Liv Boeree: why social media is making you sad
When social media first burst into our lives, with MySpace then Facebook and Twitter, it was easy to think these platforms were a pure and simple force for good. A way to reconnect with old friends and make new ones. To discover new music, meet like-minded people, and stay ahead of breaking news.
It made the world feel smaller. And closer. In a really good way. Now people you cared for could interact instantly with your thoughts or photos, making them feel a part of your daily life wherever in the world they were.
But today, not many people still believe social media exists solely for their entertainment. How can it, when swiping or scrolling through it makes so many of us so miserable?
So if you ever feel frustrated, sad, lonely, angry or jealous whenever you pick up your phone but can’t quite put your finger on why, you need to listen to Liv Boeree.
In an Unfiltered exclusive, the Win-Win podcast host, science broadcaster, World Series of Poker and European Poker Tour champion, and co-founder of Raising for Effective Giving, explains how Molochian forces on these social networks are hellbent on manipulating us.
Manipulating us as individuals in a race to the bottom as we seek validation from complete strangers to praise our perfect bodies, jobs, relationships and lives that bear little resemblance to reality.
And manipulating us as a society into evermore vocal tribes to fuel the culture war fires and treat anyone we encounter online as a terminal threat to our indubitable worldview.
But it’s not all bad news. As Liv explains, once you realise you are being deliberately exploited to create an obedient and obliging audience for the only people these platforms actually care about – their advertisers – you can break your own destructive cycle of behaviour. Then can you take back control of your online – and your offline – happiness.
Why community spirit is vital to happiness
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Joe Warner, Editor-in-Chief, Unfiltered
