Data Driven “Creativity” Petri Dish (And The Soul)

little boy“..all this shit is procedurally generated by A.I. and fed to like 100 people to see what happens duh…”
– Zoomer on Reddit

I think this entity is broadly correct.  Our clicks, taps, likes, eye movements, breath rate, pulse ,purchases, abandoned carts, etc. and so forth are constantly monitored and tested tested.  There’s a synergy between the data and the creative product on offer.

If you’re part of this system, that’s one thing. But if you’re an independent like me, the whole game is to trick the algorithm into featuring your content somehow.

That was the game. I don’t think it’s possible anymore to be completely candid.  I think the internet is like the TV. The internet is the TV at this point. As you know, a normal average person is not going to be on TV.  “TV” is owned.

The streaming services are owned. Mom and pop or random talented person cannot get a slot on these platforms.  “TV” has no competition. I mean, the internet was competition at one time but those days are gone.

This brings me to the concept of a soul.  We start out with one but it’s possible to stare into the abyss so long we lose our soul. The abyss may be a drug we’re addicted to or some type of behavior or we may just stare into a screen for so long, we no longer really feel.

You’re only going to lie down with dogs for so long before you become one of them. If you run with psychopaths, you will eventually pick up their traits as the quality of your character erodes.

You can compare this to overeating. If you’re not inclined to overeat but you hang out with people who do, the next thing you know, you’re packing on the pounds.  It’ a phenomena, really.

So all of this is going on in the background ’round the clock and every day you move further away from your own essence. But I think this can be reversed.

I like Mars in Gemini because it allows you to direct your attention.  There are real people with real souls all around. If you talk to them and spend time with them and then turn back to gaze at the data-driven manipulative content and/or entities, your feelings will inform you.

*Note I posted this in 2022, there was a video attached which has since been taken down.  I don’t think this situation has changed but I do think more people acknowledge it.  Here’s an alternative video with a similar message.

Do you notice these things? Do you feel you are driving or are you being driven?

 

9 thoughts on “Data Driven “Creativity” Petri Dish (And The Soul)”

  1. I am so happy to see this! Everyday I look out my window and see folks walking dogs or babies in strollers and they are not engaged in either activities- they are staring at their phone. It saddens me. I leave my phone in another room during the day and often miss calls etc but it’s not like I can’t call them back.
    I wish we could go back to analog and landlines and TV – though we get stations over the Air so don’t need to get conned into buying cable that’s way over priced nor do we have a Smart TV. I do have a Firestick but I only use it to watch movies or three favorited shows. But I have to admit as a kid even, I was kind of addicted to TV, being an only child.
    I wish they could put up a huge billboard in every big city and view this video in the Twitter feed for all to see. It’s embarrassing to know we are this stupid.

    1. That video makes me cry. Literally. Every time I watch it… and I like to watch it.
      It’s hopeful, actually. But, yes, on the stupid, unfortunately.

      1. Yes it made me very sad too Elsa. Children and humans are being distracted from life. The sad thing is the don’t know it. People are starting to wake up, but not enough.

  2. I am a political junkie. But it made me feel depressed and fearful at the same time. I took some small actions starting a few months ago. I deleted Twitter. I then stopped looking at Facebook and then deleted that! Instead of trashing stupid come-on emails I started unsubscribing and putting that stuff in the junk file for good measure. I get less emails and every week, less sites are tracking me.
    Upped my meditation and made sure I did my yoga every day. It’s hotter than hell here but I’m pretty darn good! Loved the overeating analogy! I am not over consuming On the internet any more and I feel more “normal”. Try disconnecting from Social Media. It works well for your mental health!

    1. Congratulations Mary Pat! I too got off FB almost nine years to the day. The only newsletter I want in my email is Elsa’s. I report spam even on the bombardment of political emails I get. If I want to know anything I can go to their website.
      I am making more and more steps to de-screen-unsubscribing, using DuckDuckGo for less tracking, so no random solicitors email me, put my phone away for most of the day and only walk with my phone in my pocket to keep track of steps (it’s more accurate than a pedometer I think).
      Anyway, keep up the good work.

  3. I was just on a long plane flight and the 4 year old across the aisle from me was playing games on his iPad. I was horrified to see he was blowing up little cartoon kids – and getting points for each hit. Every new level a new way to blow up the little cartoon kids! It just freaked me out. And he was with his mother and grandmother who seemed so sweet. Maybe they had no clue?!? What kind of person will he become?!

  4. The problem for me is that I have trauma, and when I feel those emotions the only thing I know how to do is disappear. It’s very convenient to disappear on the phone. That fog seems to work both ways, or maybe it’s that if the emotions are lost in the fog I don’t feel them. I’m not a zoomer. When I was a traumatized kid, it was a book I was always lost in.

    Anyway. It’s no way to live but my other choice is to confront this terrible pain. It’s hard to do, and without support it’s harder. And if you make it through being a kid with no better coping skills, there are fewer opportunities to find the treehouses full of friends that might make a difference. I’m not saying I’m doomed. Just that it’s not about the likes and the fruit as much as the internal monsters a lot of kids and adults only have to fight when the fog clears.

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