About…
The newsletter
Semi-Online is an independent newsletter about an older millennial experiencing two extreme contrasts: having an increasingly digitized and ‘datafied’ life, and relearning to spend more time offline.
The newsletter began in December 2021 as Very Online. But I changed the name in June 2023 because I’m not as online now as I was then. 🤣️ I’ve also become much more clueless about what’s going on. (To be fair, the whole world has a lot going on right now.) So if we’re going to follow the definition of Very Online or Extremely Online strictly, I’m not it anymore.
If you want to see how this newsletter morphed across names and platforms, check these out:
One thing remains constant, though. As in version 1.0, I’ll still discuss the technologies we rely on daily, the new habits and changing opinions we form around and about them, and the Philippines and Southeast Asia—unlike most tech websites, newsletters, and Substacks targeting Western or Global North readers.
Here are some of the newsletters I’ve written so far, and am quite proud of:
“On tech-driven exercise and life with a disability” - My struggles with Superior Semicircular Canal Dehiscence (SSCD) and physical fitness
“Dealing with digital ghosts” - On ancient online accounts and modern privacy issues
The hot mess that is the Philippine healthcare system:
“The doctor will see you now… on screen” - Telemedicine vs. in-clinic consults in the time of COVID-19
“Mental health: Not all in the mind” - It’s a personal, professional, and national concern
“Hello… friend?” - On making and keeping friends as a lifelong introvert.
Semi-Online will also feature some ‘analog’ detours. Examples would be the longform content I’ve seen/read and like a lot, and some personal life and work updates. Maybe I’ll also show some works in progress on the literary side of things if I feel like it, or some low-tech or no-tech hobbies.
Thanks for dropping by! 💗
The newsletterer
I’m KC Calpo, a writer, editor, and blogger based in Metro Manila, Philippines.
I’d tell you more, but I think my brain stayed offline.
