# Maybe the problem is you
#tech #social #rant

Hanging out in this corner of the internet inevitably exposes one to a lot of bitching about social media and the internet. That's fine and good; you can't fix a problem that nobody ever identifies or complains about, and we have plenty of them.

But there's a genre of post that I see again and again. The author will go on at length about how everything sucks they just want to retvrn to a time when the dominant global network was a telephone system owned by a government-endorsed private monopoly. They describe all the problems they have with modern technology: using social media makes them feel bad, the apps and streaming services they pay for are low-quality, they can't ever be offline. "Third spaces" are always mentioned, as though everyone would happily give up their magic entertainment rectangles in exchange for awkward conversation with strangers — if only there were more venues for it.

None of these is actually a problem with the world. They are all problems with *you*.

If social media makes you feel bad, you can log off.

If streaming services suck, you can cancel them and download everything for free.[^0]

Don't install the app. Turn off your wifi. Leave your phone at home. Go bowling. Read a fucking book.

Being less online is already a solved problem. Nobody can invent a website that will make you take responsibility for yourself.

You don't have to abolish everything that you don't like. Just go do something else.


[^0]: In fact, you *should*. Stop giving money to corporations for no reason. I haven't paid for anything since 2007.