I don't know of a scientific study that defines success, although there are many that identify a correlation between sustained and ongoing social interaction and mental health.
I guess mainly I'm just looking at the types of groups that seem to be able to gain sociopolitical clout, independent of money. They tend to be organized around a shared code of beliefs or a common trait, rather than around advocating for a single issue or cause. (If this terminology seems oblique, it's because this is not a political space, and I don't want to get banned!)
As for those who love life while ranging far and wide, I once counted myself among that group. And I could say that world travelers and expats make time for each other in dusty bars and airport lounges. We have our own signifiers. We typically also have specific people we talk and text with on a regular basis, even when we're not physically close by.
Or you could simply chalk it up to them being outliers. The other thing is it's mostly something people do while they are young and fit and not for a lifetime.
(Apologies for the length of this reply, and also if it's too personal...)
You and Sam Kriss are apparently using tiktok in a very different way than me lol. If im interested in a video or creator, i watch it to the end whether its 60 seconds or 5 minutes (sometimes on 2x speed). If i really wanna engage with it, i go to the comments section, and often leave a comment. Im def interested in the content im consuming, and if its engaging enough, i leave the app to go down a rabbit hole or think about what i saw. Im def not there to just "consume the sorting algorithm," im there to do the same i thing i did on twitter back when that was the meta: be one of the cool kids that are in the know about trending topics. And based on the activity i see in every comments section, so are a lot of other people
Very good psychological post, thanks for sharing your own history and the introspection that let you know about “how to want things again”. You mention Pavlov classical conditioning, where it pictures us conditioned by the sorting algorithm, yes, but certainly, there are many more psychological theories to explain the "zombi behaviour" on streaming platforms.
The ending existential questions are very profound to ask ourselves, that certainly would not be easy to respond and would require some time and self-reflection, revise our own life from a whole perspective, a very strong self and maybe psychological counseling.
I would follow the Viktor Frankl´s “search for meaning and purpose”, because I think it somewhat encompasses your 3 ideas. Driving our life just for pleasure scrolling on the streaming platforms to satisfy our compulsive desires is not precisely good. Indeed, there could be many ideas and approaches from the readers to the challenge: “how to want things again”. You raised a very good reflection.
Delete those apps. Put a parental guard on your own phone that you have to (shamefully) turn off in order to scroll. If you have a partner tell them you have done this and ask for accountability if they see you have turned it off. If you can’t do that use screen time limits to cut yourself off after a short period every day. There is no safe exposure level to these apps. They are ruining your life. Just stop.
Infinite scrolling is for weak losers. Just don’t do it. It’s easier than it seems. I blocked my main news websites and uninstalled my only vice scroller app, Substack (I know lol). Now I interact with Substack on email and browser. It’s a pain in the ass but now I only comment when I really want to, not because some idiot said something.
If you don’t have the self control to do the above I’m sorry but there’s probably no hope for you. The addiction will just get worse and worse and worse. I even still sometimes compulsively type the website url and see the blocked message and every time I see it I know that I just saved myself from spending 10 minutes or an hour literally making myself dumber and angrier. Just stop.
Also I love your writing and totally get it. I’m just noticing the world now that I’ve come up for air and it’s bleak. Smart people need to wake up, see this for what it is, and ACT to protect themselves.
And that’s the problem, right? Just stop is the only answer but it’s the hardest. There’s an entire generation of people whose lives have been ruined by drugs because society decided that abstinence was too hard and that “harm reduction” was a better option so instead of telling kids that they can’t do drugs, locking them up or making their lives harder in some meaningful way they gave them free needles, allowed them to consume publicly, etc. That was an absolute disaster and ruined the lives of countless people. The scrolling doom loop is no different. There’s no way to contain the harm so abstinence is the only answer. We are talking about powerful psychoactive drugs in both cases. Harm reduction failed for street drug users and it will fail for digital drug users too. Limiting exposure is step 1. Abstinence is step 2. It sucks because there are “good things” in the feed. Well cocaine feels good too and you can get a lot done and make a lot of friends if you can control it. Most people can’t though and it rules their lives. The liminal space you describe is the same as the addict feeling most high right BEFORE doing the drug. It’s not controllable and is robbing generations of their agency. Delete that shit and never look back.
I don't know of a scientific study that defines success, although there are many that identify a correlation between sustained and ongoing social interaction and mental health.
I guess mainly I'm just looking at the types of groups that seem to be able to gain sociopolitical clout, independent of money. They tend to be organized around a shared code of beliefs or a common trait, rather than around advocating for a single issue or cause. (If this terminology seems oblique, it's because this is not a political space, and I don't want to get banned!)
As for those who love life while ranging far and wide, I once counted myself among that group. And I could say that world travelers and expats make time for each other in dusty bars and airport lounges. We have our own signifiers. We typically also have specific people we talk and text with on a regular basis, even when we're not physically close by.
Or you could simply chalk it up to them being outliers. The other thing is it's mostly something people do while they are young and fit and not for a lifetime.
(Apologies for the length of this reply, and also if it's too personal...)
I think you're leaving out the role of community / belonging in fighting the condition you assess and name. If, indeed, you believe it is a problem.
Having a tribe is a huge predictor for success and emotional resilience.
Loneliness, the opposite.
Yes, I'm leaving out a lot of things that could work. The article is already long enough though!
How do you account for people that don’t have a tribe and love life while ranging far and wide?
I’d also like to understand what you mean by success.
Valid questions, all.
I don't know of a scientific study that defines success, although there are many that identify a correlation between sustained and ongoing social interaction and mental health.
I guess mainly I'm just looking at the types of groups that seem to be able to gain sociopolitical clout, independent of money. They tend to be organized around a shared code of beliefs or a common trait, rather than around advocating for a single issue or cause. (If this terminology seems oblique, it's because this is not a political space, and I don't want to get banned!)
As for those who love life while ranging far and wide, I once counted myself among that group. And I could say that world travelers and expats make time for each other in dusty bars and airport lounges. We have our own signifiers. We typically also have specific people we talk and text with on a regular basis, even when we're not physically close by.
Or you could simply chalk it up to them being outliers. The other thing is it's mostly something people do while they are young and fit and not for a lifetime.
(Apologies for the length of this reply, and also if it's too personal...)
You and Sam Kriss are apparently using tiktok in a very different way than me lol. If im interested in a video or creator, i watch it to the end whether its 60 seconds or 5 minutes (sometimes on 2x speed). If i really wanna engage with it, i go to the comments section, and often leave a comment. Im def interested in the content im consuming, and if its engaging enough, i leave the app to go down a rabbit hole or think about what i saw. Im def not there to just "consume the sorting algorithm," im there to do the same i thing i did on twitter back when that was the meta: be one of the cool kids that are in the know about trending topics. And based on the activity i see in every comments section, so are a lot of other people
That's awesome! You're clearly an exception, though
Very good psychological post, thanks for sharing your own history and the introspection that let you know about “how to want things again”. You mention Pavlov classical conditioning, where it pictures us conditioned by the sorting algorithm, yes, but certainly, there are many more psychological theories to explain the "zombi behaviour" on streaming platforms.
The ending existential questions are very profound to ask ourselves, that certainly would not be easy to respond and would require some time and self-reflection, revise our own life from a whole perspective, a very strong self and maybe psychological counseling.
I would follow the Viktor Frankl´s “search for meaning and purpose”, because I think it somewhat encompasses your 3 ideas. Driving our life just for pleasure scrolling on the streaming platforms to satisfy our compulsive desires is not precisely good. Indeed, there could be many ideas and approaches from the readers to the challenge: “how to want things again”. You raised a very good reflection.
"You can wake up tomorrow morning..."
This whole paragraph was stunning.
Delete those apps. Put a parental guard on your own phone that you have to (shamefully) turn off in order to scroll. If you have a partner tell them you have done this and ask for accountability if they see you have turned it off. If you can’t do that use screen time limits to cut yourself off after a short period every day. There is no safe exposure level to these apps. They are ruining your life. Just stop.
Infinite scrolling is for weak losers. Just don’t do it. It’s easier than it seems. I blocked my main news websites and uninstalled my only vice scroller app, Substack (I know lol). Now I interact with Substack on email and browser. It’s a pain in the ass but now I only comment when I really want to, not because some idiot said something.
If you don’t have the self control to do the above I’m sorry but there’s probably no hope for you. The addiction will just get worse and worse and worse. I even still sometimes compulsively type the website url and see the blocked message and every time I see it I know that I just saved myself from spending 10 minutes or an hour literally making myself dumber and angrier. Just stop.
I'd agree except because "just stop" is quite unhelpful
Also I love your writing and totally get it. I’m just noticing the world now that I’ve come up for air and it’s bleak. Smart people need to wake up, see this for what it is, and ACT to protect themselves.
And that’s the problem, right? Just stop is the only answer but it’s the hardest. There’s an entire generation of people whose lives have been ruined by drugs because society decided that abstinence was too hard and that “harm reduction” was a better option so instead of telling kids that they can’t do drugs, locking them up or making their lives harder in some meaningful way they gave them free needles, allowed them to consume publicly, etc. That was an absolute disaster and ruined the lives of countless people. The scrolling doom loop is no different. There’s no way to contain the harm so abstinence is the only answer. We are talking about powerful psychoactive drugs in both cases. Harm reduction failed for street drug users and it will fail for digital drug users too. Limiting exposure is step 1. Abstinence is step 2. It sucks because there are “good things” in the feed. Well cocaine feels good too and you can get a lot done and make a lot of friends if you can control it. Most people can’t though and it rules their lives. The liminal space you describe is the same as the addict feeling most high right BEFORE doing the drug. It’s not controllable and is robbing generations of their agency. Delete that shit and never look back.
Valid questions, all.
I don't know of a scientific study that defines success, although there are many that identify a correlation between sustained and ongoing social interaction and mental health.
I guess mainly I'm just looking at the types of groups that seem to be able to gain sociopolitical clout, independent of money. They tend to be organized around a shared code of beliefs or a common trait, rather than around advocating for a single issue or cause. (If this terminology seems oblique, it's because this is not a political space, and I don't want to get banned!)
As for those who love life while ranging far and wide, I once counted myself among that group. And I could say that world travelers and expats make time for each other in dusty bars and airport lounges. We have our own signifiers. We typically also have specific people we talk and text with on a regular basis, even when we're not physically close by.
Or you could simply chalk it up to them being outliers. The other thing is it's mostly something people do while they are young and fit and not for a lifetime.
(Apologies for the length of this reply, and also if it's too personal...)