Writing is too efficient
Why the attention economy sucks for ideas. Also: Algorithm blues, foibles of the left/right, and why you should beware of Japanese toilets.
Reading is over. It’s a podcast, livestream, and clip world now. Media platforms spent years promising a “pivot to video.” They neglected to mention it would also mean a pivot away from literacy.
Why is all this happening? Well, there’s the whole “people are dumb and lazy” thing. But we also need to examine the incentives at play. These platforms need to monetize attention – and the written word is actually too efficient at expressing ideas.
In effect, writing is a compression algorithm. A 1,000 word essay that takes ten minutes to read frequently contains deeper ideas than three hours of pundits pontificating. That’s good for reasoning but terrible for an advertising model built on capturing attention. So they keep shoving us into less efficient ways of transmitting ideas that generate more watch time because…ka-ching.
Video wants you to streeeeeetch, writing wants you to wrap it up.
Writing is hard because writing is thinking – and that’s why so few people want to do it anymore. Writing imposes a tax while talking requires no such toll. Of course, that’s also what makes the written word so valuable.
Want to know whether I take an influencer/podcaster seriously?
Show me something they’ve written.
Oh, they don’t write?
Some thinker.
We should reframe writing as the respectful way to express ideas. After all, it requires the author spend time, thought, and consideration upfront. It’s not just plugging in a mic and riffing between ad reads for BetterHelp. In the end, that means more ideas/minute get expressed and consumed.
The business of attention is throttling society’s bandwidth. We’re seeing the horrific effects of that everywhere. And we’ll keep getting more of the same as long as we optimize for minutes consumed instead of ideas transmitted.
Algorithm Blues
by Matt Ruby
crypto
slop bowls
fake lips
feet pics
weed vapes
deep fakes
prop bets
brain meds
AI
looooong sigh
poppin’ gummies
scrollin’ mummies
culture chewed
people screwed
robot prose
QR codes
IVF fertility
NFT tranquility
putting CBD
on your OCD
woo woo chews
podcast news
subscription dues
got me singing those
algorithm blues
Media
Generally speaking, I find people who say “comms” to be terrible at communicating.
Social media is largely incapable of comprehending art that isn’t propaganda.
It’s the golden age of mental illness disguised as moral superiority.
The big problem is there’s no way to grift online by being a reasonable centrist.
Tell them things they either love or hate and you’ll get rich. Tell them things that are true and you’ll go broke.
The internet has murdered persuasion, negotiation, seduction, and compromise. All these things are essential to a functional society. Yet online, they’ve come to be considered as forms of weakness.
Every voice note you leave subtly communicates “my time is more valuable than yours.”
I like when Wordle asks me if I want to “admire puzzle,” like it’s some kinda Rembrandt painting instead of me needing five tries to get puppy.
Tech
We overindexed on optionality and destroyed commitment. Now we’re all hunt and no peck.
Let me get this straight: You think the robots will take over the world AND you’re installing one of those Japanese toilets in your bathroom? Um, where do you think the robot takeover will begin!? You’re dangling your junk over the enemy every day. Good luck with that.
“Shotgun!” Feels archaic now because smartphones changed car seat physics. Passenger seat used to be prime real estate. But now, it means ya gotta talk to the driver (yawn!) when you could be in the back seat scrolling the whole time.
Longevity is all the rage. OK, but it’s kinda odd how much these middle-aged guys are trying to live forever while also complaining about how their elderly parents are in a home, have dementia, etc. These longevity bros better figure out how to start cloning Filipino home healthcare workers too.
I think we’re 1) not supposed to be anonymous, 2) should live in groups of ~150 people, and 3) die before we’re 80...and everything that’s going wrong in society is because we ignore all that. We defy nature and pay the consequences.
Emolution: The evolution of emojis…
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Now that’s how you big up the Rubesletter. Thanks, Sean. Go ahead and share this if you wanna help spread the word too…
Jokes
On the right
Racism is a way for poor people to cosplay as elites.
I’ve found a good way to end wars is to not have real estate developers doing the negotiations.
Iran is the Road Runner and Trump is the coyote.
“Hate all you want, but I rock with this administration. It’s been wonderful for us!”
-Measles“In the future, everyone will be on the phone with Mitch McConnell for 15 minutes.”
-Republican Andy WarholI feel like gay men know exactly what happened to Lindsey Graham. So I guess he died the same way he lived.
It’s amazing how much people think the elites are incompetent and can’t be trusted…yet also believe they’re able to pull off stunning conspiracies and keep them covered up forever. Pick a psyop lane.
Outrageous! Pete Hegseth just announced you can only serve in the military if you remind him of this Burt Reynolds centerfold…
On the left
“Gen Z doesn’t realize they’re ushering in Sharia law.” Hmm, really? So I looked up what Sharia Law means: No drinking. Clothing that hides your body. No premarital sex. Censored speech. Severe punishments for thought crimes. Wow. Got some bad news: I’m pretty sure Gen Z is already living under Sharia law. 😂
The far left: “Stop Asian hate.”
Me: “Israel is in Asia.”
The far left: “Well, we can make an exception.”If you love wombs and hate testosterone, are you a feminist or transphobic?
All these tough guy beverages (Liquid Death, Monster Energy, etc.) got me thinking we need more Lib-coded drink options...
- Simp Energy Drink
- Snowflake Coffee
- Safe Space Seltzer
- AOC IPASpotted in Tribeca the other night. It’s like an Edward Hopper painting but for the girlies:
Behind the paywall
Musings on the news, mannequins, physics, bad lettuce, climate change, soccer fans, and more…
