I work in the tech industry. And sometimes I feel like there are two worlds: the tech world and the real world.
I probably read too much about social media and its harmful effects. I think scrolling short videos is unhealthy. It’s basically a Skinner box to get you addicted to the dopamine boost. So I don’t use TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.
Yet everyone in the real world uses them. Every time I go out, I see everyone swiping on some sort of short video feed on their phones.
It’s like I work in the sausage factory and know what goes into the sausages. Yet everyone around me just happily eats the sausages.
I’m not saying that I know the truth of the world and they are oblivious. In fact, I’m often the uninformed one.
One time I was renewing my passport during Covid. The process can be done online, but you still have to go in person to collect it. On the collection day, I went to the government office and it was closed. I checked the official website, no notice of the closure. Then the staff told me they announced it on Facebook.
“Don’t you have Facebook?”
WTF? Not that they used Facebook, but that they assumed everyone does. And the thing is, they’re right. Everyone does. Except me.
So I’ve opted out of the sausages, and now I’m the one who doesn’t know what’s going on.