Memes. Tweets. Clips. Hashtags.

I think the reason emotions are supercharged in online interactions is that we fit both sides of longer conversations into spaces far too tight for them. We are pressured to compress everything relevant about whatever we have to say into one pithy symbol that can compete against many others. It's like speed dating for worldviews.

It's an unpleasant world for someone like me. I prefer longer conversations (given partners in good faith) that have a hope of actually getting somewhere. I'm always plagued with esprits d'escalier and would love to dredge up past conversations that I've had new thoughts on, even months later, but I don't do this because it's considered gauche.

I challenge myself to function well in internet culture as it is, but I do think it's missing something by being like this.

#thoughts