I've been mulling over my presence on social media for a while now. There's only three platforms I actively use, but honestly, it feels like there should only be one — and that one, Are.na, breaks the mould of a typical social media space. You can find me on Instagram, X, and Are.na.
My excuses for sticking around on the first two are pretty weak. Instagram is where I have the most personal connections, but those connections would probably survive just fine if I stepped away. Mostly, it's a massive distraction and a bit of a time sink. X (Twitter), on the other hand, has always been more of a professional tool to connect with the design industry. But lately, it's become less inspiring and more of a chore: endless political noise courtesy of Elon, generic web and SaaS trends that are neither original nor distinctive, AI this, AI that, and product designers churning out the same formula — Figma, React, dark mode, gradients, neon colours, animations, animations, and more animations. And then there's the onchain chatter, which tries so very hard to sound revolutionary and edgy. That said, I'm not writing off the onchain space just yet (hello, Rodeo); I'm just unconvinced by, well, a lot of it.
OK, X rant over. Safe to say, I should probably leave that place sooner rather than later.
That leaves me with Are.na — the best place on the internet today. Sure, there's other tools that let you save and organise content, but Are.na hits different. It has character, a good energy, and feels like a mindful space brimming with creativity that inspires me every single day. It feeds my research and design over time, and connects me with people, ideas, and knowledge from often-overlooked corners of the web that I can then collect either privately or publicly. Even if I check the site multiple times a day, there might only be a few new things for me to discover in my feed, but I can be led down a rabbit hole just the same — it's full of surprises.
I love that Are.na has no algorithms and no incentive to post anything other than what you genuinely want to save to a channel. It could be a fleeting thought, an idea you're circling, something you've made yourself, a useful tool, a website that's been nicely designed, or a product you've wish-listed. There's no ego and no dopamine hit encouraged by other socials. It's just about unobtrusively sharing good stuff with structure, devoid of noise you can't control. And because it's strongly supported by its community, Are.na feels like it's here to stay — free from pandering to money-hungry goblins.
Here's to channel-hopping.