3 ms·

This 100%. Consuming media is an escape from reality, an escape from right now.

• drawkbox 5y ago
  Exactly, social media is not reality. Repeat after me: Social media is not reality. In a way, social media is the new tabloid mixed with popularity contests and politics. Very easy to consume, mostly bullshit, mostly doomscrolling eventually, mostly divisive and tribal in the cult-like movements. It is somewhat scary when people believe the "movements" on social media, they are mostly being engineered. People's first reactions and bad takes are what you find mostly on social media, those are usually worked out in normal reality. There is some good to social media, for hobbies and information, but it is submerged under the astroturfed and cult/popularity/tabloid madness.
  • krono 5y ago
    An individual's reality is whatever their brain decides to make of it in the moment. Whatever it is matters not, they're now living it, and only they can change it. Fighting this "metaverse" from down here is pointless. Showing people close to you how to recognise the manipulation and teaching them how to harden themselves against it is far more effective and worthwhile, I believe.
• jrochkind1 5y ago
  In this, similar to (other) things recognized as addictions. Eg (just first thing I found googling for this commonly heard theory/model): > A strong belief exists among addiction treatment specialists that the primary reason addicts remain addicted is less about pleasure-seeking and more about their need to escape and dissociate from the pain of his or her (often trauma-based) emotional isolation. http://www.consultant360.com/articles/why-do-people-addictions-seek-escape-rather-connect-look-approach-addiction-treatment http://www.consultant360.com/articles/why-do-people-addictio...