Why You Hate Social Media

[@unsolicitedadvice9198]

CORRECTION: I think I misused the word “virulent” - I didn’t realize it had negative connotations and thought it was cognate with “virile” - sorry. LINKS Support me on Patreon here (you wonderful person): patreon.com/UnsolicitedAdvice701?Link& Sign up to my email list for more philosophy to improve your life: forms.gle/YYfaCaiQw9r6YfkN7 Source for claim about 41% of 18-24 year olds using social media as the primary gateway for news: reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/digital-news-report/2023/dnr-executive-summary

[@Abhitaksochanhi]

Hey! I am new to the channel. You have some amazing speaking skills and quite good grasp on philosophy. I was wondering if you ever thought about South East Asian Philosophies like Hinduism(Vedas,Puranas,Epics,Upanishads. Bhagavad Gita is also very insightful. Also Buddhism Would love to see you cover Bhagavad Gita or Hindu Philosophy in the Future

[@lunarmoon4596]

thank you & the larger the shadows the brighter the light the more harm social media does the more good it goes too yet it is in our inherent nature to look at the bad then the good in local area offline we see good & bad & in social media we see good & bad Just on a much larger scale & an infinite number of good & bad Knowledge hence information overload causing people to blame the tool to connect the world then look at themselves such is our nature when given everything we hardly need anything access to all while friends with none Jack of all trades master of none ..

[@CautiosulyOptimistic1440]

I don't often see intrinsic value in many things, instead viewing things as extrinsic in value. From personal experience, viewing things with only extrinsic value has labeled me as pessimistic. In addition i notice that despite what people say, we often view each other with extrinsic value as well. The man's sole purpose is to provide. Failing to do so makes him not a man, but dead weight.

[@CautiosulyOptimistic1440]

Also placing ourselves as exhibition pieces closely reminds me of the red light districts found throughout the world. This is one of the most destructive forms of exhibitionism.

[@FiremarshalM1]

You accidentally used it perfectly as far as I am concerned 🤓😉

[@setesheol]

that’s why faking my own demise and relocating in a forest has been on my mind for a while now

[@CatDaddyGuitar]

😂😂😂 right there with you

[@Wildrover82]

Unabomber style. I get where you're coming from.😎👌

[@indarknesswedwell9193]

Let's build a commune in the middle of the woods and live as outcasts. Edit: spelling.

[@ksander1779]

nope, thats how you get ruby-ridged

[@maximilianbourgh8345]

I also want to disappear too.. 😢 🫥

[@MontgomeryMonsters]

I think social media is the main reason why everyone seems to be losing their minds.

[@helenarichard]

Oh there are more reasons.

[@MontgomeryMonsters]

@@helenarichard of course there are more reasons, but I have seen a significant change in the way people relate to each other and the world since social media became what it is today. I remember the world before it, and it was already complicated enough and crazy then, now it’s untenable. I’ve never seen so many unhappy, anxious, and suicidal people in my life.

[@WayOfTheZombie]

Unfortunately utube is social media. But... it's sacred somehow

[@MontgomeryMonsters]

@@WayOfTheZombie yeah KZbin sucks now too, I’m gonna delete it soon.

[@Webedunn]

Without a doubt. I’m glad I got kicked off FB & Twitter.

[@joshywoshy18]

''The logic of social media simultaneously requests that we be perfect, and hide nothing.'' Wow. You hit the nail on the head with that one.

[@cuiperindy2120]

I suspect that this kind of videos spoken at that speed only serve the scope of "hitting on the nail" of aphorismas quickly grasped by casual listener but lack direction, intention and good will on the whole of their duration.

[@joshywoshy18]

@@cuiperindy2120 Can you distil that into a cogent argument for me?

[@phillystevesteak6982]

​@@cuiperindy2120ok, no need to generalize. You sound drunk and unnecessarily critical. Everyone's at a different point in their education. If what you say is the case, it's still the perfect starting point at the very least. And what channel would you recommend for the more densely minded?

[@Vlad-bs1js]

​@@cuiperindy2120 I don't know what you were referring to with "direction". Were you expecting some form of advice on how fix a major issue in our society from a half an hour youtube video made by some random lad in his 20s? As for intention, I think it's pretty clear, in that his purpose is to make a living while simultaneously doing what he likes (distilling/commenting on philosophical works/ideas). Lastly, how exactly did you measure his good will or lack of it from this video? I'm not saying you're right or wrong, but that you're making pointless assumptions from an assumed position of superiority. I'd argue that those "casual listeners" make up the majority of people and offering them some insights in plain english of the potential downsides of social media is a step in the right direction

[@sapaducy1]

​@@joshywoshy18u learned the word cogent from Elon Musk 😂

[@takemywordforit4128]

It's like everyone's become their own mini reality TV show.

[@crispian67]

Truman Show extrapolated 🤔

[@Hellbat69]

Yes and no It feels like a live video on KZbin where you feel like everyone is commenting on your life

[@isiahs9312]

i dont even get my own ice road truck, what a ripoff

[@nak3dxsnake]

@@crispian67 ed tv

[@crispian67]

@@nak3dxsnake Ah yes. Good point! Forgot about that gem. Cheers 👍

[@JamieAlice92]

I didn’t realise how much twitter was destroying my mental health until I deleted it for good. That site is poison.

[@ssjbargainsale]

Same. The only social media I still have is youtube and I try my best to never open shorts, cause that's a similar kind of poison to twitter, but with no bubbles to protect you from seeing the worst, most brain destroying things

[@sondertekken]

I swear, it's almost as if Twitter was designed to piss you off

[@jenn8767]

I make my algorithms so beautiful, peaceful and only for hobbies that have little do with the internet. Books and ceramics. I realised I was affected by rage bait when I had 4 hours of sleep arguing internet people.

[@bitsuuuuuu]

And a waste of money

[@drmilkweed]

1:00 this mf said faucet

[@svenproglhof1768]

You articulated my reason for not being on social media (no instagram, dating sites, etc. to be exact) in such an easy, yet profound way that it is mind boggling, plain and simple. Basically, people think THEY are using social media as a product when it is actually in reverse, meaning people are marketing themselves as products. And the more they are making a brand of themselves the more they are slaves to external validation in the form of likes, clicks, upvotes, etc. Therefore if they want to keep being a "successful product" they have to be in line with the mainstream which makes them more and more inauthentic and are distancing themselves from their true self, as you said in your segment about Jean-Paul Sartre, Simon Beauvoir and Albert Camus. If I think like that, it is no wonder why we have an ever growing mental health crisis, especially the younger generation. People are scared to be authentic and are scared to be judged or criticized, because of their fear of reducing their product value so to say, which they themselves subscribed to by joining social media platforms. to add: Yes, I am aware that KZbin is also social media which I am subscribed to. However, I am not a content creator. I am just a nobody in a sea of faceless people, so I am not a product that wants to raise its perceived value and therefore I am not iron-bound to conform to anyone´s fiddle. Man, those last 2 sentences make me looks like I am too far up in my own ass, haha. Basically if you don´t play the social media game, you don´t have to play by it´s rules. Very cool and informative video!

[@wmurd]

You take pride of consuming and not contributing?

[@Talonidas7403]

@@wmurd Not OP but I have the exact same mindset. No, I do not take pride in consuming and not contributing, I take pride in not having the specter of social media looming over my head everywhere I go.

[@wiandryadiwasistio2062]

true. i have a weird relationship with facebook/instagram too: i basically forced to have it again for business/professional purposes (i deleted mine at 2020 and never look back) and i strictly control it now. to sum it up: - i’m not controlling at how long i’m opening fb/insta; i control _what_ i see. this include prohibit myself to open explore or reels tabs, limiting home views to only 10 posts/doomscroll, no likes nor comments, and not even bother posting there - dms are the most active session because that’s the whole reason i re-opened it: to reach clients otherwise unreachable by messages or emails. to be fair, it’s much more convenient to send the files via dms as if there’s any mistake, it can be revised/fixed more quickly - i already have the mental fortress so i subconsciously have no desire to open it often anyway. even my clients complaint at how slow my responses were, quite ironic. it seems engaging in hobbies you do only for yourself helps a lot

[@surfbirdie5759]

@@wmurd LOL

[@Pleiades_Erret]

​@@wmurdIf that contribution means nothing more than mere garbage, I will gladly. The world is a big place, I don't need to please everyone nor I need anyone's permission.

[@VinylSteel3]

I'm 22 & I quit social media (except youtube) in March 2021 after realising my average screen time daily was 14 hours (across Twitter, Insta, TikTok & Snapchat). Although it's improved my life greatly, it's harmed my social life. All my friends look at me weirdly & treat me like an alien, anytime I'm with them they're on their phones most of the time while I prefer people watching or looking around. It's horrible how drowned society has become in the digital world, I'd give anything to live back in the 70s/80s/90s & embrace a more simple life.

[@naimaismail4356]

You’ve done a great job for yourself, you’ve increased the quality of your life by removing social media platforms. You’re preserving your mind, and your time. Even though you’ll feel different from your friends and peers; you’ll live a much more meaningful life. The harms of social media outweigh the benefits.

[@AmanoJack]

Internet pioneers never revealed ANYTHING private - especially our names. Facebook demanding personal information was shocking and horrifying to us, but people just started dumping their info all over the place. May as leave your front door open and let anyone wander in at will.

[@Eszter135]

It got to the point where if you don't have your real name and face on display, your opinion doesn't matter

[@BubbleoniaRising]

Don't be fooled. Most opinions don't matter.

[@RealHomeRecording]

Facebook's true motivations come when someone reports you for having a false name on there. And when they do a Facebook staff member who hides their last name contacts you. If you point out the hypocrisy like I did, your account gets shut down.

[@kategnidenko4651]

KZbin demanding my personal information when bought by Google terrified me much more several years ago.

[@petitmains]

Right?! The first rule of the wild old web was "Never show yourself or say anything" NGL - in the modern landscape that anonymity I kept from the old web feels like an absurd luxury.

[@Xaglacionn]

Ultimately my problem with social media stems from its illusiory representation of reality. It confuses space and time for the consumer, making it seem like what is going on online, not only is going on now, but here. It has become the primary interface for many people, thereby disconnecting them from reality.

[@violettracey]

I agree. I am also worried about echo chambers. I have another account where I post art and jewelry I make, and my shorts feed along with stuff KZbin recommends to me are DIY and educational stuff. On this account I mainly post anime stuff, and I get a lot of geek and brain rot stuff. I think KZbin finally figured out I am the same person (a pop up asked me if I had multiple accounts, I carelessly pushed yes and since then the content overlaps between them a lot more), but it scared me realizing how night and day they were. If I were two different people, I wonder if those two would get along after being trained on such different data with no context or knowledge of what the other is seeing.

[@Xaglacionn]

@violettracey Yeah it's kind of crazy that people are effectively being fed a different view of the world based on what the algorithm thinks they want to see How long before we're all trapped in personalized echo chambers

[@unwrittenbylj]

Illusory representation indeed. My mind gets stuck on the facet of filters and curated, picture perfect moments. In the world of the internet, nothing is truly real. It’s all staged. And even the “real” things should be private, not consumed by the strange leering eyes of the world. Idk. It’s all so weird.

[@AmanyAhmed210]

I was wondering the same! When going on social media it seems like more problems are lager than in reality, even people have so much extremists here than in reality! I always felt in danger here!!

[@DawnAfternoon]

The worse parts of this is that the illusionary echo chamber is being enforced by the algorithm to keep your head in the social media for as long as possible. There are actual subject experts researching human heads on how best to make you addicted to social media.

[@MostlyCloudy]

KZbin is the only "social media" i actively use, and that's just because i don't find a television entertaining. I've gone back to books!

[@yurikendal4868]

Best kind

[@nak3dxsnake]

Fuck. I forget about books. But yeah TV and Movies are experiencing sever droughts. I've had to supplement with too much youtube and it does get some of the brainrot. Gotta mix it up with some books again.

[@rimimukherjee4]

Same. I'm reading Brom's slewfoot rn. It's so good.

[@name8715]

​@EVONOPOLISbooks arent inherently more factual. Its the same crap in a diff format

[@starsiegeRoks]

Tbh ive started collecting physical books, and for every digital work I find and want to keep, I convert it into PDF, Epub, and standard text document, then I put all those copies on an external hard drive. Ive realized that in spite of the saying "once you put something on the internet, its always there" is only partially true for social media. Youl see that published information can be very transient on the internet, there for awhile, then gone when the servers hosting the content shut down. Preserve all you can, there may be a time coming where the "library of apexandria in your pocket" will no longer be the library of alexandria, arguably it already isnt.

[@mskbdnc]

13:30 "Han worries that if we continue down this path of forced public intimacy we are taking some of our deepest and most fragile parts and commodifying them so that other people can dine on the buffet of our deconstructed soul"

[@unwrittenbylj]

Yikes! That’s a bar 😩

[@АртемЮрков-ъ6ф]

I recently admitted to myself how much I really hate social media. And just started restricting the usage of it and here all of a sudden you drop a video on this topic with a question on the preview that so resonates with me last time. I'm just very thankful that now I have a chance to consider my steps carefully after listening to the good points with different perspectives coming from a really smart guy like you. Thanks for all the work and affort you're doing, keep it up!

[@bedailvenerabile]

That's the reason why I don't do social media and I don't have a television... I only pay attention to informative channels like yours and I take the opportunity to thank you for all your work!

[@Jake-mv7yo]

Channels like this are a main reason why I even have the internet anymore. I could walk a few blocks to the library and use their wifi if I need to buy something online.

[@rainbowkrampus]

This is social media. The manner in which KZbinrs operate necessarily plays into the expectations of transparency. The way you interact with these videos, the way you desire to communicate your appreciation to the creator, is also playing into and embracing those expectations. Ask yourself, would you send a thank you letter to the producers of a television show you like?

[@WayOfTheZombie]

60 Minutes and PBS are insanely good tho

[@etownshawn]

I hate that every platform uses algorithms now with no opt out. I hate being told "this is what you'll like", keeping you locked in to the same old same old until you're absolutely bored with everything. Hence the doom scrolling

[@bunsenn5064]

I always find the problem of transparency interesting, because social media is the opposite of transparent. Users fabricate optimal versions of themselves that they can show people.

[@thattimestampguy]

6:16 Time Attention makes money 7:46 2. Forced Intimacy and No Intimacy. Authenticity. 9:35 Exposing ourselves by being vulnerable to the world. 10:09 Insincere Sincerity. Parasociality. 10:38 Psychological Distress. 11:12 A Balance of Hiddenness and Openness. 11:43 Self-Destructive Narcissism. 12:07 "If someone is a friend to everyone, then they are a friend to no one." 12:51 Revealing and Hiding. Interpersonal Connections. Opening Up vs Staying Closed. 13:29 Forced Public Intimacy - Commodified by Social Media. 14:14 3. The Uninformitive Deluge. 14:52 So much Information that it's becoming a problem. 16:36 More Information, less care for each piece. 17:26 Social Pressure. 18:04 Overwhelmed by Information. 19:21 Exposure to other views vs being a Narcissist. 19:56 Fundamentally Totalitarian In Nature. 20:36 Plato's Republic. 20:57 State Surveillance and Punishment. The Panopticon. 22:07 Profit vs A Gulag. 23:19 We Surveille one another. 23:45 Social Pressure to be open and transparent. 24:08 Living as if you've been constantly watched. 24:29 Mutual Trust and Freedom. 25:37 26:06 Recipe for Anxiety and Resentment.

[@sickna-sty3244]

Bro I gotta give respects for this detailed list. It's above and beyond, thank you 😊

[@ThatGuy-zw4le]

This is why I barely upload things on social media. But in return, people seemingly trust me less.

[@FyerBear]

You gotta find new friends if that's the case

[@jurassicthunder]

those are toxic people to avoid anyways.

[@alexa-hk2xu]

do you understand their logic for trusting you less? i don't get that

[@Giantfloatingballoonhead]

@@alexa-hk2xutheir logic doesn’t really make sense but one reason for the mistrust could be that the OP’s lack of social media usage forces them to think about their own usage of social media. Active social media users can’t understand anti-users because they find their validation and happiness online. Anti users find pleasure in living their lives offline. Active users think anti users are judging them for being chronically online, but we legit don’t care.

[@Window4503]

@@alexa-hk2xu”Because they must have something to hide”. It’s like in the video. Because people can’t readily get information from others when they equate that information with transparency and openness then a lack of it can suggest the opposite to them. But the sort of person who thinks that way about OP probably isn’t a close or good friend to begin with.

[@fleurdelalune8745]

When I started noticing how people on Twitter will make fun of someone for having a handful of followers I knew it was my time to put it down. I deleted Twitter and Instagram and now I mostly just watch KZbin and add more photos to my boards on Pinterest 😭 Since then I've felt so much more calm? Free? I don't think I'll ever go back again, it's miserable listening to people's dumb, shallow thoughts day in and day out.

[@bonbon__candy__1]

Ironic.

[@fleurdelalune8745]

@@bonbon__candy__1 Elaborate kind stranger Or not lol

[@fleurdelalune8745]

@@bonbon__candy__1 Elaborate kind stranger

[@nishadh366]

Deleted instagram, facebook, and tiktok yesterday. Thought about deleting youtube but I just avoid the “shorts” and focus on the longer videos that I enjoy. I sort of miss the apps but I know it was detrimental for my mental health. I was finding myself comparing my life to others and feeling down when I felt I was behind in life. I am hoping for a positive change in my mental health in the next few months.

[@fleurdelalune8745]

@@nishadh366 Gosh yeah I get that. I hope you find that it's better for you to go without!

[@MrShadowThief]

One thing that has been on my mind for awhile and I have never seen anyone discuss: the over-competitive nature of social media. Think about it. We act socially because we want to gain something from it. For that, we need to outperform our peers in terms of social skills. Not necessarily to be better communicators or people-pleasers, but to be more outstanding and recognizable. An identity gives us a group, which gives us advantages. Better than be liked by everyone but accepted by no one. Usually this would manifest in our small social circles, and in each social circle the identity required to be accepted by a group is different. Now, everyone that we know (and many people we don't even know) are a part of one, big social circle. We are competing socially with all these people at the same time all the time. Not only the social demand it puts on us is stratospheric, but social masks have become obsolete, which causes people to act the most outstandingly unfiltered. To me, this is what has contributed the most to the rise of radicalism and animosity. Not the algorithm or 4chan, but the fact that we need to be radical in order to belong; similarly to how, when there is a social revolt, the most radical group is the one who ends up in power.

[@Sara-lt9tl]

Interesting. This might be outlandish but I find that people who become radical in order to belong in a group tend to be people who aren't secure in their identity. This could be why most people have large social groups at younger age and that group becomes narrower as they grow old because they mature and form an identity of their own and only keep those around them that can fit that identity. If one is easily influenced in a group setting, then they likely didn't have a solid foundation to begin with (aka a secure identity). I can agree that social media increased this sense of competitiveness but in a sense we are all responsible for recognizing our social insecurities and becoming better versions of ourselves that don't need validation whatsoever.

[@MrShadowThief]

@@Sara-lt9tl Based on observation, I'd say older people aren't really more secure. It's just that you have less opportunities to socialize as you grow older. Once these older people started getting access to the internet, they become as easily influenceable as teens.

[@Sara-lt9tl]

@@MrShadowThief good point. Older people certainly have less opportunities than their younger counterparts. I guess age is not only a factor but certainly many others.such as personality, temperaments, environment etc. Things are never as simple as we may perceive them.

[@rimimukherjee4]

Haven't been on Instagram and twitter for the last two years. Lost a few friends but I really don't care anymore. Life is amazing. Grass is greener and the sky is bluer :)

[@pulluponkhaleeq]

@Bird_bob she said instagram and twitter not social media as a whole. You really thought you did something there lol

[@kathleenkaleookalanismith8724]

❤

[@TemporaryParticipant]

Broke up with social media about 15/16 years ago. Had a significant death that hit really hard and not one word from one "friend", not even the ones I saw regularly on the streets. Saw where all of this, and humanity by extension, was heading, said 'good riddance', and have never been happier.

[@ThomasWake1]

Sorry for your loss there. Hope you have found peace

[@IzeDesu]

Absolutely amazing video that breaks down social propaganda and social networking that has turned this large. not only do our privacy get robbed, we are attracted towards darkness if your state of mind was low when you used social media, bad feeds back to back that promote your evil desires and pain thus leading to bubbles like you said. We are robbed of our time and privacy as well as our connections if not used wisely and it almost works so well it can destroy ones life to shreds. a risk that kills oneself and a gamble for a person to know if they are good or bad.

[@brookerobitaille745]

The overuse of phones and lack of human connections is causing mass anxiety and depression. It’s that easy and it’s that simple. It is not complicated.

[@JustSomeDude848]

If it's what people want, it's what they want🤷‍♂️ Nothing stopping someone from walking down the street and striking up a conversation other than their own choice to do so.

[@richardscathouse]

Lowered IQ is all I see, 😢

[@MyhumpsmylovelymanlumpsMyhumps]

@@JustSomeDude848yeah plenty of things are stopping that, particularly harassment laws, and also women thinking if a man cat calls her on the street, she can sue for gr@ape.

[@starsiegeRoks]

​@@JustSomeDude848let me play devils advocate. What if, and im hearing more of this from younger generations, when you try to strike up that face-to-face conversation, they just refuse to talk to you because they are too anxious and want the shield of anonymity social media gives them. Real life is "too vulnerable". So you try again, and again, and again, and every time its just awkward conversations with no follow through, with you knowing youl never talk to them again. When do you just give up? If the majority of people you meet are in the social media silo and they dont want to leave, then who is there to meet?

[@JustSomeDude848]

@@starsiegeRoks Yea I get what you're saying, but there's 8 billion people on the planet and a good conversationalist can get someone talking. It also does depend on the setting. for context, I live in a major city of like 3 million people, so it's a lot easier for me to say "go talk to someone".

[@north_star_yt]

I know the value of self preservation and privacy. I owe no one nothing. I choose to share myself when and how I choose and I completely ignore social media’s methods of gaining attention. My inner world is far too precious to sacrifice to cruel criticisms and judgements from total strangers. There will always be something so interesting about someone who doesn’t overshare or have to been seen all the time. It creates value in that they’re not always available. It can even create demand. But my personal goal is to always keep something of myself for only myself. A part of me that is sacred and not for others to have.

[@missyk2454]

Exactly, I don't think part of the generations who grew up deep in social media, those right after millenials because they had a relatively social media free childhood, will forget the concept of 'inner thoughts'. That you do not have to share EVERYTHING about yourself/your friends/and worst of all your FAMILY. I hate family channels SO SO much. It takes away getting to know someone through talking and being surprised every so often about them if EVERYTHING about them is just plastered on social media.

[@jordanmatthew6315]

This is why stepping away from social media is best, and personal media isolation preferred.

[@hardwareful]

Byung-Chul Han's books have really hit me in a crucial phase of my life. I was working as a freelancer back then and stumbled across Psychopolitics. Mandatory reading in our times, and a helpful guide to protect us from the pathologies of neoliberalism.

[@Hero_Of_Old]

Social media made me lonely and realise no one cares about me.

[@BigReptileCrew]

Same for most people in life. I think that's a good thing to realise - let's you know where you stand..

[@betsylynnvedrine3784]

Truth hurts

[@Mahlak_Mriuani_Anatman]

​@@BigReptileCrewyup

[@idontwantahandlethough]

People probably DO care about you, in all likelihood! It's just that they care about themselves more. Which is fine if ya think about it, 'cause it'd be creepy if they cared about you more lol

[@seanguzy9601]

​@@idontwantahandlethough Nah lmao if they cared, they can easily show it by taking 5 seconds ( the amount of time it spends me to write this ) to say hello on Instagram or FB messenger. Lol just admit it you liars. You HATE your lives, you are now depressed, and now you project it and now chose the path of neglecting your loved ones. That IS what you are doing. So, when yall are 70 and finally get out of your minds " thoughts " that's when you will surprisingly won't be busy any more. And hit up your child hood friend?

[@LanMinhTrang]

first viewer and just known this channel 2 mins ago. been here cause your beautiful British accent

[@unsolicitedadvice9198]

Ah thank you! It is good to have you here!

[@ReysonFox]

I hate social media, everything you end up being shown is people doing better than you in everything whether it's cooking, gaming, sports, cars, health, fitness, better at tricks, martial arts, creating things, working on things, traveling , flashing money and experimenting things. It all renders you depressed, angry and feel inadequate. Also it has destroyed friendships and relationships the way it used to be. Nobody gets anywhere in life now. Tiktokers and KZbinrs make more than any job you can find out in reality.

[@richardscathouse]

Sounds like school, gladly left behind 😢

[@ChristianDall-p2j]

“Could i interest you in evrything, all of the time! A little bit of evrything, all of the time! Apathys a tragedy and bordom is a crime, evrything and anything all of the time!” From the KZbin video, and its several animation adaptations, “welcome to the internet!”

[@klb9672]

Love that video

[@TheWipal]

ugh its such a good song

[@yelkhan2002]

I just want to tell you that this is one of my favourite channels on KZbin and it's impossible to measure just how much I learned from it. Please never sell out to short-form content, keep making long videos like this.

[@MeghnaGhosh-pb1bx]

the fact that he described brain rot with THIS much eloquence....like sir will you marry me, please?

[@KhadaJhin04]

The more you realize how easily accessible you've become the more you want to protect your information.

[@Cleetus.johanasburg]

This is a great video, but I think the main takeaway (at least on the personal and surface level) is to go outside and talk to people.

[@renewklear]

Zombies glued to tiny boxes… dystopian to say the least

[@Bonemillstudio]

Idk compared to History we live in an Utopia. Also calling people Zombies deprives them of their humanity. I think We'll get over it. Same was Said about books Back in the day

[@Window4503]

@@BonemillstudioBooks weren’t designed to be addictive and most didn’t cause atrophy of the attention span

[@Bonemillstudio]

@@Window4503 Just let people fall into misery and let them get Out of it again. You wont Help anyone by banning everything that is addictive. Better example May be the TV. In the end its all the Same.

[@srealone788]

I think your comment just made me have a bigger and much deeper realization of the meaning and purpose of skibbidi toilet. Wow.. LOL

[@srealone788]

@@Bonemillstudioyou have a point. I don’t even think the substances/products or whatever are even the problem. Honestly people are their own biggest problem. If anything. Everyone’s blaming social media. But I don’t honestly. I just blame the people. Social media exists and it doesn’t run me or my life. I don’t have a problem. And impeccable self control. I also don’t do drugs or drink alcohol. If I can do it? What is really everyone else’s excuse and or reason? They’re their own problem..

[@KatandCatChats]

I'm always amazed at the quality yet frequency. Love this channel

[@TheTeddyIsALiar]

John Brunner in Stand on Zanzibar also points out that humans evolutionarily are territorial predators. Privacy is one of the few things we can substitute for territory in crowded living situations like major cities. Removing it makes us less able to maintain passivity in response to physical encroachment in our "territory."

[@ranaky9416]

10:18 - This really reminds me of that one scene in The Simpsons: Homer hiding his fat behind his back while showing Marge his front, trying to present a flawless facade that hides any ugliness while giving an ironic illusion that *_there is nothing more to it._*

[@Orla-sc2ml]

Funny how we’re all talking about hating social media on social media

[@kabaddilife9656]

Good catch!

[@axxa5000]

Very ironic and true. At the very least, we can't say we didn't know.

[@itsbright1191]

😂😂😂😂

[@Sonny_McMacsson]

@@axxa5000 Meh, not really.

[@jurassicthunder]

this is not like any other social media. most just post comments instead of content. we don't even have our names properly displayed, just usernames. most with profile pics that are different than themselves.

[@missconstrued4695]

So other people can dine on the buffet of our deconstructed soul 🤯 so poetic yet beautiful. I needed to watch this. Thank you 🙏🏻

[@MyhumpsmylovelymanlumpsMyhumps]

You should be mad

[@Gustmazz]

So happy to see your channel getting more attention and growing. Your videos are awesome!

[@mikeking9373]

Joe, this is one of your best presentations, which is saying a lot. Thank you for articulating so elegantly and so well what many of us have been thinking and worrying about.

[@MK-yg7zf]

It is a pleasure to listen to you talk.

[@Princess.Babosa]

Huge fan of byung chul han, reading "the disappearance of rituals" right now and loving it

[@Cobrax_x]

Why i don't like social media: - has social in its name = avoid like plague

[@moonaymc]

So grateful I came across this video, it was in my video suggestions. High value video! 🙌🏼 I've shared the thoughts of Han, as you layed out here, for quite a while and didn't feel too safe about Social Media. What people understand by "authenticity" on Social Media nowadays, in my opinion is just a "how good are you at manipulating and constantly faking a certain made-up character", as to say holding up a dishonest image of perfection of a potential personality. The last point about the trust was some new thought for me, yet really scaring and feeling true at the same time! Thank you for your awesome video 🙏🏼

[@brevinstenger2579]

Thank you for the time and care you put into your videos. Each one is extremely insightful and entertaining.

[@greatestever2085]

“It is fundamentally totalitarian in nature” is deep.

[@MyhumpsmylovelymanlumpsMyhumps]

Not like we have a choice… it’s by design.

[@fyrfly8768]

We (humans) were never meant to know everything everywhere all at once.

[@brookerobitaille745]

Agreed

[@bonbon__candy__1]

I am a demi-god.

[@MelModica]

Exactly it’s information over load and no one can possibly keep in touch with thousands of people online either. We only have so much time and energy in one day. I prefer to focus on who and what is most important.

[@LeonardEdmundDemin]

Tgats the movie

[@ccarlossainz55]

Going to a local boxing club will totally shatter that illusion mr. bonbon candy1 ​@@bonbon__candy__1

[@XleboSvk]

Hey, thanks for what you doing mate, you're makeing me spend a fortune on philosophy books now, so far I liked Nietzche interpretations the most :D

[@marcoscherrutti1451]

I'm glad you quoted Jorge Luis Borges's work a few days after what would've been his 125th birthday. Just wanted to mention that cause I'm from Argentina XD Great video as always!

[@Nathan-bp2zx]

I quit all social media at the beginning of COVID and all I go on is KZbin. It's now almost 2025 and my phone isn't going nuts with notifications. I don't get a window into peoples lives who I don't know anymore. They don't get a window into mine and all I worry about is the life directly in front of me and bills when they are due and worry isn't the word for it. I just pay it and life goes on Make life peaceful and less noisy and you will be more happy and genuinely chill

[@richardscathouse]

I like to discuss news items, KZbin only banns me for 24hrs at a time only a few times a week. X and Facebook are much more severe 😢

[@GentlemanlyOtter]

22:47 localized rigor mortis 🤣. Brilliant, simply brilliant.

[@Seishinkai]

Glad someone else caught this. Talk about a great joke with amazing delivery.

[@ronjaendf]

han is the first author i have discovered through your video essays that has not only encapsulated my emotional stance by being able in such a relatable way but also provides a brilliant observation of the situation. i feel understood but more importantly i can finally make sense of these confusing times and the emotional distress they cause me. thank‘s joe! you are brilliant and so are your video essays

[@melonea]

Joe the way you speak is SO MESMERIZING 💕

[@rayzersharpp]

marry him

[@zakorycron4963]

This is well-needed and essential. Keep doing what you’re doing.

[@calexj903]

It may not be difficult to understand why some of us hate social media and avoid it at nearly all cost. Like, I use KZbin solely through subscriptions I choose after learning of them from others, because I am already a fan, or when searching a highly specific topic. I do not watch anything that is suggested to me. I cannot deal with Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, or whatever else there is out there. Ironically, my career speciality is marketing, which requires social media strategies. It didn't used to when I started, but now you can't get away without it. I suck at it, of course, because I refuse to sefl-brand, so I have to rely on more traditional advertising approaches. Unfortunately, this means my days of earning a living are numbered.

[@marwellus1]

This is so incredibly and painfully spot-on, I believe it just nails it (imho). Great contribution, for me it fills a gap that I couldn’t fill myself so far. We all (kind of) know the causes more or less (algorithms, data mining, AI etc.) but how deep they really affect us and the entire society is quite a complex question that troubled me personally for years. I’ve be born before „the internet“ (1975) but also have been connected since the early 90s (being a nerd till this day) and what happened since then and still is happening is just enormous and quite overwhelming, almost impossible to comprehend. And its impact came so fast and is so deep that a large part of my generation (and all before I guess) is just lost entirely (this is another story). On the other hand, channels like these are carrying the torch of enlightenment further, using the very same medium. And I’m very grateful and happy about this, it gives me hope. Driven by young and remarkably smart and passionate people, seeking for answers. In search for a better world. Thank you :)

[@objectreborn.artsewing]

This is such an important topic and you handled the concepts and made your points beautifully. I was very glad to see this one. You also said localized rigor mortis tho 😆✌️

[@JohnTravena]

Han is one of the few thinkers that seems to touch on every aspect of our present time.

[@rinishan]

Interesting concept. We have definitely swung to the extreme expectations of not only holding government and politicians accountable, but small scale celebrities and even just everyday people. I believe there is a lot of good in sharing and shaming bad behaviour. It can help abuse victims escape their circumstances and prevent people from falling for scams for example. And yet it does come at the uncomfortable price of citizen surveillance. The morals of the masses are enforced on minorities, misunderstandings and false accusations are easy to manufacture. It seems it is the trend of large (especially global) communities. When people can't know each other and are yet their lives are impacted by these strangers, who don't share their values, anxiety goes up. It's easy to trust friends we've known for a while, or even neighbours who've been born in the same religion as us, but the larger and more diverse our circles, economy, government etc. get, the need for surveillance grows too. Blind trust wouldn't even make sense, when values aren't shared.

[@sub.sa.3058]

I have been hearing these things from like 5 years ago, but only after the pandemic is when I started understanding these things fully. Social media really plays with our minds, to the point that (at least for me), I have to be very strict about its use, and even then I fall again and again. The real problem really is social media, internet used to be a tool for our help, fun and convience, but now we are becoming the tools for the people who own the big companies everyone engaged with in the internet.

[@nonyadamnbusiness9887]

The flood of information is an interesting point. What I went to immediately was that your senses take in far more information than your brain is capable of making use of. For instance, your ears pick up echoes from the walls of your room, but your brain filters out any repeated sound that occurs within 1/10 of a second. If there's a bad smell or a repetitive sound, after a while your brain filters that out. It's how people manage to work at a paper mill or live beside a railroad track. We are consciously aware of only a tiny fraction of what our senses are picking up. I think we are learning to filter information too. I'm not sure we filter to our benefit and I am sure that the social media giants will constantly work to break through with advertising. Perhaps the next step in philosophy is a philosophy of personal information filtering.

[@Michelle-i3w2v]

It is an addiction,plan and simple. People associate the word with drugs and or alcohol,when in reality it applies to anything you do excessively. Buy things you don't need, lottery tickets, gambling, social media...all addictions.

[@sinclaire5479]

I never understood posting your whole life online, it feels like voyeurism in a way. Like I can see the need for business promotion for events and what not but not for someone's personal life. But then I've always viewed my body and mind as a temple for my soul and something to be protected so I guess I'm a bit of a odd duck

[@MsLenepigen]

I had a female colleague that would post declarations of love to her husband on Facebook. They have been living together for 30 years and talk to each other every day. If she wanted to tell him she could do that in person or write him personal love letters. But no, it has to go on FB for her “internet friends”. It’s so weird.

[@kaslana943]

Imo posting about your life and then when you get older you can look back on it, reminisce and remember the good times, that your memory as you get older cannot store for you. captuting a moment that may become your most beautiful moment in life

[@sinclaire5479]

@@kaslana943 if I wanted to capture my life I'd put it in an album not out for public scrutiny like I said to me it feels a lot like voyeurism

[@tofusamurai22]

I love watching your videos because they have the positive side-effect of learning how to THINK more effectively 😊 THANK YOU

[@evelyn.o1725]

Omg can we discuss how human beings have become more tribal ever since social media apps decided to use algorithms to feed users information!!

[@lilygreenall2837]

This is a fascinating take. Really brings together a lot of interesting points.

[@ZastieMoon]

As someone who watches and is becoming a VTuber (streamer).. I couldn't agree more with part 2. Parasocial streamers act so strange to an outsider, yet, people in that person's community praise them for being "genuine." There's a blindness that comes to both viewers and streamer when this happens. The viewers become obsessed, and the streamer becomes unhealthily concerned with their audience and appeasing them - they'll do increasingly more concerning decisions/statements to keep their audience. It's something I tend to avoid when I see a streamer - if they're being parasocial or if they respect their own boundaries and keep some things private. Audiences need to be reminded they're a human with their own private parts of them and their life. A more healthy balance, and a clear division made between the streamer and viewers. You can't place your whole worth, emotional value, and energy into your audience. Keeping a private life and private relationships is important - not just putting all your worth and emotion into strangers. An entertainer should stay on the stage the majority of the time, and the viewers in their audience seats.

[@violettracey]

Thanks!

[@Splendid-q6z]

I... Am speechless. All I can say is that I now have something to work on myself, regardless of how hard I know it will be.

[@keithbessant]

I've noticed sometimes I post a comment on some channels and get 1 or 2 or even 0 likes. Yet someone can post something like 'Vote Reform UK' and get hundreds of likes in no time. I admit sometimes I've deleted my comments but I agree it shouldn't matter whether anyone values what you've posted or not.

[@dio69666]

I hope this isn't unsolicited but you are really beautiful

[@alurnima]

As People have acknowledged me high social intelligence since Kindergarten, let me assure you: I have always hated Socialmedia. Seeing trough their little Ponzi Schemes right from the Start. Nowadays I grew to like my small Circle. I do not Add People from the Internet but only RL Friends and such. Making a RL Value for me there. Still the Ads and such Nonsense remain a nuisance.

[@JamesTaylor-je6es]

Highlighting the constant dichotomy. Bravo.

[@candraadhapristian4926]

desire of others validation is really deadly poison

[@Atlantiiiic]

I'm so glad I stumbled upon this video. It's brilliant, and should be required watching. So well put together and expressed. Thank you!

[@venusforfran]

If you ever felt like it, I'd love to see this written out as one document I can read and share with with family. Alot of them don't use KZbin and I would love to show them. No worries if no :)

[@swallowstreet]

you could open the video transcript on desktop and copy it into a google doc, probably would need some fixing up aesthetically though lol

[@venusforfran]

@@swallowstreet thank you a bunch!

[@jenmdawg]

I quit all social media in early 2017, when the Cambridge Analytica scandal broke. I assumed everyone was and joy was I wrong. The benefits of quitting are so subtly and I had a brutal awakens - people were really nice because of who I knew, my status in the film biz was my brand - when I deleted my accounts I was no longer seen in a way I’d grown accustomed to.

[@Hard-R-Energy]

There's a reason humans are a tribal species; why people since the dawn of recorded history have split up into groups of like-minded individuals who are wary of outsiders. There is an old adage, _"One man's Heaven is another man's Hell."_ Meaning the cultural, spiritual, individual natures of each person on this planet make it impossible for humans as a whole to ever fully get along. Things you love that make you feel warm and cozy and safe on the inside will, for a vast number of reasons, make someone else feel uneasy, anxious, or agitated. Through these differences, humans have split up and divided, time and time again, to account for these differences, and as a result, people were mentally better off. Nowadays, thanks to social media, we're forced to experience all of these things we may not find joyful or things we disagree with, and in many cases, are prevented from speaking out against, due to the engineered enforcement of certain ideologies and the systematic rejection of others. Mankind as a whole, needs to be redirected back into its tribal core. We will never, at least not in this phase of our existence, be one like-minded hive race. It's not in our nature.

[@FindingGod365]

Love this video! Thank you. I think the worst part is it is too easily manipulated. A bunch of bots can shift public opinion by making it look like many people believe or support it when they do not. False reality. But also the exhibitionism just just embarrassing. I think it also causes attention deficits and loss of social skills.

[@magicskyfairy69]

The word "transparency" implies an authentic look at the actions, thoughts, and characteristics of the subject. On social media, there's probably some of that, but I don't think it's controversial to say there is a lot of carefully constructed and inauthentic content masquerading as an exceptional reality. How many social media personalities appear to be living the epitome of the good life, with wealth, fame, and other envies, only for some kind of nervous breakdown or financial collapse to reveal it was all smoke and mirrors? I think the term "exhibitionist society" serves better imo, but then I'm just a guy in the comments section.

[@JohnTravena]

I saw a video where a KZbinr recalled interviewing an author on how to get over phone addiction. The author told him privately that he’d given up and was still hopelessly addicted.

[@magicskyfairy69]

@@JohnTravena yeah, that's the type of shit I'm talking about

[@TonDog-f8i]

I’ve also noticed that people are even going so far as to not communicate directly with me on social media if they have a problem. Passive aggressively posting to publicly shame me for even attempting to communicate with them seems to be the normal thing to do now.

[@sea_triscuit7980]

I only use KZbin, thats literally it. Its incredible how much my mental health has improved since i stopped using Twitter/Facebook (never used TikTok because im 32)

[@domo3491]

I love this talk. Made me tear up at the end as well. Thank you for being so vulnerable and sharing such a powerful and inspiring message ❤

[@kariannecrysler640]

Social media is not the problem, it’s the failures of society that are brought out to be noticed due to participating in social media. 😉

[@ShermanistDruid]

Indeed, people are quick to shift the blame away from themselves, imho it's no different than drink, drugs or obesity.

[@divyanshkharayat975]

Handsome guy dropped a video.

[@Ganjaman53]

Only you indians find anyone with light skin as handsome

[@alexsmart5452]

@@Ganjaman53 everyone does. Only bitter people not light skinned try to deny it. Being light skinned I only know perfection, but I would suspect being darker doesnt always mean bad or unattractive. I do hope you are enjoying our world. I give you permission to continue to enjoy it(or even better, stay longer but stay bitter. Its just another way to control our lessers). Peace and Love be with you.

[@patternsgrusel2455]

Indeed

[@johnathanhamilton5248]

​@ITgirlSn ☠️ You wild for that lower mouth comment... I don't know why British people hate dental hygiene so much 🤷🏾‍♂️.

[@undeniablySomeGuy]

Dude with *high exhibition value* just posted

[@jazzo8567]

Watching my fave philosophy youtuber talk about social media on social media is pretty funny. Great video as always!

[@AruLily]

Trust is hope unless proven otherwise, as soon as someone breaks trust, you can stop trusting them and hoping, as there is no longer anything to hope for, they have already stepped on tomorrow and the days after that Social media likes to leap over trust and hope and go straight to knowing everything about you without needing to get to know you, they expect you to trust them without a good reason, they need to know everything about you but you wont know if you know the truth about them, it's one sided, because as soon as someone is like this, you should already know, that you are the naive prey and they are the wolf in sheep's clothing, the point is to make YOU trusting and open, not the other way around, the point is to make the wolf feel safe, not you.

[@thedrifter1446]

Facts.

[@DeanEnd-z2o]

I think what you say is just part of it. It's the digital format. The pixelating soup of waves of electrical pulses and flashing chaos

[@zombiedearth]

I deleted FB, Instagram, twitter two years ago and I didn't hide or delete accounts. I suspect some people think I made it so they can't see my content, people have started to treat me differently and IDC. I enjoy finding others in public that want real human interaction. It's way better than connecting through "social media" ( I say this while writing on a form of social media/ TV channel app.) To much to learn on KZbin though

[@rareplayz4821]

I’ll be honest, I struggle a bit with watching your videos because they have a level formality that I haven’t grown up with. The words you use are so well linked and strutted that it makes me really have to think about the subject. I understand that is the point, and that it is essential to becoming a better person - deeper thought or ‘philosophy.’ You have such a charm and I mystery in the way you think/communicate (at least for me), that I found my self enticed to the content you speak in moments of fragility or openness. The words that I’m rereading are kind of fancy but enough to describe me and be authentic to my understand of communication. I often think about how social media controls peoples lives whom which live around me, that and excess shopping, over communication and inauthentic means of connection. Just thought I’d take the time to type this to let you know that you’re succeeding in being heard.

[@Laedeydra]

On the subject of the uninformative deluge, the cooking show 'next level chef' is a good example of this I think. Just like the movie the platform, there are multiple levels, the highest level gets the fanciest kitchen with cool gadgets and the first pick of ingredients. The platform lowers and the chefs on the bottom have to work in a crappy kitchen with the leftovers. One thing I noticed by the end of it was that the best dishes were consistently coming out of the lower kitchens. Those at the top were often overwhelmed by so much choice, rarely used the fancy gadgets and made their dishes too complicated for the time they had available. The ones at the bottom had less to fuss over and seemed more collected, made choices faster and created better dishes.

[@Splendid-q6z]

Interesting observation

[@josephpiscopo2119]

What an excellent channel. Im thankful for KZbin’s algorithm for providing the opportunity to happen upon your videos. Well explained, and thoughtfully presented. Looking forward to all of your future content.

[@smritiranabhat3877]

the movie perfect blue Tho made in 1997 captures the Morden world perfectly and is now more relevant then ever before

[@zainmudassir2964]

The anime Serial Experiments Lain in 1998 perfectly predicted rise of internet taking over our lives leading to some in despair and ending their own lives

[@fs3743]

I use to work in high secure mental health hospitals. It taught me that humans need privacy and no one should be under a microscope. Also that words and actions are very differently interpreted by different people.

[@nickkarnir878]

I deleted every social platform except youtube in 2020. I really don't see any benefits on having social media

[@gdblesscptamerica1726]

Wow this is extremely insightful! I've had many of these thoughts in my mind for a while. Thanks for helping me connect the dots!

[@Jib-Jab-4-life]

22:40 Localized rigor mortis! 😂💀 Next level joke my guy 👍🏻

[@rieskorin2027]

Glad someone else spotted that one 👍

[@ichaukan]

In the beginning, the main thing that drove me away from social media was how people would get bizarrely and rabidly defensive when I told them I wasn't using Facebook. Having complete strangers all furiously regurgitating the same slogans at me for the egregious offense of saying "not interested" made it clear they were already being played.