I Quit. The Clankers Won

I quit. The clankers won.

… is what I’m reading far too often! Some of you are losing faith!

A growing sentiment amongst my peers – those who haven’t already resigned to an NPC career path – is that blogging is over. Coding is cooked. What’s the point of sharing insights and expertise when the Cognitive Dark Forest will feed on our humanity?

– To be fair it’s a valid choice in this economy. Clock in, slop around, clock out. Why not?

Phooey!

It’s never been more important to blog. There has never been a better time to blog. I will tell you why. We’re being starved for human conversation and authentic voices. What’s more: everyone is trying to take your voice away. Do not opt-out of using it yourself.

First let’s accept the realities. The giant plagiarism machines have already stolen everything. Copyright is dead. Licenses are washed away in clean rooms. Mass surveillance and tracking are a feature, privacy is a bug. Everything is an “algorithm” optimised to exploit.

How can we possibly combat that?

Just blog

From a purely selfish perspective it’s never been easier to stand out and assert yourself as an authority. When everyone is deferring to the big bullshitter in the cloud your original thoughts are invaluable. Your brain is your biggest asset. Share it with others for mutual benefit.

I find writing stuff down improves my memory and hardens my resolve. I bet that’s true for you too. It’s part rote learning part rubberducking. Writing publicly in blog form forces me to question assumptions. Even when research fails me Cunningham’s Law saves me.

– Some will claim writing into a predictive chat box helps too, and sure, they’re absolutely right!

Blogging makes you a better professional. No matter how small your audience, someone will eventually stumble upon your blog and it will unblock their path.

Don’t accept a fate being forced upon you.

Pay to play

The AI industry is 99% hype; a billion dollar industrial complex to put a price tag on creation. At this point if you believe AI is “just a tool” you’re wilfully ignoring the harm. (Regardless, why do I keep being told it’s an “extreme” stance if I decide not to buy something?)

The 1% utility AI has is overshadowed by the overwhelming mediocracy it regurgitates.

We’re saying goodbye to Sora. To everyone who created with Sora, shared it, and built community around it: thank you. What you made with Sora mattered, and we know this news is disappointing.

Is there anything, in the entire recorded history of human creation, that could have possibly mattered less than the flatulence Sora produced? NFTs had more value.

I’m not protective over the word “art”. Generative AI is art. It’s irredeemably shit art; end of conversation. A child’s crayon doodle is also lacking refined artistry but we hang it on our fridge because a human made it and that matters. We care and caring has a positive effect on our lives. When you pass human creativity through the slop wringer, or just prompt an incantation, the result is continuously morged; a vapid mockery of the input. The garbage out no longer matters, nobody cares, nobody benefits.

I forgot where I was going with this… oh right: don’t resign yourself to the deskilling of our craft. You should keep blogging! Take pride in your ability and unique voice. But please don’t desecrate yourself with slop.

Leave them behind

The only winning move is not to play.

We’ve gotten too comfortable with the convenience of Big Tech. We do not have to continue playing their game. Don’t buy the narratives they’re selling.

The AI industry is built on the predatory business model of casinos. Except they’ve forget the house is supposed to win. One upside of this looming economic and intellectual depression is that the media is beginning to recognise gate keepers are no longer the hand that feeds them. Big Tech is not the web. You don’t have to use it nor support it. Blog for the old web, the open web, the indie web – the web you want to see.

And if you think I’m being dramatic and I’ve upset your new toys, you’re welcome to be left behind in the miasmatic dystopia these technofacists are racing to build.