Is amusement causing the downfall of society ?

[xtraelv]

“What Orwell feared were those who would ban books. What Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who wanted to read one. Orwell feared those who would deprive us of information. Huxley feared those who would give us so much that we would be reduced to passivity and egotism.

Orwell feared that the truth would be concealed from us. Huxley feared the truth would be drowned in a sea of irrelevance. Orwell feared we would become a captive culture. Huxley feared we would become a trivial culture, preoccupied with some equivalent of the feelies, the orgy porgy, and the centrifugal bumble puppy.

As Huxley remarked in Brave New World Revisited, the civil libertarians and rationalists, who are ever on the alert to oppose tyranny, “failed to take into account man’s almost infinite appetite for distractions.”

In 1984, people are controlled by inflicting pain. In Brave New World, they are controlled by inflicting pleasure. In short, Orwell feared that what we fear will ruin us. Huxley feared that our desire will ruin us.”

― Neil Postman, Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business
https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/7942005-what-orwell-feared-were-those-who-would-ban-books-what



People are so pre-occupied with social media )or anti-social media). Is society losing interest in privacy, social causes and constructive work ?

Are people as engaged with social causes beyond being "offended", "enraged" and acting on that by "re-posting" on social media ?

Are we so bombarded with irrelevant information that it drowns out the important things ?

[Pmalek]

People have become slaves of their phones and the technology. Very few people use social media to talk to friends and family who are away, live abroad or due to other reasons it is not possible to meet them in person.
I wonder why facebook was created in the first place?! Take a look at this:

Facebook started life in 2003 as a game called Facemash created by Mark Zuckerberg and co-founder Eduardo Saverin, who were roommates at Harvard University at the time.
Facemash let users rate fellow classmates against one another by giving them two photos and deciding whether they were "hot or not".

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/0/owns-facebook-created/

Created for the wrong reasons from the start?!

[bitmover]

1984 and Brave New world had in common a centralized government, a giant empire that controls everything you do and think.

While 1984 people are controlled by an the big brother that seed and hear everything (through cams and agents) ,  in brave New world people are just conditiinated since they were born to behave in a certain way.

Amazing books.

No doubt bitcoin and the whole cypherpunk moviment were influenced by those writers, and it is a response to the big centralization they predicted.



However, I read somewhere that bitcoin could have an unexpected and opposite effect: it could, as a world currency, serve a world government. This is far from happening imo, but is worth thinking about it.

[paxmao]

However, I read somewhere that bitcoin could have an unexpected and opposite effect: it could, as a world currency, serve a world government. This is far from happening imo, but is worth thinking about it.

It could make a world gov. more efficient. At present, the USD would be a good in terms of making it merely possible.

[BitBustah]

This is what the Romans called "bread and circuses."  People are not going to wake up to this slave system full of corruption we are under while they have entertainment and easy access to sugar.

As for phones and internet go I like to disconnect from the world every once in awhile.  I'll take a few days and just spend time outside and won't even check my e-mail.

[European Central Bank]

the options for amusement these days magnify our existing personality traits. they don't change them.

if you're a narcissist it'll give you many more opportunities to indulge that. if you're curious then the world is now your oyster. if you're inclined towards activism then that suddenly became way more feasible.  

within a short time anyone can have almost any book, film or piece of music or information in their hands. they can track down like minded people and discover places and events they would otherwise never have known about.

you can use it to enable yourself or enslave yourself. it's entirely in your own hands and the blame or credit is all yours too.

[nutildah]

I definitely think about this very subject from time to time.

Amusement is more or less a byproduct of a very stable and affluent society.

We seemingly have more time to screw around than ever before, now that most (or all) of our basic needs are readily taken care of. Of course I'm not speaking for the entire population of the planet, but if you're here commenting on this forum, chances are things are going somewhere between pretty decent and great for you. So, until we begin to approach Idiocracy-type conditions, I don't think its actually causing a "downfall" of society.

Roger Waters of Pink Floyd tackled the subject in a concept album some years back.



There will always be people motivated and driven to create, produce and succeed -- just look at Roger Waters for instance.

[BitBustah]

^ Most people today are working more on average than humans did in hunter gatherer times.  A lot of industries are losing popularity as well.  Less people are eating out, watching sports, and buying new cars.  It doesn't take a genius to realize that nearly all gains made from productivity gains have gone straight to the ownership class.  Younger generations can't even afford homes anymore, far from a stable society.

[nutildah]

^ Most people today are working more on average than humans did in hunter gatherer times.  A lot of industries are losing popularity as well.  Less people are eating out, watching sports, and buying new cars.  It doesn't take a genius to realize that nearly all gains made from productivity gains have gone straight to the ownership class.  Younger generations can't even afford homes anymore, far from a stable society.

Less war, less violence, longer lifespans, greater economic opportunity... Society is exceptionally stable, perhaps now more than ever. I truly though society was going to melt down around 2010... So far it hasn't happened. Trust me, I'm up for a revolution as much as anybody else, I just don't think its going to happen so long as people are content with their televisions and mobile devices.

[BitBustah]

^ Most people today are working more on average than humans did in hunter gatherer times.  A lot of industries are losing popularity as well.  Less people are eating out, watching sports, and buying new cars.  It doesn't take a genius to realize that nearly all gains made from productivity gains have gone straight to the ownership class.  Younger generations can't even afford homes anymore, far from a stable society.

Less war, less violence, longer lifespans, greater economic opportunity... Society is exceptionally stable, perhaps now more than ever. I truly though society was going to melt down around 2010... So far it hasn't happened. Trust me, I'm up for a revolution as much as anybody else, I just don't think its going to happen so long as people are content with their televisions and mobile devices.

Rising suicide rates, higher drug use, less economic opportunity.  People are actually becoming less healthy as well.  Automation has taken a lot of jobs and globalization has caused a race to the bottom.

One person could support a family in America in the 1960s-1980s with a simple job.  That just isn't the case anymore.  I have family members that were making the equivalent of $30/hour out of high school with no degree back then.  That is basically impossible today.

[_Miracle]

Convenience may be more destructive, everything is available and quickly and we really don't have to give much thought to it.
I've always been sufficiently amused whether it was music or books or whatever.
The information available to us today is amazing but to unplug...
I
Meditate.

[LFC_Bitcoin]

I have to admit I don’t read novels at all, I find them boring & they do nothing for me. I deal with reality, I really don’t like fiction.