I post; therefore, I am
An encouragement to anyone living online
My perspective on social media has shifted rapidly. I used to be anxious and embarrassed about posting online. Now, I try my best to separate my ego when sharing anything online. This is possible through my understanding of energy exchange.
What is energy exchange?
Energy exchange is a spiritual concept. My basic understanding of the concept is that it is a continuation of the idea: “Think before you speak.” That idea is an encouragement to be mindful of one’s speech. In energy exchange, what you say affects others and returns to you. For example, if you share anxiety and fear with others, you feed off their anxiety and fear. When you share rage bait, you are inviting dysfunction and anger to others and yourself. Thankfully, this exchange can happen in the opposite direction when you share a reel, which can be a positive exchange. It says this may be something you enjoy, and I am reminded of you at this moment. It is a renewal and acknowledgement of friendship.
This doesn’t mean that you should only share happy and good things all the time. It is essential to share information about the world, and sometimes that does not evoke positive feelings. War and starvation are not happy topics, but they speak to the state of the world. Informative posts and calls for donations are a way to extend help and comfort to each other. The energy exchanged in this situation is hope and support for humanity.
Honesty vs. A.I.
Energy exchange can be potent when it is shared in a true, dignified way. Being true occurs when what you share is honest. AI can muddle honest writing. I am saddened to see that all social media platforms have incorporated AI writing features. Are you sharing yourself, or what is 6already written for you?
AI reminds me of Her (2013), specifically the part of Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoenix) writing personal greeting cards for clients. I could never predict Her to be a spot-on depiction of how AI is used and utilized. Although the film is a more romantic depiction of reality. Our real-world Theodore Twombly is a low-wage labourer undergoing traumatic conditions with no benefits. This isn’t an allegory or metaphor but the reality of many data annotators.1
Energy exchange is putting importance on the intent and impact of your actions. It is prioritizing your feelings and other people’s feelings. One doesn’t need to be sacrificed for the other. They can live in equilibrium.
A data annotator is a person who labels, tags, or categorizes raw data, such as images, text, or audio, to make it understandable for AI and machine learning models.