Acharya Prashant responds to a question about the relevance of Vedantic teachings to contemporary issues like social media by explaining that Vedanta investigates the mind. He describes the mind as having a dual nature: its deepest desire and ultimate destiny is liberation, yet it is habituated to all kinds of bondages. This condition, which he terms human consciousness, means our inclinations, tendencies, and habits are often at odds with our own welfare. We need liberation, but we want and slip towards bondages, making the mind an entity at odds with its own real interests. The speaker connects this to social media by noting the mind's attraction to pomp, show, sexuality, and the display of riches. The mind enjoys being entertained so much that it sometimes deliberately keeps itself in illusions. It slips easily towards falseness, while rising towards knowledge, understanding, and liberation requires discipline and deliberate effort. Social media technology exploits these tendencies. The mind, feeling lonely since birth, craves company and social attention, which platforms like Facebook or Twitter provide. The easiest way to gain this attention is by peddling mischief, as others are also attracted to it. Consequently, the lowest common denominator and the worst aspects of humanity spread like wildfire. Acharya Prashant elaborates that what is sublime and worthy requires effort, time, patience, and discipline to cultivate and propagate, whereas mischief and falseness spread on their own and are contagious. Social media has amplified the worst within us. As users, we have put this technology to the worst use, serving our lowly tendencies, as is our habit. This has led to a situation with no accountability, where anyone can say anything, and the worse the content, the faster it spreads. The result is billions of faceless, anonymous mischief-makers. The speaker concludes that regulation is now impractical and impossible, as one cannot regulate so many people or legislate against intentions. The only solution is individual responsibility, fostered by a cultural environment with spirituality at its center. He asserts that real spirituality and core self-inquiry (Vedanta) must be promoted and become part of mainstream education, calling it a historical emergency and a do-or-die situation for humanity.
