Bastien Salabanzi is ready to leave the digital world behind.
The French pro skateboarder and musician announced that he will no longer use social media or online platforms, choosing a simpler lifestyle away from smartphones, WiFi and the internet.
His decision is also connected to concerns about artificial intelligence and privacy.
Salabanzi is worried about technology being able to take parts of a person's identity and recreate them without permission, including their voice, music, image and other personal characteristics.
As AI continues to become more capable of creating convincing replicas of real people, Salabanzi appears uncomfortable with how easily someone's identity can be reproduced without their consent.
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He also raised concerns about surveillance through electronic devices inside people's homes.
Leaving social media is therefore not simply about spending less time online. He wants to remove himself from the digital environment altogether.
That is a difficult choice for a pro skater.
Sponsors depend on their riders to represent their brands, create content and connect with audiences.
Social media has become an important part of that relationship, making Salabanzi's decision particularly significant.
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However, he appears prepared to accept whatever comes with it.
If a sponsor disagrees with his choice, Salabanzi seems willing to let the relationship go rather than continue living a lifestyle that does not feel right for him.
His decision also puts him in a very small group of professional skateboarders who have chosen to stay away from social media.
Wes Kremer is one of the few pro skaters who has famously maintained a life without the platforms that most modern pros use to promote themselves.
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Salabanzi now appears ready to do the same.
He wrote:
"I will no longer be on social media or any type of platforms. I have decided to go back to a life style that truly resonates to me. A life without Social Media, without 6g or internet. A life without a potential brief of my privacy due to unlimited surveillance using all of our electronic devices in our own home. I wish you all the best. Nothin but Love.
There is no complicated explanation behind his decision. Salabanzi wants a life away from constant connectivity and the technology surrounding it.
In an era where phones, social platforms and AI are becoming increasingly intertwined with everyday life, walking away from all three is certainly a choice that will get people talking.
For Salabanzi, though, it seems the decision has already been made.
