Putting on my conspiracy hat for this one.
About 8 years ago I really started getting into the “personal growth” mindset. I consumed countless books, articles, and podcasts. I am still focusing on growth and improving myself: learning, eating healthy, working out, and stacking sats (the newest habit). Last week I was talking to my cousins about dating and marriage. One of them said "I can only be with someone that is focusing on bettering herself every day, I’m not interested in being with a bum.” He is 15 years old! I was shocked because what he said did not align with his personality at all. All he does is play video games and scroll TikTok, so who planted that seed in his head and made it so firm? TikTok? YouTube? Andrew Tate? I don’t doubt there is value in having a mindset focused on growth, but is it something that we personally choose or is there an advanced algorithm influencing us toward that?
If it is an algorithm, then could the growth mindset just be a psyop to motivate everyone to continue participating in the rat race? People with a growth mindset tend to take full responsibility of their lives but that requires you to somewhat dismiss the problems government and fiat money has created. The previous generation was about picking yourself up from your bootstraps. This generation sounds a little more enlightened and sophisticated: be the best version of yourself. Both mentalities accomplish the same thing by convincing you to just focus on yourself and work harder so you don’t notice the corrupt financial system that is stealing your wealth.
The other possibility is that people may just gravitate toward the platforms that resonate with them most and the platforms are just responding to market demands. For example, I’ve noticed that different personalities tend to spend more time on platforms that are similar to their preferences.
Generally, people are more:
Sensationalistic on instagram
Conservative on gab
Conspiracy focused on 4chan
Antagonistic on twitter
Freedom oriented on nostr
Regardless of the answer, it is concerning that humans are easily influenced by the content they consume. “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with,” and I would add that you are also the average of the content platforms you spend the most time consuming. I hope these thoughts help you better choose where you direct your attention.
