*EDIT* before you continue reading and as a confession for my mistake, note that the strategy has been revised since then. For total transparency, this chapter hasn't been adjusted. Learn more about this 'betrayal' here.

This chapter has a bit of a corporate tone, please excuse me in advance.

I have a duty towards myself. Once I set my values or have adhered to preexisting ones, I can’t diverge from them (opinions being a different matter) and won’t abide by some marketing requirements if they contradict them. We strive for integrity and fairness – big words, no pressure.

As explained, The Blue Neon revolves around three distinct features: minimalism, diversity and chance. These pillars lay the foundation for the ultimate engagement into an artwork, a full commitment via slow-looking. We envision a place where a visitor reclaims their attention by indulging in a moment of contemplation; though we discussed the differences with a mindfulness business.

It might, in turn, force you to question the way you spend your time online, even if this isn’t our core ambition, as we consider you have already initiated such a discussion with yourself. We aim for the broader picture and would like you to rather reflect on how you interact with the world that surrounds you and on how you value your time in general. We can hear you mock us: ‘you’re just another platform that proclaims everyone else is bad, join us instead’ or ‘ditch all your apps, we are just what you need’…

While these critics are not devoid of rationale, our promise remains the same: no more than 10 minutes per connection - perhaps a bit more if you’re on a slow-looking frenzy with several artworks - that’s all we require from you in order for art to make an impression (and to raise more questions). Even better, we encourage you to step outside and do this in a museum, a gallery, during a walk or even your commute. We don’t want you to keep scrolling mindlessly for hours or coming back to this place several times a day to satisfy a dopamine urge.

Back to your original question: truth be told, it would have been simpler to jump on the bandwagon and embrace social media to reach out to a broad audience, all from the comfort of our couch. Nevertheless this would have depicted us as hypocrites. We decided not to take this path from the start of our humble beginnings and focused on alternative strategies instead. We don't want to wast time crafting some cutting-edge posts to obey a moody algorithm, we prefer to spout nonsense on this journal.

To state the obvious, of course, we don’t put all social media in the same bag and we don’t underestimate the benefits they may yield to some extent either. We also recognise that each visitor ultimately bears the responsibility of how they manage their time on these platforms.

However our concerns are twofold and target aspects of their malignant designs: being addictive and keeping you in an echo-chamber. These platforms endorse shallowness and above all speed, which has become your new religion, one created by the vacuum left by the decline of the traditional ones. How could we be seen in the same room as them when we invite you to slow-down and to be curious?

Practice what you preach.

Here lies our fight and we would love to have you aboard.

One final word, there is no disruption in how we market our concept. There isn’t even a disruption in what The Blue Neon offers, every single feature has been around since the dawn of time.

Yours Sincerely,

BLUE