You are the average of 5000 idiots on the Internet
They used to say you're the average of the five people you spend the most time with. That was before the internet hijacked your attention span and filled your brain with digital sludge.
Today, your closest companions aren’t friends, mentors, or thoughtful voices. They're algorithmically boosted, attention-seeking strangers yelling into the Internet void—clickbait journalists, TikTok dancers, Twitter thinkbois, clout-chasing grifters, promiscuous influencers, silly comedy Reelers, and conspiracy-peddling uncles in WhatsApp group chats. In short: idiots.
And the worst part? They’re shaping you.
Your brain—like an AI model—is plastic. Moldable. Continuously trained on whatever data you feed it. And right now, you’re feeding it junk. Doomscroll long enough and you’re not just consuming idiocy—you’re becoming it.
Look at your feed. Really look.
Out-of-context quotes. Shallow outrage. Celebrity gossip no one will remember in 48 hours. Fake experts selling fake solutions. Outrage bait. Political brain-rot. Pseudo-deep hot takes that dissolve under the slightest scrutiny. This isn’t information—it’s pollution.
And it doesn’t just clutter your mind. It rewires it. Fast, shallow, scattered. You become less patient, less curious, less capable of deep thought or work. It’s like letting your brain be trained by a horde of drunk monkeys with smartphones.
We’ve been here before. Cable news broke our parents. Now social media is breaking us—faster and more addictively.
Don't just trust my angsty rhetoric. You have probably noticed changes in yourself and people around you over time and during high phone use days. We also have several data sources showing sharp declines in cognitive ability globally, since ~2013 when smartphones became mainstream.
So what’s the antidote?
Be ruthless about your mental diet. Curate your inputs like your life depends on it—because it kind of does. Quit the infinite scroll. Mute the noise. Seek signal.
Favor depth over dopamine. Seek what you need, instead of consuming whatever is on your feed. Read long-form content like books and essays. Watch talks, real documentaries, and well-made movies. Follow thinkers who value clarity over virality. Join niche communities where people still have nuanced conversations. Pick a few thoughtful voices and actually listen. The internet can be a boon if you use it intentionally, but the default is brain rot.
Better yet, log off sometimes. Go outside. Have conversations. Let your thoughts stretch out without being hijacked by notifications or nonsense. Create and do stuff. Experience life without incessant, idiotic commentary.
If you're not careful, you too will become an idiot.