It turns out that we humans can be very easily influenced. Probably more easily than we’d like to think. I’ve recently watched two movies that explore this topic, The Hater and The Social Dilemma. The first one is fictional and the second one a documentary. Both films touch on how social media shape us and make us vulnerable to fake news. Perhaps more relevant than ever.
I won’t go into the details of the movies but one of the main themes is that we are easily manipulated and social media are very efficient at doing that through their algorithms and the way they operate. This of course accelerates the distrust we have for others and probably will have grave consequences. We are more divided than ever and it doesn’t seem like it’s slowing down anytime soon.
However, the blame should not really be on technology alone. Yes, that’s probably debatable and many are already discussing that. What is more fundamental in my opinion is that many of us are simply too compulsive. This makes us highly susceptible to manipulation. We are simply too addicted to many things. Social media, alcohol, coffee, attention, sex, sensations, interactions and noises just to name a few. Yes, we are human and we probably need all of them, but we also have the choice to not be addicted to them if we had more awareness.
Compulsiveness is a reactive state. It’s a state of restlessness and neediness. There is a lack of awareness and basic understanding of our surroundings. The opposite of compulsiveness is awareness or consciousness. When we incorporate more awareness into our daily lives, we also free ourselves from the compulsive behaviours that limit us.