New Year’s Revolutions 2016
I don’t spend much energy dwelling on the past.
Partly it’s because I’m the kind of person that jumps out of bed each morning, excited to see what’s coming next. And also because for a very long time, I’ve held the perspective that the past only exists within the present moment. Time moves through us while we stand still — as opposed to the other way around.
So for me, New Year’s isn’t a time for resolutions I never keep, but a time to reflect and celebrate how things are going, right here and right now.
From that perspective, 2015 was interesting, inspiring, and a hell of a lot of hard work.
My friends @todd @lucian @jayzes @cacheflowe @mk and @gv launched Ello with me over a year ago, and together we’ve built it into a place for all of us, without exploitation, and without compromise. Without influence by corporations that seek to manipulate what we see and what we think, and by doing so keep us on our knees.
The mainstream press has lulled itself into thinking that the scale of corporate influence on our lives isn't a big deal — especially if we get something in return. But like bread and circuses given by Julius Caesar to placate a restless populace, gifts doled out by billion-dollar corporations aren’t evenly distributed. Too few companies (and people) have too much money, power, and control.
Exacerbating this problem is the fact that public corporations are legally bound to do whatever they can to maximize profit. In the case of mainstream social networks, that means exploiting the beautiful things that we post to serve ads, and selling our personal data to anyone and everyone that wants to buy it. We’re the product that's bought and sold.
In 2016, big social media offers an unprecedented threat to privacy, creativity, and free will.
Ello is an oasis with a different world view. This network is an alternative, a safe place where people everywhere inspire one another to move the world forward. Not a place to control and manipulate, but a place to connect, create, and celebrate life.
As a Benefit Corporation, Ello has a legal obligation to consider public interest in every decision we make. Encouragingly, in 2015 other companies began following our lead — including Kickstarter and Warby Parker. Lets hope more are on the way!
With all this in mind, here are my wishes for you in 2016:
*** Break the rules.
*** Don't leave well enough alone.
*** Pursue your dreams, and by doing so, end up somewhere you never expected.
*** And most of all, open your heart, so you can enjoy wherever it is that you arrive.
Thank you for helping us build a community that is more beautiful, positive, inspiring, and real than any of us could have imagined!
2015 was when we built the foundation.
In 2016 we blow the roof off!
Much love to you all,
Paul
