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Is social media the culprit? || Acharya Prashant (2018)
Acharya Prashant
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6 years ago
Mind
Self-worth
Social Media
Addiction
Self-knowledge
Tendencies
Internalization
Identity
Description

Acharya Prashant explains that the mind is an aggregation of influences that promise relief to the thirsty individual. He emphasizes that social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn are not the culprits, as they lack agency and consciousness; rather, they are tools used according to one's existing tendencies. The tendency to seek self-worth in the eyes of others existed long before modern technology, manifesting through neighbors, telephone circles, or even carrier pigeons. He argues that addiction to these platforms is driven by a perceived lack of self-worth, which results in fear and further addiction. Instead of blaming the medium, one should examine the internal tendency and the source of the feeling of worthlessness. Acharya Prashant suggests that social media can also be a vehicle for precious knowledge depending on the seeker's intent. He concludes that true wisdom lies in investigating how the idea of lack was internalized and that self-knowledge is the key to overcoming these cycles.