I was an IM-phobe for the longest time. I’ve claimed over and over that texting is for people who don’t know how to use email properly.
This has, of course, only hardened as LLMs hijacked the UI to create the illusion of an interlocutor where there was none.
But, as I approach middle age, it’s starting to grow on me as a UI. And, maybe, this chat interface nihilism caused by LLM products is what I needed to come around to it.
One thought at a time is a great way to write. And I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s gotten carried away over a subject when someone texts me about textual criticism or the ontology of infinity or enshittification or…
I like to read, and all I read is text. Do I really need fifteen apps on my phone to consume text from different sources?
A few years ago I got really excited about email as an all-in-one interface. I made newsletters out of my notifications and bible reading plan and read-later queue…
But it didn’t go so far because I also get all sorts of promotions and less desirable content on my email. And filters weren’t enough to keep those separate.
But I’m bullish on texts now, especially on the production side. And I’ll probably go on a similar rabbit hole soon.
More text, more data, more information. Less chrome, fewer apps, fewer terms of service, fewer user accounts.