But serious question from a middle-aged dad: how many people are actually terminally online, and have rotten brains? We're all a product of our surroundings, and while my current surroundings are suboptimal in terms of high culture (or any culture), I really don't come across many people who are half as clued in as me, and I'm maybe sixtieth percentile, at best.
Like, I get everything you're laying down above -- ephemerally -- but I actually participate in none of it. Am I an exception?
I think it’s a small concentrated percentage but unfortunately they’re all concentrated on Twitter. A lot of political pundits, culture writers, and media figures set the tone for discourse and they’re all online because Twitter is the “digital town square” and “the new newsroom” so that skews things a bit. But it all trickles down from there.
That tracks with my view. But I often wonder how much it trickles down, and how many people are truly radicalized -- in any direction -- vs. how many are just regurgitating bad talking points in an attempt to stay relevant.
Perhaps it's wishful thinking, but part of me hopes the vast majority of insane online behavior is pure performance.
Maybe it's the Kanye effect where you spend so much time doing performative bullshit that it ceases to be irony or an act and you just believe it?
When libs were freaking out about whole Russian interference after 2016, I thought it was odd that they stuck to that as the reason why Hillary lost. I just asked how much of that was them converting would-be Hillary voters to MAGA or how much of it was just further reaffirming what Trump voters already believed? There's no real way to quantify that, which is why I thought their argument was kinda circular.
Came here to say and wonder what you’re saying and wondering, basically. I doubt most people are even engaging in the performance anymore. The real cost of the so-called culture wars, is the general miasmic sense people have that everything sort of sucks. So, hooray that we’re not all actual insane clowns ready to throw kerosine on our enemies, but also, a baseline vibe of despair is very bad for our health.
I therefore conclude that social media is radioactive, and must be handled accordingly.
Spot on. I've been feeling a little burned out, and aside from the general fall malaise and back-to-school grind, I realized just today we're getting close to 2024. A presidential election year. The idea that an election elevates baseline dread -- amplified by social media -- means we're doing a lot of things wrong.
I think it's less the overall population and mostly concentrated to people who set the tone for cultural/political discussion which bleeds down to heavy partisans. Maybe people got burnt out of the Trump 24/7 hysteria and transitioning to Biden, but it'll probably heat back up as the 2024 election goes in full swing.
“mansplaining and manspreading post-neo-proto-fascist” is perfectly good iambic pentameter and could form the start of a sonnet no one would want to read.
Have you seen the 2002 documentary “Century of Self?” Pretty fascinating stuff. You mentioned you’re a “recovering copywriter,” so I bet you’ve heard of Edward Bernays. The docuseries goes into how he leveraged Freudian psychoanalysis to revolutionize advertising, repercussions on society, Nazis, the CIA coup in Guatemala, etc. Just found you via the algorithm here. You’re hilarious. Definite subscribe.
You write like an angry dissent preacher and I love it.
Grim.
But serious question from a middle-aged dad: how many people are actually terminally online, and have rotten brains? We're all a product of our surroundings, and while my current surroundings are suboptimal in terms of high culture (or any culture), I really don't come across many people who are half as clued in as me, and I'm maybe sixtieth percentile, at best.
Like, I get everything you're laying down above -- ephemerally -- but I actually participate in none of it. Am I an exception?
I think it’s a small concentrated percentage but unfortunately they’re all concentrated on Twitter. A lot of political pundits, culture writers, and media figures set the tone for discourse and they’re all online because Twitter is the “digital town square” and “the new newsroom” so that skews things a bit. But it all trickles down from there.
At least that’s my working theory.
That tracks with my view. But I often wonder how much it trickles down, and how many people are truly radicalized -- in any direction -- vs. how many are just regurgitating bad talking points in an attempt to stay relevant.
Perhaps it's wishful thinking, but part of me hopes the vast majority of insane online behavior is pure performance.
Maybe it's the Kanye effect where you spend so much time doing performative bullshit that it ceases to be irony or an act and you just believe it?
When libs were freaking out about whole Russian interference after 2016, I thought it was odd that they stuck to that as the reason why Hillary lost. I just asked how much of that was them converting would-be Hillary voters to MAGA or how much of it was just further reaffirming what Trump voters already believed? There's no real way to quantify that, which is why I thought their argument was kinda circular.
Came here to say and wonder what you’re saying and wondering, basically. I doubt most people are even engaging in the performance anymore. The real cost of the so-called culture wars, is the general miasmic sense people have that everything sort of sucks. So, hooray that we’re not all actual insane clowns ready to throw kerosine on our enemies, but also, a baseline vibe of despair is very bad for our health.
I therefore conclude that social media is radioactive, and must be handled accordingly.
Spot on. I've been feeling a little burned out, and aside from the general fall malaise and back-to-school grind, I realized just today we're getting close to 2024. A presidential election year. The idea that an election elevates baseline dread -- amplified by social media -- means we're doing a lot of things wrong.
I think it's less the overall population and mostly concentrated to people who set the tone for cultural/political discussion which bleeds down to heavy partisans. Maybe people got burnt out of the Trump 24/7 hysteria and transitioning to Biden, but it'll probably heat back up as the 2024 election goes in full swing.
I hate everything.
Me too
Peeps need to get outside more.
That was my takeaway
This is the correct take
“mansplaining and manspreading post-neo-proto-fascist” is perfectly good iambic pentameter and could form the start of a sonnet no one would want to read.
But it will be required reading to graduate with a humanities degree
je suis tendyguy
Have you seen the 2002 documentary “Century of Self?” Pretty fascinating stuff. You mentioned you’re a “recovering copywriter,” so I bet you’ve heard of Edward Bernays. The docuseries goes into how he leveraged Freudian psychoanalysis to revolutionize advertising, repercussions on society, Nazis, the CIA coup in Guatemala, etc. Just found you via the algorithm here. You’re hilarious. Definite subscribe.