
Social Media Is the New Smoking - nether
https://theroamingmind.com/2017/03/06/social-media-is-the-new-smoking/
======
mrisoli
> Will browsing your phone anticipating the next notification become a dirty
> habit that others will shun you for?

It is already frowned upon in some social circles, occasional browsing is okay
but some people can go completely off reality when going through their
Facebook feed, I have some friends like this(very introverted), when we met at
a bar or restaurant we would make a "phones on the table" rule, first to reach
for the phone pays the bill.

For me, the hyperbole of social media dependency is how it changed travel
experiences. People always took photos of travels, but social media put that
into comical territory.

It is bizarre watching other tourists around, how they navigate from spot to
spot to get a picture in some of the most famous places on earth without ever
stopping to absorb where they were, they never bothered to understand the
history or the architecture behind some place, they have 75 pictures of the
same place but probably couldn't tell you the color on the walls five minutes
after the picture was taken.

I like to stay at hostels and meet other people(especially when traveling
alone), there have always been people in their own bubble, but it is crazy how
it changed in the last 3-4 years, everyone is so self-envolved on their phones
that they are not even aware of their surroundings, you can come in and out of
a room without being noticed, I've seen people spend their entire time locked
in a room glued to their phones, sometimes even missing meals.

~~~
grecy
I have a dream to open a bar (or hostel) that is a massive Faraday cage so
that phones and laptops on wifi simply don't work.

I'd call it "The Stone Age" or some similar pun.

(Yes, I would put up a sign to that effect notifying people - if they don't
like it they can go elsewhere)

~~~
airza
Even though i don't care for it in a movie theatre, the FCC has traditionally
taken a pretty dim view of trying to block someone's authorized radio
communications.

~~~
sk5t
Harmful interference is one thing, but a radio-quiet room?

~~~
bennettfeely
I think the idea is cool, but I have a feeling there would be quite a legal
battle that ensues when someone is injured or dies in the hostel after they
couldn't connect to 911.

~~~
flukus
Train tunnels, underground car parks and other reception black spots seem to
have avoided litigation. Have we really reach the point where going outside to
get reception is not something a reasonable person would think of?

~~~
lawless123
None of those are deliberate though.

------
thesuitonym
I don't know about you, but I don't find that I'm missing out on anything by
pulling my phone out when I'm waiting for my car to warm up. I don't think I'm
wasting time because when I start getting bored with a movie that I'm
watching, I pull out my phone and check my messages.

I don't miss the ten minutes of watching the news before leaving for work that
has been replaced with ten minutes of Facebook. Maybe reading a novel for an
hour after work is a better use of my time than reading Reddit for an hour,
but maybe it's not?

I'm probably not super typical with my social media consumption, but I only
use social media to fill the time when my kids are doing their own thing, my
wife is on something, and I don't really have time to _engage_ in some
activity.

I get that social media is new and alarming that it's such an integral part of
our lives, but maybe we need to step away from these hype grabbing headlines.
What's the difference if a 10 year old is posting on Instagram, to a 10 year
old in the 80s with a Polaroid? If kids talk on snapchat instead of over the
fence in the backyard?

Again, I want to stress that I'm not saying we shouldn't look into the
negative effects of social media. We certainly should. But we also shouldn't
assume these things are bad because people with poor impulse control are
ruining their lives.

~~~
PhasmaFelis
I don't do a lot of social media as such, but I waste endless hours reading
and commenting on Reddit, HN, Rock Paper Shotgun, and so forth. I feel like it
actively makes my life worse, but I can't stop.

I can never tell if these articles are talking about me or not.

~~~
hycaria
Delete your accounts ?

I feel like commenting is a waste of time. I often type stuff I end up not
posting / deleting 2 minutes later. I never engage in exchanges more than 2
posts long (esp. if its discussing ideas, by then your point should be clearly
made and it's worthless).

I read a lot of comments though, mostly at work. I like new ideas or insight
in peoples lives and struggles.

~~~
ciaranm
I'm exactly the same. I often type out replies to people, then just go 'nah
not worth it' and close the tab.

------
Nightshaxx
I think that the basic idea of the article is frighteningly true; social media
is becoming that thing I use when I feel sick, bored, or just want to escape
reality.

The problem is smoking feels the same wiether 1 person is doing it or 1
million people do it; social media only really works when everyone you know
does it. This makes it even scarier when you realize this will make it
exponentially harder for we as a society to make a decent dent in social
media: if your high depends on others, you might pressure others into
sustaining your high.

~~~
irrational
I get so many invitations to join Linkedin as well as questions about why I'm
not on Facebook or other social media platforms that it drives me nuts. Why am
I considered strange for not participating? It's like tattoos. Everyone where
I live has multiple tattoos and I'm considered a freak because I don't have
any. Maybe I just want to be a special butterfly.

~~~
baby
> It's like tattoos

Come on! It takes literally nothing to create a Facebook account. You can even
use a fake mail and name (it might be against the ToS but you still can). The
only thing it will take from you is time. (No it won't make your life worst,
just use messenger.com and not the main API with the newsfeed so that people
can contact you.)

I would compare that to having a phone back then, when it was kind of the only
way to contact you. If you don't want friends, then probably no-one will
harass you asking if you have a phone number so you're fine.

~~~
ben_w
Nothing, except your time.

Your time, and the crude attempt to model what you consider to be worthy of
your time, so that people with money can waste it in just the right way to
make you do what they want you to do — watch an ad, buy a product, vote for a
policy.

~~~
baby
> Nothing, except your time.

For the benefits that it gives you, I don't see that as a waste. I can keep in
touch with all my friends around the world, and I can organize trips, parties,
dinners, get invited to weddings, see the new baby of a friend, etc... I'm
tired of only reading the bad side of this story.

~~~
ben_w
If that's all you use it for, you are a rarity.

Of course, every example you just gave can also be done with email, and email
doesn't hide things from you just because seeing them means you spend less
time using email.

~~~
baby
> If that's all you use it for, you are a rarity.

Yeah it can be used for much more. These are just good examples.

> Of course, every example you just gave can also be done with email

It's not practical. That's the point.

~~~
ben_w
When I have wanted to do the things you gave as examples, email wasn't merely
practical, it was superior to Facebook.

------
thinbeige
I remember one vacation which was the first after many years: I was lying at
the beach enjoying the view. I was so happy that I could afford some vacation
after years of suffering and watching millions of vaction pictures from my
friends on Facebook.

Avid for revenge, I took a picture of the stunning beach view and wrote in big
letters 'MY LIFE IS BETTER THAN YOURS'. At that moment I realized what
Facebook is about (without posting anything).

~~~
vacri
> _' MY LIFE IS BETTER THAN YOURS'. At that moment I realized what Facebook is
> about_

I don't do the facebook thing myself, but close friends do, and they use it as
a social organiser, not an arena for braggadocio. Want to get rid of a table?
Facebook. Shitty day and want to invite friends to the pub? Facebook. Cat
memes? Facebook.

I'm not fond of facebook, but let's face it; you can't blame the hammer if you
make a shitty chair with it.

~~~
chickenfries
Except in this case the Hammer is a finely-tuned addiction machine, engineered
by some very smart, well-paid people at Facebook.

------
WheelsAtLarge
If Social Media Is the New Smoking then I'm smoking 12 packs a day. HELP!

Seriously,there is truth in this statement. People are sinking into their
phones and computers and we all think it's amusing. Living peacefully in a
society is hard enough when we have to learn to deal with one another. What
will happen when we lack those abilities because all we need to do is interact
with our technology? Red lights need to be popping up all over the place.

~~~
Mediterraneo10
"Living peacefully in a society is hard enough when we have to learn to deal
with one another. What will happen when we lack those abilities because all we
need to do is interact with our technology."

Being wrapped up in social media might serve as a way of pacifying society.
When unemployment is rising due to automation and policy, give the masses
shiny websites they can spend all day on and lots of computer games, and then
they won't get together in real life much and riot. William Gibson envisioned
such a future in his recent novel "The Peripheral".

~~~
jimbokun
"Being wrapped up in social media might serve as a way of pacifying society."

Looking at the current political climate, the exact opposite is happening.

~~~
Mediterraneo10
At least as far as the USA goes, society looks pretty peaceful to me. Sure,
there have been a few protests, but nothing especially big or violent. The
most dramatic sign of discontent of the masses was expressed through a
peaceful presidential election, and all the spleen that most people want to
vent, gets vented online in social networks or the comments section of
partisan blogs.

------
oliv__
_> "That the dude off in the corner consuming his Instagram feed will be
looked at the same as the guy standing at the street corner sucking on a
Marlboro."_

I don't think that's ever going to happen. Social networks, contrary to
smoking, are built on the very nature of human beings: being social animals.
And that's certainly not going away. It would be like wishing that the buddies
socializing on the corner would be looked at the same as the guy smoking next
to them.

There's no doubt that our natural inclination to socialize is being used and
twisted through these slot-machine social networks, but if you're going to
wish for something, wish for better social networks, or better education to
help people control themselves, just not for humans to stop being social.

~~~
dep_b
> Social networks, contrary to smoking, are built on the very nature of human
> beings: being social animals.

Bullshit. After quitting I still went to the smoking area at work just to hang
out with the people that were taking a break there. Especially when it was
completely accepted smoking was considered very social, like grabbing a beer
together still is. The "hey let's grab a smoke" is what I miss about smoking.

~~~
gaius
I've never smoked (cigarettes) but I have often envied that a smoker could go
and just sit, alone at the bar say, just a moment of peace and calm, and it
wasn't weird that there was a guy there just staring into space, because he
was "having a smoke" and that was an activity in and of itself. Or on a park
bench or just anywhere. I sometimes fake playing with my phone, just so I can
do it.

~~~
bcook
Indeed. Since I quit smoking I miss the inarguable excuse (not just to others
but myself as well) that smoking offered to leave a party, go outside, stare
into the night's stars and just relax while pondering the universe and my own
insignificance.

~~~
jkeat
Can anyone think of a good non-carcinogenic substitute?

~~~
hereonbusiness
Realizing you don't need an excuse to do what you like doing.

Taking a moment to relax and gaze at the stars or enjoy a coffee on your own
just sitting there lost in thought is as good an activity as having a smoke. I
really don't see people judging other people for it.

Or if you're actually looking for an activity not an excuse, just thinking
about a interesting topic/problem and writing down the thoughts going through
your head on your phone (or even better onto a piece of paper/notepad, no
interruptions) can be an very satisfying activity I found out.

Really helps me to focus on whatever I'm thinking about too.

------
pan69
Early January I removed the Facebook, Instagram and Twitter apps from my phone
(don't really use any other social media). Since that time I think have have
logged into Facebook twice (desktop browser) only to be presented with a
barrage of gunk on which I closed the browser tab. See yasss...

Every once in a while I will scroll through my Twitter feed (desktop browser).
I follow a lot of pixel art artists so I get to see some interesting things.

However, I don't want this on my phone anymore. My phone will only have the
actually utilities I need. Phone, SMS, maps, email and a decent battery life.

Also, I turned off all notifications on my phone as well. I.e, don't interrupt
me. I'll get to it when I get to it.

~~~
fokinsean
I have been off Facebook for about 5 years and recently just got off Instagram
about 2 months ago. I can't believe how much longer my battery is lasting lol.

The big kicker for me quitting was that if I became the slightest bit stuck on
a task at work, I would reach for my phone and get lost in the instavoid.

Since I quit I have been much more productive and also noticed I don't
habitually dive into social media when I become bored.

~~~
eldavido
Also off facebook for about five years. I've said it many times, it's
surprising how little I miss it. Sort of like junk food, it tastes great but
surprising how little you miss eating it when it's gone.

------
goalieca
Smoking causes self-harm through use. But do cigarette companies build a giant
FBI file on you in order to sell it for profit to others? others who believe
Information is power and want to manipulate you for political and economic
success?

As you can tell, I'm on the cynical side of things. It hurts my social life no
doubt. Perhaps this is similar to being a non-smoker in the 40s. Hell, I bet
that I'm a victim of second hand social media.

~~~
marchenko
"second-hand social media" is a brilliant coinage. it's perfect to describe
non-users who are still affected by shadow profiles, ubiquitous logins and
trackers, the walling-off of some discourse, and facial recognition capture.

------
voidifremoved
I broke my phone about a year ago, and it took a few days to sort out a
replacement.

In that time I went through exactly the same process I did when I quit
smoking. I became aware suddenly of all the time, all the gaps, all the
moments that I had filled with a quick look at my phone.

And once it passed - elation, freedom, seeing the world with open eyes and a
clear head.

I was sad when my new phone arrived, and looking back I wish I had found a way
to stay clean.

~~~
xrange
>...I wish I had found a way to stay clean.

Anyone have success stories to share? I've tried adding various sites to my
hosts file. But I seem to lapse after a while, since I can restore the file
anytime I want to. Any negative reinforcement ideas? Like an annoying sound
(baby shrieking?) played or an electrical shock when browsing to particular
sites? Any methods to prevent yourself from uninstalling things like that
though?

Any ideas on how long it might take to get over any "withdrawl" period? Like
you only need to "tough it out" for a month, and then it becomes more
manageable?

~~~
Mz
Figure out what you are getting out of it and find something that is similar,
but without the downside.

I have read that TV watching strongly correlates to people having exhausting
jobs. So, they come home and zone out in front of the TV, too tired to do
anything else. I think social media serves a similar function for many people.
But if you crave social connection and you are getting it primarily via social
media, it is sort of like eating a single potato chip when you are hungry.

Go find better social connections and these faux social connections won't be a
case of "I can't believe I ate the whole bag and now I want to vomit, yet I'm
still hungry too!" I think of addictive activities as those which grow a
hunger rather than satisfying a hunger. If you find a way to satisfy your
need, addictive things are less tempting because you just aren't starving
anymore.

Also, just get more rest so you aren't spending so much time doing empty
activities because it is all you have the energy or mental focus for. Or
otherwise rearrange your life so that you are getting the depth or density you
need of a particular thing and these types of behaviors get crowded out by
healthier ones.

------
kartan
Today I'm going to answer cynism with cynism:

> will social media become the new smoking?

No. Smoking produces cancer, that makes some people really worried. It is even
worst if you are pregnant.

> Will browsing your phone anticipating the next notification become a dirty
> habit that others will shun you for?

No. Unless there are other more cool ways of social media. If you are still
using My Space, maybe you already feel like this.

> There are a few instances where it works well but for every 1 nugget of
> goodness that there is, there are 4 nuggets of bad.

Supported by which data?

> I know I am sounding negative here, but it is the truth.

Ooooh, it's the true. Duh.

> I always feel better after interacting with someone face-to-face.

Me too. Social media doesn't exclude the possibility to have human interaction
unless you are in a 90s movie connected to a VR headset. If that happens, you
are trapped in "the computer world" and lost for ever.

> social media will never feel like a true genuine connection.

Because it is not. Reading a newspaper doesn't feel either as a "genuine
connection", but keeps me up to date with the news. Sending a mail doesn't
feel either as a "genuine connection", but I get my job done.

> While naive to believe so, I have to hope that when my son becomes ready to
> consume the social media lifestyle, by then it will have been a passing fad
> and ostracized like the cigarette packages of today.

Or he can be educated to understand for what is useful, and for what not, and
what are the risks. Abstinence education doesn't work.

~~~
Bakary
If social media produces widespread depression (based on the studies posted by
other commenters) it can well become a health hazard, albeit not as damaging
as smokes.

>Or he can be educated to understand for what is useful, and for what not, and
what are the risks. Abstinence education doesn't work.

I don't disagree outright but unfortunately all the education in the world
still makes a person vulnerable against societal pressure. If you are a non-
smoker in the 1940s, you still have to breathe smoke wherever you are. If you
are a non-user in the 2010s, your social life (especially if you are young) is
highly likely to be negatively impacted.

------
dawhizkid
I'm so, so glad I grew up in a world without social media (with the exception
of maybe Myspace blowing up when I was in HS).

I can't imagine that growing up with an iPhone and access to FB/IG/Snap from
elementary school onward is a healthy experience for kids from a mental
health/social anxiety POV. I guess only time will tell.

I'd also imagine being a teacher these days would suck because of phones. I
don't know how schools manage that these days.

~~~
brandon272
I'm probably around your age but I remember being a kid and always fantasizing
about having some kind of "personal technology" like a phone or device you
could take anywhere with you. For the longest time the computer I used was
owned by my entire family and was in a common room in our house. I didn't buy
my own computer, a laptop, until I was an adult. I didn't have any cell phone
until I bought my own as an adult.

But now every 10 year old has their own smartphone, and they are dialed into
Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and the internet-at-large 24 hours a day, and
while there are obvious benefits in terms of convenience, there is also an
"ick" factor to it for me.

------
colept
In college social media consumed me. Instead of going out and having fun I was
watching my friends go out and have fun. It got to such a bad point that I was
lurking enviously across random profiles.

In 2013 I gave up Facebook and it felt like a deadweight lifted. I stopped
worrying about what acquaintances were up to. Friends and I kept in touch
through conventional conversation. I endured the same awful feeling with
Instagram when I moved 3000 miles away from my friends and family.

Everyone is crafting an online identity of how they want to appear and we all
know we're doing it. There's little room for raw, unedited perception. Every
moment has to be post card or else you don't measure up. Networks like
Facebook and Instagram are a self-fulfilling prophecies of low self esteem.

~~~
ruc0la
Literally my thoughts on this topic. Albeit, I have not got rid of my account
yet due to university. However, I disabled notifications and mainly use
messenger. I wiped my pictures, never check in places and occasionally like
posts.

------
snarfy
I enjoy my solitude. Maybe it's a slight bit of mental illness, but I cannot
stand notifications. I'll use my phone when I want to, not when it wants me
to. When I'm in a waiting room, it's amusing to watch everybody else on their
phones, except maybe an old guy in the corner.

Then I realize I'm the old guy in the corner.

~~~
ChrisLTD
I'm with you 100%. I only want notifications of work critical information or
direct messages from friends and family. Everything else is usually just a
hook to get you to "engage" with more advertising.

------
martinald
I often wonder if social media is the reason behind the dismal productivity
gains we've seen in the last decade.

I think this is a really well thought article. I can sort of see the
equivalent of _The Insider_ in 20 years time, with Zuck at a congress hearing
saying that 'social media' is not addictive.

~~~
sjg007
Facebook, Reddit, hacker news.. all are addictive.

I started with slashdot in 96/97? then Reddit, now hacker news. Twitter might
be the same but I don't partake.

The fundamental problem is you read yesterday's news instead of inventing the
future.

~~~
ccozan
> fundamental problem is you read yesterday's news instead of inventing the
> future.

..and this my friend, is such an understatement. I wish everyone hooked on
social media to read this phrase every hour.

I do, indeed, read HN, because it does offer some insights in the future. I
had lots of ideas from the shared articles and associated comments.

------
tudorw
Yes, if you follow the lifecycle from exclusive expensive gadget only the rich
can afford down to ubiquitous device which affords no status it would seem
likely that conspicuously demonstrating you are beholden to the little box
will be avoided by the upper strata, not being busy and not needing a phone
because you have 'people' for that will be the new norm. The truly wealthy
will be carrying a book.

------
m3kw9
Your attention is now helping how the corporation want you to use your time to
help them make money. It all seem like a win win but your share of win is much
lower. You miss out on introspection of yourself or other matters, that's just
the tip or the iceberg

------
spraak
I'm sitting here watching my child at the park and reading Hacker News. I
don't use social media but definitely am addicted to being distracted.

------
bogomipz
>"After watching a man almost wander into the street while browsing his phone,
my wandered a bit; will social media become the new smoking?"

The opening sentence is about not paying attention and yet it contains two
glaring errors, spelling and grammatical.

Did this individual really not even bother to proof read their opening
sentence? Maybe the author might be better asking "is blogging the new fast
food?"

------
djyaz1200
"It's the new smoking, an expensive/unhealthy pacifier for poor people."

by djyaz1200 62 days ago on: Facebook – cancer of our generation"

------
chayesfss
sitting is the new smoking, social media is the new smoking, sugar is the new
smoking...

~~~
Stanleyc23
...vaping is the new smoking?

------
syphilis2
I feel it's clear the fad is waning, but that's my experience among my crowd.
For young children, for grandparents, maybe for other countries it's not the
same. For example Facebook's trendiness is in that familiar slow motion fall.
The same one blogs experienced, or Instant Messenger. But "social media"? No,
contrary to my experience, social media is still trending up. It should be
interesting to see the backlash grow, the holdouts dig in, and the slow fade
to irrelevance and memory. In ten years you might ironically send a foodie to
your friends alongside a status update about how cute your cat is. Or a
hamburger themed math problem presented by a Minion. Or maybe social media is
the new jeans (long term) or the new beer (very long term).

------
rubicon33
I removed social media from my life years ago because I found that it wasn't
helping me in any way whatsoever. I'm not sure I would go as far as to declare
it a social epidemic on the level of smoking, yet it's hard not to worry about
(what seems to be) the growing fixation young people have on their social
media lives [1] over their real life. I genuinely wonder what it's like to
grow up as a teenager in the social media world we live in today.

[1] [http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/teenage-driver-
li...](http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/teenage-driver-livestreams-
crash-killed-sister-48829211)

------
habosa
I think the analogy is true, but in a much more serious way. Smoking is the
defining health issue of the previous generation. Everyone did it, and nobody
knew (or wanted to admit) that it was slowly killing them. The companies knew,
but there was too much money at stake.

I think social media addiction and general internet addiction is destroying
the mental health of millions of people around the developed world and nobody
is doing much about it. Just as we look back now and go "oh my god they used
to smoke in restaurants!" our children may say "holy crap look at this picture
of my parents on the phone while they walk!". It's all-consuming.

------
calebgilbert
I've been developing since 2000 in some form or other and have gone from a
true believer who thought the internet would save the world, to someone who
thinks it's had an immeasurably negative impact on any number of levels.

That said, comparing it to smoking is not broad enough. It's more like social
media (and by extension the internet) is more like the 'new water' \- a
fundamental aspect of living whether we like it or not at this point. For
instance, even if you don't partake in social media, the top political figures
of the day are, and thus your life is being directly affected one way or the
other.

~~~
treve
Sounds like every opinion you held both before and after 2000 are extremes.
Some nuance might be healthy!

~~~
calebgilbert
Well, I've reached 'resignation' if not nuance in any case. Or maybe that is a
nuance.

------
kermire
Though I do like the culture of taking photos instead of experiencing the
moment, I do not think social media is the new smoking. People like to be
distracted and absorbed. Social media is just an option. There are a dozen
other alternatives. It has a different effect on different people. Some get
really into it but there are others who just don't care. Fear mongering is
easy when it sounds believable. I refuse to accept the equivalence until
there's some unbiased research backing these claims.

------
mjn
Reminds me of an article from 5 years ago, "The Cigarette of This Century",
comparing cigarettes and smartphones. Although that one is looking more at
their social roles than their health effects.

[https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/06/the-c...](https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/06/the-
cigarette-of-this-century/258092/)

------
donatj
This is an incredibly interesting and apt comparison.

My mother who's trying albeit mostly failing to wean herself from smoking has
become addicted to social media to the point where she becomes actively
hostile when her internet is out.

She is literally addicted to Facebook in the __exact __same way as cigarettes.
She needs her fix.

I think for people who become easily addicted to things, it's a very easy
thing to become addicted to.

------
draw_down
The stigma against smoking has a considerable class element to it nowadays. If
a technology comes along that allows more affluent people to avoid looking at
the phone then this could happen. On the other hand, smart watches offered
that functionality among other things and don't seem to have changed much of
anything, socially speaking.

------
dsjoerg
I had exactly the idea of OP's title but never bothered to write an article
around it. 100% agree.

------
empressplay
I quit smoking over a decade ago, but only because I had a S60 phone with an
IRC client lol

------
Aron
No. It's not the new smoking. There's an uncomfortable process involved with
acculturating to social media and it will continue to evolve, but there is far
more upside when used well which is hard to say with smoking.

------
seizethecheese
Oh, the irony. After all, this platform is a form of social media.

And before you say "it's different", HN is just a different flavor of
clickbait from FB, more in tune with what happens tickles your feels.

------
Aron
I'll tell you what the new smoking is. Driving around in a gas car. Hey Ford,
cough cough, I'm trying to breathe here.

------
losteverything
There is no possible way to reverse the damage to the lungs caused by active
or passive smoke(ing)

The comparison is not a strong one

------
mahyarm
I would say the international increase in obesity and all of the health
problems it creates is the new smoking TBH.

------
joh-nan-drew
Addictions aren't necessarily bad. Some need drugs to help get by. Others junk
food. TV shows. Validation. I indulge in a number of things when I just want
my brain to turn off. I let my desires run on autopilot and give myself what I
need.

Sometimes, these can reveal important things about our personalities. One of
my addictions is particular kinds of information. Complex and novel ideas,
long-form essays, "insight porn." The type of things I gravitate towards
reading tells a lot about me and what I find interesting in this world. I'd
like to make some kind of dent in the universe in these spaces I find
interesting before I die. Sure it might suck when I end up reading too much at
the expense of something else, but what can I say, that's what I enjoy.

For those whose lives revolve around social media like Facebook or Instagram,
their attention might be largely allocated towards validation, a sense of
belonging, identity. Things that are not necessarily new to a post-Facebook
world. In an alternative universe, maybe they're doing some other kind of
social climbing or image-crafting. I'd never hold that against somebody if
that's what they're wired towards. I say, own it and use it as an asset in
your life.

An addiction is a habit, and a habit is merely a stable pattern of human
behavior. All of our non-novel behaviors are habits. The things our mind
gravitates towards are habits. I think it crosses into a "negative addiction"
once a habit starts to become detrimental to something we want out of our
lives. That's when we should be concerned.

We are flawed, suboptimal creatures. It's ok to give into our addictions, good
and bad. We should incorporate addictions as constraints in our models of
living, working, interacting. We'll always have them. In my experience, trying
to get rid of certain habits hurt me because they served a function to my
well-being or personality.

You need to understand your own addictions. If a sense of belonging is
important to your personality, you will feel a void in your life without it.
There's a reason why poor men in third world countries might partake in
cockfighting culture with other men rather than spend it on food.

That being said, I don't think the negatives of social media are all that bad.
I would argue that grade school is way more toxic than social media. Social
media usually makes a convenient target for those in the "good old days before
technology," "humans need authentic human connection" camp.

I am willing to extend a platform+API metaphor and grant that social media
(the platform) allows us to build an external layer of ourselves (the API)
that becomes the means with which others interact with us while while we hide
our internals, but you'll have to convince me that that's mostly a bad thing.
I don't think appealing to an "authentic human connection" value works. Sounds
like a win for technology if you ask me!

Here's the thing. Social media is still a choice. Contrast this to the toxic
and unnatural environment that is high school, which is forced upon us.

Social media feeds our insecurities? Well, high school _created_ them in the
first place.

Technology almost always affords you the freedom to engage or disengage. Take
online dating for example. In the "good old days," men would have to impress
and court a whole family just to date one person -- you're essentially dating
a whole family. Now you can just find someone online within minutes, and start
connecting with the one person you actually want to. Is some dude harassing
you online? You're free to block him with the click of a button or just turn
off the app. Sure there are tradeoffs, but the key here is choice.

Think freedom to respond to a text whenever you want vs being "on-call" all
the time.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you are hanging out with people
who are constantly on their phones, then the truth is, they are making a
personal choice to disengage from that situation, and they value more
whatever's going on in the "real internet world" rather than the "tiny bubble"
that is the room you guys are sitting in. Maybe the latest meme or what's
happening in North Korea is more interesting. The actual problem is a mismatch
between you and your company. Technology simply affords them choices in
dealing with social expectations they might not actually want.

Facebook is not the end game, and technology can do better. But I think
pointing fingers at social media for ruining us all is a bit silly.

------
Mz
Social Media: Promotes cancerous growth. And it smells bad to boot.

------
watertorock
Toxic and popular with no benefit?

~~~
grenoire
No benefit and no net benefit are two different things. Even still, it's
relative.

