Should You Abandon Social Media?

Did I make a video called "is twitter redeemable" last month? Yes I did. Do I think about Twitter a lot? Yes. Too much? Probably.
Ultimately, the moments when I feel like I can't control myself on social media are the ones when I most shouldn't be using social media. Right now, I feel relatively in control. Whenever I'm not able to control myself, I need to not be there.
I also try not to communicate with anyone else in my life in moments when I am not in control. It seems like a fairly basic rule, and yet often people seem to prefer messages from those who are out of control, or from those who cause others to lose control. Seems bad!
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[@MandJTV]

I admire your ability to not fall into the scream-bait that Twitter is full of. It is harder for me to do the same, not just to avoid engaging with it, but to avoid being emotionally impacted by it. I personally do not want to risk my mental health by willfully spending time on a platform that requires hard work to engage with healthily. Life is better for me if I simply don't use it, and I assume many others feel the same.

[@JokerPhantomThief]

I totally understand this mentality of just not using it to avoid this type of negative engagement. I don't use Twitter pretty much ever, but, as far as a similar-ish social media goes, Reddit, which I DO frequent, I tend to just unfollow the subreddits that end up making me feel negative. I don't know how valid that is for Twitter, since perhaps your friends or people you are a fan of often DON'T do that, thereby bringing them into your feed anyway, and you don't want to unfollow them, but it is perhaps something to consider? Again, not a Twitter guy, so I don't know how valid it is, but it's much easier to hit the Unfollow button than it is to resist writing a mini essay on why people who dunk Oreos in water are wrong on all levels... though perhaps that's worth the effort tbh...

[@DonoTheGamer]

I feel the same. I recently deleted Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter because they were not only a distraction for me, but also not allowing me to be my authentic self. I was always trying to come up with something funny to say on Twitter, or take the best picture I can while on vacation for Instagram. Without it all, I feel much more connected with myself and the people around me.

[@williamwhitworth4241]

He did fall into the scream-bait of twitter. He is literally screaming about a tweet that a congress person tweeted a few days ago.

[@JamesNobleThinking]

I think it's going to be a lot like alcohol. Should we ban it? No, that doesn't work, we tried it. Are we as a culture going to handle it poorly? Yep, gonna be a whole lot of people who have unhealthy relationships with it. All we can do is be mindful of our own use, and encourage other people to be mindful of theirs - I think we need to normalize individuals abstaining from things that make them unhappy, whether that's sobriety or moderation or deleting your facebook. I also think, like intoxicants, some social media is more problematic than others [I'm looking at you Facebook]>

[@noviatoria2436]

+

[@eauneaux]

“Is the internet a cow?” is a question I was not expecting to hear today, but am very glad I did

[@theundergradjournalist7595]

+

[@prerza]

same

[@vitorafmonteiro]

Sacred one?

[@veqv]

Cows are topologically a torus (unless you're a physicist, then the genus goes down) The torus is homeomorphic to a tube, and as we all know the internet is a series of tubes. So certainly the internet is not *a* cow, but many. Thank you for coming to my TED talk.

[@vitorafmonteiro]

@@veqv This person gets it. Wake up, cowple!

[@ZePopTart]

“Is it _necessary_ that every single person on this planet… expresses every single opinion… that they have on every single thing that occurs… all at the same time? Is that… is that _necessary_ ?” -Bo Burnham

[@anthonynorman7545]

Welcome to the internet...Anything and everything all of the time!

[@johnnycrenshaw9438]

“& I know what you’re thinking, “you’re not shutting the f up.” & yea that’s true……”

[@ZoeMariea13]

while ironically also expressing an opinion about having an opinion. we all kinda think “i’m not like *those* people”, but a lot of us are and i think self reflection is a super important part of having a healthier relationship with social media

[@captainsalty9022]

No, no and no.

[@seraph511]

me with my blabber mouth that i've always had ever since i was a child: Yes. I must.

[@twelvecatsinatrenchcoat]

When I completely stopped using reddit I noticed a significant, profound and life-changing positive shift in my daily mood, my happiness, my thoughts, my productivity, my worldview and my communication with other people. They design these websites, even youtube, to manipulate our emotions.

[@bidaubadeadieu]

Likewise. Over time I've found I get desensitized to it. The bar is low, most of the time, people aren't that funny/cool/interesting/insightful, and I get used to the mindless scroll of being marginally entertained. When I go long periods without it, and live my real life more presently, I don't miss it.

[@twelvecatsinatrenchcoat]

​@@bidaubadeadieu At first it sucks. But you start finding real things to spend that time on. Instead of mindlessly scrolling, you read a book. Instead of arguing in comments, you text your friends and family. The interactions are so much more constructive and infinitely more meaningful. "Apathy's a tragedy and boredom is a crime -- A little bit of everything all of the time."

[@this_mundane_life]

I have just started using reddit after 2 years of quitting other social media platforms. At first I thought it was fun and people there were really cool. But now I am falling into the same cycle of getting disturbed with negative content and yet not stopping myself from paying attention to it. I guess I need to ditch reddit too

[@seppyq3672]

Reddit is so toxic and addicting. I can't stand it

[@zyaicob]

When i realised that the purpose i was using reddit for was filling time and spending attention rather than enriching myself in any way, i just deleted it from my phone and felt much better

[@eileenh4927]

Wise words "use social media the way you wish everyone would use social media"

[@KungfuCow5]

As Gandhi didn't say, be the change you would wish to TikTok.

[@JosephDavies]

Even wiser is to realize the only truly effective strategy then is "not at all".

[@vincentmuyo]

So... Not at all? But how do I get others to stop using it so we can get out of this dumpster fire of conspiracy theories and disinformation?

[@mrpancake7965]

the kantian view of social media

[@hugofontes5708]

@@JosephDavies and this is the third time I see Wargames and Twitter mixed just today

[@omnipotent_arcanis]

Moral of the story: Dont forget to be awesome. Everywhere. Always.

[@shisuiki]

And if that's difficult take some time to ask why, and re-evaluate

[@WatchDoggyDog]

and remember kids: you can't have remembered to be awesome, unless you at least remembered also to be financially vegan, as a minimum.

[@zrrob1149]

@@WatchDoggyDog what... does financially vegan mean? She asked nervously

[@weirdral]

So DFTBAEA?

[@MisterYagibe]

++

[@SomeoneBeginingWithI]

I would highly highly recommend starting to use "the internet" and "twitter" as separate nouns that are not synonymous.

[@Silas_MN]

Important comment, Hank conflates these two so much here. Twitter sucks, and it's kinda built to suck right down to its basic premise. The internet, or even just social media in general, is much more what Hank is referring to, but I don't think Twitter is a positive contributor to the system.

[@M4nusky]

+

[@HazzaPi]

+

[@JosephDavies]

I think it says a lot that he cannot separate them. I'm baffled how this happened given his online experience predates twitter. He's old enough to know better.

[@Dappled543]

+

[@vincentmuyo]

Hot take: Twitter is only important to people on Twitter. And that's a lot fewer people than Twitter users think that is.

[@superbubbleaquapower]

I can testify to this. I'm not on Twitter and I couldn't care less if it was gone tomorrow. I know it can be used as a platform for good, but it's not the only one, and I haven't noticed my life being directly impacted by anything that happens on it.

[@cristerronaldo2513]

Facts. I've never had Twitter never wanted it literally don't care what people have to say enough to get it

[@SapphireSparrowFilms]

"And the question is, is the internet like a cow?" I had to pause and laugh for a while

[@jackkraken3888]

Nothing to see here, mooove along.

[@rantingrodent416]

I liked this line, but it was a weird moment because all of a sudden the topic wasn't just Twitter, it was the whole internet. Is the internet as a whole a cow? No. Is Twitter? Yes.

[@SuperCartridgeKid]

it’s funny that it could be argued for vegainism

[@DinosDontPlayPianos]

The question then is whether Twitter (and social media in general is) “The Internet”. Because in my head they’re two different things and gut reaction, I’d be sorry if I woke up and The Internet disappeared, but I can’t same the same if I woke up and Twitter disappeared. Also (and this is not a criticism) but something interesting to note is that a lot of the conversation of “social media can be good” is by and from people who are generally “good” at social media and who have to use social media as a part of their livelihood, whereas I think it might be different for those “bad” at social media (either via follower count or interaction level or just general understanding of the platform and why you’re on it)

[@ochoheido]

Nicely worded. Social media is not the internet which makes me believe we could abandon Twitter and continue connecting positively in other ways and in other places online.

[@M4nusky]

Exactly. It's a false argument to say that the only way to get rid of a (not so small) bad part of the internet is to remove ALL of it. It's the same argument made against any form of gun control:. gun control == complete ban omg! We wouldnt ban making and exporting cars and other vehicules just because some vehicules, let's say tanks and APC, can be used to wage war or other political maneuvers.

[@HazzaPi]

+

[@cubeofcheese5574]

+

[@Hhhhhhhhh186]

+

[@MogoPrime]

I find that when I'm about to post a hot take, or retort to a hot take, I ask myself "Does this make the world any better? Am I going to change literally anything or anyone's mind or mood?" If I say "No, no I will not" then I close the tab and move on with my life. I think the magic of Not Opening Your Mouth is underrated.

[@ashleyautistic]

Social media has drastically improved my life as a disabled person. It's given me access to community that I otherwise would never be able to access.

[@beth8376]

You can try to use Twitter the way you want, but the fact is that it is not a tool for you to use the way you want. Twitter is a company with the goal of creating value by getting eyes, it's goal is not to be a useful tool.

[@fossilfighters101]

yyyyyep

[@kellymalone947]

+

[@cubeofcheese5574]

It is designed against you

[@JosephDavies]

If Twitter were designed to be used however you want, it would be an RSS feed.

[@brambleshadow4]

@@JosephDavies The thing I love about Twitter isn't Twitter, but tweetdeck because tweedeck does let you customize what you see a heck of a lot more (and if you really love tooling and aren't afraid of coding, there's tons of free-to-use twitter apis to hook into). So in that sense, Twitter is the best social media + it's why I exclusively use twitter, but yeah the main app itself is pretty terrible. I'm not sure why people use the main app. Also

[@theundergradjournalist7595]

Why title the video “should you abandon social media” when you could have titled it “Is the internet like a cow”?

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

Clearly, the latter is the more important question.

[@katragaddaalekhya4811]

I second this

[@latestranger]

It's the 'Chorus Line' treatment - you can't put the the best joke in the title; it ruins the surprise!

[@justyourlocalrat_]

RIGHT

[@vinicius99157]

I find it very weird listening how discussion about "the internet" tends to be a lot of discussion about twitter. Not using twitter doesn't mean not using the internet, and there are places that can be better for you on the internet

[@sprotte6665]

yes!

[@HazzaPi]

+

[@neweyesable]

+1

[@JosephDavies]

As someone who doesn't use Twitter, I can't help but think he places an over-inflated sense of importance on it whenever he talks about how hard it is/would be to function without it.

[@SomeoneBeginingWithI]

+

[@Spikeygal]

I find it really interesting that you said "if the internet disappeared" when you were just talking about social media. Or rather, just twitter. Hank, there are other websites! I know, it doesn't feel like it these days. I think we just need to rediversify, tbh.

[@bidaubadeadieu]

+1 Twitter is distinctly worse then many other online spaces in terms of a culture of tearing each other down like dogs and and hatestorms fueled by quippy one-liner comebacks.

[@sudipto1585]

And we make spaces in nontwitter socials devoted to twitter, like r/whitepeopletwitter, instagram feeds filled with screenshots from tweets etc I'm not on twitter but it sure feels like I am

[@HazzaPi]

+

[@cubeofcheese5574]

+

[@JosephDavies]

Exactly, Spikeygal. The Internet is not social media, and neither is The Internet equal to The World Wide Web as you mistake it. It is more than social media (the marketing world taking over the web), and it is more than just websites (a dominant user-facing protocol). He seems to make this mistake a lot when discussing these topics, and in a way I can't blame him but I wish he didn't because it condenses the nuance necessary to talk about these things in a truly constructive way.

[@jeremyvanderhoek3921]

My frustration or problem with Twitter is that the medium is not in any way neutral. Graham's tweet will get more traction because it draws more engagement which makes Twitter more money. Using a digital space that results in the most outlandish takes being given the most attention feels like a generally bad space to cultivate meaningful communication and engagement.

[@aquadraco20]

+! Excellent point.

[@jeremyvanderhoek3921]

@@aquadraco20 Thank you :)

[@neweyesable]

+1 There are other spaces online that encourage more positive discussion on the whole; I think Twitter is one of the worst big platforms. The character limit (removes nuance), the combination of real names/celebrities and anonymity, and like you say, how the algorithm works.

[@gooseburrito1068]

It is a bad place for meaningful communication because of its design. Until someone comes up with something better we’ll be stuck with the toxic tweets and social media mobs. It’s really sad because it brings out the worst in people when so much more positive and productive things could be talked about

[@JosephDavies]

@@gooseburrito1068 "Until someone comes up with something better" What if I told you that better things existed, but they never seem to get the same traction _because_ they're better instead of more toxically-engaging? That's been my experience, anyway, and it's pretty disheartening. There's something systemic/cultural going on that makes sure the better options lose to the ones that don't follow those rules of being better.

[@GothVampiress]

here's the thing: i've been doing this. i've been using social media for only what i want to for the entirety of my time online, only taking brief forays into the main spheres. it's INCREDIBLY isolating if you don't already have a solid group of people who interact with you.

[@jeka8826]

Seriously. Whispering calmly into the void really emphasizes how much nobody is listening to you.

[@JSSMVCJR2.1]

@@jeka8826 It's not a void. It a Hornet's nest. A *really* noisy hornet's nest. And that doesn't mean that was a bad attempt of mitigating the manipulating effects of "Social Media" from the person...

[@thechrishau]

I think you nailed it with this line - “to use social media like how we wish others would use social media.” The internet literally handed a mega phone to everyone (some louder than others) and we’re still at the gimmick stage where we’ll use it to say whatever we’re feeling. I think as we mature - we may come to the realization of its power and hopefully use it for good or algorithms will get so good - that ideally the companies that control the volume on the megaphones will ideally take some accountability and spread good messages. You’re right - we can’t get rid of the hamburger - but I’m sure we can design a better system for social media! This was insightful, passionate and very well articulated. Big fan. Bought your new books 🤙🏻 - Chris

[@IstasPumaNevada]

Twitter will never voluntarily take all the steps needed to fix how broken Twitter is, because the mechanism that enables extremists and outside influences to bend Twitter to their uses is the same mechanism that makes Twitter more money, and there's no serious competition to draw away their users. Same for Facebook.

[@amazon4662]

I agree with everything you said apart from the not being able to get rid of the hamburger. I think we can and should get rid of them!

[@csn583]

@@IstasPumaNevada Yep, the problem is inherent, systemic, and systematic.

[@TheMrAshley2010]

"...and never not do that..."

[@iriandia]

This is indeed the best line, and the reason for that is simple - because it is the golden rule, basically. Just because interacting in this blast broadcast way is new does not mean we are not humans, who have been operating in similar ways for a very long time. What Hank has done here is bring an age old lesson into a new format. We do, actually, know what to do and how to be. The newness of the environment of social media confuses us into thinking that we don’t know. Put your heart and your imagination and your empathy first and you will very rarely screw it up. And full disclosure I say this as a person who did screw it up earlier this very week, oops. But we will get there. I believe in us!

[@AcolytesOfHorror]

Hank claims to not want to engage in divisive behavior, but he has come out as anti-orange juice and anti-cow in just the last 2 weeks

[@AcolytesOfHorror]

@@arielhernandez1638 lol thank you for elevating my shitpost

[@andrewmeyer8783]

@@arielhernandez1638 I know the official narrative is that cattle ranching in the US is relatively sustainable, but cows are really messing up a lot of land in the West. Nearly all of it is overgrazed to some degree and the cows destroy sagebrush and undergrowth, not to mention they compete with native animals for browse and water. Cows in America are still quite bad for the environment-- but yes, things are much worse in the third world.

[@RobertSpaw]

In my opinion: a world without the internet is overall worse, but a world without social media is better.

[@JSSMVCJR2.1]

A world with an Internet or Web without algorithms or Neural Networks is a Relief.

[@SpeakShibboleth]

"problems don't get fixed by ignoring them" The problem of rage bait only gets fixed by ignoring it. The problem of obsessive use of social media is pretty effectively fixed by ignoring it. And nothing of value is lost.

[@readingwithrebeccanicole]

+

[@beaker8111]

Hank, I've never been on Twitter, and every time you talk about it, you remind why I never will. That level of stress is something nobody needs in their life.

[@ianmartinezcassmeyer]

"Is the internet like a cow?" is the new "Why is a raven like a writing desk?"

[@36637763]

Could you explain the reference because I need more things like this XD

[@ianmartinezcassmeyer]

@@36637763 it's a line, specifically a riddle, from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland spoken by the Mad Hatter

[@TrumpetDoc]

The internet is an amazing tool, same with social media but I’m leaning towards moderation lately

[@eauneaux]

“Is the internet like a cow?” Seems like the kind of riddle you would have to answer to get into the Ravenclaw common room

[@kbellijelli]

When I was in high school, my hometown had a bad hurricane and we lost the ability to use the internet for about a week (or even text/call for that matter). It led to a lot more in person conversations and time spent away from screens and was actually quite a lovely week (despite the obvious hurricane problems). Sometimes I wish I could have life like that back. But then I remember that I live 800 miles away from most of my friends and family and feel bleesed to be able to keep in touch with them as well as I can because of social media. So yeah it's... complicated lol

[@houston-coley]

I'm in love with the fact that Bo Burnham's INSIDE has become the anthem, the mascot, the penultimate magnum opus for existence on the internet. The fact that we're still talking about it on *the internet* might be proof that we still haven't learned...but I do like to think that it's helped people get more real and vulnerable and make this place a little better than before.

[@CarrotConsumer]

His takes aren't original but they are spicy.

[@spacey-sam]

A famous story one pondered the great question: “in what way is the internet like a cow?”

[@m4athr]

hank: "talk about my life a little bit" the tweet: "is there a name for the giant fart you have after leaving a party?"

[@ariannawright7586]

Lmao +

[@mocahiatto]

update: it's a party pooper

[@glovguy]

When social media is bad, the primary cause are the curation mechanisms involved (not the fact that anyone can upload content). Who decides what kind of content you see and why do they pick that? Decentralize or fundamentally change that content curation and I think social media would be in a much better place.

[@babbity_kate]

Idk, it kind of sounds like thinking that eating more hamburgers will make each hamburger less bad for you 🤷‍♀️

[@elliottmcollins]

The hamburger comparison was helpful, but it's not a perfect parallel. Lots of things get less bad for you as you do them more.

[@oneofmanyjames-es1643]

Abandon social media in general? Probably not, it has its uses. But my life has got a lot better since I stopped using Twitter and Facebook. I can use it however I like but a lot of my dissatisfaction came from how others used it and how the algorithms of those sites pushed that toward me in an unrelenting effort to drag me into Hot Discourse even if I just wanted to look at my friend's cats.

[@ObviouslyBenHughes]

also okaaaayyyyy with that slick NASA jacket Hank 🤩 hashtag fresh hashtag drip

[@addieschlange5142]

Hank: And they are now available in paperback! *bends the book literally in half* Me: hANK NO

[@Robert399]

You can't say "if the Internet disappeared, would that be good?" because the Internet is much more than social media. If all public forums and public-facing personal rant pages disappeared, that may well be good, I'm not sure. But it's not a clear-cut "no" like if the Internet disappeared or if electricity disappeared.

[@Luumus]

"Is the internet like a cow?" I was sipping tea and I choked.

[@AaronMichaelLong]

Social media didn't create a diversity of opinions and alternative facts, it merely *exposed* it. The difference now is that we're suddenly being confronted with competing ideologies, and yeah, a lot of them are biased, stupid, lack nuance, or are outright lies. In a world with two billion English speakers, why would we expect them all to share the same world-view? IMO, people just need to exercise the mute button and accept the inevitability that other people are going to be wrong sometimes. And that *you* will be wrong sometimes. Or that there is no objective wrong, sometimes. It's becoming an ever smaller world, and there are progressively more of us. Either we learn to accept other people's right to live their own values without our meddling, or it's time to sharpen our guillotines.

[@MilesReiter]

I think it's difficult to make the argument that it didn't amplify misinformation (and hate) as well as simply exposing it. It's vastly easier to be connected to other people who'll fuel whatever priors you happen to have about some conspiracy or element of bigotry on Twitter than it is in person in a community. I'd add that there's a TON of nuance in terms of what makes for a reasonable response to this between "Accept it" and "Kill them".

[@AaronMichaelLong]

@@MilesReiter It amplifies *everything*, regardless of agenda. That what mass communication does. Social media has given the far left as much of a platform as the far right, and it is indisputable that the far left has enjoyed far more success in exploiting their new avenue of communication. That's largely due to innate virtue of their ideas, or more accurately, the lack of virtue of most far-right rhetoric. Yes, various ideologues can now communicate with each other, but there's zero evidence that they're changing minds or recruiting new people. Belief perseverance and the backfire effect ensure that while you'll make a lot noise, you won't actually convince anyone of anything. Which is why you're going to have to learn to live with other people's opinions. There are no "reasonable" responses. There is only coercion, or the ignore button. And if you think that coercing away's people's right to free expression won't lead to violence, go check out countries where they incarcerate journalists, and get back to me.

[@kbt4115]

Love this perspective Hank! Nerd Fighters summoned to make a better, more inclusive, more palatable, happier world and better internet/social media experience...FOR THE WIN! I will strive to incorporate this into my social media etiquette from now on, because I just got off facebook (logged out of it for the last 2 months) cause I couldn't find a good balance with it. However now, I feel optimistic with your approach and I'll strive to use Facebook/the best parts of social media, while leaving behind the worst parts of it. Let's have our cake and eat it too! Appreciate your wise outlook Nerdfighter Grand Master 🙌

[@MissVindicat]

I love and hate sociale media. The thing is: the companies behind them consciously create them in such a way that they are addicting and polarizing. Capitalism doesn’t help here.

[@tylersmith5124]

You should write a book about this question. I bet it would be great

[@chloeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee]

it woud be beautiful, but a little foolish

[@TrumpetDoc]

That would absolutely be an endeavor

[@seanplayscl]

@@chloeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee either way, it would be absolutely remarkable

[@tylersmith5124]

(Wrote this early in the video before he called himself out at the end XD)

[@Lennon_Delapaz]

I think if he did, the protagonist should be named after a month, Idk just the vibes I'm getting

[@BlueSpaceCat]

I just got my paperback of "A beautifully foolish endeavor" today! It made me so happy to see you holding it also :D

[@JordanRebecca]

The older I get, I realize the thoughts of my inner child are more appropriate than the hot takes of an "adult". Sure society told me to be careful about what I post online for future employers, but based on what I see from other "professionals" I'll take my duck face selfies

[@SnarkNSass]

Those cows can cure the deserts... Social media saves me. I love how I hear you saying what's in my brain. There's a comfort in your A.D.D.-like brainstreaming presentation... I know I'm not alone.❤️✌🏻☮️

[@nitfens6863]

This is just my opinion, but if your solution for how to best use a product is not to use it the way it's designed to be used, aren't you using the wrong product?

[@chickpeapeace]

bruh yes

[@TravisGilbert]

Hank I realize I'm not adding to the video but, that is a very nice jacket.

[@YukikoOdair]

Agreed! was gonna comment it myself but realised someone else might have mentioned it so here I am

[@ObviouslyBenHughes]

the fact that your pfp matches is just 😙🤌

[@SchuylerMartin45]

Anyone know where I can find one?

[@ObviouslyBenHughes]

@@SchuylerMartin45 (vaguely remembering these details so could be off) it was gifted to Hank by a production manager who worked on some commercial filming project contracted by NASA where they had some official flight crew jackets left over that were used as costuming.

[@SchuylerMartin45]

@@ObviouslyBenHughes makes sense, most of the googling I've done shows similar replicas but they don't look nearly as nice

[@margaretthym8234]

"And then I snapped back into my brain..." I relate so much to this right now about things going on in my life!

[@mdemeule]

I haven't watched a vlogbrothers video since Ellen Hardcastle came out. That's nearly ten years ago, if you're keeping track at home. I'm not bragging. I'm not proud. It simply is. I was doing my pretty regular Deep Diving On A Topic With Which I Am Unfamiliar, which, at the time, was Phineas Gage. I found a video of a man in a hat hopping around some railroad tracks with a guitar near a very strangely shaped dog (which itself would become a DDOATWWIAU later). I took the literal song and dance as the end of my research. My next few weeks were overtaken, almost in their entirety, by watching vlogbrothers back-catalog. I was enamored with John's incredibly precise confusion and with Hank's upbeat, enthusiastic curiosity. I consumed. Relentlessly. Until I didn't. I don't subscribe to channels on KZbin - it's a pretty big flaw with my KZbin engagement, I'll admit. At some point, I just stopped manually navigating to the channel. Stopped watching new videos. And then the video "Sneezing is not normal." showed up on my dashboard. And here I am again, ten years later, enamored with John's machine-like and laser-focused confusion, and with Hank's probing, sometimes manic curiosity. But more than that, I'm now struck by the gentle kindness of Hank and John, something 19 year-old me never even noticed. I've never seen a more sincere or frequent exchange of Thank Yous and I Love Yous. Another big flaw with my KZbin engagement is that I don't comment with any sort of regularity. I wrote a comment, long ago, on a Ze Frank video. KZbin has since forgotten it. I am making the effort to write my second comment right now because I want you to know how profoundly those few weeks ten years ago affected me. I don't say "I don't know," anymore - I say "Here are the ways in which I don't know." Presented with the opportunity to learn something new, I jump. I sort of always have, I suppose, but I'm cognizant of it now. I no longer hold the trivia aloft as if it were treasure, but I treasure the time it took the discover the answer. Change would have frightened me those ten years ago, but I think I'm excited to watch the ways I interact with the world change in the wake of Hank and John Green's radical kindness. So, should you abandon social media? I don't know, Hank. It seems pretty alright to me. Thank you for inspiring me to write my second comment, even if KZbin can't remember the first.

[@underwater_woman]

this sounds good in theory. but on the individual level, engaging meaningfully with social media is an unending uphill battle against constantly improving supercomputers. not everyone has the privilege, attention span or strength to always (or even sometimes) have the upper hand in that battle. i'm not convinced that anyone can really do it sustainably. i've mostly made the choice to get off because i'd prefer to do something else with the time i'd otherwise spend fighting the algorithms determined to spiral my mental health

[@rosea830]

Cows are peaceful animals that deserve to be treated kindly. The cows I've met like head rubs and ear scratches. They shouldn't not exist and shouldn't be blamed for climate change. I agree with you about social media, though.

[@ian1685]

I think the point is that currently existing cows are in a bit of a living hell, and there's no real way for there to be as many as there are and them all be treated kindly, so it would be better for the cows to not be there at all rather than suffer.

[@curiousKuro16]

@@ian1685 I agree, and I also must add that the domestic cows you have met are that way because of human intervention in the same way their impact on the planet is because of human intervention. And much like Twitter/the internet human intervention can also make life easier for the cows, and for internet citizens.

[@beep3242]

It's more humanity's fault than individual cows. The mass, industrialized farming of cows is what causes their part in climate change. Not to slight cows, cows are great, but as it is they can't be treated and farmed how they are without both being unhappy individually and contributing to climate change.

[@g.seangourlay2593]

Cows raised on good native prairie land still produce methane, but that farm sequesters more carbon than those animals put out. So cows can help help with climate change when theyre preserving ecosystems rather than turning them to conventional farmland. And compared to most animsls, they live pretty good lives on pastures, and even in big feedlots, where they spend their last year, the most efficient way to finish them for weight, and eventually process them, is often the most stress-free way. It's not ideal but it's not necessarily cruel.

[@ManishRajwar]

Umm.. Is no one going to get to the bottom of why we have to rear so many cows in the first place - Human overpopulation, or are we doing it for those aliens who love to kidnap our cows?

[@snazzysings]

Yesterday I went into a book store and sat down to flip through the first couple of pages of An Absolutely Remarkable Thing. I didn't end up leaving that chair until I was about 150 pages in. When there store closed I bought the book, and had finished it by the time I went to bed. Its one of the first novels I've read for pleasure since graduating college, and I immensely enjoyed it :) thank you for such a fun and thought provoking way to spend my day off! I look forward to doing the same with the sequel

[@NiftyPants]

Most social media platforms let you blacklist certain terms or topics you don't want to see. I blacklist the big topics that send me down the rabbithole of dread. I don't do it to be oblivious to the world, but I just can't handle that everyday. And now my social media mostly brings me joy.

[@ghastor1393]

I just can't do Twitter man, it's bad for me. I feel like a recovering alcoholic, and the best this for me is quiting completely and never going back. I just feel like a healthy proportionate relationship between me and Twitter is impossible to achieve at this stage.

[@Rosalie_Jansen]

I feel like I'm one of the few people who has always had an enjoyable Twitter experience. I only follow wholesome accounts like the Vlogbrothers, I only interact with wholesome content and try to put out wholesome content myself and that way of using twitter has always been really fun and might I say - wholesome. It's possible y'all. Unfollow the toxic people and try to be less toxic yourself and it suddenly becomes a rather nice platform. Just stay in that happy corner and you'll be fine (and beware the trending hashtags).

[@jeka8826]

How do you not see the scream-bait? They always show it to me whether I want to see it or not, because that's what drives "engagement" and made a million other people scream.

[@Kirkklan]

The adblocker I use (uBlock) actually allows you to block certain elements here/there. So I just... blocked the tending sidebar like an ad.

[@ray8326]

I very much am thankful for the internet, but twitter as a specific website I really just had to delete for my own mental health. Yes, I am usually a day or so late to the party of "what happened today", but by being on other sites but not on twitter, I am able to better control the amount I can handle within a given day. The thing about twitter is that even if you wanted to streamline your feed into a specific thing, like art, for example, it's nearly impossible to avoid the fear and anger-inducing topics. And when you're in a place where you're just trying to focus on making it through the day alive off the internet, I find twitter can be just a little too much in that regard, especially if you are impacted emotionally by things you see in your feed, regardless of if you actually engage with it online. But that is just me

[@gas_on_my_hands8283]

As I grow older i realize just how negatively the internet affected me in my youth and adolescence... I've learned so many things and found so many things I love, but I also found *so many* things that I absolutely shouldn't have had access to, from as young as 8 years old. I had to quit Instagram at 14 years old, in the year 2014, and doing so probably saved my life. Its hard for me not to think of the internet as a mistake. But I also see the good it has done for the world, and how much my life has been enriched by my access to it. It is about regulation, of course, but there are so many kids who, like me, have been exposed to horrible things and didn't have people in their life to explain these things to them, and who didn't have tools to restrict access to those internet spaces. Vlogbrothers has always been *the* example of the good that the internet can do. I just wish it didn't come with such a heavy cost to my mental health

[@maxidaho]

We could all benefit from putting a little distance between ourselves and the current media rage machine. The endorphine rush of an online flame out is sooooo tempting though. I think our lizard brains are really getting the better of us.

[@LazerLord10]

One little thing I did, for desktop, is use an adblocker to get rid of the "what's happening" box. That thing is so useless.

[@alechall7082]

Ok

[@johnchessant3012]

1:49 Hank stops himself from becoming a GIANT SQUID OF ANGERRRR

[@ERYN__]

I'm hand sewing a quilt, starting each square in a different place, escaping social media in nature with a simple task....and then posting on my Instagram stories. I'm calling it free range quilts. I really like sitting still and examining one area closely compared to a hike, where you'd continue on and miss it.

[@claudiaigsa6900]

I recently opened a Twitter account again and I'm dreading this exact same thing every time I open the app. It's made to push you to engage in the most outrageous thing. And I barely interact or tweet because of fear of being replied to in a negative way. Yours is a really good strategy that I think I'll try to implement more.

[@TheSamba37]

Why the cow hate? Is it misdirected dislike for the conventional methods that they're being raised with? Properly herded ruminates are what our grasslands are in dire need of and cows would fit that perfectly if they were handled correctly.

[@gideongrace1977]

YES. And also. Like. The internet is really important. Like. Things I only have because of the internet: -Knowledge of my queerness and transness and that I'm not the only one -My best friend -Knowledge about mental health and disabilty that the medical industry refused to give me and actively hurt me for asking for -Knowledge about racism and how to provide better, more positive representation for poc in fiction -An entire university degree's worth of knowledge about writing that I legally never had to pay a cent for -FANFICTION. Or, in other words, community and queer representation

[@TilmanBaumann]

Who would have thought, Kant's categorical imperative is also the solution for the social internet. My mind is actually literally blown now.

[@TheNightwalker247]

Hey Hank It's not the cow it's the how. Check out holistic grazing management. A good example is white oak pastures in Georgia USA or joel salatin with Polyface farm.

[@cassidywells7959]

The internet feels lifeless and life itself at the same time and I don’t know how to feel about it cause on one side: anxiety, and on the other side: vlog brothers and pelican videos

[@WatchDoggyDog]

lmao. start a vegan restaurant? that's really all anyone can do to save the world at this point. the world must go vegan as quick as possible, the best way being to convince governments to outlaw humans from being any kind of rude to any animal, ever. it is wrong and we must awaken/slap some sense into a sleeping government in order to awaken/slap some sense into the sleeping masses.

[@WatchDoggyDog]

I suggest listening to some Harry Mack freestyle videos, they are unifying, full of life, and spectacular :) for other non lifeless content: check out beatboxers like Villain (the kickback battle) or Bigman, Hiss, Napom. but I really recommend peeping a beatbox song by Stitch called "Feels like Nothing" :)

[@jtg197]

Deleting my social media was one of the best things I've done for my mental health. Some people can handle it, my brain cannot.

[@curioustill]

"and then I SNAPPED BACK into my ... BRAIN" is such a Hankism xD Love it!

[@violet6450]

You're in denial Hank. Twitter it's not helping anymore, it's just destroying our emotional balance. It's over, let it go...

[@WatchDoggyDog]

anything can be salvaged. he has his following on there, so it seems if he sticks to what's good, and discussing what's bad as needed, (like us not being stinkin' a vegan species already) he can enjoy twitter more.

[@JosephDavies]

He doesn't seem to think he can, and he seems to believe this is universal. :(

[@Jeremy-fy1sz]

Twitter and social media in general needs a "This is dumb and I wish I'd never seen it" button to downvote things into oblivion that tells the algorithm to stop showing it. Possibly a monetary system like reddit karma or something. idk

[@M4nusky]

Hek I'd use that button even if they charged a fee. That could be an incentive for them to push worst content tho! And the cycle continues!

[@JosephDavies]

@@M4nusky That's exactly what it would become, unfortunately. We need to cut back on the perverse incentives in these systems rather than add more.

[@linnetwiddershins1983]

I’m a bookseller and one of my favorite things is talking to people about your books! I still remember when A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor first came out and I saw a very old man buying it and I said “oh my god I love that book!” And he said “yes!! I’ve been waiting so long since the first one! I can’t wait to read it” and it was just so wholesome! I love seeing people light up and get really into talking about your books!

[@_SarahElizabeth]

I love not being on social media. It's like my stress level was immediately lowered and now I think, why was I doing that to myself? My head feels clearer/lighter.

[@werosification]

"Is the internet like a cow?" i wish, cows are my favourite animals, they're absolutely the best

[@user-ew8pr7ys2y]

I LOVE THIS COMMUNITY

[@rev.rachel]

"many-to-many communication" is such a good way of thinking about what the social internet is for and what it does

[@acetrainer5564]

Twitter is like smoking where it's a lot easier to keep away from if you've never been on it. I'm glad I missed that boat.

[@cassidywells7959]

“How to make a burger without a cow” HANK YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW FASCINATING THE WORLD OF CELLS AND STEM CELLS IS, YOU COULD MAKE A BURGER IN A LAB. A LAB. AND IT ONLY COMES FROM A LITTLE ITTY BUTTY SAMPLE OF THE COWS CELL AND THEN IT GETS BROKEN DOWN AND THEN MADE INTO SOMETHING TOTALLY DIFFERENT BUT JUST THE SAME AT THE SAME TIME AND UGHHHHHH.

[@WatchDoggyDog]

Hank surely knows of cultured meat. I'm sure he'll speak on the topic, and he likely already has. it is amazing though, amen. :) Impossible burgers/meat get the job done just fine though. glad we have cultured meat coming though as well, then we can make non cultured animal meat/flesh illegal, as well as the practice of it's creation...yikes

[@aina3203]

Haven't seen the vid yet but yes, hank, i probably should.

[@bob3ironfist]

I admire Hank's boundless optimism. I was not able to maintain mine after january.

[@Kobay350]

It is not by accident that Twitter or any social media wants to draw you in to the hottest argument going that day. That keeps you on the platform and makes it more likely your eyes will see ads or they will be able to sell your information. I think we can have communication across the masses of people, but that can only happen if said people are not the product that these sites are selling. Outrage keeps people engaged. As long as the users of the platform are the products of the platform, things like Twitter, KZbin, Facebook, etc will continue to draw you in to the hottest conversations going or feed you stuff that fits in your own bubble. It's not by accident.

[@SAMURIADI]

2:17 hank was - this - close to ~snap back to reality ope their goes gravity

[@luisosta]

I think it's important to note that The Internet != Twitter. Although the Internet isn't like a cow I would argue that Twitter is like a cow. We can build platforms that are better designed for productive Many To Many communication.

[@TheoWerewolf]

"Should You Abandon Social Media?" Short answer: Yes. Slightly longer answer: Probably yes unless you understand what it is and how it can trick you into an unhealthy position. The main problems with social media are that they feel immediate and real - that the people you interact with are close and personal when in fact they aren't. There will be exceptions and you can find some amazing people and become close friends - but these are going to be rare exceptions. The other side is that you want interactions with as many people as possible - weirdly, this hits introverts way worse than extroverts. Social media seems like a way to have your cake and eat it too - lots of people to interact with, but you can turn them off when it gets too much. Except that turning it back ON can be difficult and you can have people leave for entirely random reasons, which as an introvert, you'll assume are your fault. You'll also fall into the 'one subject' trap where people will follow you because you said some random thing that happens to validate their world view and they follow you for more validation... until you don't, then they go away. Basically, the thing to remember is that social media is all about attracting attention and holding onto it. It takes a lot of work and is HARD for most people. There are a lot of people who are there either to spread their personal world view or get it validated - and those are two really messy landmines because social media is rarely about gray areas and context - but about being right. Oh, and one last thought - text is one of the worst ways to express complex, subtle ideas or emotions. 280 characters of text is even worse. But even on Facebook - even if you're very good at writing - most people aren't very good at *reading*. So, go forth delicately and remember, it's ok not to be on social media. And if you MUST, don't take it seriously lest you go stark raving mad, :)

[@gattillynx]

Thanks for the reminder Hank, I've been trying to do this a lot more. “to use social media like how we wish others would use social media.”

[@g.seangourlay2593]

Love you, hank, and I respect your work, but... "[hamburgers] are pretty much bad for everyone involved" and "[not having cows anymore [...] would probably be for the best" are really poor choices of words. Medically speaking, eating hamburgers once or twice a day is probably too much, and north americans should probably as a whole be eating fewer of them. But beef is a really good, nutrient rich source of protein, and a hamburger is a really good sandwich for most people involved. Bread and beef are not unhealthy unless there's just way too much of them in your (probably overly caloric) diet. Environmentally, the main problem you might point to is beef's contribution to climate change, which is highly dependant on how and where they're raised. Cutting down rainforests to turn them to pasture is probably literally crazy from a global perspective. But raising beef on marginal land that would be unnecessarily and inefficiently turned to other agriculture would be worse. Cattle pastures are often a really good way to preserver native species, and maintain a healthy biodiversity. Especially up here in the northern grasslands, where farming would otherwise threaten local ecosystems even more than they already are. To feed the world and save the planet, we need to be making the best use out of each acre of land, whether its preserved or farmed or something in between. Ethically, the case for avoiding meat is sound, and a value judgement that is unimpeachable, just not necessarily shared by all. I happen to love bacon, but I avoid most pork products because they're really smart animals who are (often, not always) raised in conditions that I find unfortunate if not cruel. I'm more comfortable with chicken, but still ambiguous, maybe because its a less relateable intelligence. Beef cattle are pretty smart, pretty playful, and live pretty cruelty-free lives by comparison. They have bad days, as do we all, but are probably on balance happier to live than most animals we eat. As with so many things, like the internet, it's not about what you do always as how you do it, and we should always be looking for better ways of doing the things we love. Social media can be made to reduce cruelty, as can hamburger production. For everyone involved.

[@cablooshki]

I especially agree with your comment on native species preservation in the northern grasslands of North America. It's has the second highest biodiversity, but it is more threatened than the rainforest, as it is tilled up for monoculture agriculture throughout the continent. Especially as there are more inputs and machinery that make it easier to do so. The grasslands are the home of the bison, which are being reintroduced in some places. Those bison are also ruminants, and give off about the same amount of methane emissions as cattle. But with proper grazing, the grasslands are rejuvenated. I was really interested after watching the video on this site: guardiansofthegrasslands.ca/

[@erikabachmann3385]

Thanks for sharing! I second all of what you so eloquently said

[@chasekrogh1917]

“Either delete it or stay on it.. but theres a third option!” Um no Hank, there are one of two options to choose from. Just cause you started tweeting about burritos instead of politics doesn’t mean you’re an adult now lol

[@n7shepart461]

The book “outraged” by Ashley Charles helped me a lot with decisions about social media. She goes in depth about outrage on Twitter etc. The book helped me not to get sucked into the outrage. It’s a really good book.

[@k.c1126]

I don't use Twitter. I have never really "gotten" it. Hearing your description makes me very glad. I can get my "twitter feel" by reading the comments on KZbin ....

[@joshuaworden274]

In this video, you conflate the internet with social media, and social media with twitter. This is a problem because almost no one is arguing that we should end the internet, or that we should end all social communication on the internet. The argument that I and many other people make is a much more narrow one about specific platforms with specific structures, and by conflating the whole internet or all social interaction on the internet with twitter, you fail to adequately engage with the arguments that you seem to be trying to respond to.

[@gabehockett]

I would go to war over the values that Vlogbrothers stand for Edit: adding /j

[@newcreation19]

++

[@exeggcutertimur6091]

I'm pretty sure one of those values is peace.

[@bidaubadeadieu]

Yikes :/ cant think of anything more worldsuck than armed conflict. they're KZbinrs, king, let's not make this more than it is

[@gabehockett]

@@bidaubadeadieu it’s just a joke off of something Hank said in the video

[@gabehockett]

@@exeggcutertimur6091 joke reference to video

[@Koliflower]

I feel lucky for having found this channel during my teen years. I've been watching for about 3 years(?) now and I am grateful to have such kind, thoughtful, well-spoken people, being Hank and John, to listen to all the time. You guys make me feel smart and encourage me to practice empathy and thoughtfulness. Thank you.

[@marymohr2799]

Honestly, this whole video has made me glad that the only social media I have is KZbin and Pinterest. Yes, there are still controversial things on those sites, but for the most part it feels more as if I am passively watching those things long after they happened.

[@austinjackson806]

First?

[@chen-chiachen3559]

Second

[@chen-chiachen3559]

Third

[@mallorylectka2940]

Love this perspective, the idea that we can't change something by abandoning it really hit home for me since over the years I've disengaged from almost all social media. What I find hard is reading inflammatory content with a healthy amount of emotional distance. I'm not necessarily tempted to engage with something but will walk around for the rest of the day with a pit in my stomach thinking about the gross tweet I saw. Social media boundaries are hard!

[@markthornburgh8854]

I agree 100%. Normally I stay pretty quiet and don't comment much on social media. Whenever I come across something that upsets me. My emotions take over and I want to respond in a way that I will probably regret later. I think yelling and screaming at people you disagree with only makes things worse. People tend to double down on their positions when confronted. On the other hand. I do think there are justified times to be upset at something. When to be upset and when to let something go can be hard to determine. It's also hard to tell when people legitimately hold a position. And others who are just being trolls. In any case. I think we should all try and be the good we want to see in the world. Thanks for everything you do Hank. And thanks for keeping me grounded.

[@akshatachonkar3257]

Internet pioneers - Hank and John Green. You guys are doing the work that will be so obvious to people in the next 5-10 years. The internet will evolve, but not before it is a huge dumpster fire. And to keep it running until the fruits of the evolution are obvious is a hard task - you guys are doing something right.

[@ss-iy9wr]

"Problems don't get fixed by ignoring them" I like that

[@jonathankay4761]

The Internet as an ambiguous tool we suck at using is such a helpful framework. We've had alcohol for several thousand years now, and we still often have trouble engaging with it in healthy, non-abusive ways.We've only had the internet for a few decades, of course we haven't figured out how to use it and engage with it responsibly!

[@Hmm...Whats-Their-Name]

Ugh. The amount I have learned about the world, but more recently, how people who are fundamentally different than me in ways I cannot experience (ie race, disability, etc) experience the world. That is something that has helped me gain perspective, empathy, and motivation to help in causes that don't directly affect me, but have serious damaging repercussions to others that I was privileged enough not to notice before social media gave large numbers of individuals from these groups a voice. And a voice that is convenient to find and listen to if you chose to.

[@bitbeak]

Your videos do such a good job of sandwhiching a manic episode with calm observation and growing points. Always feel a little better after watching them.