digital minimalism is conscious technology use it does not mean avoiding technology do not mean having more or less technology it's about avoiding rabbit holes avoiding Doom scrolling and avoiding mindless consumption I'm Jen Z I uploaded my first YouTube video in 2008 I have a degree in computer engineering and I earn a living online through social media I'm someone whose life depends on the internet yet the internet does not consume my life wasn't always this way life was gray addiction runs my family to something I experienced firsthand that manifested for a majority of my life there
was a reason I was raised by a single mother my dad gave into every impulse spending everything incapable of stopping incapable of self-governance I grew resentful of what he personified yet I did the same thing while I was committed to sobriety I gave into other impulses social media video games online shopping on demand streaming pornography years of my life were burned little was gained that used to be me I've learned from that I've since made tremendous progress in so many areas my life that I care about I realized that there was a of fire inside
of me long forgotten from years of complacency and tamame from contentedness I love technology and it's hard to see what's become I believe technology exists to improve the lives of people so when I look around it's hard not to ask does current technology do this iPad kids Tik Tok teenagers uninformed adults technology has promised us Utopia but instead delivered as a test those who passed gained skills unimaginable 30 years ago the ability to access infinite information reach millions of people delegate learn and grow those who fail lose their ability to focus become radicalized grow complacent
waste her lives away never achieves their aspirations this is perhaps the most important test we currently face humans seek things that they think will make them feel good and humans avoid things they think will make them cause pain technology companies will do everything to make you associate their apps with pleasure this is the foundation of habit formation it will make it painful they'll make it as painful as possible to leave it's the mission of these companies to show you ads therefore they maximize screen time and retention in order to keep you Cal their platform as
long as possible I'm out against YouTube I've met so many amazing people and I've been deeply humbled to serve my audience on this platform I'm not against consuming content it can Inspire inform and educate so many amazing ways I'm against mindlessness which is a default state of behavior should we fail to act differently our share culture has forgone Temperance for Indulgence discipline for Hedonism and hunger for contentedness we must reconsider life is a gift whether you like it or not your life is your message and I just wonder what is the message of Our Generation
I used to be right I used to be a waiter at a cheap Chinese restaurant and now I've seen hundreds of children being raised by algorithms and people who do not care about them most of their content currently online is the informational form of candy it is low in utility and high in pleasurability what is supposed to be a treat is now the main thing feeding their minds people 20 years older than them can barely self-regulate themselves online and we expect them to do the same change must start somewhere the little homies need people to
look up to becoming aware is the first step notice what you link pleasure to what do you link pain to next think about how you have lived how often you consume what is it composed of has your brain become so accustomed to the taste of candy that it no longer remembers what a wholesome meal tastes like next please next please realize this your sins have been forgiven there people who want to see you become strong you yourself desire strength and believing this aligns you when you seek strength suffering gains meaning but once what's use of
suffering is now the journey this becomes a conviction people look to you for strength I used to work in a call center and that experience Tau me how important linking pleasure to progress was the way one reacts to suffering is their character do we view it as reality or is it something we run away from or Embrace I also worked as a technician and a toyot ship and it taught me this troubleshooting is a process and every car is different something doesn't work must continue to try other things until one solution does we mustn't get
too attached to that solution cuz it might not work in the future what I've learned from being a YouTuber is this my greatest sin is not striving to become the best version of myself a bucket of water a bucket of water cast in The Stone may make no Mark but a single job falling day after day can carve its way into the Rock itself consistent effort no matter how small is a force that shapes both the world and the self I'll probably never be the best at anything I'll probably mess up a lot I probably
want to quit regardless never give up on yourself hello she probably me yeah my name is Eric I'm James and we are building a new social media app what really yes we got fed up with the way social media apps are today and so we want to build it totally different with a human centered business model no ads no tracking and good content good content yeah um so that sounds go to you the links down in the description um go check it out
