At the moment, I wrote the next submit on the brand new Second Life social media platform, Primfeed (which you’ll at the moment solely learn if you have already got an account on Primfeed, as I’ve not but chosen to make my Primfeed profile and posts publicly viewable):
With all of the batshit-crazy political information popping out of the U.S. in the present day making me really feel anxious and depressed, I’ve determined that, to be able to protect my psychological well being, I now need to abandon the final conventional social media platform I used every day: Reddit. Which means that, any more, I’m solely going to be utilizing Primfeed, and NOTHING ELSE: No Reddit, no Mastodon, no Twitter/X, no Fb, no Instagram, no TikTok.
Company-run social media platforms are all changing into a poisonous cesspool and dumpster hearth, with unfavourable results on my psychological well being. I stop Fb, Instagram, and Twitter years in the past, and I’ve by no means bothered with TikTok. I haven’t bothered checking into Mastodon in effectively over half a yr now. Reddit was my final refuge, however alas, not. I’m OUT. (I introduced late final yr that I used to be shutting down my weblog, however in mild of me now leaving Reddit, I should take a while to mirror a bit extra on that call. I additionally want to consider whether or not or not I need to make my Primfeed profile public.)
It appears like 2025 is shaping as much as be a fair crazier and extra chaotic yr than 2024, and I would want to flee to my beloved Second Life now greater than ever!
A fast replace: final November, my physician stepped in and put me on full-time sick depart for a few weeks. I then went again to work on half-time sick depart, and in the meanwhile, that association will proceed till the top of April, 2025. My supervisor at work has additionally stepped in to deal with my present workload, and I’m not engaged on the challenge of establishing the digital actuality lab at my college library system. I’m simply feeling extremely burned out and completely exhausted, nonetheless, and it’s most likely going to take me fairly a while to relaxation and get well.
In mild of my resolution in the present day to stop Reddit (the final conventional social media platform I used to be nonetheless utilizing, albeit with out establishing an account, i.e. read-only and anonymously), I do now must re-evaluate my resolution late final yr to cease running a blog fully. The reality is that I’m nonetheless feeling drained and burned out, and I don’t have the time, vitality, or inclination to weblog. So I actually don’t know the place issues stand for the weblog proper now.
My weblog will stay up; I don’t plan to take it down. I may even preserve my related Discord server working, as it’s nonetheless being utilized by an excellent variety of folks. I’ve zero plans to take the RyanSchultz.com Discord server down. Nonetheless, I’ve, as of January 1st, 2025, suspended charging my current Patreon patrons (and a really massive thanks to these of you who’ve chosen to help me financially by way of Patreon these previous five-six years; it has been, and continues to be, tremendously appreciated).
Proper now, I must concentrate on my bodily, psychological and emotional well being, and I must concentrate on returning to my paying job, full-time (minus the VR lab challenge). These are my priorities in the meanwhile. So as to assist obtain that focus, I’m avoiding all social media (besides Primfeed), and all metaverse platforms (besides InSpaze on the Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional, and my beloved Second Life, which reliably places me in a snug stream state through the artistic course of, and which constantly brings me happiness, particularly with a lot unhealthy information taking place in my actual life).
All the pieces else should wait, together with this weblog. I can’t make a closing resolution about my weblog till a lot later this yr, as soon as I’m in a greater place. Thanks to your help over the previous 7+ years.
UPDATE Jan. eighth, 2025: In the meantime, over on Elon Musk’s X (previously Twitter):
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