Could it be the incentives? With regard to books, paintings, theater, etc. you have an incentive to produce something that is meaningful or at least entertaining. Generally the artist is attempting to turn abstract thoughts or ideas into something real or quantifiable.
But TV and Social Media have their incentives twisted. It's just about ads. They don't really care what you are seeing as long as you are seeing as many ads as possible. The joke about TV was that a valid description of it was advertisements with a little bit of entertainment sprinkled in throughout.
I'm not saying that people haven't been able to use these platforms to build anything meaningful, but that the incentives and the purpose of these platforms are not to entertain, but to keep you glued to the feed for as long as possible to see as many ads as possible (which is why I think "rage bait" is so common).
This sounds like the software engineering equivalent of setting up an Amazon business account to get into drop shipping. IMO if it becomes easier for any random person to dump AI generated SAAS apps it will only strengthen the current big players.
Remember how Brick and Mortar was dead because of online shopping? Who knew in 2024 I'd be more likely to head out to an actual store than risk purchasing some sketchy product off Amazon, but I can imagine that if we do eventually actually get to a future where the world is filled with the white noise of SAAS garbage coming out left and right anyone actually interested in mitigating risk for their business is going to learn quickly to err on the side of caution.
If anyone and everyone can emit noise then that becomes the baseline, and people will catch on quick to find those that rise above.
When I read these things I sometimes get this sense that there is this feeling of "superiority" with respect to leisure and family time from Europeans. I can't help but constantly think about how a lot of European countries got to this point because of the mass subjugation of other humans (think Africa and the Caribbean). For example, the current crisis in Haiti makes me think of the Haitian Independence Debt[0]. Sometimes I feel like a lot of the West is like a trust fund baby, where we live off the hard and dirty work of our parents, and turn a blind eye to the mass destruction of the earth and the countless millions of peoples lives who, even to this day, we take advantage of.
So I'm very glad the French can get 2 hours in the middle of the day to hang out and eat home cooked meals, while the earth slowly starts to boil around them, and while millions of people still suffer to this day because of actions their country has taken in the recent past.
I'm not saying that I don't believe humans should have more family time, more leisure time, and a better quality of life; but I do feel like we haven't done anything yet as a greater society to earn that right yet, as almost everything our foundation is built on seems incredibly unsustainable, and still needs a lot of work and thought put into it to get us there.
Pros:
* cost of living is very cheap
* ~4 hours from Boston, nyc, Toronto
* lots of nature
* for the col, there is a solid quality of life
* winters are not as bad as it’s portrayed in media
Cons:
* crime and poverty for the city size
* typical rust belt issues (although Micron still says they are coming)
I work remote and live very well in this area, and I’m sort of a home body so I mostly enjoy a quiet chill life with my family. I usually have to go to the office in nyc a few times a year (55 min flight) and that lets me get my fix of food and fun so it has worked for me for the past several years since I have bought a house here
But TV and Social Media have their incentives twisted. It's just about ads. They don't really care what you are seeing as long as you are seeing as many ads as possible. The joke about TV was that a valid description of it was advertisements with a little bit of entertainment sprinkled in throughout.
I'm not saying that people haven't been able to use these platforms to build anything meaningful, but that the incentives and the purpose of these platforms are not to entertain, but to keep you glued to the feed for as long as possible to see as many ads as possible (which is why I think "rage bait" is so common).