Netflix is the Killer

Today, I have made the decision to stop watching Netflix series, computer gaming and big social media like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc.

They know exactly how to hook you.

They have all sorts of subjects of series for you, cater to different emotions you crave. If the current state of the web is broken, it is not merely because it is run by exploitative multinational corporations, but it is run by corporations that exploit our desires: for inclusion, for validation, for attention, for power. Once they found something you keep watching, they give you more and more of that. Same for social networks.

That dopamine hit is so much easier to get from Netflix than from results of serious work -- though even this can be made fun.

The moment to watch out for is when you keep watching the next episode and the next and the next, when you procrastinate instead of getting things done, which you know you have to do and are good for you, or which benefit you in the mid-term, like the finish of a project with a paycheck.

They want you to spend more and more time on their services. Netflix: You will not quit the subscription if you have constant times of dopamine joy, killing your source of dopamine hits? Same with computer gaming, same with social media and various apps.

A great book on the subject is "Hooked" by Nir Eyal.

Documentaries are usually fine as they are usually separate closed-off one-time productions, contain no cliff-hangers and contain useful content. Also comedic series ok too where each episode is separate, unconnected and can easily be turned off. There are also alternate social networks like the Mastodon federated network; research Fediverse, ActivityPub and OStatus which offer more honest/real social networking.

Do not let yourself be degraded to a black box (or even white -- meaning transparent -- box) they can game and trick.

Do not let them rob your life and puppet you around. There is only one prime time of your life, make good use of it and achieve the things you dream about.

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