I find this to be a very powerful, sobering writing from first word to last word. Speaking pessimism first, I’m not sure that machine learning, ubiquitous connectivity and escalating ever more outrageous or subliminal efforts at attention getting and associated “critical mass”/”star creation” have not already pulled us into a inescapable clutch of ever reinforcing black hole. Even the injured animal lashing out of the disenfranchised disqualified from the “star” game is just the same side of the coin working using the same technologies and energies of that which it is recoiling from. I wonder how many people want to hear the spirit of this post?

Speaking optimism second, it could be we may have some sort of common consciousness awakening and choose the seemingly stark path back to self ownership and a new age. I don’t know that I am courageous enough, willing enough, honest enough … to own my own attention. God help me.