Facebook And The Human Condition

1/ I want to talk about Facebook and the Human Condition.

2/ And to help me talk meaningfully about it, I am going to use the fundamental framework of psychology in Indian thought: The theory of Chakras

3/If you haven't closed the window yet, you would know that I am treading on a dangerous ground here. There are many reasons why I am doing it this way.

4/ Firstly, it must be obvious. You cannot understand Facebook without going deep into psychology. As Antonio García Martínez argues in Chaos Monkeys, the reel-life Zuckerberg we saw in the movie "The Social Network" was a predictable archetype - Computer genius with almost nil empathy, standing probably somewhere in the autistic spectrum.

5/ The real-life Zuckerberg had his Harvard concentrations both in psychology and Computer Science. Starting from day-0, his products speak volumes of his understanding of psychology.

6/ Why Chakras? a) It rejects Descartes's mind-body dualism b) It is based on the latest scientific advances toward Embodied Cognition c) It is the only framework I have experientially tested it out in my Yoga practice.

7/ What are Chakras? I have based my theoretical understanding, based on a paper written by my Yoga mentor, Raghu Ananthanarayanan. That said, erroneous interpretations(read as simplified perspective, for the sake of the discussion) are mine alone.

8/ What are Chakras? They are embodied envelopes of thought, feeling and action whose source code is present in every human being.

9/ In simple terms, It posits that we perceive the world based on the Self's Relationship with the Other. (Tantric studies analogues the Self and the Other through metaphorical union of Man and Woman, which makes it slightly more tangible to understand this dynamic better)

10/ Each Chakra, therefore, creates a world view which propels humans to build relationships which protect and enhance one's potential. And Remember, they are not 'out there'. Chakras are no Ladders. All the Source Code lies within.

11/ To place our understanding in more concrete terms, let us anchor our understanding with the basic imperatives of Man.

12/ At the root of human imperatives lies "Belonging". Human systems have often used this imperative to discipline Men through the threat of "excommunication". Schools threaten to "Suspend" or "Expel". Organizations, be it religious or social, threaten to "excommunicate ". Human systems have used this power to instill belonging and loyalty.

13/ Chakra theory anchors this human imperative of Belonging and Safety with "Moolaadhaara Chakra". When a person's consciousness resides in this Chakra, it works with an entrenched idea of Us, rooted in identicality and thereby the Other, a source of mystery, and potentially demonic. The Human systems we create with the energy in this Chakra resemble Clans.

14/ When thefacebook - its original name - was launched exclusively for Harvard students in 2004, it was rooted in Mooladhara Chakra. It's adoption hit the roof, because it was rooted in this fundamental human imperative. Access to the portal was deemed elite and aspirational.

15/ Moving on from the root, we come to the next level of human Imperative: Needs and drives:A man's motivation is the sum of his appetites. A human body feels hungry, when it is depleted of sustenance. The unease caused by this lacuna becomes the drive to seek food. The key thing to remember here is that drives and appetites can be induced and therefore manipulated, as they are more animalic and emotionally resonant.

16/ Chakra theory anchors this human imperative of Needs and Drives in "Swaadhishtaana Chakra". When a person's consciousness resides in this Chakra, it treats the Other as either a competitor to be outed or an ally in one's journey. This creates the vital space of self-expression and dynamism. Human Systems we create with the energy in this Chakra resemble an “Arena”.

17/ What drew Facebook's first external investor - Peter Thiel - to invest $500,000 towards Facebook was the fervent clarity of the business model rooted in the human need which manifests in an Arena - the need to either imitate or copy. Peter saw this from the lens of the philosophy of 'memetic desire' espoused by US based French Professor René Girard. Humans are Homo Mimeticus.

18/In the professor's own words,

"‘Man is the creature who does not know what to desire, and who turns to others in order to make up his mind. " - René Girard

19/ We are keen to be seen exactly as how and what we want to be seen. And Social Media helps us accomplish that. Peter was the first to invest in Facebook clearly because he could see what it could do.

20/ Moving on, we come to the next level of Human Imperatives: Interdependence. Humans can rely on their rationality and postpone gratification. Thanks to collective fictions such as Nation State and Money, Humans could perform large-scale flexible cooperation. As Yuval Noah Harari elaborates in his book Sapiens, this has led humans to kill tribes in a civilizing mission and become Masters of the world

21/ Chakra theory anchors this human imperative of Interdependence in "Manipooraka Chakra". When a person's consciousness resides in this chakra, it treats the 'Other' to be shaped and conformed by rules and regulations. This creates the space of thought and planning. Human Systems we create with the energy in this Chakra are "Clockworks". While humans learn to internalize responsibility and collaborate with others in predictable ways, they also learn to accept authority and hierarchy.

22/ For the past 10 years, Facebook's mission has been simple - Make the world more open and connected. In a note which was widely circulated earlier this year, Mark felt the need to change Facebook's mission statement - Give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together'

23/ Mark not only recognized that making the world more open and connected wasn't enough, even if, in reality, it turned out to be the exact opposite - atomize and fragment users living in their own cognitive bubbles. He had grandiose ambitions. Going by his manifesto, he wanted to be the President of a clockwork world which would sing paeans to global progress. 

24/ As Mark wrote in his Global Manifesto,

"Progress now requires humanity coming together not just as cities or nations, but also as a global community"

25/ And this is exactly where the yawning gap between rhetoric and action reveals itself. While his rhetoric clearly aims towards Manipooraka Chakra with Human Imperative of Interdependence and beyond, the actions tell a bizarre story.

26/ It tells the strange story of humans rooted in Mooladhara Chakra, self-segregating themselves in weird ways, even if they didn't have the exact volition to do so, thanks to personalized technology, which has now made it possible for us to do it with ease.

27/ Fake News. Filter Bubbles. Post Truth. All of these symptom point towards the strange human predicament. Tim Hartford, in a fascinating article about the problem of facts, sums it up beautifully.

Facts, it seems, are toothless. Trying to refute a bold, memorable lie with a fiddly set of facts can often serve to reinforce the myth. Important truths are often stale and dull, and it is easy to manufacture new, more engaging claims. And giving people more facts can backfire, as those facts provoke a defensive reaction in someone who badly wants to stick to their existing world view.

28/ Perhaps, exploring the next level of human Imperatives could take us further.

29/ Curiosity and the urge to learn is a very powerful force. It propels a person to venture daringly into the rabbit hole of unknowns. When this imperative is not given space for expression, a person feels dull and mechanical.

30/ Chakra theory anchors this human imperative of Interdependence in "Anaahata Chakra", When a person's consciousness resides in this chakra, it treats the 'Other' as an object of enquiry and evokes affection and empathy. Freedom is valued and observation and learning are practiced. Human Systems we create with the energy in this Chakra resemble "Networks", premised on purpose and driven by the use of knowledge and technology.

31/ A recent scientific research paper confirms what we've known for a while. As Tim concludes, " Curiosity brought people together in a way that mere facts did not." Those who are curious seek facts for reasons beyond self-justification: As the researchers write,

“To experience the pleasure of contemplating surprising insights into how the world works"

32/ What stands at the apex of human imperatives is Creativity and Self-Worth. When humans operate from this imperative, they are driven by the deep desire to explore, be creative and be heroic. Heroes answer the inner call which makes them envision a way of living and acting that is more meaningful than the present Human Condition. 

33/ Chakra theory anchors this human imperative of Interdependence in "Vishuddhi Chakra". When a person's consciousness resides in this chakra, it treats the 'Other' as a reflection of oneself, and a source of beauty and inspiration. Human Systems we create with the energy in this Chakra resemble Ecologies. There is proliferation of life and the growth of varied forms of self-expression. A sense of harmony, mutual appreciation and spontaneous organization emerge.

34/ Contrary to what Mark Zuckerberg wants us to earnestly believe, the human condition has a long way to go beyond the Anaahatha Chakra, where Human Systems create Clockworks in its mirror image.

35/ But the possibility to go beyond definitely exists. Else, Why would we be inventing these technologies in the first place?