Doomscrolling

 

Let us face it.  Doomscrolling is on the upward trend.  It is everywhere, it is like everyone is on their mobiles.  It is not like an epidemic yet, but we are getting there.  By mentioning doomscrolling I am not just referring to negative news only (like it was the case when COVID first started), but all the social media platforms with short videos and reels which are really disruptive to day-to-day functioning.  COVID is long gone but the algorithms remain and will continue.  Everyone with a mobile and with free time is like a puppet so as to say for the social media algorithms which are getting more subtle and refined based on one's likes and obsessions and they feed these on and on without one even realizing it.  If you are not aware you can spend hours and hours just being a witness of such videos instead of doing something productive.  I myself have been increasingly distracted over the last month or so.

I always thought about what was so special with our generation and felt there were few positives for us overall.  As the years go by, I have come to realize that it is our generation who has seen the rise of technology through their teenage years and hence we know about the advantages and disadvantages.  I think this helps to find the right balance between using technology and maintaining human connections/relationships.  It is like we know the importance of both and finding the middle ground so to speak.  I am so glad I do not have to deal with something like watching reels before an important exam/test or meeting.

So what is the solution?  First off, I would like to mention it is not all bad.  There are a lot of good things, advice on such platforms which can help for self-improvement and goal setting, etc.  We cannot just label them all bad.  The problem is when it is not in moderation, when it is mindlessly going on for hours just wasting away your time.  Even the time spent watching four to five reels which is around 3-4 minutes can be utilized to be more productive and proactive.  There has to be a middle way or even better complete avoidance.  But really there is always the fear of missing out if there is complete avoidance/ban.  When I found myself on Instagram a lot I found the middle way by limiting the minutes I spent on the platform which in a way is a start.  I think another option is books.  I think reading books has been of immense help for me.  Reading about various topics has always been a passion for me and I am glad that has helped me.

In conclusion, it is hard to fathom that the mobile is just a highly advanced technological tool and we have to use it just as a tool.  There is nothing free about softwares or apps, they cost you your most valuable asset that is time.  Also, do not give the power to the developer of such algorithms over your free will.  Comment if you like to share anything related to this.  

A New Alias

 I have been transcribing/working a lot hence could not think of topics to blog about.

An interesting thing happened at work this last week.  Our team which comprises of 50 total was asked to choose a name and tagline for our team and in no time there were very many suggestions and many of them really good.

At first I was excited with the fact that a new kind of collective identity would be given and was happy with the novel idea suggested.  Later on as the suggestions started coming in our WhatsApp group I started thinking I should actively participate as well.  I started thinking deeply about a name.  I wanted it to be simple but at the same time stand out and also represent the value.  After a few searches for synonyms and inspired largely by the footpedal and amplifier company name I came up with The Sanguine Listeners.  I posted it on the group.  I was asked regarding the tagline which I did not really consider when thinking about the name.  It should have been thought of well in advance, but now I came up myself with tagline - Keen to confer a supportive ear - which I think went well with the name suggested.  I posted that in the group and that was the last message for this topic.  Although that name got shortlisted in top 5 it was not selected.  Many of the team members thought The Elite Achievers was more apt in the subsequent Zoom meeting.

I liked my effort so much though that I added to my Instagram description.

It made me think though what would have AI come up with, but there is no substitute for creativity and coming up with original ideas.  Perhaps it is something to leave for my next topic.

For now I generated an AI image from fotor.com:

AI is really taking this image generation from text to the next level though.