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The Internet makes it easy to see who is winning at life and who isn't. It also guides you on where you should compete. If someone else is winning at a particul

by blindm 6y ago

The Internet makes it easy to see who is winning at life and who isn't. It also guides you on where you should compete. If someone else is winning at a particular topic that interests you; then you can decide to either join them or out-compete them with better results. This article addresses The Great Man Theory[0] or what I call supernaut syndrome[1] which has affected the masses terribly. Every person has to be all they can be now, and their full potential actualized, otherwise there is no point. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Man_theory https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Man_theory [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%9Cbermensch https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%9Cbermensch

mattgreenrocks 6y ago
I find the connection between the increased connectivity afforded by the Internet and the widespread miasma of supernaut syndrome quite astute. To my knowledge, I haven't seen much serious discussion of this. In other words, it probably isn't healthy that we are regularly subjected to what is marketed as the best/brightest/most-anything in whatever category we're looking for information on. There's nothing wrong with this, except for the fact that continued exposure to it can change our view on the type of work that _we_ need to be doing to make our way through the world. It might be an overreach, but it smells a lot like the mind virus of so-called incels: "I'm not remarkable, so why do I have worth?" Escaping that requires an enormous amount of energy. The truth is pretty much tautological: "you have worth because you exist."
- keiferski 6y ago
  I can’t find the passage at the moment, but in his book Notes on Culture, T. S. Eliot actually argues that this is endemic to a societal system which is run by meritocratic, technocratic elites. That is, by those who excel at the required skills necessary to ‘climb the ladder’ and not by a broad cultural class which maintains power, I.e. a hierarchical aristocracy in the British form. His argument is something like: when you get the entire populace concerned with acquiring power, they will inevitably be dissatisfied with their current societal position. Not sure I agree with him entirely, but it’s an interesting position.
megameter 6y ago
Of late I've noticed an emerging trend on YouTube of popular creators presenting more visible vulnerability and engaging with reflection alongside their fans, rather than hiding it. And live streaming culture often encourages such as well, since the long, unstructured time spans naturally create those moments. This practice rather counteracts the belief in the supernaut, since it humbles and demonstrates a kind of solidarity with everyone who isn't "making it". It doesn't exactly counter the negatives of parasociality in these spaces, but it opens the window for the audience to reconsider.

by blindm 6y ago

mattgreenrocks 6y ago

I find the connection between the increased connectivity afforded by the Internet and the widespread miasma of supernaut syndrome quite astute. To my knowledge, I haven't seen much serious discussion of this. In other words, it probably isn't healthy that we are regularly subjected to what is marketed as the best/brightest/most-anything in whatever category we're looking for information on. There's nothing wrong with this, except for the fact that continued exposure to it can change our view on the type of work that _we_ need to be doing to make our way through the world. It might be an overreach, but it smells a lot like the mind virus of so-called incels: "I'm not remarkable, so why do I have worth?" Escaping that requires an enormous amount of energy. The truth is pretty much tautological: "you have worth because you exist."

keiferski 6y ago
I can’t find the passage at the moment, but in his book Notes on Culture, T. S. Eliot actually argues that this is endemic to a societal system which is run by meritocratic, technocratic elites. That is, by those who excel at the required skills necessary to ‘climb the ladder’ and not by a broad cultural class which maintains power, I.e. a hierarchical aristocracy in the British form. His argument is something like: when you get the entire populace concerned with acquiring power, they will inevitably be dissatisfied with their current societal position. Not sure I agree with him entirely, but it’s an interesting position.

megameter 6y ago

Of late I've noticed an emerging trend on YouTube of popular creators presenting more visible vulnerability and engaging with reflection alongside their fans, rather than hiding it. And live streaming culture often encourages such as well, since the long, unstructured time spans naturally create those moments. This practice rather counteracts the belief in the supernaut, since it humbles and demonstrates a kind of solidarity with everyone who isn't "making it". It doesn't exactly counter the negatives of parasociality in these spaces, but it opens the window for the audience to reconsider.