Leaving the Information Superhighway

This piece is largely an opinionated rant.

It's been a long time coming. The truth is, regardless of what's being posted there, social media has largely become a really negative force in my life. My usage of the internet after 2020 largely boiled down to arguing with people over generally stupid topics, some semblance of vanity and self-obsession, and doomscrolling.

Lots of doomscrolling.

These apps that were once prized for their quick information access and social connectivity have largely become a plague on my life. This is, of course, in large part due to my entirely unmanaged anxiety and paranoia regarding these platforms, and their broader contribution to the devolution of our progressive society as a whole. Now that the owners of these superhighways have made their stances clear, I have an obligation to as well. 

Rise of the Scooby-Doo villains

I think it’s clear who we’re talking about here - these giants tower over our society in both capital and control. They have accomplished only one thing. It’s becoming entirely clear that we can no longer engage with or discuss our ideals on platforms that are openly hostile to discussion that does not meet the narrative.

This is why sites like Bluesky are hugely important. They provide an example of a platform that has yet to bend the knee to the larger conservative movement; something desperately needed when they’re attempting to wrestle control from our hands. The mass exodus from the bird corpse cannot be ignored, and it’s still picking up steam. This, coupled with the massive shift to the right by the OG data dickhead’s nearly dictatorial leadership, indicates a desperation that seems to permeate the tech sphere right now. Regardless of their smug looks while sitting behind their orange puppet, these leaders are scared. People are growing restless, and it’s starting to redirect to the true culprits.

I believe this is part of why we saw immediate, drastic actions on the 20th. They feel emboldened by their victory, like they can do anything, like there’s nothing that can touch them. That’s not true. All of these men have made their bed, and they’ve all jumped in with the orange puppet. It’s clear they’re all running from something; prison, ousting as chair, decimation of their net worth and immediate value, and a certain Nintendo character are all clear and present in their minds. We cannot let them forget that we have seen their fear. No matter how much they deny it, they too are running from something.

Heading into the mountains

The nicest thing I have done recently was leave.

My darling boyfriend and I took a day trip to drive out, away, anywhere but here. He drove us so far we ended up in the mountains, far away from the Monday I had been fearing for months. I’ll remember it for the rest of my life.

We stopped at a lake, skipping rocks and laughing at how terrible I am at it. The air was cold and wet, and felt pristine to breathe. There were logs covered in ice, and frost forming on the grass. The water was crystal clear, its surface reflecting the mountains around us. I was reminded that, no matter what, these mountains and this lake and these rocks will always be here. They will always change shape, move around, flow and bend and roll and run and freeze. That’s part of life - change is all around us. It never stops, it never slows down, it’s the one universal constant. Things will change.

It won’t always be like this. Men will die, minds will change, people can grow. Regimes can end, empires can fall, and life will always continue. It’s our responsibility to do what we can to make it as good as possible in the meantime. And sometimes, this means a change of scenery. 

Exodus is not cowardice

I’m not going to stop being me, I’m not detransitioning, I refuse to give these assholes an inch. I will hold on to my HRT and my life that I love with the entire might of my rage, and the convalescing power of empathy. I will not remove the sticker from my car, I will not remove the flag from my window, I will not hide who I am in public. I will not stop being myself.

Leaving a website is not vanishing. Choosing not to give a horrible person money via advertising revenue is not suppression. I do not feel like my voice has been silenced, instead, I feel like I am making it heard loud and clear. I will no longer participate in a platform that actively supports and promotes harm to those who are most vulnerable.

You bastards have tried this for years, and years, and years. Do you think history will remember you kindly? Do you think that people like me will forget, that we will stop writing, that we will just roll over and die?

We will leave your platforms, we will fight you where it hurts. We will take your money, and in doing so a part of your mind. By leaving these websites, not only are you removing yourself from the pool of propaganda and fear, but you broaden your horizons to greater platforms that share similar ideals to you. You don’t have to give these people any more money than they already have, and the easiest way to do so is to simply remove your eyes from their ads. Because at the end of the day…

It’s not about the money…it’s about sending a message

Actually, it’s really all about the money, but the Joker had a point.

Every moment you spend on reels, every time you scroll through posts on the facial book, every time you post on that stupid former bird app, you are viewing advertisements. They are EVERYWHERE. You cannot escape them, you cannot block them, trust me, I have tried over and over and over and they always figure out a way around. These advertisements are their lifeblood. That’s why they’re so desperate to ban adblockers, to push more AI garbage and engagement in their platforms (although AI is more of a propaganda tool at this point, advertisements are hard to work in). That’s why their bid for control over TikTok was so successful. Advertisers are the lifeblood of American politics. None of these social media platforms would exist without it. Sub-economies of agencies and partnerships between brands and developers thrive on platforms that actively engage with large-scale advertisement; it’s just a fact.

The only way to combat this is to simply stop looking at them. Which, in turn, implies leaving the platform. There are better alternatives, after all - and maybe we’d all be a little better off mentally without the constant doom-posting. You can make this choice at any time; if you are a business, certainly this is not an easy choice, but private users have always had this choice.



You are not bound or restricted to a single platform. You are not obligated to continue posting somewhere that is actively hostile to you and your beliefs. You are free to choose the content you consume, and this choice enables you to strike them where it hurts. They’ll never see your snide post calling out their hypocrisy, or your small website where you write little things that only some people will ever see. They’ll never see your #RESIST post, or even care about it in the slightest. What they will see is their numbers, and the more those numbers go down, the more the power dynamic shifts. Whether you like it or not, YOU are one of those numbers.

The highway beckons

It’s no coincidence that these websites are designed to maximize dopamine while simultaneously exposing you to information you don’t want to see, or that directly contradicts your beliefs. The algorithms have taken over, they dictate what you hear and see now. Your interests fuel their never-ending content system, while feeding you non-stop “information”. Whether the information is true or not does not matter (this is why the cessation of fact-checking services does not surprise me - there was no way to keep up with the absolute torrent of disinfo that’s being generated by both users and AI every day); what matters is that it reaches your eyeballs and that your brain sort-of-sometimes processes it.

They use this system to stir fear and discontent, to make you feel powerless and helpless. To remind you that there are awful things happening everywhere, all around you, on distant continents, and here at home. This is TRUE - these things are happening. But the goal of this onslaught is not to empower you with knowledge about how to effectively fight back, nor is it to encourage action on these immediate pressing issues. It exists simply to overwhelm you, to drown you under the weight of a thousand atrocities, to bury you in your own mind.

I know this is the case, because I too have yet to fully free myself of these mental chains. They are a blight on our society - they keep those of us who are passionate, empathetic, and human chained to a never-ending paranoia cycle of fear, distrust, and hatred. No one person was meant to know everything that is happening in the world all the time. We were not designed for a 24/7 news cycle, we were not designed for scrollable media formats. The only thing the news is breaking is your amygdala. If you are living on every word that comes out of DC, on the hope and a prayer that you’ll see some news article that will confirm or deny your fears while constantly feeling your fight or flight response, something is wrong. This is how I have felt for years - it’s like being at the top of a roller coaster, just before the drop, constantly.

They want us to hate each other, to divide us. It’s not just the red-hatters that are riled up by this - everyone wants an excuse to hate someone else. It is our responsibility to shed ourselves of this hatred, to bridge gaps in our communities with empathy and care. This does not mean letting our guard down, to be clear; ultimately, we require a form of defence when threatened by tyranny. It should be clear by now who our shield should be pointed towards, and who we must defend. Our aggressors are clearly defined. We do not need to be constrained to their battlefields. Our greatest assets lie within meters of us, not kilometers.

Is posting praxis? 

Maybe. What I do know is that prior to the dividing lines placed around these walled gardens, social media was a valuable and powerful tool in both uniting the masses and mutual aid. These places still exist, and are growing by the day. Engagement in these platforms and helping with growth are all things you can do to help spread the word. You can use these emergent platforms to connect with creators who discuss the topics that are most prevalent and important to you, while also making your voice heard once again.

It’s not the end of the world to change where your voice is being heard. You do not have to fight this fight on their battlefields. In fact, you might reach more people, and help unite our country further in a time where we desperately need to stand together. Strike a blow, and stand up for yourself at the same time.

There are people who are ready to fight these battles. You will find allies everywhere you turn, there are people who will stand behind you when things get rough. We focus so much on the negative now, that feeling any semblance of positivity feels like a betrayal. I am so sick of this feeling, that living your life and existing is, in some way, an affront. There are so many voices saying that we should give up, or that it’s all over, or that they’re certain they’re going to die. I am tired of being one of those voices. I am disgusted that they have stolen my words, they have hijacked my mind and my thoughts to spread their fear and lies and deceit, all while stealing from us in broad daylight.

It’s time to leave the Information Superhighway, and gain your voice back.

published 1/27/2025 looona.io