Episode 17: Rage, Powerlessness, & The Internet

"Men fall from the sky and gods hurl thunderbolts. Innocents die. That's how it starts. The fever, the rage, the feeling of powerlessness that turns good men... cruel."

-Alfred Pennyworth- Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice

   Ah, social media. A thing that affects absolutely everyone, even those who have no presence on social media. Even if you don't have it, you are surrounded by people who do. Even if you don't have a Facebook, Twitter, etc., you almost certainly have several family/friends who do.

    There are some pros to social media, of course, but for this blog, I only want to talk about cons. Though social media allows us to stay in touch with family and friends quickly and efficiently, there are many negatives. 

    Of course it's just like me to use a line from a superhero movie to center a blog around. I will use the things Alfred Pennyworth talked about in the quote I started this blog with: fever, rage, and powerlessness. I will discuss how social media amplifies these aspects of our lives and makes them even worse. So let's just jump into it!

The Fever

   We live our lives plagued by constant vices, and temptations to give into those vices. Social media, and internet in general, gives us easy, free methods to instantly give into those temptations. Your web browser makes you one click away from envy, lust, greed, all you could desire. 

   You envy your friends, comparing their success and happiness to your own. 

   Porn addicts can find hundreds of sites for pornography with a few keystrokes. 

  Greedy people can spend their money in a mere click of the button, and get whatever they want sent to them immediately.

The Rage

   There's a somewhat popular slang term - "keyboard warrior". This describes someone who acts tough and mean online, but would be cowardly and fearful in an actual in-person confrontation. I think social media does this to everyone. I think, on at least some level, we're all keyboard warriors.

   The anonymity of the internet makes you exaggerate yourself. You are crueler, more impatient, bolder - because you can talk to strangers who are miles away and will almost certainly never actually meet you. You don't have to worry about them hurting you, because they can't. So you say what you wanna say, hurl insults, get into heated arguments. I will admit I am sometimes guilty of this.

The Powerlessness

   This is perhaps the most major reason I've considered stepping away from social media use. As Bastille said "think I'm addicted to my phone, my scrolling horrorshow, I'm livestreaming the final days of Rome." Social media is a one-stop shop to showcase the worst of humanity to you; and show you news of the worst things happening in the world right now.

   Sensational articles and people freaking out only heighten one's sense of doom. I can't say the world is ending soon, even though sometimes I feel like it will. Only God knows when the world will end. But social media certainly makes me worried it's coming sooner rather than later.

    It all just makes one feel powerless. You see the worst of the world and there's nothing you can do about it. You can't strap on your cape and use your superpowers to force Russia out of Ukraine. You can only hope things deescalate.

See you next week!