Notices by Joan Westenberg (daojoan@mastodon.social)

We have to consciously apply critical reading skills to modern media instead of reacting reflexively

Read more 👉 https://www.joanwestenberg.com/the-death-of-critical-thinking-will-kill-us-long-before-ai/

Something deeply fucking annoying about accounts with literally tens of thousands of followers complaining that they don’t get enough engagement and attention while some creators are struggling to get over 100 followers while pouring their heart and soul into their work.

friendly reminder that while technology evolves, human nature doesn’t

it’s reassuring to know that the most vocal leftist influencers are laser-focused on the greatest challenge of our time: the size of their audience on bluesky

whether we admit it or not, humanity has been waiting for World War III to drop like the next season of a prestige TV drama.

If there’s a “1” and a “2,” the existence of a “3” feels not only possible, but plausible, and then probable, and then all but inevitable.

https://www.joanwestenberg.com/world-war-3-is-not-inevitable-how-sequential-thinking-shapes-our-perception-of-conflict-2/

5/15 They want to turn you into a predictable machine that clicks, buys, and reacts on cue. And they’re good at it. Very fucking good.

9/15 Try watching TV without simultaneously scrolling through Twitter or Instagram, and you’ll feel the unbearable weight of being alone with a single thought.

8/15 We like to pretend that we’re in control, that we’re the savvy operators of our own lives. But try putting your phone down for a day, and you’ll feel the phantom itch of those notifications you’re not getting.

7/15 The more distracted you are, the less likely you are to notice who’s actually profiting from your fractured attention.

6/15 They know how to weaponize your dopamine and hold it hostage. The more you give in, the more they refine their techniques, locking you into a feedback loop where every swipe feels necessary but leaves you emptier than before.

10/15 They’ve wired us to fear boredom, to avoid stillness at all costs, because those are the cracks where self-awareness might slip through. And self-awareness? That’s bad for business.

3/15 What’s left behind is a hollowed-out version of you: overwhelmed, distracted, and unknowingly complicit in your own exploitation. This is the obsession economy, and you’re its most profitable product.

4/15 It’s not an accident. Every infinite scroll, every notification badge, every “you might also like” suggestion is a calculated move in a larger game of psychological chess. These systems want your patterns, your desires, your unconscious impulses.

1/15 The world isn’t falling apart—it’s being pried apart, one stolen moment at a time. Attention has become the most coveted commodity, and we’re little more than unwitting marks in a global grift. The apps, platforms, and systems sucking up our time aren’t tools anymore. 🧵

2/15 They’re precision weapons, engineered to hijack your focus and dismantle your autonomy.
Think of your attention as a finite currency—except you didn’t sign up for the bank account, and every time you try to withdraw, someone else has already spent it.

my body at 18: i can survive on caffeine and spite
my body at 30: if i drink water too fast, i have to lie down for 2 hours

History doesn’t remember the sycophants. It remembers the Senecas—the ones who had the guts to stand up and act for the good of the whole, for humanity, for their neighbours, for the principal, even if it cost them their lives.

https://www.joanwestenberg.com/stoicism-isnt-all-about-you/

First rule of social media: Never let anyone know what you’re doing. Ever. Every post should be a decoy. Post about spaghetti, but secretly you’re at a funeral. I’ve been within 500 feet of the coroners office for days. I leave no trail. That’s how you Keep ’em guessing.

You don’t actually miss Twitter. You miss who you were 10 years ago.

How to Destroy a Generation? Make Them Think the World Runs on Their Feelings—and Then Use Those Feelings Against Them.

https://www.joanwestenberg.com/how-to-destroy-a-generation/