I recently came across a thought-provoking video that delved into the struggle of overcoming internet addiction. The speaker reflected on a decade lost to the virtual world, a place that often felt more real than reality itself. Despite having a successful freelancing career and a growing YouTube channel, they found themselves regretting the time wasted scrolling aimlessly online, neglecting their dreams of building websites or apps.
The speaker rationalized their internet use as a form of learning, amassing a wealth of knowledge but rarely applying it. They emphasized the importance of breaking this habit for a better financial, physical, intellectual, and spiritual life. However, they also acknowledged that total ascension from the internet isn’t realistic. Overcoming internet addiction, they argued, requires a mindset shift rather than relying solely on willpower or external restrictions.
Quitting the internet isn’t about giving up something valuable; it’s about lifting a weight off your mind. The initial boredom fades, revealing genuine desires. Without constant online stimulation, real life may seem less entertaining, but it allows for the rediscovery of personal interests. Breaking free from the internet allows you to think for yourself, form original opinions, and deal with underlying issues. By ceasing to identify as an internet-addicted person, redirecting impulses becomes easier, leading to a more fulfilling and self-directed life.
This got me thinking: Is simply replacing internet consumption with another form of consumption, like reading books, truly purposeful? To make life more meaningful, I believe the most important paradigm shift is to become a producer rather than a consumer. If you’re reading books but not applying the knowledge to build something, isn’t it just as unproductive as doom-scrolling the internet?
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic.
Video TLDR
Reflecting on a lost decade to internet addiction, especially the last five years, I realize the virtual world felt more real, resulting in regrets over wasted time. Despite a decade of freelancing, I took the easy route, neglecting dreams like building websites or apps. While my YouTube channel grew, I abandoned other passions, spending hours scrolling online without real enjoyment. Rationalizing it as learning, I amassed knowledge but rarely applied it. Breaking this habit is crucial for a better financial, physical, intellectual, and spiritual life, though total ascension isn’t realistic. Overcoming internet addiction requires a mindset shift rather than relying on willpower or external restrictions. Quitting the internet isn’t about giving up something valuable; it’s like lifting a weight off your mind. Initial boredom fades, revealing genuine desires. Without constant online stimulation, real life may seem less entertaining, but it allows rediscovery of personal interests. Breaking free lets you think for yourself, form original opinions, and deal with underlying issues. By ceasing to identify as an internet-addicted person, redirecting impulses becomes easier, leading to a more fulfilling and self-directed life.
No. Full stop.
I study rhetoric purely for personal pleasure and use my developing “talents” to…argue with people on the internet. Well, I’m in graduate school, and writing assignments are basically cake walks these days. So, that is an actual, productive use of my personal study of rhetoric, but other than that, I’m not producing anything with that information (even though, like the YouTuber, I do want to be productive with it…anyway…)
A lot of topics and subjects are “inoculative”. By that, I basically mean that merely having the knowledge probably prevents you from believing the opposite (often false) things. An anthropologist is unlikely to be convinced by the arguments of creationism, for example. Rhetoric is like that, except…on steroids. It’s a little bit of logic and art; of grammar and style; of history and current affairs; of science and the humanities. Because rhetoric is about the means by which people persuade others, in this polarized era, being able to spot and clearly identify the different methods modern persuaders use is instrumental in not being fooled.
My knowledge about computers innoculates me against “YOUR COMPUTER NEEDS TO BE UPDATED! DOWNLOAD HERE!” messages. And my knowledge about rhetoric and the different types prevents me from believing poorly structure arguments that are frequent in politics on every side. A rocket scientist that needs to account for the rotation of the earth will be able to identify why a flat earth simply doesn’t make sense.
In other words, accruing and having real knowledge prevents declined productivity.
You just made an argument for reading books and applying the knowledge to build something because that first paragraph is ripe for copy pasta.
I’ve been thinking about diving into rhetoric study. Do you have a suggestion as to a good book or other source for someone like me to get started?
Thank You For Arguing was the first book I ever read about rhetoric. It’s a fun, funny, and informative read. Its a very practical book, too. I can’t recommend this book enough. It has gems like this:
It sounds sociopathic (and it absolutely can be…abusers are very skilled at being persuasive), but it doesn’t have to be. Abusive rhetoric is just as much rhetoric as a presidential speech.
The Elements of Eloquence is also a really fun, practical book. If you’re a writer, it will be immediately useful, too. It doesn’t really focus on rhetoric as a means of persuasion, but goes into great detail with tons of examples about specific rhetorical figures. If you want to learn to turn a phrase, read this book.
If you just want a comprehensive one-stop-shop for rhetoric, then Classical Rhetoric for the Modern Student. It is an academic book. But it doesn’t really read like one. It turns out that rhetoric professors write with an engaging style? I guess that’s a byproduct of having studied and taught it for years or something. Anyway, you can find it online and just download it. But I’m definitely going to buy this book one day. It’ll 100% be worth it.
Those are my top 3 recommendations.
That is awesome. Thank you so much! I’ve added them to my reading list!
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