From likes to loathes

a digital recluse in an email cave

Things changed for many of us in the last four years. Before the big social shift, I had already begun to recoil. At the age for 47, I was slipping deeper into a cave of retreat. My children were soon to launch. The world had lost its luster. I had become happy to hide.

The impact of the lockdowns is still with me. I don’t like going out. I don’t public spaces. Most of all though, I’m really suspicious of people. No, I’m not concerned with their germs. I’m happy getting both Covid and covid shots and the flu and flu shots. Getting sick is a pain in the arse. Unlike many, I’m not afraid of that. Nor am I afraid of needles.

And?

I think that the ugly, social media vomits of judgement that were barfed hither and tither through 2020 and 2021 has had an impact on me that I haven’t shook.

People I once loved?

I kinda hate.

Old friends who have taken passionate stances on issues online consistently reshare things they only marginally mean. They lack nuance. They frequently speak in absolutist, rig…