This past summer I wrote a report, one of my more personal pieces, with ideas to help those suffering PTSD, particularly those such as myself, former military, law enforcement or intelligence professionals, in whose lives the incidence is high.
HEALING FROM PTSD
https://barbarahartwellvscia.blogspot.com/2026/06/healing-from-ptsd.html
This report is focused on the Internet culture, social media, cell phones and technology in general, which I have found to be a major source of stress, not only in my life, but from what I have observed, in the lives of others.
I know that most people reading this will probably not share my views, but I am going to offer them anyway, even if only for some things to consider for those who feel burdened and would like to reduce the level of stress. As always, the readers may make of it what they will, and I hope it is helpful.
I do not own a “smart phone”. I have never sent a text message, nor would I know how. I have no interest in learning how to send a text. I have only an old-style flip phone, which is turned off most of the time, except when I need to use it for an emergency, or to make calls when I am not at home. I can count on one hand how many people have the number.
I do not use social media, nor have done, ever. I have no interest in social interactions with random strangers, nor in discussions, debates, arguments, personal or professional. What a waste of my valuable time!
I am not a participant in the Internet culture, which is basically a hot-bed of busybodies, all jockeying for position, all sticking their noses into other people's business, spreading unsubstantiated claims, parroting malicious gossip, and worse, libelous falsehoods which do harm to the targets of their verbal assaults.
These users of social media have voluntarily put their personal lives on display for all and sundry to peruse. They have given up all expectation of privacy. What's more, they have issued an invitation to the entire world to contact them, to comment on them, to engage with them.
Yes, I know that there are some people whose lives are an open book, there is nothing wrong with that, and that is their decision. I don't presume to criticize them, it's not my business.
What I am noticing is that most users spend many, many hours online, 'checking in' for 'notifications', eyes glued to the screen, their phones never out of sight.
The way social media is designed is that if you are not a 'member', if you do not have an account, you cannot even see what is on any of their sites. A non-user is automatically blocked and locked out. This is one way they draw you in to the system, a sort of capture, that if you don't join up with your personal information, you're not allowed to read what is published. I see this as a form of extortion, morally repugnant, and I will take no part.
So on all this, I can only speak as an outside observer. And what little I observe seems very pathological to me.
Being a very private person, and a fierce defender of my personal boundaries and private life, I have taken great pains to keep my contact information unlisted (phone and e-mail), except for my postal mailing address which I have made public, where anyone is welcome to contact me. Using the post (rather than e-mail) weeds out most of the busybodies, the curiosity seekers, the salesmen, the crazies. And saves me from the stress of fending off the hordes of haters and criminals. Having a public e-mail address (1995-2003) was a nightmare for me, one I have no wish to revisit.
I don't receive mail at a street address. That too is unlisted and private.
As an advocacy journalist, I have a public website. But it is not interactive, as I don't invite comments or questions. It is a closed system, an archive of my work, not monetized, nor influenced by any entity.
Social media is all about engagement, whereas my policy is: do not engage. Because, frankly, I am not interested in mobs of strangers invading my life. I am perfectly capable of choosing my own friends and associates, the old fashioned way, not in some virtual reality, but in the real world.
As for AI: I want nothing to do with it. I have seen videos of people I would otherwise like to watch, but if I see that it is AI, I switch it off. I find it sinister, it's just not real. And there are innocent people, like some Christian pastors whose names and work are being exploited by evil scamsters, who are making money off their theft of intellectual property. Outrageous!
As far as the cell phone goes, what I have observed of the users (which seems to be just about everyone), they are constantly checking for text messages, or sending them. And they seem to expect their own messages to be answered post haste. When they don't get a reply, I have seen them become agitated or angry with the other party. In essence, they have become slaves to a device, and to the expectations of others. They have given up agency in their own lives. I cannot imagine why anyone would want to do that. Nor can I enjoy being in the company of someone who is preoccupied with a phone, when there is a friend right there trying to have a face-to-face conversation.
When I tell people that I do not own a smart phone, that I do not send or receive text messages, they mostly seem shocked, as if there is something wrong with me for declining to be a part of their culture, the way things are done. “But everybody does it...”
Some have tried to convert me, thinking that once I realize how “convenient” it is, I will get with the program, like everyone else. They will even push the issue and say things like: Texting is easy, I can show you how.
When I bluntly tell them I DO NOT WANT TO KNOW HOW, because I have no interest in texting, it seems to boggle the mind. They just don't get it.
I tell them this: I have a landline. If you have been given the number by me, you are free to call at any time. If I am not available, I have voicemail, you can leave a message. When I don't want to be disturbed, I turn the ringer off, so you can never call at the wrong time. That is what I have to offer. If this is not good enough for you, so be it. But I will not become a screen zombie, on call 24/7, a compliant soldier in your army, to accommodate you or anyone else.
My life is not based on serving the expectations of other people, who adhere to the standards of a stress-inducing culture I find to be toxic for its intrusiveness.
I love peace and quiet. I avoid any activities which create stress. I hate crowds, noise, bright lights, ringing phones, what passes for “music”, which can't be escaped most anywhere you go. Shopping at a supermarket has become an ordeal, and I have seriously considered wearing ear protectors for the firing range, just so I can shop in peace.
I love being outdoors, walking in a natural setting. I love reading (real books, not online). I love classical music, and regularly listen to peace-inducing Gregorian chants. I love animals, and prefer their company, for so many reasons. They are mostly quiet, they don't use cell phones, they have other ways to communicate. Of course, I also love my friends, my family, my brothers and sisters in Christ (known and unknown).
MY BELOVED FELINE COMPANION, ANGEL
But I don't love the culture they have adopted, and refuse to be a part of it. I have always thought the ideal place for me would be a monastery, somewhere in a beautiful natural setting, like overlooking the ocean.
God did not see fit to place me there, for whatever His reasons. But I do have some degree of choice about the nature of my environment, and the ways I want to communicate with others – or not.
The culture of the Internet, social media and cell phones seems to have taken over the world. But not my world, never my world.
Barbara Hartwell
October 2, 2026
Feast of the Guardian Angels
RELATED REPORT
SOCIAL MEDIA, THE BEAST SYSTEM TO CONTROL, ENSLAVE & DESTROY: How COUNTERINTELLIGENCE OPS Exploit Hordes of Minions & Stooges, Gossips, Busybodies, Frauds & Liars
https://barbarahartwellvscia.blogspot.com/2021/02/social-media-beast-system-to-control.html
