“Bye forever” is something some of my co-workers and I at Blue Moon RiNo would say to each other. It was, among other things, a cheeky acknowledgment that nothing lasts forever and we should cherish the time we have with each other. The food & beverage industry is about people. We are never alone. It takes a team to give a great experience to everyone who walks in that door and there is a lot of camaraderie that grows from that.

A lot of the people I worked with in the past 7-8 years are still dear friends. In a world where it’s easy to collect friends on social media, I try to keep up with the people I care about in a real, analog world. Because the “social” aspect of social media is a lie. These platforms that used to bring people together, that used to spawn meetups and happy hour hangs, they are now only concerned with keeping you scrolling endlessly. They want your eyeballs and your attention to be constantly on the app. Posting, engaging, consuming. We give each other trite little reactions to the things we share with the digital masses. Maybe a little thumbs up if someone shares good news, or a thumbs down if someone has the nerve to post a strong political opinion. Online anonymity gives people the courage to say awful things and bully and cause real harm. There’s no real conversation, just comments. It’s not good for our mental health at all, but we’re addicted to it.

I have been dissatisfied with my online experience for years now. I’ve tried a few different things to adjust my consumption of content, I’ve tried to make it more enjoyable but at this point I feel that none of it can be redeemed. My attention span has probably suffered the most. It really feels to me like wading through piles of slop and feces just to get to the stuff I want to see. Which is generally beer memes, skateboarding videos, and unhinged artwork.

As much as I will miss the cool stuff, I think it’s time I return to actually being someone who makes that cool stuff. So that’s what I’m gonna do.