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All stimulation is not the same, obviously. Social media is very stimulating, after all. It just happens to be in a numbing, harmful way for little to no benefi

All stimulation is not the same, obviously. Social media is very stimulating, after all. It just happens to be in a numbing, harmful way for little to no benefit. Gaming has the same if not more potential than shows and movies have, it just happened to have suffered the fate of the visual entertainment industry. It shoves large parts of the potential aside for the sake of maximizing profit, opting for cheap stimulation over valuable stimulation. Aside from the de facto benefit that the act of reading itself has for the brain, maybe the distinction isn't so much between long form written content and other media. Maybe it's just that this form of media isn't quite as susceptible to deterioration and profiteering, leaving more tangible value in it. I don't think that is entirely unreasonable. Maybe those other types of media being so much newer makes them more compatible with hyper-capitalization.

James_K 2y ago
> Social media is very stimulating, after all. It just happens to be in a numbing Numbing is the opposite of stimulating. > leaving more tangible value in it The word value here is ill-defined. I can only think of "entertainment value" which is often sacrificed to make more profit and which books are clearly lacking when compared to other more entertaining things.
- MildlySerious 2y ago
  > Numbing is the opposite of stimulating. Your point being? Over-stimulation in the short term can be numbing in the long term by building up tolerance. And that's assuming that stimulation is somehow a one-dimensional thing and it can only ever be one or the other. The brain is complex, stimulation can go many ways, and simplifying too much is not constructive. > I can only think of "entertainment value" which is often sacrificed to make more profit and which books are clearly lacking when compared to other more entertaining things. In the previous reply it was only informational value. Putting that aside, this also reduces something to a single dimension when there is really no reason or benefit in doing so. There is no such thing as The Entertainment just as stimulation does not happen along a single axis.
  - James_K 2y ago
    > Over-stimulation in the short term can be numbing in the long term by building up tolerance You are confusing mental stimulation with visual stimulation. We were talking about mental stimulation, not merely entertaining colours and lights. Mental stimulation is something which causes you to think rather than observe. > this also reduces something to a single dimension when there is really no reason or benefit in doing so Yes everything is very multidimensional and that conveniently means you never have to explain the concrete meaning of the words you chose to use.
    - MildlySerious 2y ago
      Can you explain where you hope to take this conversation? I don't seem to understand the point you're trying to make regarding books.
      - James_K 2y ago
        Then maybe try reading what I'm saying. It should be pretty obvious that I think the mental stimulation that is supposedly attributed to books is massively overrated which is evidenced by the fact that more mentally stimulating things do not have those same benefits attributed to them.
        MildlySerious 2y ago
        Is that really a topic to be this snarky and standoffish about? What's the point?
        James_K 2y ago
        I am annoyed by silly questions and I wish to communicate this to you. Your decision to respond with more silly questions is an interesting one.
        MildlySerious 2y ago

James_K 2y ago

> Social media is very stimulating, after all. It just happens to be in a numbing Numbing is the opposite of stimulating. > leaving more tangible value in it The word value here is ill-defined. I can only think of "entertainment value" which is often sacrificed to make more profit and which books are clearly lacking when compared to other more entertaining things.

MildlySerious 2y ago
> Numbing is the opposite of stimulating. Your point being? Over-stimulation in the short term can be numbing in the long term by building up tolerance. And that's assuming that stimulation is somehow a one-dimensional thing and it can only ever be one or the other. The brain is complex, stimulation can go many ways, and simplifying too much is not constructive. > I can only think of "entertainment value" which is often sacrificed to make more profit and which books are clearly lacking when compared to other more entertaining things. In the previous reply it was only informational value. Putting that aside, this also reduces something to a single dimension when there is really no reason or benefit in doing so. There is no such thing as The Entertainment just as stimulation does not happen along a single axis.
- James_K 2y ago
  > Over-stimulation in the short term can be numbing in the long term by building up tolerance You are confusing mental stimulation with visual stimulation. We were talking about mental stimulation, not merely entertaining colours and lights. Mental stimulation is something which causes you to think rather than observe. > this also reduces something to a single dimension when there is really no reason or benefit in doing so Yes everything is very multidimensional and that conveniently means you never have to explain the concrete meaning of the words you chose to use.
  - MildlySerious 2y ago
    Can you explain where you hope to take this conversation? I don't seem to understand the point you're trying to make regarding books.
    - James_K 2y ago
      Then maybe try reading what I'm saying. It should be pretty obvious that I think the mental stimulation that is supposedly attributed to books is massively overrated which is evidenced by the fact that more mentally stimulating things do not have those same benefits attributed to them.
      - MildlySerious 2y ago
        Is that really a topic to be this snarky and standoffish about? What's the point?
        James_K 2y ago
        I am annoyed by silly questions and I wish to communicate this to you. Your decision to respond with more silly questions is an interesting one.
        MildlySerious 2y ago