Why Do People Believe the ‘Social Media is Mind Control’ Myth?
In our search for easy answers, we give up control.
The evidence is overwhelming: we are far more powerful than the technology that is supposedly mind-controlling us. It’s not even close.
As I’ve discussed here and in many other places, we need to give ourselves more credit. Instead of passively accepting the idea that we’re all being puppeteered by some sort of menacing tech bogeyman, we can hack back distractions.
To be clear, too much social media can be harmful. No one disputes that too much of all sorts of good things can be bad, whether it’s too much news or too much booze.
But the popular narrative that distractions, particularly those emanating from our tech devices, have the power to control our minds, lacks scientific support, and is more harmful than helpful.
It’s as if, for some reason, people want to believe tech is more powerful than they are. Why is that? Why do people so readily give up control and admit defeat?
Understanding why people reflexively give up control helps us better understand all sorts of self-defeating tendencies.
