In an era shaped by digital platforms, leisure has transformed from a space of reflection into one of curated performance and endless scrolling. What ancient thinkers like Aristotle saw as essential for contemplation and self-development is now fragmented by algorithmic design and reactive attention. This article therefore reflects on the writer’s fine arts research project which investigates how visual art, especially painting, can slow down this digital beat and reinterpret leisure as a purposeful, moral activity against the complex nature of social media platforms.

In the corners of the far-right/left echo chambers of the platformed internet looms a recurring theme. Both sides shout accusations of free speech infringement across the deepening crevasse that widens between them.

The commodification of data is not a new topic, but in their groundbreaking book The Data Grab, Nick Couldry and Ulises Mejias introduce a provocative thesis: we are living through a new phase of colonialism—data colonialism. Where, instead of land being enclosed, another form of capital- data is being enclosed. Tech companies are expropriating personal and social data as a raw material to be captured, owned, and commodified—often without meaningful consent. When our data is constantly harvested, profiled, and used to influence our actions, the conditions for genuine freedom and participation in society are undermined.