February 8, 2025
social media is the most expedient form of escapism available to us. generally, our brains freewheel from thought to thought toward various attractors – namely, survival. rumination on social dynamics is a form of considering one’s continued existence (given that for most of humanity ones’ survival was predicated upon being a member of a tribe); plans of a future is the same. and so on.
the inevitable conclusion of all similar lines of thought is that one’s existence will inevitably cease. all these future plans a predetermined end. given that we are ones for self-preservation, this is discomforting. thus, any stimuli which can interrupt these well-trodden paths comes as a comfort. in the past these stimuli required more effort; one can only preen alone for so long before going down to the corner bar. now, these interruptions can be accessed at ten-second intervals, constantly interrupting any attempt at regular thought. in other words, social media decreases the salience of one’s mortality.
philosophy is an instruction manual for death and it is beyond the essay-form to orient a reader’s opinion toward such a topic. that which remains is an analysis of the relationship between distraction and contemplation. to spend every moment in thought toward one’s natural ends is to distract the thinker from action; to spend every moment in action as a means to avoid thought makes one irresponsible. what balance can we strike? perhaps one of contemplative action.
our actions have ends beyond ourselves. endless scrolling does not quality. we may think more about the outcomes of our actions that they benefit our future selves or others. though these too are finite ripples, if we are to resist the idea that we will cease, we are obligated to act. to not have made some splash is akin to not having existed in the first place. it is logical to want to act, even if it is ultimately futile. and yes, idly consuming information is a form of inaction.
i do not believe that social media was intentionally created to exploit this drive; rather, the creators of it shared in this all-too-human defect and created a product which solved their own ills. social media/media consumption runs on the perpetual march of time and requires no other input – the ideal distraction from our ultimate problems.