Media-Inspired Journal Prompts on Friendship, Power, and the Post-Internet Self
Once upon a time, my brain was nothing more than a meaty mass of neurons and glial cells floating in cerebrospinal fluid. Living through the social media revolution has changed that; I now have 2, 3, 4, 7, 15(?) brains, and a library of digital copies hidden in cyber closets around the globe. My memories, thoughts, and feelings exist inside of me as naturally occurring invisibilities of the human experience, and outside of me as data and it feels icky.
For a poignant visual metaphor, revisit the scene in Gremlins where Gizmo, having been exposed to strictly forbidden stimuli, spawns demonic copies of himself who wish to destroy him in a tornado of hedonism and mischief.
I wrote these prompts to help me better understand how spawning in cyberspace has changed my relationship with myself and with the people and things that once fulfilled me.
I’d love to hear how, or if, you’re navigating some of the same challenges.
*note that a text only copy is at the bottom of the page for easy copy & paste
Text Copy for easy Copy & Paste:
1. What did intimacy feel like before the algorithm?
Explore how technology mediates intimacy. What parts of you are edited for digital consumption?
2. Why do ruptures in certain relationships with women linger, becoming sites of unresolved grief, guilt, or fury?
Write about a complicated, formative friendship that hurt you, or mirrored something you weren’t ready to see.
3. What kind of power do you perform, and what does it cost you?
Examine the personas you’ve adopted to protect, seduce, or survive.
4. When did your internal desires first feel defiant?
Revisit a moment when your longing clashed with expectation or convention. What about that moment made you feel empowered?