Despite all my rage I’m still just a rat in a cage

It’s a funny old game isn’t it?

What’s that then?

Chess.

Yes. Especially if you have a nosebleed.

The writers of The Young Ones were presumably not talking about the scheduled rollout of social media a good twenty plus years into the future, and probably weren’t talking about anything in particular, just making another obtuse observational gag, told by two rats, as it were. Now, we’re the rats, social media is the game but isn’t at all funny, and it’s given me a nosebleed.

Unfortunately it’s a game that has become so much more, a necessity in our everyday lives that is completely unnecessary. Yes, I play the game too, thankfully now only on one field, and with a different goal at the end of the pitch. Pitch being the operative term here, as the Instagram field I play on is basically to get you to come here to read this. I no longer check to see how many people have given their empty platitudes or how many more are reading this, because it is irrelevant to any fulfilment in my daily life. This site is hopefully entertaining in some way, and thought provoking if you want it to be. And you might even enjoy seeing some bike gear, a bit of racing, and some music and cultural stuff while you’re here. That’s what the whole mission started out as, not to make anyone popular. I’d rather be alone than be surrounded by fake ‘friends’ patting me on the back, but I do value real relationships, which is why I ditched Facebook and Twitter long ago. There was maybe a day or two immediately after when, like a trained rat, I was pushing the lever to get to the reward, and then… I wasn’t hungry any more.

Studies have shown, unsurprisingly, that people pursue likes much in the same way that lab rats pursue food. As noted in a paper published in the journal Nature Communications, “social media platforms are like a digital Skinner Box — a tool scientists use by placing a rat (or other small animal) into a box, and then, reward them with food when the rats take specific actions, like pressing a lever or observing a coloured light.” When we see a notification icon or hear a bell ring on our phones, we jump to get the reward, the like, the adulation and approval of the other rats; maybe they’ve added a reaffirming comment to their like, ‘bro that’s awesome’ or ‘you’re such a babe’. If you need that to boost your inner worth, then there are bigger issues at play.

Riding bikes, working on them, talking about them, watching robots racing them, still makes me happy after all these years. Listening to music, playing an instrument, mixing some records, still makes me happy after all these years. And I no longer need to do it in front of an audience to get the reward. No need to hustle for adulation, no need to whore for love. Sure, it’s great to see people enjoying what you enjoy, but it’s not the be-all and end-all.