once inhabited feel increasingly alien, overtaken by algorithmic ghosts and corporate voices that leave us restless, overstimulated, yet empty and disconnected." He concludes by saying that "on the path to realising that the revolution won't be live-tweeted – it'll happen in the spaces where we dare to exist without documenting every moment of it."

And I couldn't agree more, especially with the last part. Dense Discovery, for instance, a newsletter of which I'm a premium subscriber, is a great example of such spaces. Not only as a monthly source of inspiration and food for thought (a source that is not infinite and comes measured in the right amount), but also as a place where I can find a community of people who share the same interests as me. In Dense Discovery, being a premium subscriber comes with access to a small, non-toxic network, but this is also true for other podcasts where I'm a premium subscriber that provide access to exclusive Telegram or Discord groups. These spaces let you interact not only with the host but also with other people who share that same interest in that podcast/newsletter.

While I'm not sure what the future will be like, finding safe spaces like these currently helps me feel more connected to the things I care about.