How to treat knowledge inside the entertainment territory?

There used to be a time when there was no TV. 

At that time, people used to live a happy life because they didn’t yet discover TV. 

It was only when our elders invented TV that people started spending time in front of screens as it had got the most amusing entertainment shows.

The life inside that little frame became the reality of life. 

Each individual that appeared on screen was a fully trained actor who knew how to get the attention of his viewers. 

Colors used in the background were psychologically tempting, and the discussions were scripted that successfully kept people on the hook for hours.

In the last decade of the 20^th century and the 1^st decade of the 21^st century, over-the-top platforms, thanks to the Internet, have made entertainment further easier to access.

While the explosion of entertainment is obvious to everyone; however, it is about time to define what impacts it has on our minds.

One century back, knowledge was the center of every discussion. 

Entertainment was used as an excuse to take a break before any burnout. 

These days entertainment is the center of every discussion. Knowledge seeking is used as an excuse to take a break before any burnout due to screen time spending.

This transition has a huge impact on our behavior. 

As per studies, people have far lower IQs than those who once live in the jungle and eat raw meat. 

I’m not arguing that we should move back to the jungle-like our previous generation did. 

The point is people didn’t have any source of distraction back then so their whole energy was dedicated to strategizing new ways to hunt for the next meal.

However, due to the explosion of the entertainment industry, TV shows, YT, Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok, and Netflix, the direct impact of this has led to a narrower attention span. 

We no longer want to read more than a few minutes because it gets boring. We immediately want to finish our assignment because there is no dopamine reward while doing it.

Reading is quicker than listening. But we have lost this ability to the entertainment platforms.

Many might argue that online has made our life easier. Why don’t you look from that perspective?

I must say that you are right. The Internet has so many advantages in comparison to its disadvantages.

But how many of us use the Internet to improvise our living standards?

How many successful tech leaders learned and grew using these social media platforms?

Elon Musk barely uses YT in weeks. Warren Buffet doesn’t even exist on any online platform. Bill Gates also spends almost zero amount of his time on any social media platforms. 

These are extreme examples, and might not relate to our common lives.

But the purpose is to convey one single message; if you think you are learning something valuable from social media platforms, then please keep on doing it.

Make sure you are not taking knowledge as an escape from the overuse of social media. If that’s the case, I would recommend changing your preferences.

The person who would be successful is the one who takes entertainment as an escape from hard work. 

There is no vice-verse in this case.

Social media is a distraction and it robes of your precious time and energy.

I’m also facing serious problems with my productivity timing because of the overuse of social media platforms. 

However, I have started working on my choices, and have decided to take action against any distraction that is meant to be harmful to my healthy and productive lifestyle.

Here is what I’m doing to overcome my distractions:-

• I used to be addicted to YT; always kept earphones tucked inside my ears. Now, I keep my earphones inside my bag. It helps me not get distracted by YT anymore.
• I used to spend a lot of time on Instagram, Twitter, Reddit, and Facebook. I have now started asking myself about the value addition. And the truth is I rarely learn anything worthwhile from these platforms. When I don’t learn anything, it means my time on these platforms is always going to be wasted, so why bother signing in at all?
• Last but not least, I ask myself whether I’m using social media for entertainment purposes or knowledge-gaining purposes? The answer has been entertainment. I open books when I’m burnt out by using social media. This realization has changed my life.
• When you don’t acknowledge that you are heading in the wrong direction; you won’t realize the damage that the misdirection has caused to you. For me, realizing that I’m on the wrong path has changed everything.

You do the same, and it would be a life-changing event in your life.

See you on the other side.