Digital Decalogue for a Better World
The internet is a blessing, a new Alexandria—affordable and global—within everyone's reach. One of humanity's greatest advances and an inexhaustible source of wisdom and functionality.
However, little remains of the hippie internet—selfless and collaborative—of its early days. The web is now a dark and aggressive marketplace of vested interests, with rather discreet ethical scruples. And—passive or heavily influenced—we allow ourselves to be swept along by it.
We're taking back control: we need to be more active online. Not more dynamic or productive, but more aware, more responsible, more sovereign. We're back at the helm of our own navigation.
1. Engage in active browsing. Decide what you want to see and when; choose where you want to look for it and why; have your own reference sources and, if you value them, subscribe (not everything can be free); avoid algorithmic recommendations and thescroll Exhausting. Make sure you're the one who found the information, not the other way around.
2. Prioritize stable online spaces: media websites, reputable blogs, association and organization websites, encyclopedias, thematic channels, service websites, etc. Look for the content that interests you on websites you trust. If the content finds you, be suspicious. Verify it with a reliable source before sharing it.
3. Reclaim stable digital spaces as a content generator as well. If you want to promote your activity through social media, make sure it's also accessible on your website. Don't risk losing your content and/or followers due to the platforms' business interests. Let your website (stable and secure) be the center of gravity of your digital identity, especially if you are an organization, a school, an institution, a collective cause... influencer If he wants to take the risk, he will. It won't be a great loss for humanity.
4. Resize your social media activity: reduce your screen time, delete apps, follow fewer accounts, and consider whether everything you post is relevant or simply a tribute to your vanity. If you do interact, be selective, prudent, kind, and above all, reasonable. Strive to be well-informed and develop sound arguments.
5. Preserve your mental health and cognitive ability. Indiscriminate exposure leads to addiction and frustration, destroying your ability to concentrate. Silence notifications, leave unnecessary groups, unsubscribe from marketing lists, and report unwanted services.spam and unwanted ads; set screen-free times and places –the table, the bed…–, don't check your phone for things you don't need to (the time, for example), don't expose children to screens –not even as an adult behavior pattern–, turn off notifications on your digital watch…
6. Remember the 'materiality' of the network. The ethereal term 'nigul' hides a solid reality: pollution, emissions, servers, electricity, water consumption (100 words in ChatGPT = 0.5 liters of water), minerals that strain geopolitics... Behind your last gadget AI hides war, misery, exploitation, child labor... Empty the cloud: disable backups, reduce email volume, empty trash, review your virtual storage, don't save or duplicate what you don't need, think before you send (one reel = 30 liters of water), releases the obsolete contents of the workspaces...
7. Remember that platforms are businesses (yes, Google too). Don't be dazzled by the "totally free" label: if you're not paying for a product (or service), you are the product. Don't feed the monopoly. There's more to life than Chrome, YouTube, Drive, or G Suite. Diversify and support open source, free software, and digital sovereignty.
8. Hide. The algorithm geolocates your soul and pierces it with telescopic aim. Don't make it easy for it: don't install 'apps' Unnecessary, do not accept cookies To prevent tracking, periodically clear your browsing history.
9. Reduce purchases on-lineE-commerce encourages consumer compulsion (24/7 global store); it belongs to large monopolies that impose their rules; it harms local commerce; it causes a large carbon footprint (one item, one recipient) aggravated by fast shipping or returns; and it generates a large bulk that is not always recyclable (30% of waste in the US).
10. Browse in Catalan: configure your browsing preferences in Catalan, index your content to make it linguistically crawlable, promote Catalan media, create content in Catalan, learn about and use the major Catalan tool packages (AccentObert, SoftCatalà)...
This is no small matter. It's the very line between freedom and alienation. The choice is yours. The internet can make you wise—in culture and self-control—or simply turn you into another digital idiot.