Social media divides us, makes us more extreme and less empathetic, it riles us up or sucks us into doom scrolling, making us stressed and depressed. It feels like we need to touch grass and escape to the real world.

New research shows that we might have largely misinterpreted why this is the case. It turns out that the social media internet may uniquely undermine the way our brains work but not in the way you think.

This video is sponsored and contains an ad.

  • Flax
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    7 months ago

    It seems that americans think the entire world is the american south. Generally in more civilised places outside of the U.S, people care less about other people’s beliefs.

    • iheartneopets@lemm.ee
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      7 months ago

      I definitely don’t? I was just providing my experience for the place I live. Obviously not all places are the south…? And good for you on your ‘more civilized place’, but we’re not talking about those areas.

      Seems to me that, to solve rent crisis, Americans should just move into Europeans’ heads, since we seem to live there rent free already.

      • flora_explora@beehaw.org
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        7 months ago

        I think that was a stab at you saying “living in the south” as if it automatically meant south of the USA. So your US-centric world view shines through. I think no one wanted to attack your world view per se, but rather your bias.

        And regarding your second comment, why so passive-aggressive? Obviously the US lives in everyone’s head rent free because it messes around with the whole world. Don’t get offended by people trying to point out that there is more in the world than one single country.

        • anothermember@beehaw.org
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          7 months ago

          I get that, I live in the south of my country too, but only the US feels entitled enough to say “the south” and expect the whole world to know where they are.

          • flora_explora@beehaw.org
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            7 months ago

            I guess it adds to the problem that it’s very context specific. When you are in your country talking in your mothertongue with someone, you would probably only say “the south” to refer to the south of your country (or another by society predefined south).

            And while we are on a mostly English-speaking platform inhabitated by mostly US people, I’ve heard US people throwing around US specific terms in a lot of different contexts/countries without checking the context they are in.

            • anothermember@beehaw.org
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              7 months ago

              It’s probably the same kind of culture clash that the original video talks about. I’ve got to admit it is something that can rile me up probably more than it rationally deserves to, if I let it (and I’m sure others too).

        • iheartneopets@lemm.ee
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          7 months ago

          Right, but if the person I was talking originally to had said “I’m not from the US so I know nothing about it” it woulda been fine and I would have immediately apologized and we’d go from there. Having a nice chat.

          That’s not what happened. Someone new chimed in with a pretty rude non-sequitur in the vein of ‘stupid Americans’. I don’t think I was particularly defensive or angry, but maybe it came off that way.

          • flora_explora@beehaw.org
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            7 months ago

            The phrasing of “more civilised places” in the comment you mention seems highly problematic to me, yes. I think the “stupid Americans” is your biased interpretation though.

            Oh, btw I wouldn’t call people from the USA “Americans”, because it is just one of many countries in the Americas. Another blind spot in the US perspective.

            • Flax
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              7 months ago

              Nah, I meant “stupid americans”. They were right.

              • flora_explora@beehaw.org
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                7 months ago

                Oh, OK. Yeah, I understand now why the other person got defensive. I obviously also get your anger at US people. But why would you then throw “civilised people” around? Imo this reinforces colonialist viewpoints of civilised vs uncivilised people.

                ETA: oh wow, scrolling through your recent posts you seem to have a lot of oppressive and conservative opinions.

                • Flax
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                  7 months ago

                  Wouldn’t describe them as oppressive, I’m just a constitutional monarchist and I recently started a flame war over why I don’t think religion should be destroyed lmao.

                  Also the white Europeans living in America are colonialists and those are the ones I am referring to as uncivilised, not indigenous. So I apologise if you thought that I was referring to indigenous people.

                  • bermuda@beehaw.org
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                    7 months ago

                    I just started a flame war

                    Okay so I don’t need you in my feed then. Blocked. Hope more follow suit

    • t3rmit3@beehaw.org
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      7 months ago

      Anyone who thinks their country is more “civilized” than to engage in bigotry is just revealing that they live in a bubble themselves.