The Digital Body We’re Living Inside
Why so much of our exhaustion and loneliness comes from a system we can’t see.
This week I want to share something that I’ve been thinking about for a while and have started to finally write about. It’s something that’s easy to sense in daily life, but hard to name.
We often talk about “algorithms” as if they’re just background math deciding which post you see next. But I’ve come to see them differently. They’re not just little formulas. They’re part of a much larger system—something I call the digital body.
And once you see it, you start noticing it everywhere.
What Is the Digital Body?
Think about how your own body works. Blood carries nutrients. The brain interprets signals. Muscles act. Hormones direct growth. Fascia ties it all together.
Now translate that into the digital world:
Big data is the blood, flowing nonstop with every click, swipe, and GPS ping.
Data science acts as the brain, deciding what matters and what doesn’t.
AI is the muscle, carrying out actions and adjusting as it learns.
Infrastructure is the skeleton: servers, chips, and cloud systems holding it all up.
Funding is the hormone system, fueling growth wherever the money flows.
And at the center are algorithms: the connective tissue, or fascia, binding it all together.
It’s not one app or one company. It’s a living system that surrounds us, shapes us, and quietly decides which parts of our attention get amplified.
Why This Matters for Us
I think a lot of the exhaustion, distraction, and loneliness we feel today comes from this invisible body we’re plugged into.
Phones aren’t the enemy. The real weight comes from the way this digital body processes us, reducing complex human beings to data points. And when we spend too much time living inside its rhythms, our own natural rhythms, such as attention, focus, even solitude, start to fray.
That’s why I keep circling back to this idea: it’s not just about technology use, it’s about how much of ourselves we’re letting be absorbed into someone else’s body, instead of living fully in our own.
A Deeper Conversation
I had the chance to unpack this on the Man in America podcast this week. Seth Holehouse and I talked about this digital body, my recent articles, and why so much of our struggle with AI and algorithms is really a struggle to remember our own value.
You can watch it here: How AI Is Stripping Us of Our Humanity.
Seth put it well: AI isn’t just about machines taking over jobs. It’s about how it trains us to see ourselves and whether we believe the lie that we’re smaller than the system we built.
I also wrote about this in my latest commentary for The Epoch Times: The Loneliness Epidemic Isn’t About Phones, It’s About Algorithms.
A Gentle Reminder
If you’ve been feeling a little drained or disconnected lately, it might not be you. It might be the digital body tugging at your attention.
And while we can’t switch it off completely, we can take steps to stay grounded in our own humanity:
Noticing when our rhythms are being shaped by someone else’s code.
Prioritizing real connection with family, friends, the people who see us as more than metrics.
Giving ourselves space to be human again: slow, imperfect, alive.
The more we see the system clearly, the calmer we become inside it. Clarity itself is a kind of armor.
Thanks for reading, and for protecting your mind alongside me.
With clarity & courage,
~ Kay
For Paid Members
This week’s Dark AI Developments: The AI Grid Shock is now online. It’s packed with charts, stats, and what Congress just uncovered about AI data. Paid members get early access and can read it right now.
For free subscribers, you’ll get it next Thursday.
If you’ve been thinking of upgrading, this might be the week.