Defeatism, cynicism, doomerism, essentialism, materialism, anti-intellectualism, consumerism, and cruelty are everywhere on the Internet... and I'm just not into it anymore.
I used to buy into self-limiting beliefs because I thought they were answers from people with more life experience than me, but they just limited my thinking and led me astray. They were why I was insecure and unhappy. They were why I was doing nothing to make my life better.
Once I started to push back on all of the Internet's supposed "wisdom," I figured out that my fundamentally flawed beliefs were paralyzing me from actually doing anything with my life and being brave enough to take risks, especially socially. I'm noticeably happier, I've developed a positive life outlook, and I'm more comfortable in my own skin because I stopped getting my opinions from the Internet and started thinking for myself.
I recognized that others' opinions don't define reality. Opinions are the result of someone's life experiences filtered through their brain. They may have some value, but they are often incredibly biased and should not be taken as gospel. If you take them all seriously, you will be riddled with insecurities in no time flat, subconsciously trying to appeal to people who you don't even like and would never be friends with.
I honestly can't say I know who social media is even for at this point. There is so much content promoting unhealthy ways of thinking just haphazardly strewn about everywhere. I don't know how anyone can avoid it all. I don't know if the benefits can outweigh the costs. Even the most harmless content is forgettable and eats up valuable time that could be used for something more meaningful.
Sometimes I think about how we never see any posts from the happiest people alive. They don't need social media validation, their positivity wouldn't generate clicks, and the negativity of social media platforms probably scared them off long ago. As a result of their absence, negativity and unhealthy thought patterns have proliferated unchallenged.
I feel like I don't even belong on the Internet anymore. I can't relate to all of the doomers and cynics. The constant firehose of simultaneous anxiety and apathy, the lack of introspection and empathy... what use do I really have for it all at the end of the day? It's getting so old and stale. I feel like I can't grow as a person anymore if I continue consuming Internet slop.
There are so many, much more constructive ways I could be spending my time. If I should be using the Internet for anything, it would be to aid me in doing that. For example, finding good books to read. I can't wait until I finally overcome my behavioral inertia and move on with my life.
At that point, you're just not fitting in with most humans anymore. Doesn't really have anything to do with the internet.
I have had the same feelings as you. For me, the internet has now become more of a way for sharing my own answers with other people, rather than pure consumption. Just re-read what you wrote, imagining the opposite. Imagine if all content on the internet was filled by people like you. Someone who doesn't fall into mental pitfalls. Who is happy. And so on. Wouldn't that be an internet you'd again like to participate in?
I don't post everywhere. I post where I think my truth is worthwhile for others to read. As I hope this truth right here is worthwhile to read for you.
What I'm saying is, maybe it's not time to ditch the internet, maybe it's just time to use it differently.
Also, even though the internet is filled with a lot of shit, through a rationality filter you can still get good tidbits out of it. Just gotta take the good and leave the bad.
That's a good point; there are people who think like this everywhere, not just on the Internet.
I believe that the main difference for me is the speed and volume of negative sentiments. Maybe in real life, you'll have one or two people in the general vicinity expressing worry for the future, and many who won't say anything. But on the Internet, it's an endless scroll of hundreds of people saying "We are doomed" in different ways. As others have pointed out, there are additional statistical effects that also make negativity more prominent on top of that.
But ultimately, even if you quit the Internet, the rationality filter you mentioned is necessary for real life, too. If your positive mindset can be ruined by talking to a single negative person, you aren't going to be positive for very long. I try to understand where other people's opinions come from rather than accept them at face value. Once I recognized that I had control over how others' words affected me and could interpret them in my own way, I become much more emotionally stable.
That filter doesn't make you invincible, but I think it's much more resilient against a slower pace of negativity rather than the constant deluge on many social media spaces. A slow pace of interaction gives you more time to reflect and ponder the meaning of negative statements, whereas a fast one often precludes such introspection.
I also like your point about engaging with the Internet thoughtfully. There are some who still use it to spread positivity, even if they aren't immediately visible. Someone sent me an unexpectedly sweet and heartfelt compliment yesterday, and that really touched my heart. One of the best things about the rationality filter is that it diminishes my sensitivity to criticism while maintaining my high sensitivity to kindness. That diminished sensitivity to criticism makes me less afraid to put myself out there, while the high sensitivity to kindness makes even the smallest positive interactions feel wonderful.
👆