Social media, Facebook, Instagram, TV shows, Netflix, and so on. New versions of heroin, crack, pot and the likes. Too extreme a comparison? I agree to disagree. The successful media industries have found the last remaining human addiction that is socially acceptable: procrastination. And they are all but procrastinating over it.
Working on your ideas (even just having ideas), nurturing your creativity, getting things done — it all takes time. You need space in your head to get there. But the world goes so fast, you are always in a rush, you have so much to do — clearly, your mind is tired. It would be so easy to just slide into autopilot mode.
That’s where the entertainers swoop in. They hand on a silver platter that little snooze you need, without you feeling guilty of doing drugs or something addictive. Except, well, they are an addiction. Numbing your neurones, providing catchy content that will make you keep coming back for more, to the detriment of what is actually going on in your life.
“Mmm I really should finish this article. Oooh let’s first quickly check what my virtual friends are up to, and browse some inspiring videos at the same time — it’s not procrastination if I am watching meaningful speeches by successful people, is it? Aaah let’s also quickly watch one episode of I’ll-do-it-tomorrow-land, it will take my mind off things”. But this is exactly what you need not to do — you need to keep you mind ON to move forward.
Does it mean that everything is bad on these platforms? Absolutely not. There is some great content, and great ways to connect. And of course, everyone needs some distraction from time to time. It becomes tricky when it goes from distraction to main attraction. Next to the quality stuff, there is also a shitload of junk that we let unnoticeably spill into our screens and our minds. And that is the scary part. Booh!
I will finish this later — gotta catch the last season of Shameless on Showtime. What can I say? Fighting the evil from the inside.
