Very interesting discussion, Aidan. One aspect missing here is the issue of the role dopamine plays in the reward. We get addicted to scrolling social media apps, in large part, because of the dopamine hits triggered by likes and comments on our posts and photos and certain types of reels. We are not only acting out reinforced, incentivized behaviors, a la Skinner's pigeons; we are also triggering the release of addictive chemicals in our brain that keep us going back for more.
I’m only 4 paragraphs in but I have to speak up, because I began to notice the ‘Everything is getting turned into a game, because fun’ trend way back, when watching the first Lord Of The Rings movie and noticed the chases in the caverns scenes were gameplay-like sequences. (Let’s say they are not my favorite scenes.)
Over the last ~20 years since then, I’ve constantly had to deal with / having to tolerate similar viewing experiences. And I have to ask the world:
What if you don’t like playing games?
It’s very de-motivating, a challenge to getting involved in or interested in anything I otherwise would participate in. (Rhetorical follow-up question: Is that also a game?)
Now that I’ve read the entire post I now also have to say, I believe I may have trained myself to somewhat ignore status games. Or I’ve gotten good at independently assessing what I admire distinct from what a crowd likes. While I read those first 4 paragraphs, before I first commented, I wondered whether I had skills - if they can be seen as skills - that other people could benefit from. The initial work, I suppose, would be distilling my experience and knowledge into teachable points. (Pondering … , Pondering … 🤔)
Anyway, as soon as Skinner was mentioned, and mentioned as someone most people would not be familiar with, I recalled first learning about him and his theories and tenets back in high school. (That would be the mid 1970s, since I’m sure no one here knows me.) Other stuff, a lot of other stuff, influenced me later. But maybe I’ve been committed to (or sometimes stuck at?) not so often participating enthusiastically with crowds or trends which obviously have little value, other than going along to get along.
Forgive me for thinking / presuming I have something to offer here. I’m largely just sorting out (“processing”) my thoughts in the act of writing a comment.
Very interesting discussion, Aidan. One aspect missing here is the issue of the role dopamine plays in the reward. We get addicted to scrolling social media apps, in large part, because of the dopamine hits triggered by likes and comments on our posts and photos and certain types of reels. We are not only acting out reinforced, incentivized behaviors, a la Skinner's pigeons; we are also triggering the release of addictive chemicals in our brain that keep us going back for more.
I’m only 4 paragraphs in but I have to speak up, because I began to notice the ‘Everything is getting turned into a game, because fun’ trend way back, when watching the first Lord Of The Rings movie and noticed the chases in the caverns scenes were gameplay-like sequences. (Let’s say they are not my favorite scenes.)
Over the last ~20 years since then, I’ve constantly had to deal with / having to tolerate similar viewing experiences. And I have to ask the world:
What if you don’t like playing games?
It’s very de-motivating, a challenge to getting involved in or interested in anything I otherwise would participate in. (Rhetorical follow-up question: Is that also a game?)
Now that I’ve read the entire post I now also have to say, I believe I may have trained myself to somewhat ignore status games. Or I’ve gotten good at independently assessing what I admire distinct from what a crowd likes. While I read those first 4 paragraphs, before I first commented, I wondered whether I had skills - if they can be seen as skills - that other people could benefit from. The initial work, I suppose, would be distilling my experience and knowledge into teachable points. (Pondering … , Pondering … 🤔)
Anyway, as soon as Skinner was mentioned, and mentioned as someone most people would not be familiar with, I recalled first learning about him and his theories and tenets back in high school. (That would be the mid 1970s, since I’m sure no one here knows me.) Other stuff, a lot of other stuff, influenced me later. But maybe I’ve been committed to (or sometimes stuck at?) not so often participating enthusiastically with crowds or trends which obviously have little value, other than going along to get along.
Forgive me for thinking / presuming I have something to offer here. I’m largely just sorting out (“processing”) my thoughts in the act of writing a comment.