Portals

by Douglas E. Richards

On average across the globe, human beings are wealthier, healthier, more literate, longer lived, and safer than at any time in history. But, ironically, we’re also more pessimistic and stressed out than ever before. Many of us feel like hamsters running on a never-ending but ever-accelerating wheel. “Because of this rising stress, more and more of us are seeking an escape, and there are more and more avenues of addiction to turn to. And addiction itself dramatically increases stress, resulting in a nightmarish vicious circle.”

“we’re more polarized than ever, more propagandized than ever. And this is only getting worse as new tech, especially social media and 24/7 news, divide us. First, we’re each getting individualized news feeds, so no two debaters are even working from the same set of facts, the same objective reality. And social media provides an anonymous platform to spew venom, to unleash our worst selves on each other, bypassing the normal restraints that evolution has built into us when interacting in person.”

Do you know why you aren’t charged to use social media platforms? Because you aren’t the customer. You’re the product.”