Hi, this is Manton. It’s the beginning of 2025, and the world is still a mess. It’s four years since the January 6 attack on the capital, and misinformation is still rampant, like some twisted virus, corrupting society with half truths. It’s the beginning of 2025, and this is what I see.
I see that people are burned out. I see that people are tired of massive social networks. People are tired of ad-based platforms.
People are tired of being addicted to TikTok and the never-ending algorithmic timeline, but they can’t stop scrolling.
People are tired of the dopamine hit that comes from someone else, somewhere, clicking a like button, but they can’t stop performing.
People are distrustful of big tech. People are distrustful of billionaires. People are distrustful of artificial intelligence. Not because they think human jobs will be replaced, necessarily, but because they perceive a loss of humanity in what we do, a loss of creativity, of what makes our voice actually mean something.
We are ready for something that we control. We are ready for something quieter. We are ready for something true. We are ready to bring back a little bit of the old web as a shield against a web that feels increasingly like an ad engagement machine instead of a publishing platform and community for people.
I think blogging has a role here. I think Micro.one and Micro.blog can have a roll here too, a role in helping control our content, a role in making a quieter space that still feels connected to other platforms.
Now, does everyone feel this way? No, just the people that matter to me, right now. Maybe that’s you.
Thanks for listening. Happy new year. Let’s make it a good one.
