Algenon’s Laws of Narcissistic Social Media Inertia, Politics and Popular Culture
“The more people pay attention to you and the more you feed off of that, the greater the chance you will say or do something epically stupid.”
“Turning to a social networking site or discussion forum for sympathy and understanding will provoke an equal and opposite reaction.”
“The difference between innovation and "look at me” stunt work has a distinct and exact correlation to the level of desperation and the lack of confidence in one’s own ability, skill or talent.“
"Internet fame is sort of like claiming you have a cheeseburger eating unicorn in your basement. You probably have a basement. Chances are a cheeseburger may have been actually eaten there. But no one has seen a fuckin’ unicorn…”
“If you wake up thinking (fueled by internet fame) you are at the top of your game, something will happen by lunchtime, at the latest, to prove that you aren’t.”
“A great deal of commerce is dependent on Online Marketing professionals trying to convince you should care about things that really have no affect on you.”
“Most media and news events are scripted. Actually….they ALL are.”
“The need for attention in social media has gotten to the point of creating a new fetish, where people seek attention and acknowledgement via ‘R.I.P' proclamations of pop culture figures they have not thought or cared about in years….perhaps ever.”
“Instagram…exists on the primary proposition that you are living a life that is greater than what is actual fact. Images may be true, but (outside of advertising) the context from the point that image was taken going forward is often not reflective of reality. So….in that sense…Instagram is founded on the construction of an narcissistic alternate reality. To put it bluntly: 'a lie.’”
“On the Internet…80% of the time (or more) the end goal is to get you to buy (or buy into) something that supports a very exclusive elite group of individuals.”
“The ultimate goal of what serves as Conservative and Progressive (Liberal) thought in this country is essentially the same: the consolidation of wealth and power to a very small (and pre-approved) subset of the citizen populous. Everything else is distraction. The differences in the two party system is merely cosmetic.”
“Corporations and BIG government are one in the same. To claim there is a difference in the conceptual definition of both entities reveals naivete or intent.”
“The 'Tea Party’ is akin to Cotton Candy. Sweet and assuring on a topical level to conservatives but ultimately and essentially fading and without substance as time moves on.”
“When organizations speak of the storage, manipulation and dissemination of 'Big Data’, your rights are being violated. EVERY time.”
“Everything Snowden has, Putin owns. It’s kinda obvious at this point.”
“Loneliness, failure and the need for self esteem manifests itself, sometimes, in the form of a defense mechanism that seeks to make over the top, extreme statements against others online. This behavior is hidden in what appears to be a weak attempt at criticism or debate. In actuality its a technique that covers inadequacies and makes the individual feel good while at the same time bringing that desperately sought after attention even if it is negative. This is the definition of the Internet Troll mostly, although giving a title to sad pathetic cries for help wrapped in anger, hate and denial is pretty shallow. These actions indicate other serious emotional and mental issues that are in need of…mending.”
“If there is anything Social Media has proven it is this: There is always room for self promotion on any topic, regarding any issue and in reaction to any event.”
“The most hurtful, vitriolic and intense comments, tweets and troll posts will ALWAYS comes from individuals who have absolutely NOTHING going on of value in their own lives.”
“The Internet supports, at times, the belief in the most inane, silly and ridiculous tales designed to stir up righteous fury. The amazing thing is that when these stories are debunked some people (who were offended and agitated by the original story) are disappointed and actually upset that their anger has been taken away by something as trivial as truth.”
“Status updates and posts to social media gives a person a unique opportunity to get personal with, potentially, a vast amount of individuals….much more than so called 'traditional’ forms of communication and interactions. This contact allows one to bare their soul and reveal their deepest desires, fears and dreams to a large community of people who may or may not be like minded. The expect result is, by putting yourself out there, you can learn and grow as a human….and align yourself with the network of thought that connects us all together. To reveal yourself….your TRUE self, for validation, support and evolution are the expected gifts of social networking….and you would be a FUCKING IDIOT to buy into any of that bullshit.”
“Government waste, greed, malfeasance, incompetence, dysfunction, and hunger for power and control over all is real and is always much sexier to talk about than the EXACT SAME THINGS happening in the private sector.”
“Government control over some process or procedure means it will be fucked. Privatizing the same process and procedure means it will be fucked, but someone will get paid (well) for the fuckery.”
“I’m pretty certain that most people who complain about 'click-baiting’ have clicked on 'bait’ very recently.”
“It’s assured that someone who starts a social networking post with 'This may lose me some friends but…’ are seeking to create dramatic conflict consciously and subconsciously seeking the 'pain’ of losing people off their Friends list, even though they outwardly don’t want that to happen. Confusing? Convoluted premise?? Exactly.”
“Communism and Socialism doesn’t work. History has proven this. Power always gets consolidated. Ambition always trumps any belief system. EVERYONE wants wealth. Anarchy is bullshit as well unless you are under the age of 30, wear black t-shirts and drink lots of Mountain Dew which, in that case, means you are just stupid.”
“Selective hypocrisy has always existed. It is only when the Internet emerged that it became a competition sport.”
“Never let those little things….y'know like truth and logic…get in the way of righteousness and keyboard bravery.”
“One of the biggest myths of the Internet is that all "Social Justice” rants are infallible and attaching the “-shaming” rider establishes blanket validity.“
"If you follow Miley Cyrus, JayZ, cAMgIRL234XXX, and some dude you know from the gym, you shouldn’t really expect to find insightful social and political discourse in your Twitter feeds…”
“Maybe its not schizophrenia when someone rallies against some social injustice in their Twitter feed and then, within 2-3 posts either 1) Tries to promote themselves, 2) Tries to sell something, 3) Tries to promote themselves AND sell something….but its pretty damn close.”
“Make no mistake….although pundits, scholars and deep thinkers may claim Social Media is a powerful tool for social change, in the end, the goal of any post, tweet, image upload or status update is SELF-PROMOTION. Always. No exception.”
“Contrary to prior belief….the Internet "breaks” often and on schedule.“
"Venting in social media is not necessarily an invitation to 'active’ response. It’s often self reflection and/or a deceptively complex request for attention and response within defined boundaries that are often unknown and misunderstood.”
“People love conflict…especially if it’s not happening to them and they can be voyeurs, sideline commentators or amateur psychiatrists. Social media feeds that conflict mania purposely to drive traffic and revenue while at the same time creating false illusions of fame and community. Take a look around. Listen and see what is out there. We’ve all suffered as a result.”
“All these attempts to make things academic, make a fetish, or create a ‘right’ for the common good are ultimately self-centered. It’s the result of staring at the shiny chalice of fame versus one’s own skills, capabilities and prospects…and seeing an abyss. The goal is to find justifications for one’s existence in moments, events, situations and communications that move at ridiculous speeds. Eventually, the plan becomes not one of overcoming adversity, but rather, how many rubes you can get to buy into your bullshit. The 'genius’ of this: it transcends gender, race, politics, religion and all the usual suspects. Righteous indignation has no limits. Anyone who disagrees is a heretic. Anyone who agrees deserves protection….until they are no longer useful.
It should not be surprising that this is the accepted mode of self promotion as it relates to social media.”
“It’s rather amazing how people who use the term ‘sheeple’ are loud, woolly and smell like wet hay.”
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(Algenon Pierce is a professional critic…whatever that means….in the areas of technology and pop culture. He lives in the Midwest, reads alot and has a tendancy to use the term “idiot” on a daily basis. His pets find him tolerable.)




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