• radical techno imagination
• internet complacency
• When we only name the problem, when we state complaint without a constructive focus or resolution, we take hope away. In this way critique can become merely an expression of profound cynicism, which then works to sustain dominator culture.
• Acute conceptual poverty
• Digital sovereignty
• Social media as automatisms
• Virtual prison
• So what were the main drivers of this exhaustion after a Zoom meeting, this post-screen slump? Responses included the brain's attempt to compensate for the lack of full body, non-verbal communication cues; a sense of constant self-consciousness; engagement in multiple activities with no real focus; and a consistent tugging temptation to multi-task.
• Decision fatigue

platform as a disciplinary machine

based off Foucault's theory of disciplinary power

Extrapolated to modern society, Foucault's point was that the potential for observation by those with greater authority is sufficient for individuals to choose to self-discipline and modify their own behaviour without the need for external enforcement

Self-Policing: Encouraged by platform mechanisms, users often begin to self-police their behavior to fit within acceptable norms on the platform. This ranges from self-censorship to avoid algorithmic penalties or community backlash, to curating a personal image that aligns with perceived social or cultural expectations.

platform-user relationships = hegel master-slave dialectic

We need to read the platform-user relationships in light of Hegel master-slave dialectic

Subjugation and Self-Realization: Users often modify their behavior to fit the platform's norms and algorithms (self-policing), effectively subjugating their genuine self-expression to the platform's rules.

i am just an icon: technical online image as phenomenology

And yet this simulacrum is a pale imitation, reducing a worker and her rich personality to a collection of chat handles and cutesy icons.

Ton't want to be just a face and voic on Zoom calls, an icon on Google docs, a few written sentences, I want to be a person....

Facing one's reality can be one of the toughest challenges anyone can face. And this is why these platforms come in handy. Deep down, people don't want to acknowledge things about themselves. They just don't. It's easier to play the status game and feel great in the short-term.