Exploring discussions with friends: on the cruel/destructive nature of Ego, how it manifests on social media, prolonged and confused by the misunderstanding of status, brand, & valuation, and how San Francisco, as a testbed for socio-cultural development, is latching on - "drunk" with self-aggrandizing world importance.

If you see nothing but awesome photos, you wonder why your life isn't as awesome as the photos. 

The assertion that "humans are innately complete (devoid of environmental effect) and that we contain the universe of emotions and knowledge within" has limits. On the one hand, this potentially powerful practice can be true if you can protect (ie balance/counteract) yourself from the pressures of the external (ala pressure/physics-based equilibrium), and dig inside to generate all that you need and want (emotions, knowledge, philosophy); on the other, like any object in our Cartesian universe, we are constantly in flux, and any lack or surplus necessarily tips itself to the extreme, especially when in a stressed state.  We are still human...

Meaning it's so easy for us to give in to what we want, when we perceive ourselves to be so severely lacking in what we need.  Especially when we "know" what "good" looks like ie. "the good life."

Social media is very psychologically influential (and also dependent) on (the easy to tap into human trait of) narcissism and the nature of means/possession and being a member of the "haves."  We don't see tribal people selfie-ing themselves in their poverty because they neither have a smart phone, data bandwidth, or pride in their poverty.  "Having" in a world of "constant taking" by the forces that be, in many ways, is a graduation and badge of honor that seems justified in being shared/displayed.  

We justify ourselves through our environment and what we surround ourselves with, whether that be clothing or technology or people.  If anything, in today's world, we not only suspect that we are products of our environment - it is an ironclad rule that without our support network we are nothing.  

It's good to remember that "status" and "value" are processed in the same part of the brain:http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/for-the-brain-status-is-better/

Not everyone has an envy gene. But this quote is my favorite:

Instagram distills the most crazy-making aspects of the Facebook experience.

It's *images* all the way down!

Right, in Instagram there is no relief! 

It's nothing but pretty pictures and videos -- there is no break. 

yea yea, true, it's not a global phenomenon.  but if the images weren't appealing they wouldn't be fun to look at and therefore the network as "enriching!"