Bad Systems & The Republic of Newsletters
Criag Mod recently did a six-week walk across Japan during which he purposefully removed himself from the phone as a tool of social media. Of course, such things aren’t new these days. 2019 seems to be the year everyone stopped and looked at social networks with a critical eye, evaluating the space they occupy in our lives. This is particular true of freelance artists and writers, for whom the promise of connection the internet offers is of great interest indeed if the cost-to-benefit ratio can be managed. What separates Mod out is his background as an essayist, and in particular an essayist who frequently meditates on the intersection of technology and publishing. This mean he’s got a capacity to turn a lovely phrase when noting particular ironies: I consider “bad” to be design patterns that subvert impulse control. Anything that obviates agency over one’s attention. Bad is being manipulated by an algorithm in favor of the company over the human.