Read one book that's been in print for more than 100 years every month
In their excellent article The Discourse is a Distributed Denial-of-Service Attack, Joan Westenberg argues that online discourse is both broken and harmful because:
- It is a relentless parade of disconnected impressions (ICE! Cats! Greenland! Half Life 3!), exhausting the sustained attention required for rational thought
- It breaks up legitimate problems into bite sized skirmishes
- It selects for engagement, not truth
- It rewards performative certainty, not expertise
- Engagement with the discourse leaves us exhausted, resentful and feeling inadequate
All true. We're backsliding into a vaguely pre-modern mode of relating to the digital world. We've replaced the logos with algorithms, and just as the ancients sought perfect alignment with nature, much of our effort online is directed towards achieving perfect alignment with the algorithm. Where the ancients succeeded, they enjoyed eudaemonia. Where we succeed, we enjoy virality. Maybe feelings of inadequacy are indeed appropriate.
The diagnosis is straightforward; the treatment is less so. Westenberg suggests long form reading. To that I would suggest one further tweak: Read one book that's been in print for more than 100 years every month. Whatever survives for a century probably contains something true enough to remain relevant across generations. Distance in time is a good way to preform a reality check. Plus, one can be sure that the author isn't trying to sell a subscription.