Content-type: text/html Downes.ca ~ Stephen's Web ~ Facebook Is Making Us Miserable

Stephen Downes

Knowledge, Learning, Community
Granted, Facebook is making those of us plugged into its news cycle more miserable. But take this story an for every reference to 'Facebook' substitute the expression 'consumer culture'. Think about it. "Accomplishments like, 'Hey, I just got promoted!' or 'Take a look at my new sports car,' trump sharing the intricacies of our daily commute or a life-shattering divorce.... the issue with this constant 'tabbing' between real-life tasks and (consumer culture) is what economists and psychologists call 'switching costs,' the loss in productivity associated with changing from one task to another... the battle to maintain off-line relationships will become even more difficult, which will impact their overall quality, especially in the long-run." It's not just Facebook - it's the whole Harvard Business School mythology. It's not the tech - it's the transvaluation of value. Related and relevant: Westren Culture Stands on a Cliff Edge. "Historian Niall Ferguson, author of Civilization: The West and The Rest, believes that after half a millennium, Western predominance is clearly ending – and explains why, judging from history, we should expect it to collapse suddenly and dramatically."

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Stephen Downes Stephen Downes, Casselman, Canada
stephen@downes.ca

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Last Updated: Apr 25, 2024 12:12 p.m.

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