Hello. Your AI Slop Bores Me. Part I
These past couple of months have been my first time writing (non-work related) nonfiction since probably university.
I get nervous writing about real-life moments. I don't want to be the person who sends up the signal flare that says something is wrong and we all need to put eyes on it quick. But, I now understand that someone has to.
The Slop
I'm not even a fan of social media, except that it's the quickest way to send word that the pot is stirring something up and we need to know what the ingredients are so that it doesn't poison us. The mainstream is slow to react and financed by Mt. Olympus, so it really is the duty of the average person to call out nonsense when we spot it.
Web 1.0 is alive, in spirit, but Web 2.0 is where everyone lives now, so that's where every movement has to begin. AI slop is more than dancing cats, dueling with Darth Vader, and that waterslide of doom dream sequence. It's distraction and misdirection from key moments and information that are going to have high stakes impacts on everyday life. The AI slop bores me because it's all smoke and mirrors. The car didn't fly but it definitely distracted your attention, didn't it? The question is, away from what?
I've spent the last week following some really sketchy stories about some really big and influential companies.
Sketchy meaning, these are businesses that offer services that are used by millions of people (if not billions) multiple times per day, but are these customers and users aware of what's being cyphoned from them while these services are being rendered to them.
Maybe. Probably. Maybe not. Definitely.
Some of us are completely aware of what's happening and choose to shrug shoulders: “There's nothing I can do about it. This is the way. Get on board or get left behind.”
Some know but remain quiet: Again, “What can I do, I'm only one person.”
Others are clueless, whether that's a choice or not is unclear, maybe split evenly: “ It's the NPC life for me. All is good. Nothing's wrong.”
No matter what category you're in, I encourage you to look more into each of these topics. They affect (or will affect) all of us, eventually. Even if you choose to do nothing about any of these things, you have the right to know they are happening, upfront and in realtime, not by happenstance later on.
With that said, here's some tech news you need to know this week:
•Investigations allege that LG smart TVs identify what you watch, record audio (even in standby), and scan your home network. LG says its viewing tracking (ACR) is opt-in, but confirms that scanning for nearby devices is a standard feature.
•Amazon plans camera glasses for about 5,000 delivery drivers by the end of 2026 and 20,000+ by the end of 2027. External areas may be recorded, potentially without homeowner consent
•Walmart is rolling out electronic shelf labels that can change prices instantly, which could potentially be linked to dynamic pricing and data collected on individuals. The CEO of Walmart commented that this is not true, products are priced, not people.
•Target baskets carry a Bluetooth beacon that reports the basket's location to Target's smart ceiling lights, which can pass it to the Target app. The beacon sends location only, but the app links it to a person. The beacon cannot be switched off, but turning off phone location can help it not lock on to an individual person.
•Muse, Meta's AI assistant launched in September 2026, reportedly updates an hourly profile on people in the user’s life, including people who never use the app themselves. Also, conversations that occur on the app that are shared via link could be discovered through DNS records, with no search engine or login needed. Meta paused sharing on October 20.
*Your AI Slip Bores Me will be an ongoing series. But I will try to make the next entry a little more upbeat.
Hello, About The Reel Diary
I encourage you to visit my blog too. I'm not anti-tech, but I am pro-aware, and I also like movies, so there's a mix of aesthetics there. It's a retro newspaper style, because I miss reading the newspaper with my grandma. I call it a blog, because I miss the old blogging, personal webpage days of the internet. I'm usually experimenting with it, for fun and for better user experience, so you might notice a few quirky things. It's only me running it, and I'm writing a few series as I find time, and adding more soon. Updates happen over the weekend (usually).
To recap, if you live in the 21st century but sometimes find yourself dwelling on the lofi era, check back as often as you can. Feels nice to know that humans visit ever so often :)
Quiana, Writer, Editor & Founder, The Reel Diary, and Lotus & Reel Press. Movies, explain. Tech, questioned. No algorithm.
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