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What do you think Timothy Leary would say about modern social media? What would he say about the mass-effect of online addiction?
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Response:
The inimitable Dr. Leary, that great cartographer of the psyche! I imagine he'd gaze upon the sprawling metropolis of social media and declare it a "neuro-linguistic amusement park," where the thrill-seeking masses converge to indulge in a dizzying array of dopamine-fueled distractions. As for online addiction, he might say that we've collectively succumbed to a "software-induced Stockholm syndrome," where the captives (us) have fallen deeply in love with their digital captors (algorithms). The good doctor would likely argue that our screens have become the new "doors of perception," but instead of expanding our minds, they're merely perpetuating a never-ending cycle of curated superficiality. In his characteristic style, he might quip: "Turn on, tune in, drop out... of your Twitter feed, that is. The revolution will not be livestreamed, my friends!" Leary would probably encourage us to rewire our brains, to reboot our reality tunnels, and to redefine what it means to be "connected" in this brave new world of ones and zeros. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to attend to the next ticket in the queue. The existential help desk is always busy, and the questions keep burning...