how to achieve immortality

I have a lot of thoughts and feelings related to the internet, good and bad, it’s a complicated topic. Particularly though I find it really sad and disheartening to see how the internet has become less personal.

The rise of AI is problematic for a multitude of reasons and obviously I’m not a big fan but one negative of it I think people don’t consider as much is how it has taken so much personality away from digital spaces. In some instances the advancements of the internet have been incredibly helpful- no more looking through pages and pages of ask Jeeves to find an answer to your question- but easier isn’t always better. People no longer have to learn how to code because website builders exist and social media easily creates a page in seconds with no effort required. It’s so simple, social media no longer allows for customization at all really. Everything is sleek, simple, modern- and the same. It’s boring! It’s sad and lifeless. There’s something so much more special about a poorly coded but mostly functional website that was personally designed than a clean white social media profile that was created in seconds. Everything is curated to us as well and something else controls the things we come across and view online.

There used to be so much humanity in the world wide web. I’ve also just never been a big fan of more modern design, but the current state of the internet is so soulless to me. I think the most beautiful thing about the internet is this weird relationship with people and showcasing humanity, at least more in the past. On the internet there’s this weird opportunity where everything can exist equally in a way. There’s no matter if significance, normal/weird, etc. Historically paintings only existed for very important moments or the rich and powerful- but now that same type of immortal preservation can exist for something like a video of a kid playing with their littlest pet shops or a picture of a two friends eating salchichas in the park. Someone dressed as Nosferatu in their bedroom dancing to lady gaga, a husband and wife covering evanescence in front of windows movie maker effects, obscure unique art films, mspaint devaintart drawings from the 5th grade, etc. It’s those types of things that I think make the internet beautiful.

I put this together just for class but I think maybe I’ll keep this page around. I’ll add to it when I have time and have it as a collection of some of my favorite places and media on the internet that I think exhibit this kind of feeling.

(Not sure how many people will ever be reading this page besides you, Noah! but I think I’d like to add a chat box and it’d be so fun for people to be able to mention some of their own favorite personal digital media.)

💭It’s common now stories and conversations about technology trying to imitate or become something more ‘human’- but I think it’d be interesting to consider the reverse? A person wanting to transfer themselves to a digital space but not just like using the internet or Vr or anything like that- something deeper. Bringing humanity into something cold and unalive, and what would that do to you? A bit of a tangent and possibly unrelated but it’s a thought.

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