Live Draft: D.A.P.S Analysis of The Necessity of a Sustainable Digital Hygiene

Gen Z has a problem! The shallow consumption of media is rotting the generation's cognitive capacity 4 decolonization. As the amerikan colony perpetuates the rotting of minds via the underdevelopment (defunding) of educational infrastructure, forcing a vulnerable and impressionable generation to fend for themselves within an abyss of misinformation! Only through a clear analysis of our experiences can we survive this attack on radical consciousness, which will allow the burgeoning revolutionary generation to retain and maintain a conscious and sustainable digital hygiene. What is a Digital Hygiene? Our digital hygiene, like our physical hygiene is the maintenance and care that we provide and sustain for ourselves while participating with, and experiencing digital media! DAPS recognizes that a healthy, balanced, and fulfilled digital hygiene can be accomplished by being aware of our consumption of media, and our participation within this media structure. Much of our media consumption is filled with an explicit conspiracy to deter a potentially threatening class struggle, into a void of media consumption of violence, hypersexuality, and neoliberal/right wing propaganda.

Instead of mindlessly "doomscrolling" tiktok, twitter, instagram, and facebook; DAPS recommends setting an intention for one's experience on these platforms. This allows the media consumer to go into the media sphere with a clear awareness of what type of experience they are looking for. Being intentional gives the media consumer a direction whilst navigating the myriads of stimuli being specifically targeted towards users by social websites. All websites, especially social sites (with the use of cookies) use your data (your information) to curate algorithms with the intentions of keeping the media consumer occupied by their site for as long as possible. The more time spent on the app, the more targeted ads the consumer will encounter. As a consequence, this contributes to the site making more money; whether through the consumer clicking links, buying items targeted towards them, or through advertisement contracts with the brands that pay for targeted advertisements. Meanwhile the day is going by, and the media consumer's material conditions most likely have not changed, because they are surfing through social media and not actively participating with what is happening beyond the screen. Social media can be a powerful tool to enhance social outreach, connecting people and events that may have never been able to connect without the use of this tool! However, the consumer must be aware of this 'hyper-connection' and ask themselves; When is the right time to disconnect? Balancing our social life with our para-social connections can be a smooth and beautiful process, but this must be done mindfully! During this revolutionary age of information, mindfulness and awareness should always be a priority. Mindfulness and awareness of our circumstances/expereinces is imperative in the new age of technology and information that we are ushering, and our connection to media has been heavily influenced by corporate interests in profit! Being sure that we are consuming media that is in alignment with the truth, and rooted in righteousness and sustainability allows us to maintain control with our connection with our world, whether in a para-social or social manner. Media has become an opiate for not only Gen Z, but for all walks of life. Especially referencing digital media within Babylon, u.s.a.. The consumer's relationship with escapism and delusion is conflated and exacerbated by corporations preying on the exploited working class’s desire to escape from capitalistic purgatory. Perpetually clocking in and clocking out, to only be soothed by the blaring blue light rays probing their favorite media content. The only material sustenance afforded to the exploited masses comes from tiktok shop, facebook marketplace, and instagram's targeted shopping ads. No free or even affordable healthcare, no free or even affordable education, and no free or even affordable spaces to congregate and exist in community. Only the blaring blue light rays.

What is the solution? There is an infinite array of solutions! DAPS especially believes that the solution is rooted in the awareness/mindfulness that digital media is simply a tool! It is not the antidote to one’s lack of material sustenance, it is not the antidote to one’s lack of knowledge, and it is not the antidote to one’s lack of community! DAPS believes that a healthy balance between experiencing digital media (instead of consuming) and community engagement and caring for self is essential to maintaining sustainability in life! DAPS believes that intentionality with experiencing digital media, and having an appreciation and love for what you are seeing instead of mindlessly consuming digital media as a means of escaping from the world. Kwame Nkrumah similarly describes this intellectual escapism as “intellectual hermitage” however DAPS will coin doomscrolling as non-intellectual hermitage, because there is no intellect within doomscrolling because there is no awareness of reality.