idk, maybe there's hope

Remember Monday, *glorious* Monday, when an anti-Semitic tweet looked like the week's worst event? Man, what I'd give to go back to a time when Donald Trump was our biggest problem. This has been a rough week, made no less rough by the fact that technology brings it so close. But tech also lets people share moments of joy, so ... idk, maybe there's hope.

friiiiiiidaaaaaaaaay (link)

1. Geofilters are the new hastags. (And Foursquare places. And Instagram shades.) They're like the one-step method to give any snap more cultural cache. An entire industry of artists sells customized filters for everything from brands to house parties. Of course, we're convinced these will soon become the newest frontier of trolling...

2. Untangling the logic of false-flaggers. Are they unhinged, self-delusional -- or just insecure? Research into the Internet's most infuriating subculture suggests mistrust and powerlessness may be to blame. (Which in no way excuses the fact that truthers troll/harass the victims of tragedies.)

3. Instagram is ruining art. Or ... something. I honestly can't say I follow this essay with 110% clarity. But the general thrust of it, from what my middling intellect grasps, is that digital tools allow anyone to make "art", and their art -- hence the scare quotes! -- is bad.

4. Virtual reality will never feel real until it moves outside our heads. Those goofy goggles are all well and good, but they only cover a single sense. What if we could walk around in VR, or feel that it's warm, or smell stuff in the air? Several companies are working on ways to make VR feel more like life IRL.

5. Are you on Slack right now? Then maybe don't read this. Terraform's absurdist sci-fi shorts consistently kill it.

>> You can download these links (and several others!) as a free ebook here.

who wore it better: marilyn monroe, philly subway guy ... or ✅ BEAGLE PUPPY?
(link)

Postscripts: Peak peak. Godspot. Da Share Z0ne. Yet another way to kill yourself via smartphone. The poet laureate of Twitter and the man behind NoFap. The forgotten early histories of fan fiction and the modern Internet. Does anyone ever finish YouTube courses? (I made it to yoga day three.) "Hella noms" and "lots of dranks" sound A+, actually. Explaining Trump's Twitter madness and the power that your Facebook feed has. This has to be the most insane Usenet story I have ever read.

Buzzfeed vs. the YouTubers; you vs. your Facebook feed. How Amazon's old-school reviewers influence what you read. How livestreaming has changed the way we witness violence. What videos of killings do to our mental health. Last, and very probably least: Of COURSE Snapchat becomes uncool when I join it myself. (I'm @cedewey, in case you are also old/still into it.)

Until next week!
@caitlindewey

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