We are opressing ourselves

In this video, Amelia discusses the impact of short-form content on our culture. She talks about how social media platforms have created their own versions of short-form content, such as Reels, Shorts, and TikTok. She explains that as knowledge becomes more accessible, we tend to value it less. She mentions a decrease in reading among children and young people, while social media usage is on the rise. Amelia argues that our society is becoming more passive and less active in seeking knowledge. She also discusses the addictive nature of short-form content and its impact on our attention spans. She draws parallels between our current culture and the society portrayed in "A Brave New World," where people are content with shallow pleasures and lack a desire for knowledge. She also touches on the influence of aesthetics and groupthink on our thinking and decision-making. Amelia concludes by offering tips on reducing our attachment to social media and seeking out trusted sources for informat Hey y'all, this is me, Amelia, also known as the bookish girl, and today I am breaking out of my little book review bubble and I will be doing a more informative deep dive into our culture and how it is impacting us. If this is something you are interested in, please take a look at my checked out playlist for more content like this. In today's video, I am going to be dissecting the impact of short form content and discussing what its rise in popularity means for us. For the past four years, social media platforms have been creating their own take on short form content. Instagram has Reels, YouTube has Shorts, and TikTok has been popular for short form content for quite some time. Even Pinterest launched idea pins that are reminiscent of Instagram Reels. As knowledge becomes more entertaining and accessible, like in the form of short form content, one can only imagine that humans would begin to be smarter and generally know more, but it's actually quite the opposite. As knowledge becomes more accessible, we begin to value it less and less. For instance, books are more accessible than ever. They are downloadable on Kindle, Yes PDF, and are readily available as audio books. You would think that knowledge at the press of a button would encourage us to learn, but that is not the truth. To quote Thomas M. Dish, knowledge is devalued when it becomes too generally known. People are bound to appreciate commonalities less than rarities. It's similar to taking something for granted, like how many modern people see running water as a necessity instead of as a luxury like our ancestors. According to the National Literacy Trust, there has been a 26% decrease in the number of children and young people aged 8 to 18 who read daily in their free time since 2005, decreasing from 38.1% to 28%. In contrast, nearly two-thirds of teenagers report using social media every day, and one-third report using social media almost constantly. As knowledge becomes more accessible, we begin to view high-value educational sources, like reading, as equals to lower-value sources like YouTube Shorts. This can be transferred to different types of books. In today's society, classic books are considered just as educational as a fantasy novel that is mostly fairy smut. Popular book talk books are just entertaining and even immoral, you know, like Colleen Hoover. While doing something that is seen to be educational, we are really just providing ourselves with another form of distraction. As we read about romances and fantasies, we are averting our eyes from the real world. In a time where we see high-quality knowledge as equal to low-quality knowledge, ignorance is accepted. The line between an informed person and an ignorant one begins to blur. When we are given an abundance of information, we turn to passivity as opposed to activity. An active person stands up for what they believe in and chooses to educate themselves on current social, political, and economical issues. A passive one, however, they are not actively seeking out knowledge or educating themselves. They are okay with the level of information that they have now, even if they know that there is more to learn. We are oppressing ourselves by becoming easier to control. We are fitting into the form of a passive person instead of an active one. Let that sink in. We are oppressing ourselves. Every hour that we spend scrolling on Instagram, each day that we waste away on TikTok, these are all dumbing us down into a more gullible form. We are not informing ourselves because we have become drunk on dopamine. In an article by It World Canada, studies found that watching short-form content causes our brains to release dopamine, also known as a feel-good hormone of the brain that is associated with pleasure and reward. Another study conducted by Guizhou University of Finance and Economics in China and Western Michigan University found that videos on TikTok and YouTube Shorts engage users through short bursts of thrills, which can lead to the development of addictive behavior. This addictive behavior causes us to spend even more time on these platforms in order to get the same dopamine rush. Because we are spending so much time on social media, it is impacting our attention spans. UTSC professor Steve Jordans complains that we are raised in an ultra-distractible world. This impacts how long we can spend on a specific task without becoming bored or finding the activity dull. As a result, we are less likely to research topics about the real world and educate ourselves on important political events because we are content with the minimal knowledge that we currently hold. Our current society really reminds me of the plot in A Brave New World. The society in A Brave New World is addicted to the pill Soma, which keeps them in a constant state of hazy content. Because the life that they currently live is pleasurable, they have no desire to seek outside knowledge. They instead continue their leisurely life in acceptance of and compliance with the powers that control them. In this society, there is no need to withhold knowledge because there is nobody who wants to learn. While some fear those who ban books, the author of A Brave New World fears the people who are dumbing down our population to the point where they have no desire to read them. Our current culture is obsessed with aesthetics. For example, the clean girl aesthetic. Someone who adheres to the clean girl aesthetic wears minimal makeup, neutral clothing, and a sleek hairstyle. Another example is portrayed by booktop girlies with their reading outfits and Barnes and Noble runs. We are constantly told that we need to adhere to everything that an aesthetic stands for in order to enjoy it. There is no such thing as a casual enjoyer. We have lost the nuance that we need in order to truly express ourselves. In a way, this discourages independent thinking because we are so focused on fitting in with the aesthetic of our choosing. We simply accept the concepts thrown at us because the people we follow online believe them. This happens with political parties too. When a person is presented objective studies and then told to formulate an opinion on that topic without seeking outside opinions, they are not going to be affected by what their favorite YouTuber thinks or their parents. Hearing this, I immediately think back to my elementary school years. As a class reward, the teacher would play a movie on the last day of each semester. There were often multiple options, so the class held a vote. We were instructed to rest our head on the desk and close our eyes so that we wouldn't see what our classmates were voting for. My teachers knew that we, like any other people, were subject to peer pressure. Because we couldn't see our classmates' votes, we were focused only on our personal opinion of which movie to watch. While this method of a vote eliminates prejudice from peer pressure, there is an alternative where students were influenced by their friends. Let's say I want to watch a Christmas story. The first option the teacher offers is Elf. I want to watch a Christmas story, but I see all of my friends raise their hands for Elf, so I do the same. Because I trust them, I immediately change to Elf, because if I trust them as my friend, I also trust their decisions, right? This is where labels like aesthetics and political parties can hinder us. Because we agree with our group on most things, we can deduce that they are correct on other things too. What we lose is the ability to seek out our own information and knowledge. We lose the ability to critically and independently think. When we wholly trust in our group, we see no value in outsiders' opinions. Knowledge has zero worth if we don't want it. Though it may seem impossible, there are ways to avoid the trap that is short-form content. Because it's addicting, it's likely that you have already fallen prey to short-form videos. If you haven't, power to you, keep doing what you're doing. But if you have, you can still change. Start by limiting your social media usage to one to two hours less than your average. By doing this, you are breaking the habit chain. This small step will snowball into a healthier relationship with social media and start to affect the addictive behavior built around it. In order to change our own oppressive behavior, we must start somewhere. For more tips on how to reduce your attachment to social media, I recommend visiting trusted websites like the American Psychiatric Association or seeking out family members who can help you. Thank you for watching, and please consider subscribing so that you can see more content like this. I'll see you all in the next one, bye!