EMAIL
g.e.anderson@exeter.ac.uk
I do not use social media for these reasons:
Protecting Mental Wellbeing Through Intentional Digital Boundaries
Extensive research demonstrates that social media platforms can significantly harm mental health, particularly through mechanisms of social comparison, validation-seeking, and attention fragmentation. Studies have linked heavy social media use to increased rates of anxiety, depression, and feelings of inadequacy, especially among artists and creative professionals who may be particularly vulnerable to comparison-based thinking. By stepping away from these platforms, and using an analogue rather than smartphone, I prioritize being in the three-dimensional world without being drawn into a two dimensional screen as this supports the mental clarity that my creative practice requires.
Rejecting Extractive Technology and Environmental Harm
Meta and similar tech giants operate on fundamentally exploitative business models, designing deliberately addictive algorithms that harvest human attention as a commodity while generating massive environmental costs. The data centres powering social media platforms consume enormous quantities of water for cooling and contribute significantly to global carbon emissions. I choose not to participate in systems that treat human attention as raw material for profit while accelerating environmental destruction.
Fostering Deep Engagement Over Surface Consumption
My work is created through and for contemplation rather than consumption. You’ll find it here on my website, in open-access publications, and in physical exhibitions, spaces designed for genuine encounter. I believe meaningful creative exchange happens through intentional seeking rather than algorithmic feeding, and I’m always delighted to connect with those drawn to explore ideas more deeply.