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HEAR ME OUT: I love technological optimism, and the idea of transforming previously destructive, colonial, and extractive systems into things that are nurturing for the collective good (rec: "Beyond Wiindigo Infrastructure" by Dr. Winona DeLuke & Dr. Deborah Cowen, Indigenous theorists talking about how to transform infrastructures beyond its colonial harm).
What I DON'T like is the fact that this god-awful long manifesto is just bootlicking capitalism, pushing the idea that eternal growth is possible (without any detriment to the environment or people around us), and arguing that the free market is going to end poverty lol. It's fake deep and like,, way too tone deaf to acknowledge the fact that in our society, for people to be "rich" there always has to be someone suffering at the bottom. The "market" doesn't exist without another person's expense.
Anyway read at your own risk I guess-- If you hate it, feel free to rant with me in the comments, if you like it then feel free to voice your take and I'd love to gain a fresh perspective.
2d ago
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i'm always getting too bleak about technology and AI, about the brain rot and disassociation and spiraling out and general cognitive decline we're all experiencing, that will only continue to worsen with time. but this essay gave me some hope
âDo you see a way out?â
âYeah, I mean .â.â. Iâm not in the business of saving the world, but it would definitely be a better and more interesting place if more people were involved in making these things. Thatâs the fundamental thing: that if more software, more buildings, more social spaces, and more everything were designed by more people, of course it would produce a more interesting and better world! ...One of Stafford Beerâs more famous and brilliant phrases was âPOSIWID,â which stands for âthe purpose of the system is what it does.â Itâs a kind of maxim of cybernetics. And itâs very good for diagnosing systems. Instead of saying, Oh, we have a democratic system, we have an education system, you say, The purpose of the system is what it does. And what our society produces is people who are undereducated, or just educated enough to perform specific tasksâthe way to get a good education is to study something that has this high economic value. Apart from that, you are pretty fucked. The purpose of the system is to reproduce the existing power dynamics of that system again and again. That is what it does. Society has no interest in educating you in how technology works. Because then you make your own technology, and you make different technology, and you upset the economic power balance and so forth. But it is doable, and people are doing it all the time. You can do it yourself.â
May 30, 2025
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anyone on pi.fyi will likely feel seen and heard when reading this. it basically accentuates all the redundancies and senseless aspects of social media and how itâs disrupted every industry and how we are all dominated by the algorithm and have to be our own hype person. i always feel like an idiot after i finish a record or a book that i'm really excited to share with the world, but then have to think about âcontentâ to promote the art itself. obviously pi.fyi feels likes a refreshing beacon of hope because artists can share their work here in a far more simple and wholesome manner. the article also addresses non-creative jobs like accountants and other professions that are all being forced to become an âinfluencerâ of some sort or build a brand. itâs spooky, yet weâre all feeling the fatigue so hopefully we can see a less algorithmic future soonâŠ
Feb 8, 2024
This is kind of an anti-rec, more of a PSA.
If you havenât heard of the marketing research company WGSN itâs worth a deep dive.
Horrifying to see that years ago, a marketing research company predicted that weâd all be into 90s and early 2000s nostalgia, nihilism, and awe/whimsy.
The scarier part, for me, is how companies that work with these firms will prey upon individualsâ sincere interests and perspectives. Some unpaid intern from WGSN is def monitoring this app lol.
I wrestle with that competing understandings that a zeitgeist will always exist; that the transmission of preferences/ideas between people is how culture is made, with also not wanting to be unconsciously influenced by a predatory system whose only goal is to make me feel like Iâm less than and therefore push me to consume.
Sry Iâm super red pilled this morning lol.
Jul 10, 2024
Top Recs from @gemfound
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It shows a long life and the many smiles you've given and experienced!! It's a permanent remembrance of happiness and I think that's beautiful!!
Mar 14, 2025
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My steps:
1. Shut my phone down, hide it in my room, and lock the door so it's a pain in the ass to get to.
2. Be bored, and sit in the boredom for like 7-10 minutes (MINIMUM)-- once you're bored see what your brain gravitates to beyond The Screen (is it doodling? is it playing guitar? is it writing?)
3. Find the little thing your brain latches on to, and start doing it! Even if it's something goofy like "Just Dance youtube videos" to dance to LOL this is you, deliberately following your brain's natural curiosity & interest
And then rinse and repeat however you like <3 Once you get accustomed to the smaller, more gratifying feel good activities, social media starts to feel too overwhelming to even pick back up again-- you'll be reaching for it less and less
(a final aside: I am of the major belief that creativity & imagination is critical to creating a better reality to live in, because it shows that you're capable of leaning into what "doesn't exist", and are courageous enough to imagine and build a reality that defies the status quo. but that's just me LOL)
4d ago
Jun 3, 2025