Thank you so much for this comment! Really. It's such a relief every time I see someone talk about the strangeness of recovering from Covid, especially in terms of its cognitive effects. I mention "idiotic early Stephen King novels" in this post, but man. Even those were difficult. What I was actually reading were the Redwall children's books about little mice going on big adventures. (Also blorbo romance novels posted on AO3, because of course.)
And thank you for acknowledging that being online can be difficult, even when you're not actively on social media. I think it's partially a subtle trauma response, and it's partially enshittified web design, and it's partially an effect of all the gunpowder in the air. But also, for me, there are bonus dangers, one of which is the surprise gut punch of encountering someone who managed to thrive during Covid and is now successful in their field (whereas I am not). Like, I recently used Issuu to read an advance review copy of George Takei's graphic novel autobiography, It Rhymes With Takei, and his trademark assertion that "it will be okay" made me want to commit murders. It's not that I hate people who manage to find happiness; but rather, the undifferentiated chaos of the internet can be difficult to process emotionally. I probably wouldn't have had such a strong negative response to the book if I were reading a paper copy, you know?
In any case, thanks for being here on Dreamwidth. Despite everything. And definitely, good luck to us all.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2025-05-25 12:59 pm (UTC)And thank you for acknowledging that being online can be difficult, even when you're not actively on social media. I think it's partially a subtle trauma response, and it's partially enshittified web design, and it's partially an effect of all the gunpowder in the air. But also, for me, there are bonus dangers, one of which is the surprise gut punch of encountering someone who managed to thrive during Covid and is now successful in their field (whereas I am not). Like, I recently used Issuu to read an advance review copy of George Takei's graphic novel autobiography, It Rhymes With Takei, and his trademark assertion that "it will be okay" made me want to commit murders. It's not that I hate people who manage to find happiness; but rather, the undifferentiated chaos of the internet can be difficult to process emotionally. I probably wouldn't have had such a strong negative response to the book if I were reading a paper copy, you know?
In any case, thanks for being here on Dreamwidth. Despite everything. And definitely, good luck to us all.