Working on your five-a-day? @Faris, the founder of Genius Steals, has a pyramid for you in which it is outlined that we are all being brainwashed.
In an eye-catching pyramid that he completely made up (he cops to it) the point is made that we love junk food for the brain just the same as we love junk food for the body. There's research to support this. And as "the war for attention and the magic glowing rectangle in your pocket push media into every nook and cranny of your day" peak (god I hope it's the peak) we have reached an average media consumption per day of 12 hours, 7 minutes. We had sure better hope there's a healthy way to consume.
@Faris' whole article is lovely and worth a read, but his core advocacy is downright beautiful. The food pyramid peddled by the WHO for 20 years taught us to "Eat food, not too much, mostly plants" to be healthy - he suggests we " Eat media, not too much, mostly arts" to do the same. In such a pyramid, the crap at the top is unhealthy, the wholesome foundation is good for you, and the structure itself is your total consumption.
@Faris puts "info-toxification" at the top, the content that confirms your existing worldview but embraces falsehood, and says to cut it out entirely. Social media and rolling newsfeeds are next - consume in limited amounts as they increase anxiety and decrease happiness. Interpersonal comms, broadcast tv, and email are fine (spam is bad) and come next, then at the bottom is self-selected entertainment like games and sows or movies, followed by educational, hobbyist, non-fiction, and journalistic media. This edification at the bottom is what we need to most of -good for the brain and the heart.
Go forth and consume - this news week may want to make you switch off a bit.
Yours in HAT,
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