Social Media, AI and Creative Detox

As an Artist, curiosity moves me constantly into new things to discover, new paths to be walked in and new ways to express what I feel the need to share with the world. This little Essay it's going to deep dive into a few of my insecurities related to the use of Social Media and being a Creative in a world that is walking into the Capitalism Corporation Automatic "ART" with no intention of walking back from it. Don't expect fondness of mainstream content in this post or my personal perspective in general. But also, don't assume that I feel morally superior by my statements. It's my personal view, experiences and it doesn't need to be like that to everyone. Feel free to disagree with me.

With no further addition, let's get started.

I've heard about how algorithms works and how people "detox themselves" from Internet, social media and mainstream content. I'm facing two problems when it comes to do it myself even if I want to. First of all, how can I do art if it's not influenced by external media? and second of it, there's things I really can't walk away from, due to how interconnected with the modern lifestyle these things are. I can put Instagram and Whatsapp as the two main examples on this case.

What do I mean by this?

The real ties of Social Media:

I feel that I can't really stop using certain applications or tools because I need them on a daily basis either for work, connection with people or mere entertainment. I don't feel is possible to actually have a small business without having whatsapp or Instagram, both applications being created and used specifically for feeding you junk content and keep you using their apps as long as possible. It stands right against my recent thoughts of what it means to be Independent from Social Media in general. How can I stop using these media if everyone who I need to talk to uses them? I will walk straight to isolation if I get rid of these apps. Another thing that bothers me is that I don't want to give my consent to Meta for example for using my data to train a generative AI system. But I have no choice, it's either accept that or walk away without alternatives. They don't give you a choice. For using the apps you *have* to accept their requirements and that means giving them full access to your information to train a bot that it's going to work under their expectations.

I seriously need to find another ways of communicating with people. I'm eager to find different places that works well for someone like me who prefers to know less and do their efforts into actually let *curiosity* guides them through internet!

I can give a good example of what I mean by this, with Discord.

The importance of a social Ecosystem:

Discord has been quite my safe place for interacting online. Why? Because I can choose in what servers I want to interact, share all the media content and create spaces that allows me to store and organize said content with more ease. They're not constantly trying to force me to like stuff in particular, doesn't fill my experience on the app with unnecessary "new smart AI tools that can do anything for me" and I can use it for messages, calls, video calls, group calls, group chats, find people, play games, share work-related content, create organized servers for each topic I'm interested to and walk away from them any time I need or I want to. I can *choose* to be there and how to use it everyday.

And I would love to have more ecosystems like this. Where you choose with who you want to engage, what do you want to hear and see, and without being invasive. It's useful, free and honestly, it makes me happy. I don't really need to expect a total stranger jumping into my feed and giving me the most useless opinion about the most random topic I will hear in my life. And if I find someone like that, I can actually walk away from it.

Now, allow me to explain a little bit more why I don't like this...social interactions with what I think it's the opposite of Discord itself (Based on my own user experience).

Poisonous Social Media:

I was never engaged by tools like twitter/X or whatever name it has now, and I tried to use it a lot of times for my art and because "everyone was on it". It gets sold as the quickest way to share about you and what you are thinking about, and it's extremely easy to find people that thinks the same of you or share your opinions because of how the algorithm of the app itself works. Unlike Discord, you don't use twitter to socialize with people, you use it to express yourself. And while it can feel liberating to express yourself, the algorithm itself promotes not the creation of a safe ecosystem, but the creation of a battleground. It shows you and other users the opposite of what you want to see. Yes it stores some of your content and personal tastes to engage you. But at the same time, it's going to try to show you *any content that generates a reaction*, even if that reaction is negative.

This means, it's going to show you things that you would normally argue against. Why? Because if by chance you engage with that, you will start sharing your opinion about it. Doesn't seem to be a big deal alone. But they do it with *every user*, creating what? People sharing opinions and other people arguing about those opinions.

And boy, let me tell you. No one shares the most unnecessary things about human experience than the Twitter/X algorithm. And people tends to blame the users, but I don't think the users are the problem here. Because we, as individuals have the entire right of expressing ourselves. What we don't need is to fight for the rights of expression, having a system that instead of helping you create it, does the exact opposite.

If you're a woman using this app for example, you will end up finding the exact type of guy that would make you cross the street IRL. And Twitter brings them to you in a silver plate. Because yes, the algorithm knows that you hate and despite Incel "culture", but since that's an engagement key, if they bring Incels to you, it will keep you inside the app trying to defend yourself. While putting you on the line to be cyber bullied by people who despise your existence, they make profit. Because all those Incels find funny to "express their hate" constantly are going to be using the app more to complain about your existence. So in the end, they can put more ads on their faces and feed them related content to hate on.

And this happens to any person who is a minority or have an opinion. This is why it's really dangerous.

For the trans people, it shows transphobic people hating them.

For the black people it shows racist in their sauce.

For the mentally ill people it shows people "just expressing" that mental health is a lie to sell therapy.

There it's no safe place. Your mental health or what do you actually want to see doesn't matters.

"Welcome to the Internet" it's easier to say and keep living with it as it is too.

This type of interactions in social media it's literally poison, promoted by companies that in the middle of your struggles to keep a safe environment they use *whatever it's at hand* to either keep you in the app or keep other people in the app where they can brainwash you. They use your dopamine addiction, your emotional reactions, your personal preferences as a weapon against you. And the worst is that, it's not even human. It's not real people you fight against, it's a literal group of code that someone created and let it work.

And Instagram for example is the same with the Reels system.

I grew up with an Instagram that was meant to share what you liked in form of pictures or memes. That language, that is creative and wonderful itself, got replaced by the Reels system. Which by hand is harmless since it promotes content done by other people. But now, using the same algorithm as Twitter, literally shares you an infinite pit of content that you probably don't care about but it will "maybe" interest you in one way or another.

I despise how now stores, applications and tools are using memes and reels to promote their content.

"Oh, it's an AD but it's funny". You can think that about Duolingo and their memes and it's all fun till you check that they not only triplicated the number of users on their app, but also they implemented AI to "teach you" as the same time as firing the Voice actors that kept the language learning process more natural and mainly *human*. Oh but it's more important to laugh about their memes instead of noticing that the quality of the product they're shoving in your ass is day by day more bullshit.

A corporation is not your friend. It doesn't care about you. It want both your money and time. It's taking hands of other corporations that wants the same and all in group search to take out every single pixel of your attention, resources and well being in order to get profit from it. Feeding the rich and in long term affect your health in one way or the other, making you dependent on it like if you never had other choice of living away from it. It works with a soulless piece of code who only purpose is to keep you tied to it.

This is probably the most punk rant I made in a while. It is what it is.

How to detach yourself from Algorithms and Social Media:

I realized that the key is to be aware of how the system works and find your way out. Creating exits that allows you to stop watching and consuming the content. One of the most important questions I found when it comes to try to stop using the social media is:

"What are you planning to find on the next post/reel/video?".

It brings a stop to the endless loop of scrolling. Because it makes you aware that you're probably looking for something in particular. Maybe you want to pass time, maybe you're bored, maybe you feel low, maybe you need to have fun. There's always a reason.

Analyze that reason. Let it linger on your head for a bit and then close the app. Try to find another ways to deal with your emotions and needs. Turn off notifications so they don't drag you back in. Take small times of the day to check social media and learn how to use it for not more than an hour long unless you're really doing something important. Come back to use them as tools.

When some content that it's made meant to rage-bite you, or make you want to do a comment or talk about it you can avoid commenting on the mere post and engage in fights with other people and write an essay or notes instead. You can have your own blog sharing your perspective. That way you turn the unhealthy release of emotions in a unsafe environment and instead you create a safe space for you to share the content and in a more connected and meaningful way.

You don't really need any product of the social media.

Try to not get anything from Temu, Wish, Shoppee or any of those platforms that shows you the most random thing you can buy. For online shopping, only use these apps if they match your values and search for the items you want to buy beforehand. If you don't have an item beforehand thought for get, then wait a little bit to reconsider if that's really necessary to get. Most of the times you're not going to need it. Also another good saying for this is: "Do you want to have it or show others that you have it?".

Have a list of research topics, things you want to study or your favorite content to consume already prepared somewhere. In a notes taking app, blog, doesn't matter. Create places for use when you feel you need Internet and Social Media. It's better to consume 10 videos of a topic that you really like than to consume 10 videos of things you don't care about just because YouTube decided to show them on your face.

Use the tools that Instagram, YouTube and another apps have to click the "I'm not interested" option each time the algorithm tries to tangle you in something you dislike. Clear your feeds, block words that makes you feel bad. Use a timer for applications if you can't get the habit yourself of stopping using the content.

Creating a safe garden for you means to take care of the plants on it. Think your social media as a digital garden.

Research for the things you really like, consume the content with more thoughts and with time, you're going to be able to relax. You don't need to know anything that happens in the world. You can engage with the things that really matters for you and fight for the causes you feel called for.

The more detached you are from the void side of social media, the more chances of really enjoy your time on Internet.

Get your freedom back my friend. And enjoy.