#021: Why do things jump out when they're least expected?
Messed up algorithms, mountain life, May 9 elections, and more tiny yet precious life moments
Hey, there! Thanks for reading OK to BE. This is a Sunday newsletter, which means it may or may not be every Sunday but you will receive it on a Sunday, for sure. Here, I share about my creative journey—from reading and writing to making art and helping other people with their projects—and a bit about me and my sometimes-silly adventures. If anything resonates, do write back or leave a comment, and I shall reply! Also, this is a public dispatch, so feel free to share with friends, especially those looking for a reader, writer, or editor to work with. Enjoy! :)
Not breaking news: Social media algorithms suck. In the recent past, mine has been showing me more posts from people I don’t follow and posts from people that the people I follow have liked, and then little to none from the people I follow and care about. I have tweaked my settings multiple times, but this whole menace of a specifically designed system just gets in there and does its thing, genuine relevance to the users be fcked.
Intermission number, ~random algorithm-style! Friendly kids I made friends with while at the beach a couple of weeks ago. How relevant is this post to your life? Haha, you decide! But look at them, they’re adorable
Sometimes I’m in the mood to play along, but all that chaotic mess makes it easier for me to put down my phone. My app notifs are also curated because mental peace-wise,
It is frustrating because I do love engaging on these ~networking platforms; I come from the dial-up Internet era like many of my peers and know the good that can come from online participation. For simple examples, I get some of my sideline projects from social media, plus the latest of all latest news and information. But God help us all, browsing through sifted-but-unsifted-but-then-again-sifted content IS exhausting.
But also fascinating. Because, yes, I know it’s data and all that, but just how ‘smarter’ have these algorithms become? How much of our scrolling lives can they now really capture and predict? There have been plenty of times—too plenty of times—I have looked at something on my feed and then internally screamed because “what! the! creep! my phone knows everything!”? And since the Internet is a comedian, of course my feed also shows me things that I don’t really need to see or know about (hence the first paragraph).
Or maybe not. Maybe I do need to see or know about those things. Nothing in this world, according to faith and science, is a coincidence, after all; there’s always rhyme and reason. So if my social media algorithms are the way they are, no matter how diligently I sweep around, then fine (for now). I then should always take the responsibility of being smarter than my algorithms and compartmentalize, verify, and deconstruct what is being fed to me—and so should everybody else.
Now, please humor me: What appears as the latest on your feed (any social media feed) at the moment? Feel free to send screenshots, if you want to!
~*Creative stuff*~ I’ve been up to
Writing and drawing sessions on the OK to BE Discord
OK to BE: Slow - I worked with @beawilderment on this issue! She wrote the most perfect song. There’s a performance video, too, when you get a copy!
~Vlogs: Mountain life in Kapatagan, Digos
Featured
Ilocano word: pigad (rubbing one’s soles on a rug/cloth / also used to refer to rug)
Binisaya word: langgam (bird)
Bibi Mangki #thereadingmonkey’s sixth (!) birthday
NEW BOOK ALERT! Take Two by Kaith C. Cimafranca - Pre-order a copy via the link below! Full disclosure: I’m working on this project ^_^
More new #romanceclass books! I beta read for Love to Meet You by Jay E. Tria, and I’m excited to see the published version. Yey!
Egg Soup Sunday by Fay Sebastian, illustrated by Arli Pagaduan
“Pandemic elections: Your step-by-step guide to voting on May 9” - My voting status is ACTIVE, and I AM READY TO VOTE para sa isang gobyernong tapat kung saan angat buhay lahat 🌸🌸🌸
That’s all for now! I hope you picked up something fun or useful. See you in the next one ☀️
Latest posts
Substack
Patreon
Help keep this newsletter going! Buy me a coffee.
✨ Shout out to my patrons and the OK to BE Discord community
🥳 For more, check out all my links or subscribe to my YouTube channel
There's nothing on my news feed since I've deactivated my one and only social media account sincerely November 😂 i guess I haven't moved on from the quieter early 2000s internet era.
A quote I read somewhere about social media stuck with me:
"Social media is like giving everyone the spotlight and a megaphone, including toxic people."
But then again, social media is like fire. It all depends on how you use it. Will you use it to keep yourself warm, or burn yourself and everything around you?