We live in a paradoxical time.
Social media has brought an enormous leap in connectivity between people. It eliminated intermediaries that once controlled information and democratized areas that used to be dominated by gatekeepers.
At the same time, it has brought intense side effects: it has amplified extremes, fueled aggression, and heightened anxiety. The neurological consequences are already felt on a global scale.
On the other hand, if we try to restrain the freedom that the internet has given us, we face another problem. We become even more vulnerable to control by governments and conglomerates, often without even realizing what is happening around us. This leaves us with two options:
- remain unaware and be run over by events, suffering the consequences of ignorance;
- or stay connected, but at the cost of neurosis.
Some may argue that a similar phenomenon occurred when television became accessible to the masses. But the intensity now is incomparable.
We can consider adopting methods suggested by authors such as Cal Newport, Jaron Lanier, and Neil Postman. Their proposals aim to reduce the impact of data overload without letting us be completely consumed by it. Yet, they often leave us somewhat detached, reliant on intermediaries.
Furthermore, almost none of these works address two crucial issues today: the Dead Internet Theory and Artificial Intelligence.
Until we find a solution, we continue to walk a tightrope—balanced between anguish and ignorance.