Herein lies the banality: facebook is boring, but if you're bored, it's better than nothing. I don't begrudge folks using it to pass the time on transit to avoid interacting with the public... but I've witnessed quite a few people scrolling endlessly while half-watching tv, half-participating in face to face interactions, etc. I've fallen into that trap myself, during a period of intense burnout -- my ability to focus or produce dropped to zero, and... gotta get that dopamine.
For people with severe anxiety or depression, meditation can actually aggravate the situation and do significant harm. Letting one's mind run wild in that situation leads to more anxiety, suicide planning, etc.
But, I'll amend my statement: facebook is less boring than a blank screen.
That's absurd. There is no scientific basis that would support your assertion. In fact, increased social media activity leads to a higher chance of suffering from depressive episodes. Meditation has been shown to to actually combat symptoms of depression.
If you can't sit still with your own thoughts for 60 seconds without spiraling, then you shouldn't even be remotely near social media.
> That's absurd. There is no scientific basis that would support your assertion.
Why are you so confident in that? Have you done your research? I learned that from a licensed psychologist, and know several people who have had severely negative reactions to "mindfulness" training, but it only took 30 seconds to find these two links:
> If you can't sit still with your own thoughts for 60 seconds without spiraling, then you shouldn't even be remotely near social media.
Not exactly disagreeing with you here, but neither is meditation necessarily better. Therapy is probably the best thing, but social media is "free." And, note that I'm not in favor of social media, merely explaining the cost-benefit analysis that people in this hole use. Reasoning from your high horse will result in different cost-benefit analysis, which won't make any sense to the people whose lives you might like to improve.
I would be wary with different meditation practices. I don't think it's a one-size-fits all.
Zen Buddhism and other traditions have very long history and experience with meditation. Now the West unfortunately sometimes imports ideas superficially, and meditation might be one of them. 'Mindfulness meditation' seems to have specific suggestions that probably haven't stood the test of time (or scientific evidence as mentioned).
However, sitting a few minutes quietly (without worrying about specific technique) shouldn't do any harm, is probably good for you.
Also very emphasized in those traditions is controlled breathing. It can be very helpful when stressed as well.
If it makes you feel unwell, stop doing it! Also maybe consult with someone with experience.
Well, if you do "meditation" (or "do nothing") in a way that results in shutting down all thoughts except the depressive ones, then it's going to make things worse.
In that case, you might be (temporarily) better off adding some very powerful and addictive thoughts or feelings to cover up the depressive ones; I think this might be in fact one of the main uses of social media and videogames.
Yep, even something mindless like candy crush is probably better than social media. But... what's actually missing for a lot of people is actual community. So many of us live in tiny bubbles in big cities, we crave human interaction... so the lure of social media is powerful. It's actually a miasma of drama (if my family is indication) that appears to shatter actual community, both on and offline, sending people further into their increasingly socially inept bubbles. I wish I had solutions to offer. It's a goddamn mess.
Well, the Harris quote implies that the opposite of boredom is "paying attention." I'm drawing a connection between that and what facebook likes to talk about: "engagement." But what really drives that, is when folks get enraged. I use the term "enragement."
This can be true of many apps and the internet, despite the endless content it has. I don't use Facebook, but I check Instagram or Twitter too often. I do the rounds of the handful of news sites I check, and then check again before there's anything new.
I try to make sure my Books app is front and centre, and I always have something on the go. Doesn't always work though.
