Before I tell you how I DESTROYED the internet, I have a side note. Yes, alredy. It’s tangentially related to my exasperation at the way hyperbole on the internet is being ramped up in a desperate attempt to get clicks, but even if it weren’t, I want to talk about it.
It’s the constant enshittification (and yes, that’s a real (slang) word now) of the internet, and I am so frustrated with it. In this particular case, it’s Yahoo! mail. They keep ‘updating’ it, ostensibly making it better. But, in fact, it’s worse. Not only is it uglier, there is a panel on the night side for ads. At first, I did not realize what it was for because I have an ad blocker. I tried to get rid of it to no avail. When I found out what it was for, I was so grumpy.
Yes, I could upgrade to premium or whatever it’s called, but I don’t want to do that. Yahoo is like my dump email, meaning it’s just for garbage, mostly. But also for all my accounts. They have been warning me for the past year or so that my inbox is exceeding 90% and that I should upgrade to avoid the possibility of not being able to receive new emails. I’ve deleted thousands of emails, but that apparently doesn’t matter.
Also, this is a nitpick, but it’s still annoying. When they ‘updated’ their look, they automatically switched me back to the light version, which hurt my eyes. Keep my preferences for fuck’s sake, Yahoo! Sheesh. It’s so ugly now, I can barely stand looking it. I know that’s a feature and not a bug. They don’t give a shit about user experience (that is so last millennium), and they are doing everything they can to maximize profits.
How does this tie into the hyperbole that I’ve found else where on the internet? Because it’s all in the name of making a tiny bit more profit. Whether it’s a mega-corp like Yahoo! or a YouTube channel with 10,000 subs, it’s the same desperation to get one more click that is such a turn-off.
I realized how bad it’s gotten when I found myself talking back as I read video titles. One that is particularly annoying me these days is the “This game has thirty minutes to get me/win me over/other negging.” Or even worse, “Kpop hater llistens to ___ (Kpop gropup) for the first time.”
It’s not that art can’t be judged–it can, of course. It’s just the “Prove that you’re worthy of my time” tone that is just so off-putting to me. Like it or not, but don’t act like a snot. Many people seem to like that premise, though, so maybe i’m in the minority on tihs subject.
Another that really annoys me has two versions. One is, “We NEED to talk about___” to which I automatically shout, “No we don’t!” The other, and it’s closely related to the first is, “Why is no one talking about_____ (incredibly popular thing that everyone is talking about)?!” I will punch my computer table the next time I see either one of these configurations.
I know that I’m an Old. I know that I’m not the target demo for anything. So take what I’m saying with a grain of salt as I’m shooing the kids of my lawn. This is how I am with writing, too. I don’t like flowery language and/or purple prose. I am verbose, yes, but I still choose plain words over $10 words.
My point is that all this hyperbole has really made me downplay everything I read/see/hear. That’s not a bad thing in general, but it’s a bit too indiscriminate. There are several words that immediately cause me to roll my eyes and dismiss whatever I’m about to read. It’s hard not to be cynical when everything is hyped to the max. Not everything can be the best, the worst, the most horrifying, or the most devasating.
In fact, it’s reached the point where I automatically knock everything down three notches when I first heard/read the headline. I just assume that the hyperbole is going to be baked in. If it’s dialed to a hundo, then I knock it back down to ten. That makes it so I–well, look. I’m going to be real with you. My inner emotions are already muted. I feel some things intensely, but when it comes to reacting to outside events, it’s as if I have a damper surrounding me. Even if it’s big news. I take it in, trying to decipher if it’s good or bad news and to what extent I should react. This takes about five seconds now, but it used to take longer. And there are times when I can’t gauge which way I’m supposed to go. I rarely make the wrong choice, but i feel I’m on constantly on a razor’s edge.
So. Just to make sure I’m being clear. Let’s say someone tells me news that is earthshattering. Like (back in the day), they were expecting a child. I had to decide if this was good news or bad news. Once I made that decsion, I had to calibrate how much emotion I should show. Now, I feel I have to intake the news, dial it down to know off the hyperbole, calibrate how I should really feel about it, and then find the appropriate amount of emotion/reaction. It’s a similar process, but I feel I have to do it twice or be twice as careful.
Also, it makes me feel I can’t trust anything I read, hear, or see. Yes, it’s always been good to be discerning, but this goes beyond that. It’s another layer to my already suspicious mind. I’ve always been a cynic, but now it’s even worse. I can feel a shift inside myself that I don’t like, but I don’t know what to do about it.
It’s not like clickbaiting is going to get better or go away. If anything, it’s going to get worse. I try to stay away from it and not let it get to me, but it’s a tough task. I will write more about it tomorrow.