I could possibly see the upcoming US Election causing a bit of an exodus from Social Media platforms as more people become drained by the fatiguing constant flow of extreme views from both sides (mind, I thought that last time).
I will say the big thing for me that made me put my mobile device down (of which I now barely use) was the sheer quantity of hours a day I was wasting away looking at it - this was being amplified by Covid. My thing was getting worked up by stupidity or hateful opinions on Twitter or Reddit (obviously the platforms helped out). The more I looked the more I got annoyed, seeking out arguments if you will. It wasn't until I just stepped back and realised that I'm seeking the opinions of a tiny tiny fraction of a global population that I realised how stupid it was. There are 7 billion people in the world, you can find any opinion you want - it's foolish to spend your day hunting these down and what's worse is that it starts to warp your own personal view away from who you really are. I think the catalyst was Covid for making me realise this, I think more people will start waking up to the same reality.
Wow, thank you! You nail down the issue with a very personal and relatable story.
I think only difference between you and I is that I never had a need to go into arguments over posts/tweets I considered wrong (I was a mazohist that just read them).
What 'got to me' was not the sheer untruthfulness of things shared on twitter nor insults that flow there and back, but the behavior of people that I think could and should know better.
Another lightbulb moment was the realization that any nuanced conversation after 5 to 10 comments goes into the extremes (usually two) that it can boiled down to. There are no different shades of gray, just black or white. In case of covid19, this changed to 3 comments.
Another lightbulb moment was the so called "twitter/facebook isn't real life" where I realized that in my surroundings I have a hard time finding a single person that has ever
participated in twitter ststorms or facebook comment fights.
I will say the big thing for me that made me put my mobile device down (of which I now barely use) was the sheer quantity of hours a day I was wasting away looking at it - this was being amplified by Covid. My thing was getting worked up by stupidity or hateful opinions on Twitter or Reddit (obviously the platforms helped out). The more I looked the more I got annoyed, seeking out arguments if you will. It wasn't until I just stepped back and realised that I'm seeking the opinions of a tiny tiny fraction of a global population that I realised how stupid it was. There are 7 billion people in the world, you can find any opinion you want - it's foolish to spend your day hunting these down and what's worse is that it starts to warp your own personal view away from who you really are. I think the catalyst was Covid for making me realise this, I think more people will start waking up to the same reality.