Escaping Social Networks#
This month, I tried to "escape social networks" and gained some insights and experiences. In this issue, I will briefly share from the perspectives of "motivation" and "methods".
0x01 Motivation#
First is the motivation, why did I make this attempt?
In the Weekly (Issue 9): From High Efficiency to High Consumption, it was mentioned that "what the mobile internet brings is more consumption, and the act of going online itself has become anxious." But later, I thought about it again, this description is not accurate enough. It is not the negative factors brought by the Internet, but more specifically, it is the "social networks" in the Internet that bring us more consumption.
These "consumptions" are manifested in the following three aspects:
- Weakened expressiveness
- Deprived focus
- Forgotten individual value
First, weakened expressiveness.
Pay attention to the writing styles on social networks, including the recently popular "crazy literature," "dog literature," "cat literature," "crazy critique literature," and "rat literature." These writing styles are all template-based with fixed tones and contexts. Almost all the jokes created in these writing styles lack any valuable points to demonstrate their "expressiveness." Being immersed in such an environment, over time, the ability to express oneself will be severely damaged, and it will also lead to a separation between online and offline states. Online, one may be a skilled writer in crazy critique literature, able to effortlessly come up with various writing styles, but offline, they may struggle to write a logically coherent and fluently written report.
In the article "On the Inflation of Language," the author mentioned the concept of "inflation of language" - "Currency is a means of exchanging wealth, and language is a medium for expressing thoughts and emotions. Just as inflation arises from the mismatch between currency and the wealth behind it, the inflation of language arises from the mismatch between language and the thoughts and emotions behind it." If a word is used casually and frequently, the meaning of that word will be weakened. At this point, the emotions that the word can express will also be weakened, resulting in inadequate emotional expression, which is the phenomenon of language inflation.
For example, in the past, we would use "(laugh)" or "hahaha" to express happiness. But now, the more "ha" there is, the more intense the expressed emotion seems to be, and in comparison, "hahaha" seems too "perfunctory." So, even if we want to send "hahaha," we will add more "ha" to avoid appearing perfunctory. This is language inflation, and in social networking sites, inflation and the weakening of expressive ability are inevitable.
Behind inflation is the poverty of language, the damage to expressive ability, and the loss of emotions.
Recommended viewing: On the Inflation of Language
Second, deprived focus.
Social networks make our attention fragmented and deprived of focus. Social networks are constantly producing messages, and if our self-control is insufficient, we will constantly want to receive these messages. Moreover, there are so many ways to obtain information now, and many messages are passively inputted. Even if you haven't watched the movie "Fast & Furious," you will know who the main actor is, what the memes are, and what the uncut scenes are like. Even if you don't know an actor, if something happens to them, you will most likely receive the news from social networks. But do these pieces of information have any meaning? What value do they bring to me?
One reason why social media is so popular is that it breaks the positive correlation between creating valuable works and attracting people's attention. Instead, it replaces eternal capitalist exchange with shallow collectivist exchange: if you pay attention to what I say, I will pay attention to what you say, regardless of the value of the words. - "Deep Work"
Too much information leads to information overload, and the capacity of our brains is almost filled with these constantly updated meaningless information, resulting in consumption. In addition, when exposed to too much social news, sensitivity to things will also decrease, emotions become numb, and there is a constant desire to satisfy one's curiosity in social networks by seeking out even juicier gossip.
Lastly, forgotten individual value.
The Internet has become our spiritual abode and the medium through which we connect with the world. We live in a "connected society" where the "relationship" between "people" and "things," and even the "relationship" between people, are replaced by "connections." However, in this network connection, each of us, as specific individuals with rich aspects, is just an abstract and thin node for sending and receiving messages on social networks. The value of the individual is drowned in the vastness of social networks, and few people take the time to understand the thoughts and feelings of unknown strangers in a corner of the internet. Most of the transparent flow of emotions without any value is plundered for promotional materials. Such a network is not worth staying in.
0x02 Methods#
I have tried some methods to escape, and I will share a few feasible ones.
Method 1: Transform information from passive reception to active acquisition.
Most of the passive reception is junk messages or content "carefully" recommended by algorithms. So the key point is to transform passivity into activeness. Use RSS to subscribe to the newsletters, blogs, emails, websites, forums, microblogs, and public accounts that you are interested in. Scan the information actively 1-2 times a day, and only read the content you are interested in. Maintain your own "input rhythm." We should use the internet instead of being "used" by the internet.
In addition, it is necessary to reduce the time spent on "engaging with social networks," such as closing the Moments section in WeChat, turning off WeChat notifications, and removing WeChat from the home screen of your phone. If you really care about a friend, you should actively go to their Moments to see what they have posted, instead of only greeting them when their posts appear in your feed. Turning off WeChat notifications also serves the same purpose, although it has had little impact on me so far as I receive fewer messages.
Method 2: Cultivate the habit of email communication.
Replacing small talk with writing emails is also a very good method. It allows you to consolidate your daily thoughts and exercise your expressive ability, allowing your focus to return to the essence of words and endowing language with the most genuine and delicate texture of emotions. Moreover, writing letters itself is a more solemn matter, which can cultivate a sense of ritual in life.
Method 3: Set aside some time for yourself every day.
Lastly, set aside some time for yourself every day (I allocate half an hour at noon and in the evening). During this time, no one will disturb you, and you refuse to accept any messages. Focus on what you want to do - whether it's reading or working. This helps cultivate your focus and makes it easier to enter a state of flow when doing tasks.
Monthly Records#
The past month has been very fulfilling. I brought my family to Shenzhen for the Lunar New Year, and during the holidays, I systematically studied knowledge related to compiler principles to enhance my skills. I also had the opportunity to practice with Babylon through work. I immersed myself in reading, writing letters to friends, and going to see the movie "Manjianghong" with my family in the early morning. I also dug out my PC and the Elite version of the Xbox controller that I haven't used for a long time to play "Red Dead Redemption 2," which I've been wanting to play for a while - it was probably the best January ever.
- Finished reading: Philosophy | "Siddhartha" | ★★★★★
- Currently reading: Novel | "Young Babylon" | ★★★★★
- Finished watching: Movie | "Manjianghong" | ★★★★☆
- Finished watching: Animation | "Spy Family" | ★★★★★
- Currently watching: Japanese Drama | "Nagi's Long Vacation" | ★★★★☆
- Currently watching: TV Series | "The Three-Body Problem" | ★★★★★
- Currently watching: Animation | "Chinese Tales" | ★★★★★
- Currently playing: Switch | "Persona 5 Royal" | ★★★★★
- Currently playing: Steam | "Red Dead Redemption 2" | ★★★★★
- Currently playing: PS4 | "It Takes Two" | ★★★★☆