#internet is a utility

[transboysokka]

It’s actually so wild that a lot of random interactions/anon hate/whatever on the Internet boil down to “prove to me that you’re a good person” like lmao no I know who I am, I don’t know you, and I don’t owe you shit, blocked goodbye

#I’m telling you all the Internet becomes such a better place when you stop giving a shit what random strangers think #and when you utilize that block button… #text #greatest hits #100 #500

[astraltrickster]

Separate post to avoid playing into the outrage marketing campaign of the day that inspired these thoughts now, because I do want to talk a little more about outrage marketing in general - namely, two particularly insidious things about it.

One: It plays on one of THE most common cognitive distortions, ESPECIALLY in very individualistic cultures: it relies on you thinking that if YOU don't complain about how awful the thing is, then that's BASICALLY the same thing as letting it just get shilled completely unopposed.

Two: You can't actually call out any given case without playing into it at least a little. It's literally impossible to do. In order to call any specific example for what it is, you have to identify it...and even that helps it in the mighty algorithm. You QRT'ed that thread of people getting mad at obvious bait to call it for what it was? All Shitter cares about is that you shared it. That's a boost. It's not as critical on tumblr, because fewer people use the algorithmic features, but the impact still exists - reblogging the bait to add youreallsofuckingstupid.jpg or childrenthisisbait.png or thatsbait.gif is still reblogging the bait.

What I'm saying is, when a Bad Product is trending, then before you add your voice to the chorus, ask yourself:

"Is my perspective ACTUALLY new within my circle? Has anyone else been saying what I'm saying, who might reach the same people I could?"

And if the answer is no/yes respectively, then the best thing to do is shut up.

#internet safety #outrage marketing #not to pretend ive never made mistakes on this front and never will again #but its at least better to ask the question and compute a wrong answer #than to not recognize the utility of the question and thus never ask it at all #serious tag

[local-magpie]

ngl considering the increasing focus i see in leftists on walkable cities, public transport, and other urban features, im... really not surprised people keep thinking "rural" just means south. rural folk really are invisible huh

#fwiw im not rural i just used to live in appalachia and did a little work with local governments #its just... extremely different. the problems are different. and it feels like very little is being done to solve them #biden has actually made some good steps #but like does the average leftist even know how bad access to utilities and internet can be in rural areas #i know a mayor who's also a full time sanitation worker while full time mayor because theres no one else #plenty of villages in southern ohio straight up dont have internet access at all #i know another mayor who has to travel out of his village to check his business email #wheres the campaigns for infrastructure to those who dont have any?? #yes yes people can care about more than one thing sure #but one of these i see everywhere #and one of these ive seen discussed like three times and once was literally just me talking into the void #yelling at the void

[fooltofancy]

i want out of this apartment so, so badly, but we got the email saying we're gonna be receiving renewal documentation this week and having to decide NOW whether i need to figure all of that shit out is. bad.

#i was gonna call them in march lmao #lease ends june 1 like 'we're already getting inquiries' that's great #im already so overwhelmed even thinking about the logistics of finding a place sorting moving options moving utilities moving internet #not to mention the insane financial hurdle of deposit+rent plus moving #weeps #im like. really struggling living here lmao but also at this point i'm really struggling just existing and piling all of that extra bullshi #is not gonna help #i might just. fucking suck it up and stay for the duration that i have to be in this stupid town #idk what im doing after that and idk how long that actually has to be because my work can Not decide how longevity works #weh. #mentally and emotionally compromised #AND i have to see my endo this month #it's all stupid and it's still killing me

[knowlesian]

nothing worse than when someone is being wrong online and it doesn’t actually matter but also you cannot help the near overwhelming urge to fight them to the death about it

#today i am overly irritated about people referring to the teen timeline in yellowjackets as “flashbacks” #like no it’s a DUAL TIMELINE #they have also utilized actual flashbacks on occasion but oh my god stop saying flashback when you mean other half of the timeline internet #does this matter? no! not actually a whit! not a crumb! #but ohhhhhh i am annoyed about it

[silkflovvers]

tumblr just. keeps your stuff forever, deleting my posts made before I had access to glaze doesn't even protect me from ai scraping

I hate it here. I hate this modern internet environment. My art is mine!!! No one else's!! I made it and I'm the only one that can make my art!!!

I just want to freaking cry, this is all I have. I sacrificed all 27 years of my life to pursuing art because I love creating. I love the joy of the process and the result!!! AI removes all of that joy!!! I hate AI and hope tech bros creating gen AI all die horrible terrible violent deaths and that none of their loved ones actually love them. I hope no one shows up to their funerals. I hope gen AI programmers and ceos and whoever else makes these despicable programs get wiped off the face of the earth with no memory to their name. I hope their own creations turn on them and slowly destroy them from the inside. I hope they catch every incurable disease. I hope gen AI tech bros get every bit of suffering they've inflicted onto creatives back at tenfold power

I HATE AI I HATE TECH BROS I HOPE THEY DIE

#txt #if this gets my blog deleted #so be it #Im so sick of the internet I just want to make art and connect with other creatives and have some sort of emotional outlet to utilize

[bewilderedbuck]

i think i found an apartment!!!!

#its SO fucking nice and the price is amazinf and its in a really good neighborhood #the only utility i pay is electric!! and then ofc i have to set up internet #but. im. oh im so excited omfg

[meringuejellyfish]

#morning scribbling i like so i will casually put it onto the internet for a few eyes to see #this is a funny angular brush. i like it #would be fun to utilize for a finished piece

[autodiscipline]

Hey hi so I'm trying to find an older vkei album that's not on Spotify or anything... Any ideas on where to look?

Hi! When an album is more obscure, the first place I'll check is slsk, a file sharing network which you'll need to download to use, theres how to tutorials for beginners you can easily find online.

a simpler method is actually just googling "[artist] - [album] mp3 download." you may need to dig a bit but you'll usually find someone has posted a link to an old blog somewhere. helpful resource page you can refer to

I also really like vk . com. you'll need to make an account to access the music portion of the site (requires a phone number) & use a browser extension that allows you to download the files for free, one of my secret weapons

sometimes an album really doesn't seem to be uploaded anywhere though, in that case I'd recommend buying a physical copy if you can find one. websites to check: buyee , mercari , yahoo auctions, suruga-ya or finding a discord server or forum where you can trade with likeminded people

there's also a chance that I have an album so don't be sacred to send me a PM

#also learn how to utilize internet archive. my final message

[calliopechild]

*kicks in door as tiredly as possible* Hello friends, guess who survived her move?

Also, callout post for past me thinking I'd be ready to go back to work tomorrow. The idea of going back to work in the morning feels like a hate crime.

#i've been functioning SO executively and it's exhausting #so many decisions. so many phone calls and utility things to handle #just finally got internet set up today and that took over TWO FUCKING HOURS #none of which has been helped by sleeping like shit for the past uh...four nights #first bc of pre-move anxiety and then bc of new place adjustment and one of my pillows not surviving 2 years in storage #anyway i have wifi again so your respite from me clogging your dashes is over

[ivygorgon]

AN OPEN LETTER to THE U.S. CONGRESS

Fund the Affordable Connectivity Program NOW!

130 so far! Help us get to 250 signers!

I’m a concerned constituent writing to urge you to fund the Affordable Connectivity Program or ACP. Digital connectivity is a basic necessity in our modern world and the internet must be treated as a public utility. We use the internet to apply for jobs, perform our jobs, receive telehealth medical treatment, and pay bills, and students use it to complete homework assignments. But for millions of people in rural and urban areas, and Tribal communities, the internet is a luxury they cannot afford. Failure by Congress to fund this program will force millions of households already on tight budgets to choose between being able to stay online or potentially losing access to this essential service. If Congress doesn’t act fast, funding for the Affordable Connectivity Program will run out and more than 22 million Americans -- 1 in 6 households -- will lose this vital service. The implications of this will be devastating. In 2019, 18% of Native people living on Tribal land had no internet access; 33% relied on cell phone service for the internet; and 39% had spotty or no connection to the internet at home on their smart phone. The ACP has enrolled 320,000 households on Tribal lands -- important progress. The largest percentage gains in broadband access are in rural areas. Nearly half of military families are enrolled in ACP, as are one in four African American and Latino households. Losing access and training on using computers and the internet will have devastating impacts on all these communities as technology becomes increasingly integral to work, education, health, and our everyday lives. Without moves to address tech inequality, low-income communities and communities of color are heading towards an “unemployment abyss.” The Affordable Connectivity Program has broad bipartisan support because it is working. As your constituent, I am urging you to push for renewed funding for the ACP before it runs out in the coming weeks.

▶ Created on April 11 by Jess Craven

📱 Text SIGN PJXULY to 50409

🤯 Liked it? Text FOLLOW JESSCRAVEN101 to 50409

#JESSCRAVEN101 #PJXULY #resistbot #petition #Affordable Connectivity Program #Digital Divide #Internet Access #Broadband Access #ACP Funding #Congress Funding #Public Utility #Internet Equality #Telehealth #Telemedicine #Internet Inequality #Digital Inclusion #Internet For All #Rural Connectivity #Bipartisan Support #Internet Infrastructure #FCC #ACP Support #Digital Navigation #Online Education #Remote Work #Job Access #Telecommunications #Internet Service #Internet Affordability #Digital Equity

[nullcoast]

Why can't we just love eachother and help eachother and cry for eachother when we hurt and laugh for eachother when we're happy. What happened to radical acceptance and beauty. Why are we self-separating using white suppremist ideas about identity. The idea someone needs some pure property to be worthy of adopting a community is point blank a white suprematist idea. Where is the understanding of mistake and pain.

We are so alone and isolated in this generation and we are playing directly into the interests of those in power by further self-separating. Focus on some important fucking shit.

#essentially #get class conscious #explore spirituality #and understand that a human being is an astounding phenomenon and every single one is amazing and terrifying #and is worth the effort of understanding #and accepting #ok yeah I had 6 shots at 3pm whatever #but fr the time someone cut me off bc I said I don't care about hehim lesbians #like in real life #crazy shit (they later apologized which was sick as fuck of them) #just the fact it spills out beyond the internet is horrible and the internet isn't great itself #bc it could otherwise be utilized as an extremley effective tool for praxis #were it not for infighting #like. i know a lot of white queers who avoid 'straight' seeming poc or jocks or whatever the fuck #idk I understand anxiety fully #but if u continue to stay within a social comfort zone #you will never see the beauty of expression possible within humanity #and placing more value on queer white friends than a straigh black friend..... not great. it's not great. #implicitly aligning with your anxiety or discomfort over how another person operates #not great #I've seen queer white ppl treat homeless ppl like SHIT bc ' my anxiety!!' #its fucked up #and it makes me understand why certain demographics see queerness as a rich white phenomoneon (it's not but it makes me understand how ppl #can accept such a ridiculous narrative) #bc white queers such as myself only experiment with radical thought and action within the comfort of whiteness #anything outside that it's the same old white attitude towards others #idk like. what do u do when u meet a homeless guy who is antivax and scizo #do u jsut write him off as a loony conservative? anti lgbt? what do u do? #I've seen this contradiction arise and I'm #just deeply ashamed of how my community is prone to reacting

[writhe]

trying to play it REALLY COOL about needing to move out in a month and having nowhere to go

#i have one ideal lead but no way to get an answer #it feels less likely but not impossible #i have one backup but it’s less ideal and i don’t have much info #they might not end up wanting a housemate and we’d need to make sure the dogs get along #and theoretically an attic available but it would kinda be as a favor to me #which is like. cool and also hard #and i’m like. ok so when should i cancel my internet and utilities and i will probably need to rent a storage unit but i don’t want to do #anything that would be hard to reverse #i think once september comes i’m going to pack everything up so i can move quickly

[soul-our-punk]

What are we even doing here?

The more people who understand there are ways to meet your needs, and not at the cost of someone else's needs, the better. Particularly if they don't hold bigoted views which lead to silly things like going out of your way to prevent someone else from having their needs met. Making the world worse for someone because you don't know how to make it better for yourself. Life's hard enough without wasting your precious time, energy, and creative force on how to afflict your neighbor.

For my part, I like to think there are more people in the world who like the concept of mutual aid and are merely making do with the current capitalistic-zero-sum game until something better crystalizes--in spite of the system shouting so loud about itself, good or ill, in an effort to make it difficult to hear alternatives. Which is why I believe "solidarity over charity" is such an approachable proposition, regardless of the generation to which you have been ascribed by whomever does the sorting. I mean, Peter Singer was talking about this in the 70's. You have an obligation as a member of society to take measures to preserve wellness and uplift the vulnerable--give until giving any more would cause you harm. You get to decide where that dividing line is based on your finances, energy levels, social support network, available time, mobility, etc. As long as you set that line earnestly, then you are fulfilling the obligation which entitles you to the benefits of other member's solidarity.

The thing is, we're cornered. Restricted in analyses of all the options we could use to compose more humane systems. Isolated from what we could become, by a constant stream of shock doctrines induced by manufactured-disasters. So, mutual aid remains considered a coping strategy, rather than a cultural driving force for fundamental change, for the time being. Though, there's the rub, in that if there is always a new disaster, there is always a perceived need of relief prioritized over sustainable growth, which means the mutual aid has to become a political driving force to get ahead of the source of constructed woes.

I say that while also being painfully aware that discussion of any ideology beyond the current paradigm is defined by capitalistic expectations. Alternatives are invariably framed as monstrous inevitabilities in the supposed disastrous event of dismantlement, at least until they're cut open and adapted to fulfill a material component requisite to quell dissenting voices. "We can have social programs, yes, but it's not socialism, socialism is bad. Capitalism is good, which is why you have these social programs. Ignore other countries that have been providing more of these benefits for much longer, and devote more relative resources." Every other ideology is either fodder to be exploited for some new way to market what we have, or is dismissed/reviled for significant lack of traits that we already have in the devil we know. Which is very convenient for finding more fodder. Why would we want any system we make from here on anything like capitalism? We have to keep in mind that we are not looking for a better release appeal to make before an intractable captor. We are looking for the strategy that will attract enough confidence from fellow captives. To disenchant the captivated of the all consuming capitalist notion that virtue is derived from the free market's advertised high proficiency value generation.

What value? It definitely lets select groups pool resources, making their coffers more "valuable" in a fiscal sense, but where is the Value in that for a society? If its only claim to fame is that it can move numbers around faster and wont judge you for neglecting people's needs, then what does it actually do for us collectively that another system can't? Capitalism's whole premise relies on you not having enough, on you believing that there is not enough out there, that the only way you can have enough is to get there before someone else gets it and you're left with The Zero-Sum. But why would we take that on blind faith? What if there is a way to play the Positive-Sum game and we're just sitting on that because we assume its a fantasy?

How tragic to realize that the whole time you were suffering an obscene Sallie Mae loan, there could have been a non-tuition option. How mortifying to learn the medical bills that were artificially inflated by the relationship between the hospital and your insurance could have been handled by the taxes you already pay. The rent that serves as your proof of earning the right to live, assuaged with universal basic income. The chronic anxiety, stress, and aggression born from a machine of impersonal jobs that can leverage social class and basic needs to claim a third of your life for the least possible compensation possible; replaced with all the possibilities of a well rested mind and body.

Why would we as a collective people ever opt-in to the gamified social hierarchy?

What are we even still doing here?

#this was originally supposed to be a two sentence post #solarpunk #anti capitalism #mutual aid #zero sum #positive sum #solidarity not charity #universal healthcare #universal basic income #free education #right to housing #Also the internet should be recognized as an essential utility

[millionmovieproject]

In this episode, Jared & I discuss the conflict in #Haiti, & the end of the Affordable Connectivity Program (#ACP) that provides internet to 1 in 6 in the US, that will potentially strip the most vulnerable of internet access, & the need for #nationalization of utilities and services.

Jared also treats us to an original song.

#haiti #acp #affordable connectivity program #internet #internet access #war on the poor #disability #disability rights #nationalization #utilities #free internet #belize #oil drilling #gas drilling #alaska pipeline #fuck capitalism #capitalism kills #we live in hell #socialism now #abolish capitalism #peoples union #social contract #rbn #revolutionary blackout network #indie news #indie journalism #independent journalism #independent news #history #politics

[sharkieboi]

well i finally (technically) got wifi in my apartment!

#shhh sharkie #i’ve been just using my mobile hotspot or going to the library or work for internet things #it’s mostly been forgetting to do it rather than a reluctance or financial strain yknow? #tho looking at how this bill is going to evolve once the initial deal is up…we’re gonna have to finangle some shit #I still need a router and such but the like ‘public’ xfinity wifi is available so now i can actually connect #idk id just been putting it off. all of my other utilities are covered within rent besides internet so it hasn’t been super pressing #but i don’t want to keep eating through my phone data just to download episodes and movies to watch offline #or eating through it during telehealth appointments #lord knows it makes my phone a furnace for my weekly hour-long therapy appointment