Entertainment to death - scary prophecy for mankind

First published in 1985, Amusing Ourselves to Death – a sensational book about the corrosive impact of television and electronic media on human culture – is sung. praised as the book of the 21st century published in the 20th century. Now, with the explosion of the Internet, smartphones, social networks and virtual reality – the meaning of the book is even greater. 'Entertainment to death' is a prophetic look at what will happen when everything becomes the object of entertainment and social networks become a force that can manipulate and control people's minds.

Neil Postman ( 1931-2003 ) was an American critic and educator. In the book 'Amusing Ourselves to Death', roughly translated as 'Entertainment to death', the author raised a problem that makes readers wonder, that we are indulging in the pleasure created by modern communication tools that cannot be revived on their own, it not only makes us lose the ability to think seriously, but also can lead to the destruction of human culture.

The first lines of the opening of the book 'Entertainment to death', Neil Postman made a comment:

'We have our eyes on the science fiction novel '1984' by British writer and journalist George Orwell, published in 1949. When the year 1984 came and the prediction did not come true, our place… here [America] is not visited by the Orwellian nightmare.

But we have forgotten that, alongside the dark prospect Orwell predicted, there is another prophecy, older, less famous, but equally terrifying: 'The New World is fresh' beautiful' (Brave New World) by Aldous Huxley.

The novel '1984'

Orwell 's novel '1984' - ranked 13th in the 100 best novels of the 20th century - is the fantasy story of protagonist Winston Smith and his lover Julia. Smith works in the Ministry of Truth. He is responsible for censoring and editing history at the direction of Mr. Big Brother (a political party). Because they do not accept the falsehood and brutality of the Ministry of Truth, Winston and Julia turn against Elder. Both were captured and tortured. Winston betrayed Julia and denounced her lover. Julia undergoes brain surgery and Winston becomes a rambunctious corpse with a ruined personality.

Novel 'Beautiful New World'

Response 5 in the 100 best novels of the 20th century, the novel 'Brave New World' by Aldous Huxley, published in 1930, describes a society in 2540, where people were fertilized in test tubes and production lines. Childbearing and raising children (of the 'old times') were seen as filthy, disgusting scenes. Words like 'father', 'mum' are avoided as taboo. Family life is considered sick

To educate children, ready-made, rhyming sayings like maxims will be played thousands of times on loudspeakers while children sleep to imprint on the child's subconscious and create suggestions throughout life. life.

Thanks to highly developed technology, excess production ensures satisfaction of all material needs; consumption and enjoyment are encouraged; people are free to have fun, society provides them with recreational facilities, individuals are not allowed to spend time alone; because there is no need to worry about lack of material needs and no personal relationships, there is no need (and not allowed) minutes of quiet reflection.

Sex has only the sole purpose of pleasure, sexual instinct is unrestricted, but contraceptive measures are strictly applied because it is absolutely forbidden to get pregnant and give birth. Loyalty was seen as ludicrous and virginity was seen as disgusting. Homosexuality and adolescent sex are taken for granted. The entire cinema industry here is full of porn.

And that's what they call happiness: A happiness for all, equal! And to keep the happiness always full, there's one more thing: soma , which are hallucinogenic pills given out to people in rations; Whenever people feel sad, insecure, or unhappy, a soma will put them in a state of lethargy, without feeling, without consciousness, and they will feel happy again.

Neil Postman's Prophecy

Assessing the influence of technology and electronic media on society, at the beginning of the book 'Entertainment to death', Neil Postman made a terrifying prophecy:

Contrary to popular belief, Huxley and Orwell had completely opposite predictions. Orwell warns that we will succumb to an oppressive outside force. In Huxley's vision, there is no Big Brother that takes away human autonomy, maturity, and history. Everyone voluntarily loves that oppression and admires technologies that degrade their thinking ability.

What Orwell feared was that the novel would be banned, and what Huxley feared was that there was no reason to ban the book because no one wanted to read it. Orwell fears those who take away our information, and Huxley fears the media that gives us too much information will make us passive and selfish. Orwell fears that the truth will be hidden, Huxley fears the truth will be drowned in a sea of ​​irrelevant information. Orwell fears that culture will be controlled, Huxley fears culture will become mediocrity. In '1984', people are painfully controlled, while in 'Beautiful New World', people are controlled in pleasure. In short, Orwell fears what we hate will destroy us, and Huxley fears what we love will destroy us.

This book shows that Huxley, not Orwell, was right.'

Neil Postman, author of 'Entertainment to death' (source: neilpostman.org)

Was Orwell completely wrong?

In the communist countries, what Orwell envisioned was happening every day, every hour .

But, if we look closely at the US and the West in the last few decades, we will be surprised to see that American society has partly been and is moving to the perspective of '1984'.

However, in this article, we will only talk about Huxley's prophecy.

The form of media dominates the way culture thinks

The book 'Entertainment to death' by Neil Postman is based on the theory of Marshall McLuhan, the Canadian philosopher of communication theory who predicted the birth of the World Wide Web 30 years earlier .

McLuhan identified means (transportation, communication) as something that restructures human society, it creates and governs human activities, and changes the relationship between people.

McLuhan believes that the media is the message it conveys to people (The medium is the message). Like transportation, the media has changed the way people in a culture think.

As a culture moves from oral to written, to print and to television, the public's conception of 'truth', perception, and thinking also changes with the medium by which people communicate. get information.

'…The term 'serious television' is a contradiction in terms; and that television just spoke in a nagging voice - the voice of entertainment,' Neil Postman said.

Neil Postman discovered that 'most daily news [on television] is worthless, including information that gives us something to say but cannot lead to any actionable action. what meaning.'

In addition to music, entertainment, comedy, reality TV, TV series, etc., other TV programs about sports, even educational and religious programs, are presented in the form of entertain. News, politics, economy, society, religion, advertising… all must meet entertainment needs. Entertainment is the key to the success of TV stations.

The worrying thing about TV entertainment programs is creating a sense of pleasure, making viewers not need to brainstorm and can always feel happy and comfortable. It gives the public a habit of being dependent, receiving information passively, being lazy to think, afraid of reasoning and not wanting to analyze complex issues.

Simply put, the development of television has reduced the intellectual capacity of a section of the public.

The development of television has reduced the intellectual capacity of a part of the public (source: ro9drigo/Shutterstock)

Human desires amplified by modern media

Humans naturally seek psychological stimuli and tend to seek out things that can fulfill these desires.

It is not easy to realize that the content stimulates the mind of form - sex, the mind of self-expression, the mind that is eager to win, the mind that fights over defeat, the mind that is complacent, the mind that pursues material things. wearing a flashy shirt, The charm and attractiveness of gameshows, attractive movies, entertainment videos, 'e-sports', famous publications. create constant psychological stimulation to satisfy the needs of the players. People.

Powered by the Internet, smartphones, social networks, and sophisticated content recommendation algorithms, these content are increasingly spreading to every corner of the world, amplifying the pursuit of mental stimuli. human desires and desires.

Illustration (pathdoc/shutterstock)

The age of social networks – the age of 'entertainment to death'

According to the experts who created it, social networks are not merely a tool waiting for people to come and use it, it has its own goals that we often do not pay attention to. These platforms constantly connect with audiences, enticing viewers to spend more money. Profit is the most important goal with these platforms.

Tim Kendall, former president of Pinterest and former head of Monetisation on Facebook, recounted a situation where he couldn't take his eyes off his phone even though he got home. Tim thinks he invented something to work during the day and fall into its own trap at night. 'I couldn't get out of the quagmire,' Tim said.

'It's a feeling you're familiar with, I'm familiar with and we all empathize, even if it doesn't have to be the chairman of a big corporation. We've all fallen prey to social media and technology , fully aware but almost unable to escape,' Tim Kendall shared.

In one study, 70% of people admitted that they had to log into the first social network as soon as they opened their computer or mobile device.

Today's explosion of the Internet, mobile applications, social networks and video games is causing a new wave of addiction. They are like a mental drug, injected with a syringe under the skin that is the cell phone in everyone's pocket at all times, said Anna Lembke, psychiatrist and professor at the University of Stanford said.

In fact, social networks are easier to get addicted to than alcohol or drugs because they are more popular, widely accepted by the community, and are almost completely free.

Neuroscientists found that, similar to when people use other stimulants such as alcohol, beer, drugs, etc., when using social networks, surfing the web, playing video games or watching video games. favorite TV shows, the brain will create a storm of dopamine , a chemical neurotransmitter that creates feelings of joy, euphoria, and reward. When you stop using digital applications, dopamine will not be released anymore, the brain will remember because it has been addicted to dopamine, and cause feelings of lack, anxiety, fear, stress, sluggishness, no want to work and lose direction in life…

This reminds us of the happy and euphoric somas mentioned in the book 'Beautiful New World'.

For many people, the need to use social networks is even higher than the desire to sleep and rest (source: TheVisualsYouNeed/shuttestock)

Social networks are deeply rooted in the minds of each person, especially the younger generation, gradually depriving each individual of intrinsic values ​​and identity. Young people are skeptical of their own identity, personal identity is constantly suggested by social networks. They are suggested in the newsfeed – 'fed' by different information, accurately calculated by algorithms, creating individual doubts about identity: Who am I? Does the information I see reflect who I am? Is what I once thought true still true?

Anna Lembke is seeing more and more young patients who come to her clinic with symptoms of depression, anxiety and even suicidal thoughts because of their addiction to dopamine from digital apps.

According to Jonathan Haidt, a professor of psychology at New York University, since 2009 - when social media became popular, the number of girls aged 15-19 years old who were hospitalized for self-harm has increased by 62 %, from 10-14 years old increased by 189% over the previous decade. Meanwhile, the number of girls aged 15-19 who committed suicide increased by 70% and the number of girls aged 10-14 who committed suicide increased by 151% compared to 10 years ago.

The number of girls hospitalized for self-harm has increased with the popularity of social media (source: screenshot/Netflix)

These things show that Neil Postman was right when he correctly stated that, in today's age of insatiable entertainment and entertainment, the destroyer of humanity is not an 'enemy' or the things we hate and fear. , but most likely the pastimes, the things we love and indulge in.

The number of girls aged 15-19 who commit suicide increased by 70% and the number of girls aged 10-14 who committed suicide increased by 151% compared to 10 years ago (source: Neflix screenshot)

How to escape the manipulation of modern media?

In his book 'Entertainment to death', Neil Postman observes: ' When a citizen becomes distracted by gossip, when cultural life is redefined as a perpetual loop of entertainment… the country. that is at risk, the destruction of the culture can be clearly seen'.

Archaeological findings over the past 100 years have shown that human civilization has been destroyed many times. The end of human civilization this time has also been foretold when humanity's morality has become extremely corrupt, when the living environment has been destroyed, people are immersed in pleasures and ready to eat. ready to 'entertainment to death'.

Dr. Anna Lembke and many scientists have come up with a solution to detoxing dopamine from social networks and digital applications by advising people to stay away from mobile applications, spend time in sports, activities. outdoors, meeting face-to-face with friends and family, or doing more meaningful work.

Another expert-recommended natural remedy for those who are addicted to social media and digital apps is to practice meditation. Scientists have found that practicing meditation can help increase the amount of natural dopamine in the brain by 65%, which helps to balance emotions while maintaining a positive attitude towards life.

Meditation can help detox from social media and digital apps

In the cycle of life, many of us cannot answer the questions 'who are we?', 'what is the purpose of human existence?', so they easily fall into a sense of surrender. , let the digital apps manipulate themselves. However, if we really know the good source of life and the true purpose of human life is extremely great and profound, perhaps we will be more courageous to refuse the temptations. of electronic communication and digital applications to step back on the path back to the true self of being?