rules for growing up on the internet By Chey Morgan

1. eat your computer (it integrates the code.) if all goes to plan you should-

- let wifi signals control your nervous system

- let your veins become wires

- let the algorithm contort your neural pathways

2. please, don’t fall into the rabbit hole of-

- comparison [instagram models aren’t real

people everyone knows that. and either way, you’ll

never have the same photogenic quality as her.]

- wikipedia research [teachers won’t

accept it as a source because you can’t trust the

public]

- multi-factor identification [let people steal

your identity. was it ever really yours to begin

with or did it belong to your first online friend group?] - never clicking on pop-up ads [what harm

could possibly come of it? let your curiosity get

the better of you and try not to regret what you see]

3. remember that every teenager you meet online is secretly a wrinkly old man who wants to

get in your pants. disengage at the first warning sign.

4. either read the terms and conditions or don’t, sell your soul to reddit and be blinded by the small print-

- your unoriginal thoughts belong to the masses

- there’s no guarantee you’ll make it out alive

- every screenager is the same after all

5. please confirm you are not a robot (calamity will ensue)

Chey Morgan is a sixteen-year-old Canadian author. She’s been writing as long as she can remember; about things as far away as outer space and as close to home as her small town. If you’re lucky enough to find her without her laptop open she’s probably crocheting, listening to music, or drinking too much coffee. She’s been published in Purely Liminal Magazine and Evanescent Magazine. You can find more of her poetry on Instagram @cheymorgan.writes