The Opportunity Cost of Social Media Use \ stacker news ~culture

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The Opportunity Cost of Social Media Use archive.is/zql4z

872 sats \ 10 comments \ @ek 1 Dec culture

I need to integrate playing piano into my daily routine instead of checking social media, including SN. Since a lot of days, I want to have a YouTube channel where I collect all songs I can play one day.

At least I no longer use Damus or Primal since weeks, partially inspired by @niftynei.

Still considering deleting my nsec to get it over with.

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223 sats \ 4 replies \ @Scoresby 17h

Our assumption is that the way humans are sans social media is better. The Pessimist's Archive is full of stories of people who feel that a new technology is having ill-effects on humanity.

Of course, humans have created many things, both old and new, that are harmful to us -- alcohol comes to mind. Perhaps social media will become like alcohol: something we love and embrace, but about which we also have fairly strong norms. Drinking a beer at 9am carries a stigma. Walking around in public with a bottle of whiskey is mostly discouraged.

It is true though that if one wants to do good work, focus is required in lengthy doses. Social media, as with alcohol, probably doesn't help much when it comes to doing good work.

This post makes me wonder: Do you think differently about your blog than you do about your nsec? Are blogs social media?

102 sats \ 3 replies \ @ek OP 16h

This post makes me wonder: Do you think differently about your blog than you do about your nsec? Are blogs social media?

This is a good question, thanks!

I think the difference is that I am in full control, it's also fun to be. If I don't like something, I can just change it, as I did many times in the past.¹

I see my blog more as a hobby than social media; even though I definitely also use it to connect with people, like you would with social media. Mhhh.

Maybe it has some overlap with social media, but it is not it's primary purpose? Or do we consider writing very long and complex search queries to find fascinating people and make them route interesting stuff to your inbox the primary purpose of social media?

Just a few days ago, I added tags, but now I have this problem: I feel like every post should have at least one tag. I don't know how to tag this post, for example. But I think that's just me obsessing over inconsequential things again. I need to learn to funnel my obsession into productive things. ↩

202 sats \ 0 replies \ @itsrealfake 16h

I feel like it's the input vs. output rates of the information that dictate whether "social media" feels like a net gain/loss.

with a blog, we're composing/drafting/publishing... it's mostly output, and then there's not much more for us to do (unless you get lots of comments as inputs). blogs are largely expressive, and not very passive.

the "feed" of social media, whether it's SN's RSS or FB's algo, is the part that (I suppose) feels like ick.

re: #1, you could tag your Spirit Animal post "nature" or "personal" or "self-analysis"

100 sats \ 1 reply \ @Scoresby 16h

Having more control over a blog than over a social media feed/profile does resonate with me.

I wasn't much of a social media user until 2018. Even then mostly a lurker until I came to SN. But I've been writing blogs for twenty years at least. Blogs are much more elegant.

But the problem with blogs that I never felt like karlsson never fully addressed, is how to get them in front of people so they can perform the function of searching for fascinating people.

The internet is awash with posts and writing and stuff and there's no guarantee that anyone will come to my lonely little site. Social media, more than anything else, comes with the promise that someone will respond to me.

If one steps away from social media, how do you actually get your words in front of people?

102 sats \ 0 replies \ @ek OP 16h

Good point, I only found out about Karlsson because @elvismercury kept sharing links to his blog here.

71 sats \ 1 reply \ @brave 16h

Replacing doomscrolling with piano is one of the best trades you can make but SN is nothing to leave

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @ek OP 16h

Yeah, no intentions of leaving, just have better priorities

0 sats \ 2 replies \ @TNStacker 18h

When you say bit using Damus or Primal, do you mean not using Nostr? And what's going on? Why the drop?

21 sats \ 1 reply \ @ek OP 17h

Yes, I mean not using social media on nostr. Doesn’t the link explain why?

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @TNStacker 5h

I didn't click on your link. I think I wanted clarification before I did. If you meant one thing, I wanted to investigate further. If you meant the other no need.

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