Algorithms, fueled by big data, have transformed our time and attention into commodities that are sold to the highest bidder.

We have become the unwitting pawns whose choices, beliefs, and desires are shaped to serve the goals of corporations instead of our own.

Told that we are free (You can be/do anything) but also that we are not enough (Be a better, optimized version of yourself) we constantly strive to improve ourselves by rushing to the next thing that promises relief.

How free can we be when the world’s brightest minds and most powerful technologies combine and dedicate their efforts to convince us to ‘like’, ‘click’, ‘subscribe’, and ‘buy’.

It seems to be easier to continually work on improving ourselves than to simply be who we already are.

We are now brands or projects that need to be worked on continuously. We try to improve without realizing that we are already enough.

Pushing back feels like fighting the ocean with a stick.

So maybe we take a small step instead.

Maybe we stop scrolling so much, put our devices away for a bit, embrace the analog, and rediscover what it’s like to look at the world beyond the boundaries of our digital sidekicks.