social media

Expected elation. Society has built a world that defines what's appealing and what's not. What success should look like. I spent years chasing this idea, and achieved it. And never felt truly happy. Why? It seems so obvious, there are a million songs and movies about how wealth and fame aren't the end all be all for human states. Yet we pursue it a... See more

“I’m tired of making everything about myself. My job requires me to look at myself, talk about myself, post myself, and reply to comments about myself. It is way too much of a self-obsessive job”

“On TikTok, you have to talk in short sentences. I’ve learned to not elaborate on my idea — which for years of my academic life, I was taught to elaborate ... See more

Jules Terpak • Tweet

#creative

The pressure to perform and live up to the expectations of others is not a new social phenomenon — nor a bad one. **^^But the way it manifests at the internet’s global scale increases its intensity tenfold — especially for young people. The goal is no longer to simply live up to the high expectations of your parents and peers — online you could be ... See more

Molly Mielke • callings

#creativity

That labor amounts to constant self-promotion in the form of cheap trend-following, ever-changing posting strategies, and the nagging feeling that what you are really doing with your time is marketing, not art. Under the tyranny of algorithmic media distribution, artists, authors — anyone whose work concerns itself with what it means to be human — ... See more

Rebecca Jennings • Everybody Has to Self-Promote Now. Nobody Wants To.

#creativity #focus

But because it now feels like the ball of success is completely in my court, the pressure to constantly put out content has become overwhelming, to the point where it’s the majority of what I think about with regards to my career. Every day instead of writing, I sit and think: I should post a clip of stand-up. What clip should I post? What clip wil

"Social media turned you, me, and everyone into broadcasters (if aspirational ones). The results have been disastrous but also highly pleasurable, not to mention massively profitable—a catastrophic combination."

The Age of Social Media Is Ending - The Atlantic, November 2022

But gradually, social-media users became more comfortable sharing intimate details of their lives with strangers and corporations. ... They became more adept at putting on performances and managing their personal brand—activities that might impress others but that do not deepen friendships in the way that a private phone conversation will. On... See more

The Atlantic • Why the Past 10 Years of American Life Have Been Uniquely Stupid

Social media acts as an emotional coordination layer, increasing the amplitude and frequency of culture. Jealousy, resentment, and fomo are more viral and powerful than ever, particularly when everyone is on their computer all day post-lockdown.

John Luttig • Finance as culture

It’s never felt more plausible that the age of social media might end—and soon.

Social media was never a natural way to work, play, and socialize, though it did become second nature.