Yes, social media does popularize, does globalize. The question is what? What? Not the things that would elevate human consciousness but the things that would debase you. Why? Because biologically in the evolutionary sense we are animals. No? And the first instinct is towards very primitive kinds of pleasures. Even the greatest of intellectuals, you might find them struggling to manage their diabetes. You see, he's a great intellectual. Yet the jungle within, the animal within is still very powerful.
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Questioner: Acharya ji, now I wanted to backtrack to one of the talks that you had where you sort of were referring to social media and just the impact that it has on the youth. So and how it sort of offers us a limited window into reality and also paints us just a glimpse and not the entire picture. You know, sometimes I myself find myself in the clutches of this narrow digital sphere where every sort of post and update seems to shape my perception of the world even though consciously I am aware that it's curated to serve someone else's interests. So as I navigate my own path and strive for authenticity according to you, how can I learn to distinguish the genuinely uplifting influences of social media from those that are merely conditioned to restrict me or manipulate the way I see life.
Acharya Prashant: Just as you choose the right company for yourself in the physical world. Similarly, you choose who to associate with or follow in the virtual world. The rules are much the same. What is this fellow after? What does he want to bring to me and why? You see, social media algorithms are written to give you more of what you already are. They are designed to appease you. They are designed to reinforce what you already believe in. And in this way, they destroy you. So just as in choosing the right company, you do not want to choose someone who will keep giving you more of yourself.
