"Trending topics" are bull, says Select All. These little modules on social media sites are swamps of banality and disinformation. This week, YouTube's trending page included a conspiracy-theory video, which claims that the Stoneman Douglas High School students fighting for gun control are actually paid actors. (Narrator voice: They're not.)
This week, another beloved treasure of the internet closed its doors. The Awl announced it was closing up shop, ostensibly suffering from the economic volatility present in today's "media" industry. In short, they didn't make enough money, and it's probably thanks to ad blockers.
Let this be a lesson to us all: if you want to keep the free content you love alive (or do your part and not actively destroy it) turn off your ad blocker. At least for the blogs you love to read.
Chrome/Safari: If you want a gentle reminder not to waste time online - without investing in a full-featured paid app such as Freedom - try Nothing on the Internet, an extension for Chrome and Safari that turns off all the content of the web, leaving a zen-like expanse of empty wireframes.
