How I Decide Who to Listen to On The Internet

Seven categories of content I'm paying attention to

Hello to you, fellow Internet reader.

I am a person who mostly loves the Internet. I have two computers (three if you count my phone, four if you count my iPad, five if you count my TV. Do we count TVs?). I’m no Wendell Berry is what I’m saying.¹

For years the Internet has been many things for us: a gathering place, a meeting room, a sanctuary, a dumpster fire, a classroom, a business, a ministry, a scrapbook, a journal, a hospital, a game room, a club. It has, and continues to be, a beginning, a middle, and an end.

From a bookshelf near my desk.

This online world has opened the door to my vocation in ways that would not have been possible for me otherwise. It has allowed me to build a business, share a message, and meet thousands of people (like you!).

We all have our own stories of people we’ve met because of the Internet: artists we’ve found, lessons we’ve learned, resources we’ve discovered, and connections we can’t imagine living without. But we also have stories of hours wasted, insecurities poked awake, trolls uncovered, and habits we’ve developed that we’re not sure how to shake.

My behavior on the Internet is my most impulsive: One minute I want to unsubscribe from every solitary newsletter, e-course, and business email in my inbox. The next, I’m taking a quiz to find out my true eyebrow shape and being added to yet another online guru list.

How can we co-exist with the internet without becoming unhinged in either direction?