Friction and the internet
Friction is an undeniable aspect of our reality. And like any aspect of reality, balance is key. Too much friction is, well, too much. And, too little is, you guessed it, too little. Profound, I know. But, could the web use more?
We can see the negative side of too little friction playing out right now on the web. Never before have we had such easy access to information, news, media, art and everything in between. Heck, we just call it "content" now, as everything is made to be consumed. Since Capitalism without morality seeks to extract as much value as possible, our own attention has been turned into a commodity.
Without friction, we get thoughtless commodification. With too much friction we end up with a sort of gate-keeping, potentially barring people from participating in a certain activity. The right balance? Likely ever shifting within the context of the current times and with each individual.
We don't want to gate-keep people, but I think it's clear having our attention reduced to commodity means we're living in a slippery, friction-less warehouse of extraction. How much content on Social Media is about how to make (viral) content on Social Media? As Kevin Munger argued:
'“Communication within the YouTube Apparatus has no meaning.” The rapid feedback loop between creators and audiences (as constructed by platform metrics) means that the system more and more responds to itself. Rather than trying to go somewhere (as is the case with political ideology), the creator seeks simply intensification, to draw more and more of the world into his whirlpool of content.'
Growing up with the early internet I'm definitely disenchanted with today's landscape. I honestly can't stomach social media any more. Even substack and newsletters have their icky side. People aren't just writing anymore, they're writing so you can "attract your DREAM clients!" "grow your reach 10x!" or sign up to their new "life-changing course with 4000+ students transforming their lives!!!!"
It's as if the loss of friction in terms of publishing, has moved the effort away from original, heartfelt thinking towards growth and engagement optimization.
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Part of the IndieWeb carnival, January 2025
