Inked Lin is making me sick?
Paul King MSc (Psych)
I'm not 'a thing', but therapist, adviser, coach, artist, potter, and musician are some of the things I 'do'.
I am developing a hypothesis, which probably has enough evidence for a proto-theory, that Inked Lin (trying not to annoy the algo) is making me sick.
After a few weeks of creative practical work, moving around, thinking, and learning about new forms of art, and beginning to engage with some, I’m back at my desk. It could be my desk, but I paint from my desk too, and that’s all good. It could be the laptop, or it could be the admin I’ve had to do for clients. I don’t think so though.
As I read through posts on Inked Lin I find I’m not breathing, I become aware of my pulse, and I begin to recognize a familiar feeling – anxiety.
I stopped (mostly stopped) listening to the ‘news’ on the radio, and TV because it’s a stream of lazy attention-grabbing disaster, crime, and general pestilence punctuated by politicians saying nothing, double-speaking on-message sound bytes, or just lying. A while ago I (mostly) gave up on Bace Fook because It represented people who knew each other, or who should have some kind of common interest, falling out or being sycophantic. I realised I was doing these myself.
It seems to me that Inked Lin has now become both of these two things combined – the worst combination of the news, and Bace Fook. I’m not even going to mention Ex and ‘thuther one that’s basically Ex but without a few hyper-baddies.
The place is awash with a mixture or politically charged positioning and pop-psychology/ pseudo-philosophy self-help nonsense, replete with gangs or tribes of left-right aligned or conservative/ progressive bullhorn owners on either side of every issue. I think I’ve had a go at this myself, and although I able to offset a bit of bad feeling about myself by openly admitting this, it’s still not under control.
There are of course some interesting people and some interesting posts, but I’m wondering if I really want to pay for the privilege of gem hunting in a cesspool? I probably will. There are a lot of people I like to keep in touch with. I wrote about this a while ago, the urge to withdraw. I didn’t mean go away completely, I meant to diminish.
It’s difficult huh. Do you also find yourself tutting at and even reporting things beyond 5% fringes of your normal distribution curve of tolerance and denouncing them as unworthy of such an august platform, only to find yourself liking things that also have no place here, but you agree with? I find this a very hard one. I try to be even-handed and fail. I do try though.
There are two problems I think – the acceptance of dualism in pretty much all phenomena – choosing a side; not wanting to be the one in an established group who says ‘hang on, that’s not right/ fair’, or ‘the ‘others’ do have a point here’. The other is that if we ARE to have a business platform, then we must have false bon homme, sycophancy, and suck-uppery rather than intelligent dialectic and debate.
Actually, three problems. Most people with stable jobs could hardly care less about Inked Lin, until they need it if they’re looking for a favour, which WAS the original intention of course. Yes, it’s us parasites and a few over-enthusiastic employees and business owners virtue signaling to their tribes all squabbling and sharp elbows, trying to get noticed.
Unfortunately, like the ‘news’, what gets noticed is increasingly required to be partisan and/ or shocking. I’m not sure how to respond to my increasing understanding of the effect of Inked Lin on my mental and emotional health. Maybe I’ll just post about paintings and pots? Probably not though. ?
Writer - Speaker
1 年It's been interesting seeing all your very valid identification of 'problems.' Are you just as able to identify the good stuff all around you...let's see some of it. You have an extraordinary intellect and are gifted in many realms...try this for a month and then let's hear your summation of your experience with Inked Lin.
?? Senior Copywriter ?? Children’s Author ??Mindfulness Teacher
1 年Your blogs are the only thing I read now. I can't stand social media. It's bad for my health, sucks up my time. That said, mainstream media biases get on my nerves, so I tend to follow journalists and news sources on Instagram and then dig deeper if I feel inclined to do so. The more I relate to people, the less I like humans. ??
Systems Services (SysOps) Lead - Network, Cloud, Analytics, Security - Mac, ChromeOS/BSD Unix/Linux, Microsoft
1 年There's a bit of that everywhere online. Has been for decades. It even predates the internet as you now know it. Back in the USENET days, flame wars were a regular thing. And yes, mining gems among the dross is the norm, too. The price we pay for having many-to-many conversations. There's always one (or more) in every crowd. Troll, that is. We get to choose our respondents carefully. Smoother journeys.
Unlocking Potential Through Technology, Innovation, and Creative Collaboration
1 年When you drink too much water,?you may experience?water poisoning, intoxication, or a disruption of brain function. When you engage too much with Inked Lin... Everything has its limits, as explained by Einstein "good" and "bad" are relative
Career Musician~Ethical Vegan~Bonobo TV~Black Pearl Cabaret~Global Advocate/Activist
1 年Good points depending on how someone is using platforms. There is obviously garbage overload across the spectrum but those of us who are amongst the growing millions of changemakers utilize every opportunity we can in order to bring attention to the critical issues facing humanity, our planet and all those we share it with. Humanity is actually too far gone at this point and squarely facing the next mass extinction for numerous obvious reasons. Staying as optimistic as possible, what else is there to do but work on making the immediate necessary corrections that are desperately required? There is so much to discuss in a mature fashion but too many people choose the garbage route and use platforms for mudslinging. Stay positive and utilize your efforts on educating the educable with evidence-based information. The old adage needs to be shared: “You are either part of the problem or part of the solution.” There is no in between. But then again, there are psychological reasons to beliefs on both sides.