I am a big fan of the internet. BIG fan. However, one thing that irritates the fuck out of me is how hyperbolic ledes/titles can be. I cannot stand anything that has a title that starts, “You won’t believe what____”, “So-and-so CRUSHED/DESTROYED (his/her opponent!)”, or anything else of this ilk.
Another format I dislike is, “Did such and such a thing mean such and such?” I once read that if a headline asked a question, the answer was always no. Which I have found to be true 99% of the time.
Yet another thing that grinds my gear is titles that are negs in disguise. “Kpop hater listens to (Kpop group) for the first time! Will it change his mind?” That is such a bad premise, but it’s so clickbaity because most people want that redemption arc, even if it’s manufactured and/or trite. In the gaming world, the equivalent is, “I gave ______ (a game)” thirty minutes to make me interested.”
I will not click on any video that has any of those in the titles. Not only are they so negative, but they are overtly manipulative. If you’re going to manipulate me, it has to be much more covert than that. I resent being able to see the manipulation, and it’s so clumsy, too. It outrages me that these content creators think I’m that naive/ignorant/swayable.
It’s reached the point where if I see any title that starts with “Such and such hater tries–“, I just shut it down. Or tell YouTube not to recommend that channel. Also, it’s made me much more cynical in general. All the hyperbole, I mean. “You won’t believe–” Oh, I bet I will.
And all the ‘crushed’, ‘destroyed’, ‘humiliated’ talk is outright bullshit. I watched several of those (usually a liberal ‘destroying’ a conservative), and it’s never the humiliation that the channel is trumpeting it to be. At best, it’s a mild point scored for the liberal. At worst, it’s the liberal being shown in a bad light.
Look.
I know that it’s hard to get eyeballs on yyour channel no matter what the niche. There are a zillion channels, and you have to find a way to stand out. But this is so not my jam. I am turned off by negging and the exaggeration.
I don’t even know if it works. I mean, it must, right? Or why would people keep doing it? (Don’t answer that. I know there are other reasons why people might keep doing it.)
This kind of senseless sensationalism has infiltrated so-called serious journalism as well. There’s another problem there. They have to fill 24 hours, and that’s not easy to do. I’m thinking specifically of news stations like CNN. Think about it. We used to have a daily paper. Now, the news in a constant barrage peppering you relentlessly at every moment of the day.
Yes, there are things happening all the time. Bad things, let’s be honest. But that dosen’t mean we need to hear about it 24/7. That’s one of the downsides to the internet–you can get bad news all the time if you want. Doomscrolling is real, and it can be addictive. It’s good to know what’s happening in the world, but judiciously so.
I can actually link this to what I’ve been saying nabout brand loyalty and traditions. Kind of. Or rather, with how my mind works. As I’ve said, I don’t do brand loyalty. I use/consume a product if it works for me, and then I stop once it doesn’t. I don’t have sentimentality towards any of that, and it’s the same with what content I consume.
As long as I’m getting enjoyment from a content creator, I watch them. Or rather, as long as my enjoyment exceeds the irritation, then I watch their videos. Once the latter heavily outweighs the former, I stop. There are very few content creators I have an emotional attachment to, and even the ones I do can get cut if I reach my limit.
It’s the same way I feel about teams and groups in general. I don’t have loyalty, and I walk away when I’m done. I talked about it with my last therapist, and I said I put up with a lot until I finally reached my limit, and then I dropped them cold. In my personal relationships, I mean. My therapist pointed out this wasn’t exactly healthy, and I agreed with her.
Now, however, it’s one of the things that I have accepted about myself. I have my limits, and I do set boundaries–even if it’s later than I should. Plus, I have the right to walk away if/when I’m done with something/someone.
Which brings me back to loyalty. I don’t believe in undying loyalty or unconditional love. Why? Because I believe that way lies abuse. I know you can love someone and set boundaries, so I’m not talking about that. There should be a breaking point, though–a line taht can’t be crossed. I would call that morality, and I have no qualms in letting it be known that I do have that line. Or rather, in knowing I have that line. I may not voice it or talk about it, but I know it inside myself.
I don’t think it’s a bad thing to say I will walk if this happens. This is a way to guardrail against abuse. Not to say it’s easy to hold to that line, but it’s better to have it in the first place, even if you ignore it. You can’t do anything about it if you don’t know whwere your line is or try to deny you have one.
I’m watching my mother take care of my father as he slips further and further into dementia. My mother has always poured her entire mind, body, heart, and soul* into my father. In fact, I would say her personal persona has always been about him. She’s been laser-focused on him their whole marriage, turning a blind eye to all his affairs, his rages, and his flawss. Or rather, she would argue with him about any number of things, but she always gave in in the end.
I have a lot more to say, but I need to sleep. More tomorrow.
*It’s a tad more nuanced than that, but it’ll do for now.