> "In-person interaction is hazardous to your body, mind and reputation. The only truly safe space is at home, in front of a screen." > This is the one conspir

> "In-person interaction is hazardous to your body, mind and reputation. The only truly safe space is at home, in front of a screen." > This is the one conspiracy theory I truly believe, that mass media’s relentless “stranger danger” propaganda serves the same purpose as a cult’s rules against fraternizing with the heretics. And it’s the worst kind of conspiracy in that I don’t think the conspirators have any idea what they’re doing. Great insight. All mediums promote themselves so they can remain competitive against other mediums. 'Stranger danger' is a powerful way to promote, it hijacks our natural inclination to focus on data that helps us assess risk. We've seen this grow from having like 3 tv news stations to 24h cable news and now to UGC video. As production & distribution tech has increased adoption (from 100s of producers to billions), it's increased the quantity and quality of content that can deliver this stranger danger message. Meanwhile our paleolithic emotions remain unchanged. Whether it's cults, media, social media, politics, etc, the incentives of maximal extraction are always to divide & conquer. Our isolation and a lot of our strife is the product of our extractive economy slowly winning out over our agency.