Developing a personal emotional relationship with an inhuman object (media exposure, heavy social media use, an institution) leads to its own special kind of heartbreak.
-
Show this thread
-
While a bureaucracy such as a company, university or an army can sort you into a privileged class, it cannot be loyal or responsive to your needs. When this seems the case, it is a well crafted illusion. The substance can only be provided by individuals directing it.
1 reply 0 retweets 0 likesShow this thread -
Your twitter or Fb or Instagram following is less than the sum of its parts. It is a waterfall of fragments of human attention. It might inundated you for years, but its ability to model and consequently care for you pales to even one hour of present conversation.
1 reply 1 retweet 0 likesShow this thread -
Media exposure is the spotlight of attention bandits making use of you for their ends. It isn’t under your control.
1 reply 0 retweets 0 likesShow this thread -
While you can develop a good working relationship with a given journalist, the good will of the class only lasts while good stories about you drive the cycle and brings them clicks, viewers or helps an ideological message.
1 reply 0 retweets 0 likesShow this thread -
Consequently years of excellent PR amount to much less than you expect (there is no social accounting going on under the hood - its all situational persistence).
1 reply 0 retweets 0 likesShow this thread -
With all of these examples and many others I could list the crucial thing to keep in mind is: Only people are people.
1 reply 0 retweets 0 likesShow this thread -
People won’t always account for you and they make mistakes, but they are capable of participating in emotional life that is responsive to you. They can sometimes be predatory, but they can also come into alignment. Not perfect, but better than any alternative.
1 reply 0 retweets 0 likesShow this thread -
Our attentional environment is saturated with exposure to mimics such as the ones I listed and many more, that attempt to induce unhealthy emotional dependency. You should strive to craft a well balanced alternative, it won’t be given to you by default.
1 reply 0 retweets 0 likesShow this thread
This is extra important if you are a public personality. If so you should treat your exposure as an occupational hazard.
-
-
PS Animal companions count as people
0 replies 0 retweets 1 likeShow this threadThanks. Twitter will use this to make your timeline better. UndoUndo
-
Loading seems to be taking a while.
Twitter may be over capacity or experiencing a momentary hiccup. Try again or visit Twitter Status for more information.