We spend time online differently. Some immerse themselves in the political, others random entertainment, others life tips and self improvement, shopping or food porn, celebrity news, stalking, nostalgia, social signaling, special interests, causes and often a mixture of them all.
It’s addictive. The rotating smorgasbord of information kicks our amygdalas into overdrive. The amygdala’s role was/is to keep scanning… for threats, opportunities, looking for differences and what wasn’t there before. Newness. It’s hardwired. It juices our limbic systems.
The skittish survive and pass on their genes. Doesn’t matter they drop dead after procreating from stress related disorders, they served their purpose in propagating our species. That’s how nature works. You’re welcome.
But it can also be leveraged by our nascent executive function, perhaps more to our advantage. The same addictiveness can be attached to a stream of learning and deepening of what is relevant to us. That nourishes us rather than merely distracts and numbs. We can tap incredibly rich veins in a matrix of information, we can feed our souls and spirits rather than our biases, ego and instincts. And subvert the systems of nature and commerce to our soul advantage