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As an analytical person and former psychologist, I’ve always been fascinated by studying human behavior—especially in the digital age. The idea of sharing one’s life online is an entirely new phenomenon, unique to this century.

While reading “Hatching Twitter” (though I’m not convinced we’re getting the real version of that story), one of the early chapters mentions that no one would feel comfortable sharing their life online. Today, that thought seems almost bizarre when you consider how nearly everyone is doing just that. However, I’m left questioning how beneficial this has been for humanity as a whole.

I find myself comparing this to the invention of electricity, which fills me with awe and a sense of advancement. But when it comes to the tech revolution and its effects on the human mind, I have my doubts. The original intention of social media was to make people feel more connected and less alone, but paradoxically, it feels like people are more isolated than ever before.

Last year, I took a significant step back from social media. I shut down my online business, deleted all social media apps from my phone, and nostr:npub1dtgg8yk3h23ldlm6jsy79tz723p4sun9mz62tqwxqe7c363szkzqm8up6m can vouch for this—each time he showed me something from one of those apps, I felt disgusted with what the world had become. During that time, I felt truly free, as if I had finally taken off a mask. However, I also noticed an odd side effect: I felt disconnected from the world. I wasn’t updated on what my friends were doing, and I missed that sense of social interaction, even if it was superficial.

One of the most intriguing aspects of social media is how followers, likes, and engagement seem to dictate people’s sense of worth and relationships. People can become genuinely offended if someone they know unfollows them, to the point where they may not want to maintain an in-person relationship anymore. It’s as if the virtual world is dictating real-life connections: “Oh, you unfollowed me? I guess we can’t be friends in real life.” It’s a strange, almost absurd shift in human interaction.

Another bizarre aspect of social media is the idea that people who don’t resonate with you—or even dislike you—can still follow your life closely. They can see what you think, feel, and do daily. Ex-lovers and people from your past are just one click away from finding out what you’re up to nowadays. This level of access to personal information still feels surreal to me. How much information we handle and share without second thoughts is, frankly, unsettling.

In the end, while social media has undoubtedly changed the way we connect, it raises the question: has it truly improved our lives, or are we more isolated, less authentic, and increasingly detached from genuine human connection?

#FoodForThought #AskNostr

Btw, GM Fam🌹

Ivan 1y ago

I completely agree that it's astonishing how much people share about their personal lives online. I've noticed that whenever I take a break from social media, it's as if I've fallen off the face of the earth, friends seem to forget about me altogether. I also feel the same way when I don't participate, it's like I'm being left out. It's like you can only be friends now if you're actual friends online. Digital friendship has almost overtaken personal, real friendship, and now I can understand why everyone feels so lonely. Before, if you wanted to see how a friend was doing, you would have to go see them or call them. Now people can feel like they know what's going on with you with zero interaction because they can see your posts. I post less now, but there was a time when I posted a lot. I've deleted everything basically now, besides X and Nostr. It was eye-opening when I would talk to someone who I hadn't talked to in a long time and they could bring up so much stuff about me that we never personally spoke about to them.

Also, it's becoming increasingly dangerous to post too much identifiable information. A lot of attacks and robberies are being planned based on information someone posts on their social media.

It's crazy how people tie their self-worth to online validation, likes, comments, and followers have become the ultimate measure of popularity. This creates a lot of anxiety and stress associated to social media use. Even on Instagram, people are ditching traditional posts for stories, likely because there is less pressure to get likes and comments.

Social media has changed a lot. It's definitely ingrained into society now. One of the biggest dangers is that the algorithm has the ability to shape minds all over the world. They can make you perceive whatever they want. Social media I think, can be a good or bad thing based on how you use it. You can scroll your feed chronologically on X, think for yourself, or fall into the "For You" page and be told how to think. The danger is that they are all run by big corporations that have done everything they can to make it as addictive as possible, so it's actually become a net negative for most people. They are also not in the business of making you happier or smarter, so they will push whatever governments or corporations tell them to. Maybe Nostr fixes this.

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Discussion

Paloma Maria 1y ago

I completely agree with everything you’ve said. It’s wild how digital friendships now feel more "real" than actual in-person ones. You can go months without directly talking to someone, yet they think they know exactly what’s going on in your life because of your posts. That’s why I think the connection feels so empty—there’s no real interaction, just surface-level updates.

The shift towards stories and less permanent posts, like you mentioned, really highlights how much pressure people feel. It’s like everyone’s chasing validation, but at the same time, trying to avoid the stress that comes with it. And yes, the algorithm playing such a huge role in shaping opinions and pushing content is terrifying. It’s a double-edged sword, for sure. Nostr feels like a breath of fresh air in that regard, but we’ll see how it evolves. Social media as it is now has changed so much, and I don’t think we’re even close to seeing the full impact.

crany 👽🧡🗿 1y ago

#opsec

BTC Freedom 1y ago

Nostr is great but it is important to spend most of your time in the non digital word. ☀️🌴🏖️🌊