Things need to spiral out of control [..] to be real (Andrew)

[droqen]

Regarding Andrew (of INDIEPOCALYPSE)'s
Twitter Thread From March 19, 2022

[droqen]

Every instance of "this person is shit" always includes "talking about it would doom my career" and the implication that the rot goes all the way through. Like your words need a massive essay paired with them to be trusted.

[..]

Things need to spiral out of control to video essay investigation level of severity to be real or something. [emphasis mine]

Here coverage by mainstream media is conflated with reality, like the only way that something can be considered real is if everyone is talking about it. In this case by mainstream media I include non-traditional, decentralized forms of 'mainstream' such as something that is trending on Twitter, or even just something that "everyone is talking about," although the two have a way of being the same thing.

This is a major issue on a personal/individual level -- it gives away so much agency if you subscribe to an external perspective of reality. Let's rephrase:

"Things need to spiral out of control to video essay investigation level of severity .. before it's interesting enough to get a million people on the internet all talking about it at the same time on Twitter"

Social media isn't reality unless you let it be. And maybe that's alright, to allow it to become reality, but I'm enjoying choosing other realities with more of my friends in it, and fewer people in general.

~

Hmm. Okay, so obviously we can't just unsubscribe from reality, and Twitter is in fact something that people subscribe to as reality. Even if I opt out myself - either permanently or temporarily - I still know a lot of people who still use it, and who are members of my circles. But still. Social media is not reality. Press coverage is not reality. Words are not reality.

I surrounded myself with Twitter for a while and it took a long time to detangle myself from that virtual reality, but check me out, I'm free now! I'm not even replying on Twitter, I'm just putting my thoughts in an external vessel and sending them off into the ocean to be set on fire and die a noble death what am I even talking about

[droqen]

"your words need a massive essay paired with them to be trusted [embraced and multiplied a thousandfold by a vast network of acquaintances and total strangers]"

[droqen]

What people will talk about loudly in public is not reality.