ARTISTS REVOLT AGAINST SOCIAL MEDIA (Deep Questions with Cal Newport)
8119 sats \ 11 comments \ @sebastix 12 Apr podcasts
Deep Questions podcast 295 with Cal Newport
I’m a fan of Cal Newport and the content he creates. It’s mostly about how to keep your (digital) distractions under control by using different deep-work methods. It’s basicly a way of living by making your day a good day.
Link to view the podcast: https://piped.r4fo.com/watch?v=KcQMt9HabqA The part I would like to highlight is discussed in the first 32 minutes.
In this episode Cal takes a closer look at a growing trend of artists quitting social media and instead reverting to old fashioned websites. Are these acts of principled sacrifice or a sustainable way to be creative online? Cal argues for the latter, showing how the internet without social media curation algorithms can be a place of rich discovery and audience building. He then takes questions on similar topics and ends by playing a few rounds of “deep or crazy” during the final segment.
Some video’s which are part of this revolt:
Let me try to summarize some important parts of Cal his analysis.
What are the main reasons why artists are stopping with social media?
  1. Social media is controlling and reducing the quality of their art
  2. The algorithms are rewarding sameness and not uniqueness
  3. Social media is making them unhappy
  4. They didn’t get into social media for social validation
Cal dives shortly into the history of the internet and the discoverability challenges / problems with the web (networks of networks of networks). He also is mentioning the value of serendipity discovery mechanisms.
👀 At 16m45s Cal is discussing and drawing the concept of a distributed trust model, this is where the nostreness kicks in! This is a clip worth checking out from 22m28 till 23m22s of the podcast:
https://shares.sebastix.dev/mYIzuTLC.mp4
Link to the show and all notes: https://www.thedeeplife.com/podcasts/episodes/ep-295-artists-revolt-against-social-media/
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161 sats \ 0 replies \ @OriginalSize 12 Apr
I've been a fan of Cal's since Deep Work but I had no clue that he's been doing a podcast for almost 300 episodes! I can't imagine how many of my future hours are now spoken for with this trove.
Love the topic as well. We need more stories of creators who've gone their own way and built successful sustainable lives as a result. SN can be a part of that I think. Bitcoin definitely should.
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153 sats \ 3 replies \ @elvismercury 12 Apr
I don't know a lot about Cal Newport but have been intrigued by what I do know -- his focus on curating your own attention / mental workspace really resonates with me. And he's been preaching about this idea for a long time.
I look forward to listening to the podcast, thanks for finding it and for the nice summary!
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221 sats \ 2 replies \ @k00b 12 Apr
Cal is a total phenom. I read How to Become a Straight-A Student back in college, which IIRC he wrote while he was getting straight A's at Dartmouth as a CS undergrad before going to MIT for his Phd in CS.
Then he came out with Deep Work which was enough proof for me that he's an insane talent or had really figured something out.
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108 sats \ 1 reply \ @elvismercury 12 Apr
I hadn't seen that one. My days of trying to be a straight-A student are behind me, but sometimes these things are useful beyond their stated scope. Is this an example?
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27 sats \ 0 replies \ @k00b 12 Apr
It's written for a college audience and most of what's said has been said better elsewhere. But it's a short read and as an application of learning/memory research, it's very accessible. Most of what I remember:
  • spaced repetition for memory
  • study in public for the sensation of being held accountable
  • scheduling/blocking time for studying/homework to avoid cramming (kind of a prelude to Deep Work)
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41 sats \ 0 replies \ @erict875 12 Apr
What I suspect to be the root problem is that, to be creative, we need to disconnect from time to time, but social media is designed specifically to prevent this.
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31 sats \ 0 replies \ @StillStackinAfterAllTheseYears 12 Apr
Cal's been making this case for a while -- gave a TED talk almost ten years ago (long before a lot of the current issues or even tools were prominent), and he's got great points. Adding this 'cast to my list.
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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @BitcoinIsTheFuture 13 Apr
Interesting thanks for sharing. Will be interesting to see what comes next!
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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @saunter 12 Apr
Love cal, thanks for this post
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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @franzap 12 Apr
Great find!
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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @Coinsreporter 12 Apr
Social media sucks! I haven't been using them for as long as a decade now. They are worthless, except sometimes you get some information and value from them.
They certainly aren't the place anymore for a creative artist.
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