The Internet is Worse Than Ever - Now What?

[@kurzgesagt]

Go to ground.news/nutshell to compare news coverage from around the world and across the political spectrum to get a well-rounded view on important issues.

[@Jay_in_Japan]

nuh uh

[@05xy2.]

Firsttttt

[@PoopyGregory]

kurzgesagt!!!!!!!!!!!

[@Am_ne-vu9oi]

We love ur work keep going👍

[@ChoppyBoi]

Yo

[@KodakYarr]

The most annoying thing is being acutely aware of all of this and seeing it happen without any agency whatsoever.

[@nuntana2]

Not just social media though, the anger in large part is driven by the current woke movement, opinionated Left (which winds the Right up) and our go governments shoving PCness down our throats and getting more authoritarian. That, together with the COVID lockdowns, illegal immigration and ever-present wars, has really put people on edge.

[@newtybot]

Annoying is a good way to put it. It doesn’t make me angry, it doesn’t make me sad; I’m just really annoyed.

[@k1awesomeness]

@@newtybot often i find the emotion to be frustrating, even deeper than annoying. but it's good to try and make sense of what you can

[@Manas-co8wl]

Just a tad little bit more than annoying for me. But I guess that says more about me than anyone else

[@edibleapeman2]

Yup. Purged social media years ago. Sought IRL friendships but they’re all addicted to tiktok. Now I’m lonely everywhere I go and it’s like society is just... gone... now.

[@notaburner3918]

My mom always taught me that it's no one person's responsibility to fix the world, but it's everyone's responsibility to not make it worse.

[@notaburner3918]

So for those of you who feel you lack agency, I'd say by not contributing to the anger, you're doing a lot!

[@Adam-wg2rf]

That's for the tip, you great wise man i agree when a place got problems on are phones we need to leave it, and not go into fights in the name something it will not change. Stay safe love from israel

[@redien4785]

So, she's a ideological conservative?

[@diegomarchese8578]

wise words

[@Bragglord]

Wise lady.

[@KoongYe]

The curse of the internet is having to know what I don't need to know, and be angry abouth things I don't need to be angry about.

[@Cubeytheawesome]

I hear you. Every time i see a video about something negative, I can’t help but feel bad, even if it isn’t connected to an interest of mine. And I can’t just not care about it, since that seems apathetic.

[@lixiehearts]

true. seeing a negative video/channel legitimately ruins my day.

[@Awibrahor]

This, however, opens up the way for wilful ignorance over things that do matter. To minimise stress, it’s tempting not to care about all sorts of things, even if we can make a difference.

[@StochasticUniverse]

@@Cubeytheawesome It is apathetic, but so what? Being apathetic isn't a sin. It might even be the pathway to happiness, by your own statement, lol.

[@StochasticUniverse]

@@Awibrahor And what exactly is it that you imagine you can make a difference about? Your personal agency is very limited, probably more limited than you acknowledge.

[@i_like_orange_f]

“Unfortunately, your brain is stupid” I 100% agree. Thank you Kurzgesagt.

[@ERISISBETTERTHANPLUTO2763]

WHY ARE YOU EVERYWHERE

[@DYXAnims]

​@@ERISISBETTERTHANPLUTO2763why?

[@ItBlue762]

i agree also

[@bingj96]

How do I like a comment twice?

[@Cheeser409]

Anti-vaxers:"fear my power of being stupid"

[@CaseyCorrupted]

I can't believe my nostalgia for the old internet is actually justified I miss when each website catered to a niche. It made it so much easier to interact with higher quality content and creations.

[@NihongoWakannai]

This is pretty much how discord is used these days. At least the smaller more niche discord servers. It's just unfortunate that it's relying on one specific company instead of individually run forums.

[@OfficerNeonFace]

​@@NihongoWakannaiKurzgesagt steals my animations for views and have gotten filthy rich off my hard work

[@skoop651]

people like hasanabi have started a pipeline to radical leftism on the internet, and its consequences are very visible while social media companies do nothing

[@skoop651]

a problem is that social media is for profit, and everything will be adjusted for what is profitable you can't say what they don't want you to say, only what they do want you to

[@skoop651]

sometimes, nostalgia doesn't blind you and it actually was better, new isn't always better

[@kenyaholloway-reliford8213]

I'm glad someone is acknowledging this. Exploring the internet has become more stressful and discouraging to me lately because of people' behavior and attitude, and all the negativity, propaganda, and algorithmic curation that's constantly being pushed.

[@kef7109]

I must say... Arguing so much with people has lead me to open some socials way less frequently because then I have to keep arguing. And it helped me a lot since now I've just come out from a period of extreme boredom in which I was on TikTok a lot waiting for something to happen

[@sp33dweed]

social media is also just fucking lame. look at old websites. look at neocities. websites in the 2000s had SO much personality and charm. Nobody is "browsing" the internet anymore and it became a boring hellscape.

[@DJB10T1C]

its not the internet thats is the issue, its how people are using it eg sical media. I tend to use the interent to learn things (alot through youtube), instead of news reading and that god awful thing they call reddit, it tends to be less toxic when you arnt interacting with other people.

[@Science-Vlog]

My brain is stupid also..

[@nieznajomy4398]

So I would recommend Wisecrack channel, they also talk about this stuff but from philosophical point of view.

[@TV-rf8hq]

Every social media user should watch this video before getting annoyed by anonymous strangers living in the fake world.

[@Jamoe]

What's even worse is that a lot of these new users are bots(!).

[@minhhoangvo4759]

​@@Jamoefor for for for réal

[@rickybobby5153]

Your average social media user can’t even engage with long form content anymore

[@टaर]

@@Jamoe yeah i completely agree, it is crazy and scary if most people commenting were bots or if people we see on social media weren´t real

[@aporue5893]

harassment needs to be taken more seriously.It's not all fun and games. Nobody asked to be called multiple names over and over again or insulted and belittled for the benefit of someone else's ego. I'd say the desperation for attention has fueled this. But just because someone craves attention does not mean they have a free pass to bully anyone and everyone whenever they need to feel better about themselves. 😑

[@prod.winterxphool6227]

Deleted all my social media off my phone. Deleted KZbin as an app. I still have access to it, but I force myself to have to hop on my computer in order to see what I want to. Works like a charm, I’m happier and now I have more time for the things I’m interested in.

[@benabel886]

sadly i bought a laptop lmfao. future me might say it was the worst thing i ever did

[@clariwinkle]

YESSSS ME TOO!! I agree all my socials are on my ipad and it's been months since I charged it! I think our generation might facilitate smartphone death!

[@improvwithlions4173]

I should probably do the same. I tried using digital wellbeing tools but it isn't working out :/

[@clariwinkle]

@@improvwithlions4173 ooh interesting, what are digital wellbeing tools?? Like screentime monitors?

[@KRADAK6]

I did the same but failed to delete youtube. I should do tht😅

[@smartereveryday]

"One model that seemed to work well was the pre social media internet OLD people might remember." *SHOTS FIRED* Great video, and I enjoyed the ad at the end.

[@ians5337]

Damnit. I'm old.

[@_WeDontKnow_]

@randomspacefan didnt even notice!! love the videos they did with the slow mo guys

[@mohitrahaman]

It feels really good that I was born at a time, not too early or late, where I could see and understand the entire steady transition of internet and technology towards damnation.

[@Divertisseur]

Oh i misheard it as "all people" i was confused

[@movmakerNeo]

Discord Servers are the modern equivalent of smaller social communities, it feels like a more smooth experience than forums!

[@cu6307]

I find it absolutely bizarre that parents are willing to put an iPad or phone in a baby's face and let them scroll endlessly through TikTok. I genuinely worry about what this effect will have on future generations.

[@millennium7909]

Exactly, like I get it that it's a method to pacify their own kid but they are still too young to be on the internet, who knows where they might end up in when their kid is no longer in the child friendly demographic part of the internet, and don't even realize that these other types of media isn't on par nor is it supposed to be something to be shown to a young child. That's why it is highly suggested there is at least a global rule or something that every single parent to should know, that is to show the internet to their children only when they are ready or at a certain age when they can actually process such information.

[@HoboTango]

In a way, that’s the best way to get us humans to adapt quicker to these new realities. This is evolution 😅.

[@that_one_who_is8037]

@@HoboTangoyes, however evolution is not guided, evolution does not cater to what we want it to do, it might create more resistant minds to the Internet, but it could also have the inverse effect, where minds become more prone to internet addiction, because that is what gets it dopamine. 😔 So it turns out that fighting fire with fire, can work to stop the fire spreading, but in the end you are still left with a ton of fire

[@kirito3082]

Tiktok is a chinese psyop

[@Saphireangell]

I think being exposed from a younger age helped me to adjust to the information overload. The iPad babies should do better than us in the future.

[@KeithC77-zzz]

My phone used to be a pleasant distraction from reality. Now, reality is a pleasant distraction from my phone…🙄

[@Number1GravityFallsFan]

real

[@SrPelo]

I remember loving forums or sites with "affiliate" banners, you could jump site to site! Social media was a mistake

[@Dracointox.]

wth why are you here pelo (btw, latin fan here!!!)

[@MawlyMice]

It's surprising how humanity made a double-edged sword and didn't anhilate themselves yet :/

[@IDESTROYER236]

ARE YOU READY FOR ROUND TWO!?

[@ADMICKEY]

Not from my POV, it saved me from death :D

[@KantonFigtree]

MOOOKKKIIIIII

[@Amuztak]

Social media makes you even angry at people irl, thinking they're constantly biased and against your opinions and makes you be defensive all the time. When you talk to real people in real life in real places, you realize people are not that evil or aggressive (except for some crazy people out there) and you can actually cooperate with them even if you don't share any opinions because they're actually normal people who are not that extreme. Call it facade, call it whatever, but it's safer outside than inside social media.

[@ricosuavementee]

big factsss

[@Amuztak]

@@lowkeyn Taking things out of context is your passion. You're just an example of my comment. I never said your family couldn't make you angry...

[@dime.overmatter]

I believe a huge part of it is taking part in "conversations" without seeing the other person's face and body language. Some religious people came to my door but I couldn't bring myself to openly state their beliefs were stupid. I couldn't bear their physical reaction of hurt if I said that to their faces. Online I'd have no problem cutting out the niceties.

[@user-sg4ov7ng4h]

Idk christmas diners getting wild

[@Amuztak]

@@dime.overmatter actually, I find it easier sometimes to express my nonconforming to someone face to face. But you're right, physical harm or being put in an uncomfortable situation is what makes us stop from being like that many times, but being assertive and building boundaries is important.

[@Marqan]

Had this problem when I was stuck inside for a few years and didn't really socialize IRL. Then when I got a job and talked to a lot of people I was extremely pleasantly surprised that people are actually normal. Being perpetually online, or even just thinking that the online world is representative of the real one, is such a hellish trap, and you might not even realize it.

[@Miners666]

Ironically, it’s the people I know in real life who aren’t “normal” and are toxic. It’s the people in real life that have made me hate people.

[@beastrule]

@@Miners666me too. You can’t control people in real life but you can control which people you can interact with online and the platforms are like the police who remove people who break the law (platform rules)

[@AzphrinxOfficial]

​@@Miners666it depends. All people I know irl wasn't toxic here. I just became sad that the social media as a whole are so toxic especially TikTok and Discord which those are lot worse

[@luisfilipe2747]

​@@beastruleso, internet interactions are better because you can manufacture a bubble with only people that have the same world vision that you do?

[@mattpassos5689]

@@luisfilipe2747and you can verbally abuse anybody with no consequences which has been very popular since forever on the internet

[@kaifletcher3160]

This video completely changed my worldview. I’ve been so angry and this is making me rethink social media apps. I completely deleted my tiktok account and removed the apps of all others. I can still access them in web browsers but they suck so I don’t want to spend as much time on them.

[@premiumepic6050]

As someone who grew up with the earlier internet, I personally hated how massive things grew as it quickly turned into things that encouraged all of this.

[@sokol7215]

​​@cookieciahahaha good one 😂😂 you called the devil by his name

[@bighairedyolol]

nah, that’s what everyone says, it wasn’t so bad then because you were too young to know it

[@proto_arkbit3100]

@cookiecia That's hilarious!

[@itscs1175]

"The internet proves that not everybody can all fit under the same roof..." - some comment I saw years ago

[@Crimea_River]

I miss the old Internet when you could find obscure blogs and such.

[@KnowledgeCat]

Spot on! The internet truly embodies a mix of blessing and curse, all rolled into one. It’s a perfect example of how something can be so incredibly useful and yet so challenging at the same time.

[@markmuller7962]

Social media is a problem but humans too have intrinsic cultural problems with the contemporary culture (or lack of it) falling short of critical thinking and scientific mindset making people convinced of the most unhinged and extreme theories and ideologies (including religion ideology unfortunately). P.s. Also the violent and partisan nature of us humans becomes very apparent when these cultural tribes tuns into such unhealthily competitive behaviour against each other

[@PerpetualWane]

@@markmuller7962YOU’re WRONg anD I HaTe YoU. JESUS Died For YOur SINS.

[@colinmcintyre1769]

Sorry to use this comment to make a point that hopefully will get seen, but is no one gonna talk about religion? I feel like religion is the problem with social sorting on the internet, and that's not gonna slow down ever. Internet or not.

[@KarlTiti]

It's only the fault of the LGBTQ cult.

[@W0IfCat]

@@colinmcintyre1769religion has been the number 1 cause of war so yeah you’re right

[@phantomstrider]

It's kinda nice after hearing for so many years "you're isolated and sheltered in your worldviews" that studies have found the opposite. Personally, I'm regularly taken aback by very different and sometimes radical worldviews to mine on internet websites, comments and social media. It makes sense as when I'm with family/friends it feels like a break as their worldviews feel less deeply contrasting than the internet.

[@bosssnurp5912]

Didn’t expect to see you here! The internet really can serve as a breeding ground for radical opinions.

[@Snisbatch]

Honestly that’s really good for you cause there’s lots of people who isolate themselves and forget about what going on around them

[@oomusd]

exactly.

[@NewNecro]

I mean, it's still true to an extent, just not because of the internet or algorithms like some want to believe, but because many of us naturally live in different parts of the world with different standards and cultures. But again, there's nothing wrong with that, it's just internet bringing up disagreements about things most of us wouldn't even bother to think about otherwise.

[@iwantedtobethatanomaly2270]

Oh hello Phantom! Out of all youtubers I watch I would have never expected to see ya here. Pleasant surprise regardless^^

[@ismaharry]

The annoying thing is that we are all aware of this toxicity and burden, but really we don't take any action just to prevent for some least. This is sad, but also the bitter reality of today. Anyway, we are all under influence of social media, and we cannotdo anything about it unless we assess it in a way that would benefit us.

[@IschmarVI]

tbh, how are you supposed to prevent toxicity in the internet? In "real life" it is easier: you can just stuff the crap out of the person. But on the internet, that option was taken away without substitution. (not that I am a fan of physical violence, but just the possibility of it can make people not say certain things - again, this is not the case on the internet, so haters can hate away as much as they like)

[@horsepuncher95]

Most people are actually not aware of how internet algorithms work with the most heauristic driven parts of our brains, so no this is not something everyone is aware of

[@jmerridew124]

I've been stewing for years on the idea that all of our conflicts are caused by our brains' unbreakable habit of sorting. It was super gratifying to hear this channel describe "social sorting" as an actual thing.

[@Kyza324]

You could've researched the term on your own tho.

[@dusk2308]

@@Kyza324 yea but i wouldn't have agree with him if he didn't have a piece of paper so

[@si2foo]

it is pretty much what national culture is. it is your team.

[@8thgod769]

@@Kyza324he basically did it was just a theory to him at the time smh

[@RialuCaos]

It can be seen quite clearly through the abundance of straw man arguments on the internet.

[@kpheine]

This ending really got to me. I miss the "old internet" so much, even extinct social networks (like orkut) were more community-focused. The internet was supposed to be a giant library, not an endless street market, with everyone shoving products in your face.

[@Rayleigheffects]

Such a good metaphor, btw I have seen so many bots on the comments recently

[@Kacpa2]

I'm glad i got to be part of that, being on forums for most of my childhood before it became more phased out... To some extend it exists as discord but its far from main social media. Its a side activity now why all the major sites siphon everything everyone in one place, including one we're on now.

[@zekion.]

Reddit is still that way for the most part in my opinion, specific niche communities for your interests, heck even entire niche forums dedicated to say like your car etc. The old internet is still alive, but in a very small number. You have to look for places yourself, navigate the horror that is the algorithmic internet.

[@TheAmericanAmerican]

You can thank capitalism for that! Gotta monetize EVERYTHING, baby!

[@ytuser6276]

Look up Mastodon, Fediverse

[@RandomGuy37]

This is precisely why I've lately started to become more social in the real world. The world isn't nearly as bad when you experience it in real life as the social media makes it out to be. I feel like my life has been going way better ever since I reduced my social media consumption. I still use it every once in a while but nowhere near as much as I used to.

[@wade2112]

TikTok is poison

[@VladLad]

Exactly. The real world has so few of those twitter radicals that it does wonders for the soul. Turns out most of the working class is just as racist and homophobic as me who'd have imagined.

[@wakkaseta8351]

It's not AS bad, but it's still full of lefties, libs, and foreigners.

[@imakepancakes]

that's the exact thing I've learned as well. I was basically terminally online for a while until I went back to my home country and then talked to my family and various old friends. I found out that real life conversations are far better than the ones you make online.

[@daredevil2724]

Yea the internet shows u the worst of the worst but outside its refreshing how much nicer people are

[@AdityaMukwana-k8u]

The fact that nobody talks about subliminal affirmations for overcoming addiction on Borlest speaks volumes about how people are stuck in a trance

[@VOXindie]

Because it's a scam.

[@LeahIsHereNow]

⁠@@VOXindie That’s the second time I’ve heard that word today and I still don’t know what it means.

[@1ts_me_M]

Sorry but what does that mean?

[@austins.2495]

I read this comment like three times, I have no idea what is being said here.

[@matt_l2003]

Guys this is a bot comment, it’s just somebody else’s real comment stolen and interjected with whatever ‘addiction’ thing they are promoting

[@SLYP1EPLUSH]

This video somehow managed to change my entire outlook on the internet.

[@The_watcher_0f_YT]

You might not be the only one dude.

[@vitaminncpp]

You got my word

[@namelessguy5491]

hear hear

[@LostMekka]

omg youre using outlook? team thunderbird is obviously the winning team there...

[@lornkjewlsvar6283]

I completely agree with you. Have my like. Ah sh... here we go again.

[@dragonplant]

i actually really hope the internet "devolves" into its earlier state - connections with people online felt more real, and everything seemed nicer and more passionate. now its a massive cesspool that more often than not makes you angry or sad. maybe we can revive old era internet

[@planescaped]

Won't ever happen. The early internet was so "cozy" and srs bizness because it was used by only a relatively small portion of society. After social media took off, and internet usage became a ubiquitous thing, everything changed. You can't put the toothpaste back in the tube.

[@Park1ngL0t]

thats kinda what discord is if you think about it

[@psy_duck8221]

It won’t. I think the next evolution of humanity is total virtualisation where all information is available instantly, and accurately without the ability to hide anything so consensus can be achieved immediately. A hive mind if you will.

[@DeadpoolX9]

Cause everyone was a fucking weirdo and we knew that It’s literally the whole “normie” complaint

[@tiffyw92]

​@@planescaped Interesting and fitting analogy. I do agree that it's impossible to squeeze all the toothpaste back into the tube, but it's not that difficult to squeeze some of the excess back in. Likewise, it's impossible to entirely detach ourselves from the Internet in this day and age, but it doesn't hurt to shut off the computer or phone for a while to rest your eyes, or failing that, to at least return to smaller communities like on forum sites or private Discord servers. Forums have been around all this time; one just has to look for them.

[@plr2473]

As a public school teacher, in a district where all the kids have learnt to use a smart device before a pencil, I can tell you that the Internet has messed up today's youth. I've been teaching for 20+ years, and kids nowadays cannot focus like before, get anxiety when separated from their devices, and feel more awkward in their skin due to a sense of reality that is warped by social media. It's terrible to see this shift and makes our lives as educators harder.

[@agamersinsanity]

I feel my Swedish and English has become worse over time. My kid barely use social media because I believe her being outside and play is far more important than sitting in front of a phone. I do believe the mother of my kid feels the same way.

[@ASpaceOstrich]

@@agamersinsanity Which is unfortunate, because the capacity to be outside and play has been reduced. You can't just go out and play because theres nowhere to go. Kids these days aren't allowed to do the things that the kids of prior generations did. I'm gen z and could be mistaken for agoraphobic, and even I have some childhood memories of doing things that would be impossible now due to legality and rules tightening. As a society we've taken away the ability for kids to be kids.

[@GC-pj6no]

My cousins are sharp when in comes to processing information. They are iPad babies. However, socially they are odd. Couldn't speak well until they were 6. Speaking well by means of properly communicating how they feel and think. Prior to that they could perfectly pronounce foreign words and weird noises. Like a recorder of video shorts babbling in human form. It was bizarre.

[@strangelee4400]

You see a lot of teachers on tiktok videos these days...and they don't seem very stable.

[@darthsirrius]

You're a teacher and you use the word "learnt" instead of learned? Guess you're not an English teacher...

[@omgitzpaige2013]

this also explains to me why it feels so different that i’m young enough that i don’t remember a time before the internet, but old enough that i remember pre-social media internet. at least like mainstream social media and it being talked about like in the news.

[@illmamnim]

The "old internet" is so important to me because I didn't have many friends as a kid and through a group of people I shared an interest with, that I found from word of mouth and not an algorithm, I manage to spend my adolescent with people who understood me the way classmates hadn't. In addition, this helped me find people from other kinds of families and expand my world view slowly without being overwhelming. I know that if I was born just a few years later, I would have had a much more difficult time managing my own thoughts because I would never have grown up in a community that allows a space to mentally breath and adjust.

[@DodgyDaveGTX]

IRC was my go-to social circle for years and made a lot of great friends through a circle of people who shared a specific shared interest: we were a bunch of wreckheads who'd get mashed every Friday night and hang out together on video chat and sometimes play videogames together. I've been unable to find a similarly tight-knit online community since then, even Discord doesn't seem to match the level of social interconnectedness as IRC, at least IME. Maybe I've just not found the right server 🤷‍♂️

[@yangpaan453]

Great example of saying a lot of words without really saying anything. You can still find communities on the new internet. I've been here since the start as well, myspace and old youtube days. It's not that different and you're over-exaggerating how "difficult" it is to navigate.

[@mopnem]

@@yangpaan453 I was literally thinking the same thing lmao. This is why Kuzgarts vid about social media not creating opposing viewpoints is imo false af. All these "communities" are still around, many people just look in the wrong place like the top social media platforms known to be toxic or the already known to be godawful youtube comment section lol.

[@energeticyellow1637]

​@@yangpaan453This is actually kinda true. There are still plenty of small forums you can go to, it's just that people see how big social media is and think that's all there is to the internet now. But at the end of the day though I still think social media needs to go. We can hide in our smaller communities all we want but the longer the normies have their brains rotted by social media the worse its going to be for us.

[@illmamnim]

I like saying nothing, but also I just meant today's internet overwhelms me, that's all :)@@yangpaan453

[@jackxsonz]

I’m so glad this whole issue is getting more well known. My mental health in general has been much better since I stopped caring about social media and internet drama.

[@smhdpt12]

Says the guy on the internet in the comments section....

[@whatsupscoob6818]

​@@smhdpt12to be fair, commenting under an educational video is quite a bit different than going onto a Fox news report and arguing for 40 minutes

[@TheEnd-um7yd]

If it makes you feel any better the printing press lead to an 80 year war over slightly different versions of the exact same religion.

[@jancoscholtz]

Absolutely

[@SobaYatai]

@@smhdpt12 you're exactly the reason why this video were made in the first place man.

[@usmansiddiqui1384]

I totally agree with this. What I’ve learned after being chronically addicted to the internet is that you can disagree with someone without hating them. I can hate the idea of something but not hate the people who don’t hate it. We kind of just have to understand that everyone is different and there are so many different opinions and ideas that we just have to deal with.

[@OddlyIncredible]

"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it." - Aristotle. Too little education is ultimately at the heart and core of many if not most of society's problems. As one becomes more aware of the details and nuances of a particular topic, which is absolutely a form of "more educated," one will realize that they can consider a position relating to that topic and come to the conclusion that it's not a sound position without having to "try it on for size" first. Education also allows one to _disconnect the opinion from the person espousing it, which is exactly what you're talking about here._ You can absolutely recognize someone's opinion without having to agree with it. However, this leads to another quote: “No one is going to give you the education you need to overthrow them. Nobody is going to teach you your true history, teach you your true heroes, if they know that that knowledge will help set you free.” - Assata Shakur. America in particular has a problem here, and it's a big one. Politicians depend on low-information voters to pass unwise, unhelpful, or potentially risky/dangerous legislation that only really benefits select groups or individuals, and the less educated a person is the easier they are to manipulate, so there's a disincentive to encourage increasing amounts and levels of quality of education. (A great relatively recent example was Trump famously saying that he loved the poorly educated after winning the POTUS election in 2016.)

[@sevenproxies4255]

​@@OddlyIncredibleOver-education is the real issue, not lack of education. The whole culture war phenomenon STARTED in universities after all by student activist groups and activist professors with idiotic, utopian ideologies.

[@Jen-hen]

Kurzgesagt steals my animations for views and have gotten filthy rich off my hard work

[@JackWilke]

who asked?

[@tastysnacks8094]

Very true. But we can't make the mistake of just chalking everything up to different opinions and be done with it. There are opinions that are not to be accepted. A good rule of thumb is if their opinion is something that hurts others, it's probably one of those. If someone doesn't like pineapple on pizza, that's fine. If someone wants to eradicate a subset of the population, it's not and they need their attitude adjusted.

[@justthien]

This is the reason why I uninstalled all social media apps such as Instagram, Thread, Facebook, etc. that used to take 3 hours of my day because my brain was stupid enough to let the algorithm walk me like a dog. It's been more than a month and I haven't felt so lively and free in my mind, since I only care about my hobbies, my family and closest friends, not seeing opposing opinions constantly which would make me more agressive and less rational, empathetic to those opinions.

[@kitt4y]

also, social media has created an atmosphere where real world issues become incredibly easy to digest and know about, expanding the amount of information that our brains can handle at once. videos about wars, genocide, and other gruesome things that are so easily accessible to people of all ages changes the way our brains grow and think, and can make those who are naturally more empathetic depressed and anxious about the world around us. I grew up in this generation without remembering a whole world without social media, and I can say that our brains are not meant to function by feeling every single negative thing this world has. it’s overwhelming.

[@kiratwo4u]

as an adult teenager, I say this is accurate! atleast in my experience.

[@Cobbido]

It has created an atmosphere where censorship is running rampant and everyone is constantly bombared with extremely efficient propaganda, much of which is intended to demoralize, divide and pacify us.

[@mobisugershot]

It is helpful in some ways like opening a wider community for a group of affected people, and also makes them think "there are people who had it worse". This honestly also makes it harder for people to find support because as more people can express themselves they find out that what they have is normal, especially when they go into a community filled with people who are also effected without knowing that they're in a smaller portion of the internet/world.

[@ilv839]

we need some down time asap

[@Ultima64]

Also alot of it is powerlessness to change things for the better to solve these issues at hand. Granted this has always been the case since humanity is inherently hierarchical by nature but social media has really just made us more aware of how powerless most people are (assuming stories on there aren't faked which is also pretty common

[@Scarshadow666]

Something that is also scary is how the Internet/social media is not just built to be addictive (and often people turn to being addicted to the Internet/social media to make up for something they're missing IRL), but they're also getting more and more integrated into becoming necessities for a lot of people. For example, a lot of job searching and maintenance is exclusively done online, and people that would try to avoid being online would also struggle to avoid making a living for themselves in our capitalistic society unless they were online. A lot of students in schools/colleges also turn to learning way more online than in-person, especially since a lot of education systems need a long overdue overhaul.

[@AwesomeJaneUniverse]

Agreed, I keep feeling the urge to totally go cold turkey and completely disconnect, but it's just not plausible

[@fernthaisetthawatkul5569]

it's this way by design! they want to force you to keep buying (smartphones, computers, ipads, chargers, all sorts of devices)!

[@Nightystay]

I find it so complicated trying to not be on social media or a device, I can't escape it during school since we always use our chromebooks to learn and the teachers barely make me do any hand-on activities.

[@terrorists-are-among-us]

I hate seeing applications that demand access to your social media. No 🤡

[@EmanuelChirilesc]

F u ok?

[@Namnam54]

The bit about the old internet and forums really brought a tear to my eye. I remember vividly the discussions that were had, and how engaging it was to talk to like-minded people across the world. You actually made friends with the people you engaged with frequently. I really miss those days.

[@exception05]

Yeah, and there was no ban/ignore button for each user. Only moderators and administrators can do that, so you'll face a diversity of opinions whether you like it or not.

[@spaomalley]

@@exception05alas, nowadays you get banned for pointing out objective facts/truths in certain places if you don’t uphold the current narrative

[@skoop651]

a problem is that social media is for profit, and everything will be adjusted for what is profitable you can't say what they don't want you to say, only what they do want you to

[@skoop651]

sometimes, nostalgia doesn't blind you and it actually was better, new isn't always better

[@sacredgeometry]

Forums still exist. You can create one in seconds and then foster a community. The problem will still exist. The problem isnt the internet ... well for the most part. Its people.

[@TimeBucks]

I'm glad someone is acknowledging this.

[@Lucasfr10]

This explains really well the phenomenon of "react videos". people don't want to be on the internet alone, they want to share the moment with someone they identify with

[@Jen-hen]

Kurzgesagt steals my animations for views and have gotten filthy rich off my hard work

[@KV-88]

Ohio Amogus Rizz Sus Skibidi.

[@bodeeangus9957]

There are some really strange bots in this comment section

[@Lucasfr10]

@@bodeeangus9957 holy shit, i'm like "wtf is happening"

[@mohitrahaman]

There happens to be a generalization of seeking approval from a foreigner/person of a different domain, in those reaction channels.

[@RossMC222]

agreed, recently for some reason I've been very into politics and other controversial issues, but now i realized I've now come to see some people as pure evil. this anger mostly comes from ignorant people yelling at me over nothing which leads to me yelling back until every comments section immediately becomes a fucking warzone.

[@A.V20089]

I used to think that the main reason why the internet is such a toxic place is because of most people feeling anonymous and that can make people show less empathy and also be more likely to say or do bad things to other people but this video shows much more than that and explains it really well

[@Alverant]

Maybe not anonymous, but distant. Today a person can go into a forum filled with people they hate, "shout" a bunch of rude things, then leave feeling smug that they just upset a bunch of people without consequence. But try doing that IRL and someone may chase you or retaliate in some way.

[@trashyplayer69]

the internet nowadays is just brain rotting memes and songs and children making tiktok

[@nicraftstudios0]

It’s also that some people have believed one thing their entire life and when they’re introduced to other opinions that are different, they go on a rampage and refuse to even listen to the other side even slightest, which is a huge problem in our brains that doesn’t really have a solution

[@FrahdChikun]

@@nicraftstudios0 The solution, in my opinion, is to stop viewing everything as a bipartisan issue. People just whittle down every issue to "it either is, or isn't" and it's an unhealthy way of thinking. More people need to realize that the world isn't black or white, it's greyscale.

[@gmattonline6068]

I wish I had less empathy. I took a massive L the other day during a stupid argument against some jackass, now I feel guilty for some reason

[@frodethorsenbrseth5014]

This is something I'm intensely passionate about and used to worry a lot over. Appropriately, a few years ago I wrote a blog post about this tendency in society, where our social graph has been flipped on its head, from being tightly connected on geographically small scales, to being connected at almost all scales of the world. If you do this with almost any dynamical system in a numeric simulation, such as forest fires or epidemics, you get extreme behaviour very quickly. And look at us, that's the case with us as well.

[@JackWilke]

who asked?

[@BluestTable]

Bro got jumped by bots 😂😂

[@kiophoenix]

​@@BluestTable😂😂

[@idkissausername1667]

​@@BluestTable"they jumpin me...THEY JUMPIN MEEEE, SAVE YA BOYYYY"

[@SacchieILU]

Globalism is a step towards unity though. We just have to get used to it. I am not a fan of the regreasive suggestion Kurzgesagt advised; we need exposure and we need time to get over this hurdle. We will get there, but througb progression not regression

[@Teathling]

Glad you guys explained what I couldn't put into words, the older internet just didn't want our attention it just existed because people liked sharing stuff

[@clintelkins9630]

The basic human instict to share information monetized again by the greedy minority

[@lucastheguy4452]

Hopefully the internet is just going through it’s moody teen phase.

[@I_have_Claws]

@@lucastheguy4452 lol

[@gb6656]

that was the entire concept of the internet but some people just took it to another level

[@Bunny_Bill]

Can't believed they capitalised our attention😭

[@israelquiroz7245]

Evolving to isolation has been quite fine for the past decade. Don’t engage with social media and cut our acquaintances from the real world. When interacting with real worlders through work, etc don’t discuss religion, sports or politics as people can be fanatical about those three or simply walk away from the conversation. My private day to day is my zen.

[@bedirhanokumusmusic]

This video has compiled, in the best way, everything that I have been trying to explain to the increasingly unhappy and angry crowd around me for many years. Thank you Kurzgesagt. As those who find this video helpful, I hope we are not just trying to stay in another filter bubble. 🙏🏻

[@rebecca3479]

I feel you. I've grown up with a 56k modem 😅 I felt/feel that too around me and been constantly trying to "translate". Regarding the "staying inside another filter bubble": what if, when we are thinking outside the box, we are actually just thinking inside another, slightly, larger box? Knowingly or unknowingly 💁🏻‍♀️

[@cocacola4blood365]

You and I are in the same boat. I hail from the days when there were four Lucky Charms, Han shot first, and the great vision of mankind was a VCR that was easy to program. I predate the Internet. This video summarizes everything I've seen over the course of the Information Age perfectly.

[@Alkatross]

I'm pretty sure everything I do and think is right and everyone else is wrong. I'm not looking to challenge that beleif.

[@_barncat]

Stuff a sock on it

[@Kirkmania]

Fully agree, I think some of us who remember pre-facebook days had the chance to notice the changes over time. I can't imagine how hard it would be now to come to these same realisations (and be accepting of Kurzegesagt's "smaller communities" suggestion) for people who have grown up with social media in their lives, always.

[@DDuffy143]

I'm an 8th grade science teacher. I showed this to my homeroom class in hopes to make the world a better place. This video explains everything I've ever wanted to put into words about our opposing views as society. Thank you Kurzgesagt. I will always rely on you to keep things real. 143

[@dragongal9714]

what is 143?

[@DDuffy143]

@@dragongal9714 my dad would write it at the end of letters he sent me when I was very young and we were hundreds of miles apart after my parents divorced. He loved numbers. It means “I love you”

[@foilto3971]

keep it 55 street

[@VTnewcastle14]

@@dragongal9714i love you

[@Oobservatory_X]

I have been thinking this too why people become so weird using internet

[@dvdlesher]

I remember someone saying that because everyone is now behind a screen and instead of looking at each other's face directly to communicate, it makes them meaner because there's less repercussion when you say bad things to them and vice versa, whereas if you insulted someone and you see reaction on their face directly, you might be inclined to think more about what you say next

[@wyethleon]

That's true. Look at online gaming people can flame all they want until they get confronted in person.

[@scribblecloud]

definitely true, ive even seen someone straight up admit it in a comment section and act righteous about it

[@terpman]

Completely true. There's a lot of social cues and communication that cannot be conveyed online. Our brains are not wired to communicate this way and they really struggle to cope sometimes. A lot of people don't understand that your brain is doing a lot of stuff when you're just simply talking to someone face-to-face. Lots of hormones and chemicals and nervous system responses are going on. It's impossible to get that right across the internet.

[@placefeature5329]

I feel like that a lot like I play Fortnite with a friend and I’m so mean but in real life I’m so nice. I can’t help it.

[@ToxicCatt-y7c]

Someone actually threatened to doxx me when I pointed out to them that I'm a stranger on the internet in an argument.

[@EternalKorvo]

Hopped off social media then life became so much better. Now I’m in the process of learning two new languages while getting into shape.

[@Pheminon1]

I got rid of all my social media at the beginning of the year. The thing that was my tipping point was 2 things: Realizing that people that talk about finances/economics (I'm an accountant) never know what they're talking about. So I just sat there and screamed into nothing trying to correct every comment I saw thinking that I would some day make a difference or something. That, and the fact that I would never know these people existed if social media did not exist and there's a high chance that I could have been arguing with just a straight up child. I'm 26, and the thought of me getting mad and ANYTHING a minor says online and trying to dunk on them filled me with so much shame, that I just got rid of social media. You don't need it. There is so much to do OUTSIDE of your phone. I think we honestly forget that. If you ACTUALLY look, there's so much free stuff to do, and even more if you're willing to spend some money. Get off of social media. Make yourself happy; you deserve it

[@joroc]

yet you're here

[@PippeML]

I toned down a lot my social media on 2023, KZbin is mostly the only thing I use (very little) facebook like 2/minutes a day if any, the rest of the social media apps I don’t use them (IG, TT etc). I went to my parents house to spend the day, and my Mom did notice and say “hey you are of the few people I don’t see glued to their phones” I had the most amazing day with my Mom and Dad. Kurzgesagt is one of the few things I actively follow 😊. I definitely recommend to tone down social media 🎉

[@DelusionalSkeleton]

​@@jorocKZbin at this point is barely social media Damn you just got ratioed in the yt replys

[@TheSwauzz]

@@joroc KZbin is a video sharing platform first, not a social media platform. Some people use it that way, but the absolute majority just scream into the void with their comments, never expecting any replies.

[@talongodin2253]

This person for president

[@gregorygeorge8695]

The worst part is, a lot of people who sees this will likely not recognize that they themselves can/are feed(ing) the issue. I can see huge swaths of people thinking "Yeah, that's exactly whats wrong with them, they lack the self-awareness that me and my peers have!" (The irony will be rich).

[@arkosilaura]

WILL be rich? There are several such people in the comments section already. Some people ARE just stupid. And we gave them the loudest voice there is due to how the internet was designed. -.- Or rather, due to how social media was designed. Controversy drives engagement. Ugh...

[@gregorygeorge8695]

@@arkosilaura yep, only way to keep our heads straight Is admit it when we do the same :/

[@droonnope]

Ikr I do this everyday I don’t want to I actually want to be less judgmental but it is what it is all I can do is not open my mouth about something that I disagree with

[@olivercoe745]

I massively disagree with you. You're clearly on the other team and therefore evil.

[@phlip_06]

Yeah, i just read some and they are just doing exactly that, or making up their own theories that are in their own way just insulting more people. And i know i am/was part of the problem but i try my best not to be biased immediately and hate on everyone

[@itachi4761]

This explains really well as to why i always prefered smaller communities on discord. Whenever a discord server i was in grew too large because the owner changed the focus of the server i left due to the negativity that started to form and eventually killing the server. A small server focused on one certain game is way friendlier and welcoming than a large server that has members from multiple games.

[@faceboy1392]

I don't use any form of social media, I just like discord. The platform has plenty of issues, but I like the way communities can easily form around common interests

[@Voidwurm1701]

I always found that the larger a discord server got, the more likely members of it wanted to enforce their own ethics on others as more and more different people (all individuals are different in some way) joined. They would begin to demand new rules, specifically tailored, though unknowingly, to cause "ethics drift" of all members toward their comfort rather than keeping the space neutral where no one would hold power. < Essentially, they were forming their own "New Culture" and creating norms, practices, beliefs and taboos for it. This new creation then became more important than the group's original aims. Factions would form, where "Person 1" wanted to enforce their ethics on "Person 10", and would enlist the support of "Person 2", "Person 3" and "Person 4" to do it, because despite being slightly different to each other, they were all radically different to "Person 10", and so banded together to fight a common enemy. It's an interesting case study on how societies form, and a shocking one on how, to keep the cohesion of said new society, they are willing to do awful things to others in order to gain and then hold power. After getting rid of "Person 10", they then eventually turned on each other, due to the aforementioned small differences despite agreeing on almost everything else. It's like a "Culture Paradox". Cultures form, remove anyone not seen to be in the same tribe, gain control, then look inward due to no outside "threats" and purity spiral, lose members, and then self-destruct when there is only one person left standing. It was human psychology and the people moving to it were both unaware that they were doing it, and also shocked that it had outcomes for them.

[@HistoricallyMC]

“We’re starting a civil war” “If we decide to touch grass”

[@flam1ngicecream]

Crazy how obvious this was the moment you pointed it out. Of course the problem isn't that we're too isolated, it's that we're too connected to too many people at once, and our brains can't handle it.

[@ANGST.ARGENTINA]

Yes, but It's also true that the people we are positively connected to are too far away and it's impossible to interact with them in an everyday scenario. Ultimately we are surrounded IRL by people we don't like, scrolling through social media interacting with people we don't like and finally attempting to socialize with the 5 people around the globe we find meaningful feeling the most isolated as we've ever been.

[@RiteOfSolaris]

I personally dislike that the video's solution was choosing to stay in small communities that agree with you, rather than trying to argue other philosophies to see if you are logically flawed in practice, by staying in small communities that are there to support our view, it doesn't matter how easy it is to disect flaws in it, because nobody ever argues when you share the same opinion and you don't improve or make progress.

[@vinching926]

We're just isolated from the kind people, people who would think before they leap in real life, instead we're now making everything rude, vile, black or white with so much connectivity and building up bubbles on internet, making propaganda groups all over thale place and get all of us "satisfied"

[@DeezNuts-ju1rj]

reminds me of the babel fish in hitchhikers guide

[@triv4555]

@@RiteOfSolaris Fair point. The only "good" thing about conflict on social media is that you can learn to disagree civilly from it...but unfortunately most people won't learn that lesson I'm sure

[@danielshults5243]

I strongly feel these types of lessons should be taught in school from an early age. People need to learn to examine their own thought patterns and think critically about their own beliefs, biases, and assumptions. They need to learn to think from the "other side" and not take their own positions for granted. They need to learn to be dispassionate and reasonable when assessing what to believe, and who is worth listening to. Make these lessons part of our children's upbringing. My generation is only half as likely to smoke as our parents thanks to institutionalized anti-smoking campaigns and education. In the same way, maybe we can teach the next generation to avoid becoming victims of their own stupid brains.

[@infernec]

in some systems they do that to some degree already. i don't know how relevant it is, but source criticality is heavily encouraged in schools in some nordic countries. this only applies to factual stuff though, not tolerating others' opinions.

[@aurorasun-qs1pg]

So you want school to last even longer or what would you cut out?

[@zoyzauce]

@aurorasun-qs1pg Dude it's not like they're suggesting an extra 5 years of school or something. My mom actually works as a librarian in an elementary school where they teach things like this to young children as part of their ELA/communication classes. Media literacy is a natural next step in existing parts of our education, and it's not difficult to include in our current curriculum. The most difficult part about including it is that people who are deeply radicalized tend to get angry when their kids are taught to question these things, which depending on the laws of your local school system, may mean you're limited in what subjects you're allowed to bring up or what materials you're allowed to share.

[@yurivanhaeren3701]

I really like the way you phrase the last sentence. Avoiding your own shortcomings and teaching that skill. That's a great plan!

[@Crimea_River]

​@@aurorasun-qs1pgI would rather the OP's idea taught in schools instead of radical gender ideology.

[@grimdivine9677]

Social media is like a text message, any comments/messages can be misinterpreted because there is no tone. Face to face communication always kept things in check. People dropped friends and family over social media posts and it’s hilariously sad

[@stracciatella8754]

This video resurfaced in my head, talking to my fiancé about current political and non-political situations, I wish sharing it will help boost the algorythm to pop it on others people's feed... things like this need to be talked about more

[@twa9342]

This video actually feels so relatable - not seeing social media actually really does make me feel better.

[@Enderlad]

youtube is social media fam, leaving comments, likes and dislikes, the algo, it's all here

[@monobiteme6014]

@@Enderlad yeah but at least you go to just 1 or 3 platform and use social media for only 1 hour each day, balance it off you know its good

[@twa9342]

you get to learn things on youtube though@@Enderlad

[@NousagiCaptain]

@@EnderladKZbin is more fractured than twitter. Thats why its not as toxic here as there. All social media isnt created equal. KZbin still simulates the “small villages” concept. By allowing people to follow channels and congregate around videos. Without being bombarded with shit they dont wanna see. Theres not really a “time square” effect as much. But Twitter….dear god lol that place is a fucking colosseum.

[@NateDoesYT]

@@Enderlad Difference is that big social medias like twitter or tiktok are actually bad such as tiktok giving it's users short attention span and getting your data while twitter has a lot of toxic people, politics, propaganda, etc. meanwhile (from my experience atleast) KZbin just feels rather much more calmer and a bit different, there are problems obviously but I think KZbin, get's a small pass from being social media.

[@heinoustentacles5719]

I am so glad that someone with great reach is recommending the 'Old Internet' model. I've been ranting all over the place about how people should be browsing forums and using small websites. I've even used the same explanation that there was less unnecessary conflict because everyone could find their niche, and how things like cancel culture would have no legs since people wouldn't have their whole online life in just one place, and how things like Tumblr getting radicalized (and then Twitter getting radicalized when Tumblr alienated a large amount of their userbase), wouldn't have happened, since people wouldn't have felt social pressure to conform to popular opinion so that they can stay on the site that 'everyone' is using. Way too many people are just hoping for the perfect 'platform' to come along, when in reality you can go and seek out any number of websites that appeal to you, or even set up your own.

[@thesjkexperience]

Yes, the internet changed when the masses bought computers to watch the towers fall down over and over. I was on the net by late ‘93 and it was mostly nerds with similar humor.

[@maxkho00]

But this model has already been implemented. It even has a name: Reddit. And guess what? It literally only exacerbates the problem; and this shouldn't be surprising, either, since isolated communities are bound *by design* to end up as echo chambers. I'm not sure what Kurzgesagt was thinking when they produced this video.

[@pwhnckexstflajizdryvombqug9042]

@@maxkho00the problem is it’s too easy to change your “tribe” and people are organised by what they already think, or they think the same way as whatever extremist group they already came across. Reddit happens because people on the internet don’t have to agree. They don’t have to resolve conflict. They can just find a new group of people who agree with them. It’s a really really hard problem, because people shouldn’t conform to their tribe or their society if their tribe is toxic, unhealthy or a cult. But if people are given the ability to change their tribe, they are more likely to join an echo chamber, or people that already agree with them. We have to remember that tribal society wasn’t actually very good, it could be worse than social media. Remember back then they didn’t tolerate anyone who wasn’t part of their tribe, they fort a lot more with other tribes; people with disability were excluded and killed, and there are still conflicts going on today about tribal issues that have been ongoing for hundreds of years. I don’t think there is a solution

[@dawsonb1618]

build your own website? it won't work the purpose of every small freedom of speech or information website is to be purchased buy a large company and controlled it keeps up the illusion of freedom of speech hell look at rotten tomatoes is a perfect example for you I don't doubt that the internet will revert back to the way it used to be all by design of course the government will section off certain parts of the internet this will make it far easier to control because the community will control itself there will be less outliers then and everyone will be happy because this is what they wanted. what you wanted 😉

[@natashakatgaming6987]

The funny thing is though. Amino is kinda like that. Since every community/fandom is separated. Where everything you ever want to stay in one community stays on it. We will of course have a crossover here and there. But that's why I'm still using it this day as it's just easier to go there and say to myself. "Let's see what is going on today" It's pretty relaxing in my opinion. The only thing that kept me stress however was doing rps but besides that. I feel safe and calm. ^^

[@baddestmofo923]

It’s so important to be aware of what the Internet does to us as human beings. I know people who basically live on social media and their whole real life views are so abstracted and far from reality. Thank you Kurzgesagt for bringing awareness to this matter.

[@wigglespeedturbo6324]

This video is about how spending time in real life drives your views away from reality. The internet is bad because it shows you too much reality. Your brain isn't prepared for reality.

[@KartikChauhan__KC]

Internet can't do anything to you, it's a tool for you to use and utilize.

[@dez-pw8jy-14]

​@@KartikChauhan__KCthat's not completely true

[@baddestmofo923]

@@KartikChauhan__KC I agree it cant do anything to you physically. But it can influence your point of view and make you think in a specific way without you knowing it, which is also explained beautifully in the video. Of course you can use it as a tool to do good. But the same can be said the other way around

[@M3LT-D0WN]

Man, I wish everyone listened this..

[@janelle9531]

i think another problem is how, during covid, the internet/social media switched from being something we all use when we want to use it to being something we're all dependent on for work, school, communicating with others, etc. i honestly feel like everything becoming more convenient by being able to do it all on the internet has kinda changed how we live everyday life for the worse

[@FarnazJisha]

Exactly feels like ever since corona everything just going downhill.

[@mimispring95]

It's insane how rapid the internet has changed the world within the last 20 years. That number isn't even a lot when you think about it, especially since the internet has evolved so quickly and continues to do so 😮

[@Bsesam86]

Дело в том что люди слишком заняты в погоне за счастьем и им некогда остановится оглянуться и подумать что вокруг происходит и в кого нас превращают, в заключённых в цифровой тюрьме.

[@GamingDualities]

age of information and content creation. people have no idea how easy is to manipualte social media with bots and promotional accounts if u want it. social media is also a huge bussines. what young generation need to understand

[@MK-fg8hi]

Yes, and now the AI revolution is well under way. It's crazy how computing technologies have speed up the pace of innovation and social change

[@terrorists-are-among-us]

And the worst people are trying to gain fame and fortune using it.

[@jamiefagan9129]

And people didn't even think it was a big deal at first. It has many benefits, but we need to use it wisely

[@DemiMurgos]

As an ex-journalist, huge thanks for pointing towards Ground News, it is mind-boggingly useful and the whole polarization of media/society is such an important, yet so very well overlooked topic. Thank you for what you are doing!

[@beastrule]

Everyone should use ground news

[@eingyi2500]

Ground news is much worse than allsides

[@thelastvalkyrie1998]

I love Ground. It’s a fantastic way to view the world in a nuanced way by looking into differing opinions.

[@yourlilllamabud1714]

I made the likes 299, your welcome.

[@abhisheksarkar1464]

Internet has become really toxic after the lockdown period. People have gone crazy

[@ce6ej]

The late 90s/early 2000s was the absolute Golden Age of the Internet…. up until like 2012(ish). During that time, social media hadn’t COMPLETELY taken over, and for most of that time period, you had access to tons of information (which was good), but you had to sit down at a computer/laptop to utilize it. It was the perfect balance in my opinion. Online gaming was becoming popular, Facebook was in its infancy in 2005 or so and was so much simpler. The government and corporations didn’t have so much control over the internet yet. I didn’t have to worry about comments getting auto-removed for dumb reasons. I could go on and on. If you’re even SOMEWHAT close to 40 years old in either direction, you know exactly what I’m talking about because you were either a kid/teen or spent much of your 20s as the internet exploded and evolved.

[@LightBringer127_dragonart]

A lot of this boils down to my understanding of the internet- when you can’t see a person’s face, they cease to be a person and become a narrative. Pretty tragic really.

[@babscabs1987]

I agree with you but how often are you replying to an actual opinion online or a bot whose purpose is to antagonize?

[@carlosmorazan1714]

Bingo. This is why the most successfully divisive "arguments" (for lack of a better term) in the us vs them conflict involve dehumanizing the other part as much as possible.

[@ADreamingTraveler]

The best people I've ever met in my life were through the internet. They were all people I couldn't see the face of but learned them through their mind since looks say nothing about who a person is and you typing to another person is just an extension of your brain to theirs. But it's also a double edged sword because for all the wonderful people that exist online there's also a lot of bad ones. But this same thing can be said for people in your physical world. Not everyone in your town or city you meet are trustworthy just like those online.

[@tigrafale4610]

I don't agree with this. I think it's even a lot more of people with real photos as profile pictures on social media, while back in the day in older forums it was a lot more anonymous.

[@Ikirus]

So just the effects of dehumanization and deindivituation

[@snowflake3608]

I’ve been saying this for years. Social Media was the worst thing to happen to us. I’d love the 90’s internet back.

[@Merciful_Angel]

We traded our freedoms for ease of use. The only way to find anything was a search engine, but the company who created the best search algorithm (Google) ended up choosing where we go and what we look at. And try leaving social media; I stopped using Facebook over half a decade ago and I still have people complaining at me IRL that they sent me something time-sensitive and I didn't look at it in time.

[@claudioaliaga3293]

absolutely 100% totally agree!

[@monotyc6085]

@@AronJFdon’t you see the irony in your own comment?

[@cyberlord64]

@@AronJFbillionairs become billionaire because they cater for the desire that already exists. They didn't create the desire. It was already there. Social media networks don't change the way people react to stimuli . They organically adapt to the way people react to stimuli. This is why even though dedicated left wing or right wing social media networks exist, people stay where they are. You can even run your own social media network nowadays with 1 click. I did some trials some time ago and a typical Synology NAS can support 30-40 people easily. Noone does this because noone really wants to. Just like an obese person can recognize that junk food is objectively bad for them but won't stop eating. Kurzgezagt doesn't take into account that people can be miserable and still desire what makes them miserable.

[@spyglass123]

I would say the early days of facebook was fine. The issue now is the algorithms that make it look like your opinion is correct.

[@kitschfilm]

This put into words exactly what I've been thinking about for the past two years, social media does not actually reflect our actual real life social structures and we'd all be happier if the online world was more segmented. Who wants to spend their time disagreeing with people 100% of the time, that isn't healthy or open minded. Most of us want to be friends with like minded people who share our values but challenge us in positive ways.

[@skatedurr]

when food & water starts to run out, not if but when you'll see what a person will do to another for friends?

[@dragonamaranthine3942]

Well put however there is one glaring issue... If you've painted yourself into a You VS Them situation, so have they. Breaking down that barrier does nothing if the other side still sees you as the enemy.

[@solsticesun5131]

As someone who has spent the last decade or so actively seeking smaller communities related to my interests, what I find time and again is how discouraging it can feel to find them. Even once you've found a place you love, these communities are much less stable, and prone to collapse if the small (often a single person!) leadership team undergoes change. Finding a place that is small enough to feel close-knit, yet active enough not to feel like a ghost town has been another challenge. This video did make me realize the *reason* I've sought out these bright places on the internet, and helps me feel that even though it's difficult the effort is well worth it. On that note, if anyone who might be reading knows of any cozy art communities I'm all ears 👀

[@hickyxnicky411]

Hi, if you find one please let me know. I was reading your comment and was like I hope they're talking about an art community, and then I reached the end, so yes definitely in need of one.

[@mayconlcruz]

I believe that this line is extremely fine because, in the end, online communities continue to be, at their core, virtual, perennial, without robust social solidification in real life. When you're born in your homeland, you need to at least share space and infrastructure with your neighbors, in addition to the fact that isn't trivial and easy to move if that community displeases you, not to mention the consequences if you start to act maliciously and be a burden and a nuisance to that community. In virtual communities, except in extremely specific circumstances, it is extremely easy to leave it and change to someone else, like changing your socks. And as you mentioned, this causes countless communities that were previously welcoming to collapse in the snap of a finger. One thing that could mitigate this would be for these communities to have at least one physical social anchor to cling to, such as fan clubs and hobby groups have with its regional HQs, keeping their virtual reach active, but at the same time having a channel for face-to-face interaction on a regional level that allowed real and direct bonds to form. But of course, I'm aware that this is easier said than done, especially when we have more and more people in remote places and with preferences that diverge from their local community, or when we throw introverted people into the mix.

[@pepetru]

I can relate to this, but I also find out real world communities can crumble really easily just like the way you described, maybe this is just how human works, we change our minds and move on.

[@Brunoki22]

I totally agree with your comment. And although I did find my small communities after much research (not art related though, sorry! though I’d still like to jump on that train you are in!), it wasn’t quick. However it was maybe easy. All I did was keep on clicking on recommended videos on KZbin til I found people who I resonated with the most who had very little views. Eventually I joined their community and the rest is history. I guess I always sought after small communities cuz I saw my older brother form long lasting bonds irl with people he met online. Regardless, good luck on finding your happy place! Keep me updated!

[@RaspbrylZ]

Mastodon / Fedi is something I found that works - you can join a server tailored to your interests but can still interact with those outside of it. It's pretty much the exact solution proposed in the video.

[@aqualungman6997]

"The human brain was not designed to understand the nature of reality" is a statement I wholeheartedly agree with. And yet I believe that understanding is the next step we need to take as a species. The more we see through the primal facade of tribalism and social identity, the more trivial and pointless our biases, bigotry, willful ignorance will become. We are all just scared apes with dangerous toys that we've unleashed (and yet barely understand). All of us need to come together and realize that if we don't "grow up" and evolve past our ancestral past of fear and violence, we will all die out like almost every other creature that has ever walked this planet.

[@Nostalg1a]

Maybe it's for the better we don't take the next step. We are only a few steps from xenophobic space colonialism and nuking earth. Ever wondered that maybe we were not supposed to "evolve" more?

[@furiousdestroyah9999]

True. We can only keep repeating the same mistakes over and over for so long...

[@tavernburner3066]

​@@furiousdestroyah9999 watch the video

[@furiousdestroyah9999]

@@tavernburner3066 Already did

[@Mrllama-ui5ke]

you stand on the shoulders of giants and spit down on them. To wright off the beliefs of our ancestors as trivial tribal bullshit demonstrates an insane level of arrogance that’s entirely unjustifiable

[@KG-jh4on]

I remember going on twitter during the comedown from a great psychedelic trip and being sort of disturbed by how it was just this scrolling feed of people hating and attempting to hurt or embarrass each other. What struck me about it is that we're all voluntarily engaging in it too, no one is holding a gun to our heads and making us do it. We're seeking it out

[@ZeyLogger]

thats one of the main problems, aside from the people making low effort posts to get interactions and money for some reason even if its really easy to block or mute accounts, some users go insane when they see something they don't like, but I am not sure why is that the case

[@LordVader1094]

Tbf other social spaces have died, so people are kind of forced into it. Especially when the COVID lockdown happened.

[@homo-sapiens-dubium]

having done that myself too, I have to agree. Things get funny while on psychedelics because the ridiculousness of our social "rules" / world views etc feels to be fully exposed, thats how it felt like to me. Life is good in general

[@t.8936]

Never done anything like that but I get these realizations when I drink alcohol sometimes.

[@ares6054]

It's hard to accept that we're all on one team when people are advocating for genocides, removing rights for women etc. I just can't accept it. It's incomprehensible.

[@necurrence1776]

If you need to find any answer whatsoever on the internet you immediately get pulled into an endless stream of ads and time wasting nonsense. The fact that people still manage to communicate with each other through all this madness is actually impressive.

[@sfr2107]

Seriously.

[@mj269]

Has no one ever heard of an ad blocker or browser other than Chrome? Jesus.

[@ProxiProtogen]

Probably because people have the ability to.... ignore ads and skip the time wasting parts of the internet

[@sfr2107]

@@mj269 that's your "payment" for free content. Skipping is like skipping out on the check

[@vkuse0]

need smaller, saner and more options

[@jenko6196]

im a media and communications student - thanks so much for bringing this to light. not enough people are aware of the reasons exactly why the internet is this way. raising a collective consciousness about what sides we choose and what (dis)agreements we share brings us all one step closer to understanding, if not each other, ourselves

[@GREEENMASTER]

As long as liberals are in power that ain’t gonna happen

[@onkarkalpavriksha8676]

Thats because everything is about money and profit ......

[@jenko6196]

@@onkarkalpavriksha8676 i wish this wasn’t true. shosanna zuboff has written an incredible book called the age of surveillance capitalism - a really great insight into how huge companies use our data for massive profits, if you want to get more insight on how these companies actually do it give it a read. the full pdf can be found super easily online

[@Galdring]

Huh... It's almost as if diversity _isn't_ our strength and homogeneity is important.

[@aydzz101]

Hey I studied media and comms as well, I work in it now (albeit, not for very long - yet!) and your comment is really well put :)

[@GraceMorin-l4r]

This is why I deleted Tik Tok and Instagram, only kept snapchat to message friends and only use youtube for informational videos. Once I started spending my time reading, going outside and practicing self care, I found self love and feel smarter.

[@sm1purplmurderedme583]

same here😌

[@stewiegriffin1938]

Im happy about that. Keep it up! I will do the same

[@fernandopaiz3696]

SAME HERE! My happiness levels just skyrocketed doing exactly this (and honestly realizing that social media really brings almost zero value) so it just makes sense

[@Astro_Verse11]

I only use youtube as an entertainment and educational videos, thats why im here today.

[@IschmarVI]

I delete my reddit acount a few days ago for the same reason. My brain is not ready to face so many opinions at once. -and that is why I read KZbin comments now, because my brain is stupid

[@Pikachu66613]

The internet 10 years ago was amazing. There were small circles and everyone knew and loved each other even if we were different. Now everyone hates each other and you feel like the entire world is against you. TikTok made it worse.

[@DrunkFlux]

This explains my feeling about why I disliked social media, that I couldn't quite place. I saw people get far, far more narrow minded and even I cannot help but feel I was more narrow minded when I used social media. I quit and I began to flat-out say no, and started digging on two sides half the time. I ended up coming across a youtube channel(not this one) that actually seemed surprisingly wholesome, with its main poster actually highlighting an exact problem I had with some gaslighting trolls behavior, and how they also had contrasting views yet still got along. I came to the conclusion that, in the earlier pre-social media days of the internet that old people like me remember(damn you Kursgesagt! DAMN YOU!), we were happier on the internet because we didn't have to be online 24/7 in the name of some idiots profit. We were happier with smaller communities online.

[@PrinceKaladin]

This exact idea is why I really only interact with reddit as a social media. I can focus my interactions into the communities that interest me, and once I have the information/entertainment I need, I can leave and not feel bad about it

[@MacBorin]

I'm thinking about the queation: "Is KZbin a kind of social media platform?" I mean, there is a similar engagement fokused algorythm, opinions, groups (channels) you join etc. If it is, is it fractured enough (as in the proposed solution in this video) to not social sort people as much?

[@darthsirrius]

My roommate and I never got into social media, don't use any of it at all, and we've always referred to it as literal cancer. That's since it was invented & to this very day.

[@KostasTsakalidis]

I too only see videos in KZbin, and have left all other social medias. I too think this (aka our team ;) ) is better than the... other team, but I see that there is another team who has positives and negatives, and we need to somehow reach out to them, because the planet is on fire yo, and we need to work this out, just.. not me.. not today. But this analysis made me realise this, I did not realise it before and now I feel I need to do something about this. I am not even sure how to make my wife see this video, who likes Kurzgesagt but does not like sitting for 20 mins and watching a video.. I dk.

[@HannaMary7500]

I did not know that you all had to write an English essay

[@Venjem]

Thanks for the solid advice, Kurzgesagt. It's nice to know that there is a way out of a toxic use of internet, and the comments seem to show that there is a lot of self-awareness that could be effectively tuned into action. Also, a big hug to Philipp. Had no idea he went through chemio and it must have been hard to share about it. It is impressive how he keeps turning a dark moment into great action for everyone, just like he did with his disaffection towards the education system.

[@freespiritable]

I kind of found a way. Anonymous account without friends or family in it to influence your algorithm through looking at their posts. Hit hide or not interested on each post not matching my concept of social media usage, i do it for memes and rediscover books, songs or science. Keep away from political pages or posts, news media, gossip, showbiz, etc. Keep it short and real. If you want news go find news yourself, and if you want to discuss ideas go find the right platform to do so.

[@liannamangan9601]

The biggest hugs to Philipp! He deserves so much love for providing us with such interesting content.

[@davidmurphy7332]

The other thing with the "old" internet was how shonky it used to be, so the lack of a professional sheen meant it was much easier for people to take things on there with a pinch of salt and not believe the absolute bollocks from it that some do these days

[@dontkickmychick6076]

Man I wasn't even born in that era and even I miss the charm the old internet had

[@akatsukilevi]

People nowadays forget the most crucial rule about the internet It isn't because it is on internet that it is factually true The sheer amount of people who sees half a thing on Facebook, Twitter or TikTok and just go panicking over it "because I saw it there!" without proper fact-checking really shows this

[@anthonyortiz350]

SHONKY? eh? what on earth is Shonky?🤣🤣

[@Cinemagrins]

lol great point, message boards never felt like The World for me, it was a place to banter, it didn't feel like real life or had any actual implications. AOL chat rooms were places to banter and flirt maybe find a lover. Social media began to bleed into reality like the things done and said on it WERE real life and would be reviewed for the entire world to judge. This isn't just Twitter but everywhere online. The brilliant thing Google does with its social media is not necessarily connect what you say on here with your real life profile. So if I never want to engage I just don't read my notifications but if I google what I said or google I don't see a bunch of stuff connected to me. If you tweet with your IRL name it can get back to you in a bad way.

[@AnnafromHungarylvNW]

@@anthonyortiz350 Sounds like a dorky Brit who got that as a nickname after a drunk night in college

[@emersonpalmieri7879]

(Almost) PhD sociologist here - My two cents of contribution This is a great video because it delves into the academic debate on echo chambers, not just assuming they are a real phenomenon. The debate is inconclusive at this point. The bubble hypothesis is not completely discarded, however. I stand with the bubble hypothesis. With social media we have, in fact, much more contact with distinct worldviews. However, the kind of contact we have is a shallow one. We are not reading/watching/listening people showing their arguments in a rational and respectful manner. Instead, what we mostly access are simplistic statements fueled by rethorical content, personal ofenses or pre-made catch phrases, and all of this in an accelerated speed. This is not a meaningful experience of having "a contact with a different worlview". I do not believe the problem is just a biological limitation ("'the brain is stupid"), it has to do with the way we communicate with each other. Human brains were also responsible for inventing rules for argumentation, reasoning and respect. We just have to design our social media tools to mirror these principles.

[@CygnusX-11]

it's really terrifying when you realize that you spent a good chunk of your life trapped in a virtual world, i'm not mature enough for the real world, it's frightening to me...

[@ilv839]

u know social media made it hard to understand real world try hard things if u wanna be free child again

[@CygnusX-11]

@@ilv839 can you elaborate

[@ilv839]

@@CygnusX-11 what u fighting on internet wuth people talk about it in real life people will tell new perspective atleast u can see the real expression its not wasting of time i am kinda clueless tooo still trying to figure out life before Internet

[@Zsrtre]

I disagree

[@beemagicink]

Then go outside more often. The only propper way is to face it(the fear); practice makes perfect.

[@captainroyalty904]

Throughout my entire life, when I first started using the internet I never made a single comment on anything, because everywhere I see and every news I hear from the internet and social media, even in the most simple of arguments I see aggressive, rude, hate speech, toxicity, discrimination, and cyberbullying. I keep seeing how many people are treated so harshly in social media, to people that made terrible actions, accidents, and regrettable mistakes. Once you make a comment, video, or any post about something that many people wont agree, not like, or makes you look like a bad person, you become a target for hate speech, discrimination, and toxicity. For the first time in over 8 years I'm making a comment about something, and I hope that I won't get hated at for making such a personal opinion, having bad grammar, or etc, but if I do then it proves my point. (I'm not only including the internet, I'm also somewhat involving life as a whole.)

[@smallBrainsPeckersEgos]

Don't be afraid to tell the whole world it's fuckin wrong if you have to

[@cats-y4x]

but you must raye news not only watch them

[@KingofNoobz]

Thats deep...

[@dresser8448]

OMG the prodigal son has arrived, release the doves, just kidding xD

[@___i3ambi126]

Most comments get little to no interaction at all.

[@Floating-seal]

I’ve been feeling down lately because of all the divide that been going on. I had a hunch that social media was the root cause of this but didn’t understand how. Thank you for continuing to share this information and for your effort to try to undo all the harm that is going on now.

[@Bsesam86]

Хочешь чувствовать себя лучше не заходи в соцсети до обеда и за час до сна, гарантирую твоя жизнь изменится в лучшую сторону

[@Floating-seal]

@@Bsesam86 thank you for the tip - I will keep that in mind

[@GamingDualities]

social media is very easy to manipulate with bots and promo accounts. social media and content creation is also a big bussines. so are sports... no tournaments no actual rankings... that why people stopped watching them

[@Scarshadow666]

I dunno if I'd say social media is exclusively a root cause, but definitely a major contributor. Even the video explains how people have been dividing each other with tribalism since the beginning of humanity (and long before the Internet/social media was invented, people have been cruelly othering people different then them for centuries). The witch trials (both European and Salem) and public executions for "entertainment" are good examples of this, unfortunately.

[@treslunas974]

It happened the same to me. I've been a LOT on instagram lately (I'm from Argentina) and they've been bombing my feed with politics because of the actual situation, and with a lot of stupid shit people uploads on that app, and made me feel anxious and sad. So I deleted it, I don't wanna be part of it tbh, I'm tired I just want peace and nonsense arguing with strangers online doesn't lead to anything, only more and more hate. I rather just inform myself with books and actual information than with a 30 second video, I rather not argue but to build something from my perspective and be able to dialogue with other people and if they think I'm wrong I'll listen, I'm ok with learning and teach.

[@jamestinaco2298]

Internet is really worse than ever. I'm a teenager that grew up in this time of age, and I only realize when my phone broke that I was so addicted to my phone. Like a drug, even just a day without a device- I didn't know what to do. Maybe because it was the only entertainment source I knew for my whole life. And I legit cried in my first day without a phone. Now, it's been a month without a phone and I can say that I am getting better. Having improved sleeping schedule, not lying on my bed all day, having physical exercises (well not that much), and socialising with people. Now, of course as Im typing this, I am using a phone. But I don't use phone as often as I was before. I have I think, better control over myself now.

[@MGlBlaze]

I remember forums. I miss them. A few of them still exist but the rise of social media was simultaneously a great step forward AND a catastrophically terrible development for the internet. The internet itself could probably also have the same thing said of it for humanity in general, but the slightly more separated nature of the early internet made it a lot less unhealthy for our dumb godless ape brains.

[@ByteSizedSociety]

One of the goals of the Mastodon system is that there's a bunch of mastodon servers and they are all potentially focused small groups. Yes there are massive mastodon servers and that kind of erases the whole small group thing. But I have created accounts on several including the small ones and it does have that circa 2000 small form feeling of .. there's not much going on here unless you make it happen.

[@nightwishkid1]

All the older car forums that had rare issues and suggestions on how to fix things are dieing out sadly

[@mfaizsyahmi]

the idea is great, but the board-thread model is so outdated. more recently, the fediverse has offered a new and growing alternative that combined the best of worlds: you get modern paradigms (reddit-like e.g. lemmy or twitter-like e.g. mastodon), you settle in into your local instance, yet still be able to traverse the whole thing.

[@SFELNMOD]

It wasn't a great step forward, it was the beginning of the fuckery

[@SFELNMOD]

And no, you can't just extrapolate that out to the internet as a whole, this is purely a social media phenomenon.

[@D3SSTROYER]

I wish this video was mandatory/ highly recommended before using the internet. It really sucks seeing so much hate and division on the internet. Especially when you consider the immense difference of one persons walk of life versus another. I really appreciate the message of change yourself to make a difference. Great job Kurzgesagt team!

[@maomaomaimaimao]

is it bad to hate cartels who behead people I'm just askin

[@AbiBomb]

@OFFICERJIMMYUTTP unfortunately, no.

[@ExpertContrarian]

It wouldn’t change anything because most of this is obvious stuff that people already know

[@erikerikson5434]

@@maomaomaimaimao nah you should hate them. But you should not hate mexican people for the cartels. Even they don't want it.

[@SamS.7598]

​@@erikerikson5434The most thoughtful and balanced reply.

[@Sharples97]

Spent hours at a bar the other night trying to convince 2 individuals to see people as people. Instead, they did everything to try and dominate the conversation and put me in a box based off my race, gender, and sexuality

[@lordnokia4222]

Average conversation with right-wingers that share the same brain cell:

[@thegeforce6625]

Jesus that’s depressing.

[@Beanland999]

I see people differently due to what I've learned and what I've experienced. Some people will judge you and try to make you feel different based off of their thoughts and beliefs, like those 2 individuals for example. Sadly, humanity has already divided itself into groups based off of social constructs. It's best to just prove people wrong rather than try to convince them in a conversation.

[@tofanamedia]

Remember you’re not in the wrong. They’re only harming themselves

[@luna-mt7sf]

record them and post them in social media 😂😂😂

[@dennisbuyse258]

I disagree with the statement “Internet bubbles are a myth.” Algorithms may not be responsible for locking me into a particular opinion, but they certainly amplify that behavior.

[@kristoonz]

It’s important we teach children how to responsibly maneuver the internet and to only allow them to access it when they are old enough to handle it. Social media is a plague on our society. It’s truly brought out the worst in us.

[@battlemachine9031]

But also it's not just children who need education on using social media. Everyone needs education on thinking critically and having individual opinions, including adults, who get most of their news from social media now.

[@jout738]

I dont really see social media as plague to our society, when people just have own arguments in there to show their opinions and change other peoples point of view and then move on with their own life.

[@MesoScale]

With a few exceptions, we adults can't even handle modern AI powered algorithm based social media responsibly, so I don't think we are ready to teach children how to use it properly -even if the best of us teach them, they see the wrong behavior from adults all around them.

[@avavavaa]

children aren’t capable of responsibly using the internet, you can see that everywhere 😂

[@Aritase]

@@avavavaa Most people are not capable of responsibly using the internet* Me included

[@an1bmariaangela853]

This probably explains why the only places I've been enjoying using the internet lately is within communities surrounding small, niche interests. Such as very specific streamers and relatively unpopular content creators. It's like, the more specific it is, the smaller the community will probably be. And the smaller the community, the easier it is to get so involved that you then get to know these people deeper than the singular interest that brought you together in the first place.

[@SineFineBelliCh]

Same here, well said

[@Talon97]

That's just introversion...

[@beastrule]

Yes but the harder it hurts when they ban you

[@angelabby2379]

well circlejerk did make you feel better and then they bully other for having different opinion 😂

[@Koryogden]

Any tips of finding niche communities?

[@commentatingcommenter9178]

I think the worst thing about social media is when you begin to realize how narcissistic and egotistical people become when they're behind a screen. You ironically see more flaws in humanity despite only seeing people's highlight reels.

[@Mildredpotka]

you're part of the problem babe

[@commentatingcommenter9178]

@@Mildredpotka Thank you for proving my point. Btw nice troll account. 🙂

[@PCHcactus]

​@@MildredpotkaI hope you find a healthier way to communicate with people that leads to lasting connection, you can undo whatever trauma has caused you to view confrontation as the default response it just takes time✌️

[@Mildredpotka]

eatmey@@PCHcactus

[@xlrbossshorts]

Agreed, but guess what, they think the same way about you as well. Were all part of the problem.

[@haykgabrielyan159]

I believe that the main reason social media seems so toxic nowadays is because of how much people treat opposite opinions as rivalries. Ever since our childhood, you and your friend have supported different football clubs and liked different candy bars, and so on. Those interactions between children are good and even help build character, we never tend to grow out of this "rivals" phase and start wanting to oppose ourselves with others, and for adults, who now have bigger problems and possibilities, these "fights" often turn out pretty bad. And social media is just a catalyst for this bad habit of ours.

[@krissydiggs]

Fun internet tip! If people are ever being really crappy to you on the internet, calmly ask them if they feel better having said something like that to you. Won’t work for everyone, but I find that when people are being mean to you online they aren’t thinking of the human that you are. Calling into question their own actions kinda works.

[@Gir_fan]

I usually say "Why are you acting like this?" or "What did I do to you?".

[@11111110]

Nah, from their perspective, they think they're helping you become a better person through bullying. Or they don't see themselves as "mean" because they're just acting how they themselves have been treated their whole life

[@Gridkeeperr]

Misery likes company, they like to make people miserable because they are. They’re good at calling their insults "jokes", it hurts the ones whose jokes are not intended to harm.

[@Gir_fan]

@@Gridkeeperr Exactly

[@planescaped]

Anonymity breeds contempt, and for most internet cretins they dehumanize the other people they interact with online. "They're not real people, they're interweb people, and I'm not holding _anything_ back." There's literally no repercussions for them if they offend, insult, harass, demean or make a fool of themselves. It's consequence free. My fear is one day our internet self will be tied to a SSN and the death of internet anonymity. Where insulting someone on the internet will get you real-life consequences. It'd solve a lot of problems sure... but it would change the internet forever. There'll always be the darkweb though so the way the internet is now will never be truly gone. I feel the front face of the internet has an expiration date though...

[@nanakwame3625]

If i could I'd be a kurzgesagt ambassador here in Ghana especially for schools and younger ones to just be informed positively in the best way online. You guys are absolutely worth each second of time spent watching.

[@beastrule]

Just play their videos everywhere in ghana in schools and in cinemas

[@cartergomez5390]

The kids would love the graphics!

[@xenoliving3951]

I'm holding an event in tokyo to discuss this video. I think we need more of a chance to share.

[@beastrule]

@@xenoliving3951 who’s stopping you?

[@SomeRand0mNerd]

@@cartergomez5390It’s suitable for kids, but isn’t overstimulating like other kids animated stuff you see on stuff like KZbin Kids nowadays.

[@notlunalust]

I didn't realize that I was essentially putting myself in smaller and smaller groups until this video explained why it is that I've done it. It's overwhelming to deal with so much at once online, so it's was easier to focus on smaller things and stay disconnected from the rest. Which kind of sounds like an echo chamber, but it's more like I'm just focusing on games I enjoy and maybe a show or two that I like a lot, too. If it's about political opinions, that's something better researched than just browsing people's opinions on social media.

[@anthonyy_vivid5438]

yeah, being a part of something good and few is probably good, it all depends though

[@Yuuri066]

Same here. The only social media I spend time on aside from youtube is a small private community I fell into some years back. Only way in is via an invite from a member, and slowly some of these people have become some of my closest friends. Compared to back when I was on social media a lot, I'm a lot happier at least when it comes to my social life.

[@notlunalust]

oh i also do need to specify that i post on a few social media platforms, but I keep my exposure to a minimum. All my depression and anxiety come from mental disorders, but social media doesn't really help the imposter syndrome lol

[@JoPJR-ms8mg]

It is i think some sort of an echo chamber, but hey, sometimes ignorance is what we needed as a human being. There's only so much truth we can handle before we get overwhelmed and depressed.

[@mikemike6182]

It doesn't hurt with echo chamber, as long it don't turn into death cult.

[@bionicbenofficial]

Best thing to do is to spend way more time detaching, reading books, listening to a wide variety of music, be eclectic, question everything and generally learn tolerance

[@Kerplakistandan]

I really, and I mean, REALLY needed this video. I have been basically isolated fir quite awhile due to anxiety and have been online way too much. I have noticed that over the past year, I have become more radicalized in a dark, negative way. Watching negative videos and consuming hate more and more often. This video was the wake-up call I needed. I already knew it was becoming a problem, but this will be a catalyst. It's time for more space, nature, puppies, and kittens videos.

[@R4in46]

The same thing happened to me, when I was younger I used to be more introverted and didn't really leave the house, so I spent a lot of time on the internet. At first there were no problems but over time there were, I had a lot of problems at home and since I was a child I took refuge on the internet, over time I adopted radical ideas without realizing it. But I matured and at some point I realized my radical thoughts and how wrong they were, that's when I got away from social media and started interacting more with the outside world.

[@Pulstar232]

Good luck to you my dude. Personally, I've also done the same, albeit by accident. I just found most social media sites annoying, so I just stay in a handful of subreddits(for games, tech stuff, etc.) and forums(for actual 'conversation' and 'socialization'). Far more enjoyable and calmer.

[@butterphli3z]

Buy a telescope, go for hikes and adopt a dog or cat from the shelter instead of doing things vicariously through people.

[@ratpatooti5080]

You've already taken a huge first step on your new path by just accepting that you need to change. I hope everything works out for you and the rest of your life is full of nothing but happiness.

[@ultradanhr]

I've been out from social media for some months and I've been feeling overall better

[@lordstriker7920]

I knew there was something in predatory social media screwing with people's heads, I just didn't know what it could actually be. I hope that there is more coverage of this topic so that I don't have to rely on a few sources that may be unintentionally (or intentionally) biassed. Thanks for covering this Kurzgesagt team.

[@elderlyoogway]

That has been known for quite a while, there's an years old documentary that got famous on Netflix popularizing problems known for a while about social media design in late capitalism attention economies, Social Dilemma. For less dramatized sources than that one, and besides edutainment youtube, well researched and received (by experts) documentaries and then academic books (written with college students in mind or professionals of other areas - not to be confused with commercial books), in that order of trust, are a good source of information that you can jump back and forth depending how deep/expert authoritative you want to go and how up you are in intensity levels of light vs heavy reading/watching. Those are all medias that condense published papers while still being geared towards facilitating accessibility.

[@lordstriker7920]

Thanks, and I wasn't entirely accurate there; I have actually seen stuff like the Netflix documentary. I just haven't heard anyone big say what predatory social media is actually doing to us.@@elderlyoogway​

[@PeytonSchiltz]

“Unfortunately, your brain is stupid” is probably the most accurate sentence describing mankind I have ever seen Edit: guys, I don’t mean to be that guy, but please stop the civil war in the replies

[@stureremil9873]

Yes, specially americans 🌈🌈🌈

[@Reset-sm6rg]

​@@stureremil9873Sorry, but you might be causing the same problems as described in the video. It's good to refrain from generalizing just one group, but recognize this brain-fogging era of social media is affecting ALL of us. Just like the video said, it's happening all over the world, and that is important to know.

[@stureremil9873]

@@Reset-sm6rg and who is invented the cancel culture? Fat acceptance? American start all of it.. its not about generalized my guy.. if they doing stupid stuff people copying the stupid stuff..

[@mike4617]

Not really because it sounds like an excuse, but then again.

[@greyshadow37]

​@@stureremil9873You can forgive them.

[@markknoop777]

Every single person in the world should see this

[@DanielDod]

In the mid-90's there was a BBS in my city that had many different-minded people as members. The main thing we had in common was we lived in the same area and had a modem. We would meet in person for parties or lunches or movies or other social events. There wasn't much in the way of vile arguments because you actually knew the person you were chatting with and could empathize with them. It was rare to bring up politics, religion, or anything divisive in the chat room, but even then it was generally debated and discussed with politeness, because you knew the person you were debating and could be sharing a pizza with them next week. 😆

[@mechanicalsilence1]

Also the lack of physical consequences makes people more aggressive, it's obvious with cars. People that wouldnt normally dare to be violent because they would get punished for it now feel confident to say whatever they want.

[@yakovbrod9992]

That's awesome. I wish everywhere had that. We're so isolated now days.

[@Science-Vlog]

i'm stupid

[@OfficerAtomZee]

Kurzgesagt steals my animations for views and have gotten filthy rich off my hard work.

[@OfficerAtomZee]

Kurzgesagt steals my animations for views and have gotten filthy rich off my hard work.

[@j.s.3414]

I could never put my finger on what made Forums and Bulletin Boards so much different from places like Reddit...but this explained it. Forums used to be pretty docile places with a real community, and actual community meet ups where you'd make friends with your online community--bad actors would get removed, and arguments would be dealt with by a mediator (community mod) who'd actually talk to the people having an argument...wholly and completely different from modern social media and "forums" like Reddit. Facebook has turned into a cesspool, so I don't even know if its considered social media anymore, its just a massive advertising platform. And places like Instagram and TikTok seem to be engineered to turn people into fools. I really miss the old wild west internet days.

[@speculative]

Most forums I belonged to were a"labor of love." They didn't exist to make the owner money. They existed because the owner was passionate about the forum's topic and the community that they had built. The downfall of these online communities was advertising, which pushed people creating online communities to try to get everyone, 100% of the online users, to their platform to maximize profits.

[@josefranco8151]

I think it's a respectable opinion but I also think that a lot of people is falling into a past was better falacy. Remember, everything you see in an internet device was created by another human. I do remember shitty stuff back in the 00s internet, I'm not old enough to talk about the 90s, but I've got to know pretty wild stories from my older colleagues (I'm a Network Engineer). So I think the internet in itself is not the problem. As the video said, the internet helps in amplifying what happens in the real world, so I think we as a society are the problem, we have so many structural problems and the shitty internet stuff is the consequence of that, not the root. I do believe kids shouldn't be allowed to have social media, or free internet, they should have a different type of access for educational and properly to the age recreational purposes. But, let's be real. Big tech makes a lot of money from this, nothing is going to change. My advise is you do it right with your own kids, do what you can control. It's a sign when it becomes a trend in Silicon Valley for software engineers to raise their kids in schools that don't use tech devices, and they don't allow them to go on the internet until they are like 16 or something.