After finally having my "oh my god tech is actually a good thing" moment around April 2020 and getting much more into TPOT and the related intellectual movements/conversations soon after, I felt like the world was about to be rebuilt out of the ashes of COVID into this techno-psychedelic semi-utopia (big vaporwave guy here). But then life got normal again and being so online started feeling like more of a drag than something that was contributing to "the future." I suppose we'll keep muddling through and progressing in ways we don't even notice until they've already happened. Or maybe Zuck will announce that Meta has achieved AGI sometime in 2023. Who knows.
Yup, that matches my experience quite well. I don't quite get the level of intellectual stimulation I want from my IRL life, so the online world still has a lot of value, but I suspect that if I had that stimulation IRL I'd just give up on the web altogether
Same. There aren't really any people in my IRL life who can talk about things like Kantian metaphysics or AI. The realization that "oh shit I can just talk to internet randos who will be knowledgeable enough to have an actual discussion" is what really changed my mind on tech
I hear you. I even can't stop myself from tweeting about SBF or EM lately! So, I'm sorry if my vibe is off, too. I also feel a saturation with Twitter lately. At the same time, you and I, who have gone on pretty much the same journey on Twitter, may simply be at a point where this is naturally what happens. People are still joining TPOT now, and to them it might feel like the golden age you mentioned. The novelty wears off after 2+ years of roaming the same fields. The algorithm makes our world smaller and smaller with time.
Anyway, that's a minor attempt to show another perspective. Also, I'm happy you and I might hang out more often on Substack!
You're right—entirely possible this is a personal thing. But if a lot of these personal things happen at the same time, then it makes sense to describe it as an *event*.
I sort of avoided to talk about AI in the post because... yeah. It's hard to predict what it will change, but it will be a lot. Overall I think it's a positive development right now but it'll be messy (see artist debates about AI image generation).
Yes. I think AI could cause a lot of people to get laid off, or have their freelance work slow down. Also when Google roles out their writing AI, WordCraft, which is still in beta, and not available yet to the public, it could change the publishing industry.
Etienne if I had your talent I would write about the fact that nowadays the 30 seconds tiktok style of communication and thinking becomes the rule. Same for these zillions of tweets. NFTs and crypto are just shortcuts to more $$$. Just wishful thinking...
Well, to provide another perspective, longer form stuff (like on Substack) is also quite popular! Erik Hoel talks about this. There's reason to be optimistic about the media ecosystem.
After finally having my "oh my god tech is actually a good thing" moment around April 2020 and getting much more into TPOT and the related intellectual movements/conversations soon after, I felt like the world was about to be rebuilt out of the ashes of COVID into this techno-psychedelic semi-utopia (big vaporwave guy here). But then life got normal again and being so online started feeling like more of a drag than something that was contributing to "the future." I suppose we'll keep muddling through and progressing in ways we don't even notice until they've already happened. Or maybe Zuck will announce that Meta has achieved AGI sometime in 2023. Who knows.
Yup, that matches my experience quite well. I don't quite get the level of intellectual stimulation I want from my IRL life, so the online world still has a lot of value, but I suspect that if I had that stimulation IRL I'd just give up on the web altogether
Same. There aren't really any people in my IRL life who can talk about things like Kantian metaphysics or AI. The realization that "oh shit I can just talk to internet randos who will be knowledgeable enough to have an actual discussion" is what really changed my mind on tech
I loved reading this piece. That is all.
Thank you for the kind words!
I hear you. I even can't stop myself from tweeting about SBF or EM lately! So, I'm sorry if my vibe is off, too. I also feel a saturation with Twitter lately. At the same time, you and I, who have gone on pretty much the same journey on Twitter, may simply be at a point where this is naturally what happens. People are still joining TPOT now, and to them it might feel like the golden age you mentioned. The novelty wears off after 2+ years of roaming the same fields. The algorithm makes our world smaller and smaller with time.
Anyway, that's a minor attempt to show another perspective. Also, I'm happy you and I might hang out more often on Substack!
You're right—entirely possible this is a personal thing. But if a lot of these personal things happen at the same time, then it makes sense to describe it as an *event*.
Also, let's talk soon!
For sure, my friend. Facing a busy week but happy to catch up after and talk about life after Twitter :p
I like Twitter better lately, but otherwise yes. And the Vibes about to be way more off because AI... is... coming... hard.
I sort of avoided to talk about AI in the post because... yeah. It's hard to predict what it will change, but it will be a lot. Overall I think it's a positive development right now but it'll be messy (see artist debates about AI image generation).
Yes. I think AI could cause a lot of people to get laid off, or have their freelance work slow down. Also when Google roles out their writing AI, WordCraft, which is still in beta, and not available yet to the public, it could change the publishing industry.
Etienne if I had your talent I would write about the fact that nowadays the 30 seconds tiktok style of communication and thinking becomes the rule. Same for these zillions of tweets. NFTs and crypto are just shortcuts to more $$$. Just wishful thinking...
Well, to provide another perspective, longer form stuff (like on Substack) is also quite popular! Erik Hoel talks about this. There's reason to be optimistic about the media ecosystem.
Yes definitely. I discovered substack (and your Atlas...) via Erik Hoel ... Excellent food for thoughts !