Snippet: On Tech Negativity ☇

Lee Peterson:

I realise as I look at my last few weeks on here that my posts and probably my Twitter use has moved to the more negative view of tech or complaining about stuff.

This has got me thinking about what I do and write about here. I’m trying to write about passions but I think tech has turned into something I’m not as passionate about as I used to be. Tastes change over time and I feel gaming and Star Wars remain more positive but I think I’m run down by the tech news cycle and general lack of innovation.

I’ve had moments like this and it really feels like the 2010-2014 run was truly the salad days of the smartphone and social media era. I don’t dislike Big Tech™, but I’m finding that I enjoy social media much less, especially with the business side of many services being much more heavy-handed and cutting into the creativity side of the user experience, not to mention creepiness or trying to hog every last ounce of attention. For Apple, the Mac is relatively mature and boring (in the best way possible) and iOS/iPadOS have matured to the point that they also are starting to feel more iterative. It’s not that I dislike them, but there’s arguably less to write about. Beyond that, there are just some topics that seem to be the focus of most technology coverage that I either have no interest in or actively dislike.

All of this is fine—just as tastes and interests change, so do the topics covered on a site like mine. I don’t go into each day thinking of what I’m going to complain about, as I’d much rather share things that are interesting or bring me joy. If we have a stretch where the tech news cycle feels a bit tiresome, I may cut back on posts.