Post

I've been really struggling with figuring out how I want to use Blue Sky. I feel like we're constantly trained to focus on the negatives here, either by complaining about things directly or by advocating. While there is some value to either (pointing out problems, trying to convince of solutions)...

Both are fundamentally focused on the negatives of the world. And, like, those *are* worth trying to address. We can't make the world a better place without trying to address them in some way. But at the same time, I've found myself realizing something.

You see, I often think to myself, "I miss the old Internet." But what is it that I miss? And really, it's people coming together to focus on the positive. Shared creativity, shared fandom. Maybe we criticize something, but it's something we love, and analyzing it is part of the fun!

And so I'm trying to figure out how to approach Blue Sky with more of that old, positive attitude. I find myself thinking about something I read somewhere—or heard, whatever—that it's safer to be negative about things.

The observation was basically that being a hater is less risky than being a lover, and it's easy to create a hater bandwagon. But, like...

And it feels kinda similar. We all want shields, I guess, to protect ourselves from social criticism. I'm certainly no different. But does that result in the kind of Internet I long for, the one my rose-tinted glasses remembers? I don't think it does.

So I'm trying to figure out how to even approach social media in that sort of positive, "I like thing!" way. Because I fear the criticism, the dogpiling, and all of the awful things social media has become known for. But more than that, I feel like I don't see what I'm looking for modeled.