I read something a while ago that impacted me quite a bit, but I can’t remember the source. It might have been a quote from an essay, a magazine, or even a random comment from social media. It essentially asked:
When did we start using so many external things to define ourselves?
Essentially, the quote from this person was referring to the fact that today, a lot of Americans tend to define ourselves based almost solely on our interests. Movies we like, video games we play, shows we watch, or even apps that we like to use.
Sure, this isn’t a bad thing on the surface — but I don’t like where that culture has ended up. In this capitalist landscape, nearly all of our ‘interests’ tend to be at least somewhat based on or related to a consumable product. When you define yourself as a ‘gamer’, what does that say about you as a person? Not much at all, since literally any person from any population on the globe could also identify this way.
When the new “Threads” app launched, I saw so many responses that puzzled me. People asking things like “How am I going to remember to start checking another app?!” or — “ Ugh, another app to check”, and the even more strange “Let’s make this a great space where we cultivate friendship!” — — sorry, what?
Why are we acting as if we have to use these products? When did we pass the threshold of being served by these products, vs incorporating them into our lives in such a way that we can’t picture not using them? Why would we want to focus on cultivating friendship online rather than offline? Why do we need ANOTHER space to express our self-righteous opinions?
I think that this phenomenon is closely related to the aforementioned one regarding how we define ourselves; It feels as if we’re living in a time where we unquestionably participate in these different capitalist microsystems (like buying video games or using mobile apps) to such an extent that we cannot understand ourselves as separate from them.
There’s nothing wrong with playing or enjoying video games — but, to me, there is something wrong with the fact that there are likely so many people around the world who see being a ‘gamer’ as their most salient or worthwhile quality as a person. And this is just one example — there are so many new TV/streaming series and music releases these days that I almost want to unplug my brain from it all like they do in The Matrix.
I totally understand that there is no discernable reason even try to ‘keep up’ with every new song or movie that comes out, but that’s not the reason that this oversaturation of media is stressing me out. I’m bothered by it because the more of these microsystems that are created, the further we stray from people re-discovering who they truly are. In essence — there are more and more forms of media to identify with and consume every single day, lulling people into a constant state of consumption.
A particularly palpable example — There are literally MILLIONS of teenagers and 20-somethings across the globe who use the internet to devote their time and effort to ‘stanning’ music artists (an extreme form of support). This phenomenon isn’t new, but it has unequivocally evolved into an almost surreal social order. What do I mean? These people spend their entire days on their phones, in the comfort of their own homes, and are able to follow and discuss an artist’s every move. They have their own modes of speech, unique jargon, and rules that must be followed.
Another example? Our society facilitates isolation and consumption to such a degree, that ‘Tablet kid’ is a term we all understand without a second thought (and without a single child!). Children in elementary school would rather become YouTubers than astronauts or dentists — these are the generational effects of this identity-less culture we seem to be living in. Technology is definitely a major player here, but it’s the way in which it interacts with American capitalism that makes it really sinister.
I hope that we can get back to a point, culturally, where we want to identify with who we are internally rather than externally. Where we want to express ourselves in private rather than on a public online forum. I myself have been intentionally trying to disconnect who I am as a person from the things that I just happen to like to do. Video games are something I enjoy, but I don’t need to really invest myself in them — as there are no tangible benefits other than being entertained and maybe challenged.
The latter point is how I think we can separate productive hobbies (like reading or writing) from unproductive ones like gaming. Sure, writing or reading could also be unproductive in the wrong context, but if someone told you they were a writer — you’d at least know that they had the personal ambition and drive to commit their mental thoughts to the written word (which can tell you quite a bit about them).
Not all hobbies or pastimes have to be productive. But — it’s a huge shame that our almost utopic, capitalist hellscape of a country facilitates personal identification with media more than it does self-actualization. It takes a conscious effort to detach from the various systems we’ve all been born into.
But you’ll be better off after doing so, because you realize just how much freedom you have in pursuing knowledge and crafting your own ideas about the world. I’m not saying that everyone needs to go monk and never use an app, and that all conversations have to be profound and thought-provoking. What I am saying is that we are all far more interesting, capable, and powerful than we allow ourselves to be.
