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For Fans of Actual Basketball
A Guide to Enjoying NBA Basketball and Ignoring the Soap Opera
Do you love basketball? Do you watch basketball? Do you read about basketball? Do you own a basketball and occasionally even shoot a basketball into a hoop?
If you love the game, you might be exhausted by the drama that surrounds the game. If so, this might help.
I’m writing it to remind myself to pay attention to how I pay attention. Sometimes it seems the algorithms have completely taken over and we don’t control our consumption of entertainment, or even understand how we use the Internet. The latest Facebook-Instagram scandal isn’t so much a scandal as an unearthing of the truth, thanks to one former employee who meticulously gathered data just as the social media giants gather data on us. The truth: they know exactly how they’re manipulating us and they generally ignore the consequences because: 1) Most of us seem to be entertained/amused/not organized in our opposition and 2) If they stopped, we would all begin to question our habits and use them less.
Consider dating apps. Even the apps that genuinely were created with connection in mind are driven by usage. Their goal is to keep you on the app. When you are satisfied and in a committed relationship, you no longer swipe away at strangers.
Sometimes, I wonder if we even enjoy what we think we enjoy. There’s a fine line between enjoyment and mindless obsession. It helps to check-in with yourself.
