The click bait monster of the internet: Instant gratification – Here’s how to avoid it12 min read

The internet has us believing that everything can be solved in 5 easy steps and you don’t even have to think “need a business idea? Here are 55.”

Inventing crazy names for things that make absolutely no sense just for the sake of making a sale and instilling the idea that “You yourself have to put in zero work for this to work, the one simple thing which you have to do is buy our product.”

This is the most redundant ideology the internet is feeding nowadays.

Everything will be done for you just pay the money, everything is easy and does not require more than 6 steps, 10 steps and so on, the crazier the number and the more audacious a claim, people are likely to believe it and fall for the trap of passive involvement.

You read the pitch, you bought into the idea and now you want to improve your life right away, this one particular product “Lose 10 kilos without exercising” is going to solve everything.

You click the buy button, the product gets downloaded on your system, you already feel positive and accomplished for buying something that will improve your life and you feel extremely gratified as things are going to change now.

You maybe try it for a day or two or at the most 3 and then the enthusiasm is drowning, the shot of dopamine was already taken when you made the purchase, it felt so worthwhile and accomplishing.

But nobody told you it’s going to take effort, time and consistency to work right?

The sales page said 100% success guaranteed but did you know if only you put in the work required?

Such is the monster of instant gratification.

So what is instant gratification?

Instant gratification is simply the desire to feel accomplished right away and right now. Avoiding short term pain and effort to feel instantly satisfied. It’s sacrificing what you want the most for what you want now.

Giving up long term success for short term pleasure. Eating some cheese loaded junk food right now feels extremely satisfying, no effort required, just pay the money and get pleasured instantly.

Even though you know eating right and exercising regularly is what will give you the most happiness in the long run or maybe you don’t.

Still there’s a huge difference between knowing and understanding, nowadays people know a lot because of the internet but one cannot say for sure if they all understand the same.

Once you understand something, you will make sure you work in that direction.

But with so much information being bombarded our way, the new standard is merely knowing and not understanding, leave alone execution for a long time.

And we are okay with it, reason being, it’s instantly gratifying. Very useful in small talk, read a couple of blogs or see a couple of videos about topics that your peer group entertains and sprinkle that information like salt in everyday conversations and feel smart for absolutely no reason.

Zero effort required, you don’t have to work for it, you don’t have to show any consistency, merely knowing is enough as nobody understands anything, so we all are safe, nobody is pointing fingers.

It’s a sorry state, a self-fulfilling prophecy.

That’s why topics like “Do aliens exist?” “How illuminati is controlling the world?” get more traction and brain space, because it requires absolutely no effort on your part and you are free to blame the sorry state of things on someone else.

Then why nobody else is talking about it?

I don’t know about others, but I can tell you about me, I am extremely careful and diligent in spreading the right thought and the right ideas. Thoughts and ideas shape our world, whatever I speak about, I have experienced it firsthand and the only reason I am conveying it to you is because I think it will be useful.

I might not offer quick fixes like most do but I sure do believe that whatever I write is true and holds value, My blog is about sharing the right thought process. A thought process which you can develop by putting in the right thought and action, which will prime you for long term success.

I will be honest with you, more than the bottom line, like most others are concerned about and therefore they are not doing responsible journalism or media, because to drive sales you require quantity over quality, I care about the quality of the idea being conveyed.

“In the very first month of the Indian opinion, I realized that the sole aim of journalism should be service.”
~Mahatma Gandhi

If you click the highlighted text above^ you can read a little more commentary about our topic in my opinion of this quote.

I truly want to see our world prosper, flourish and move towards a more organic and exuberant way of living, sure I do intend to make some money of this blog, but it will only happen when you and I agree upon an idea and are willing to work towards it together.

I might not have huge sales sheet like most others but more than instant gratification now, I am concerned about the long-term impact this writing can have if conveyed clearly and read and practiced by many.

So let’s understand how the click bait monster of the internet: “Instant gratification” is affecting us and how to avoid it

Effect and after effect of consumer’s behavior on the creator and the host

Whatever you engage with on social media or on the internet, you will be shown more of the same content in your future visits.

Whatever you don’t engage with will not be shown to you, the information technology world focuses on engagement and therefore it will always prioritize content with which you are most likely to engage and continue using their platform like Facebook.

Here is what an article on conversation.com said about misinformation on social media

Due to cognitive biases, group think and instant gratification people will believe what they want to, will believe in things which demand the least amount of personal effort from themselves and subsides their uncomfortable itch of uncertainty.

Continuing from that article on conversation.com checkout the following excerpts,

So if you are never shown the other side of the story, the story on your side could be fabricated and instead of taking the effort to know the truth, all you want to do is settle with the least reliable yet closest thing to knowing something about something, just for the sake of  knowing and reacting when your peer group brings it up, it creates a widespread of misinformation, plus information bubbles which reinforces the beliefs of one group over the other and creates a social dispute.

If you have been using the reactions feature on Facebook lately, then you must understand that emotions are a huge driving factor.

Facebook, more than adding a more expressive and fun element to their platform have also consciously added an engagement trigger.

Whatever that which we can express emotionally, we are more likely to engage with it, it creates an emotion even before we engage with it and social proof of various other people reacting similarly to it reinforces our belief and we jump into the bandwagon of cheering it forward.

Checkout this snippet from conversation.com about an article on Facebook’s problem being more complicated than fake news:

One of my favorite movies “Rockstar” has a quote in it which says “Negative, only negative sells in the media.”

Productive and responsible consumption of media

Instead of falling prey to the principal of least effort, which states that human beings have a tendency to seek the most gains at the least effort and are willing to accept a mediocre answer to a difficult question, if it immediately satisfies their urge for knowing. Because knowing is comfortable, searching is strenuous.

So when an advertisement guarantees something remarkable at the least effort on your part, you are bound to fall prey to it. In return you preach what you have learnt, your peer group buys into it because that came from a trustworthy source and the cycle self-propagates from that point onward.

From thereon even cognitive biases come into play, as humans we cannot make much sense of scenarios or information outside our active reality. Because of which, we tend believe something immediately, if it first satisfies our need for closure instantly at the least effort and second if it comes from a trustworthy source.

Along with this if you never really act it out, then you are far away from knowing the truth behind anything.

Creators are seeking the most at the least effort by creating mediocre content. Content which lacks substance, is ill-researched and does not care about its impact on the consumers. Similarly consumers are all for thought but no action. They will eat what has been served to them on their device, at their own convenience. A continuous cycle of quantity over quality.

Demand is fueling the supply and supply is fueling the demand. Because let’s be honest, both the parties are human.

It’s time that we move out of our comfort zone

To tackle this we must bring about a discipline in our lives. Not running behind knowing everything but seeking that which is relevant and inspires you to act.

To form a whole and correct opinion we must be willing to go that extra mile and nitpick the most relevant of information. Rather than believing something immediately, if the topic interests you or matters to you, you should put that extra work and energy into it. Because your opinion matters and it will shape the world around you.

You must be willing to wait for the story to develop, rather than engage in senseless gossip which saps you off your energy and time. We all have seen articles about popular TV shows like Game of thrones, where the writer declares “We are sure you must have missed this from yesterday’s episode.” For which now you have developed a filter to avoid such headlines, because consistently they have delivered nothing but hoaxes.

And remember what you engage with is what you get shown the most.

Allowing the potential of the creator and the consumer to flourish

1. Discourage such creators by not engaging with their content, either they will change their ways or go out of work.
2. Encourage content which is practical and gives you something of value to add to your life.
3. Know only enough to take the first step and until then don’t just continually seek information.
4. By acting it out first, you let the creator have some time to create a work of quality for you.
5. What you give is what you get. They deliver quality content, you deliver quality business.

A pause in-between in the race

This is something utopian but imagine a world where there is a little less greed. A world where everyone is willing to wait and endure if the end result is going to be remarkable. People are willing to live with a little less than what they have now, and are willing to develop themselves, their business and the world one step at a time.

No rush, no hurry, everything is happening at a consistent pace, a pace which is balanced and will bring about gradual growth and prosperity for all the life on earth.

A pause for everyone to take care of their health, a pause to spend time with family and nature, a pause to sustain our planet and Stillness which gives us time to appreciate life.

Everyone will remain as rich they are now but maybe, numerically smaller.

Right information is power and if acted out it can change the world.

See this data from an article on the journalism.org website:

Right to information is our right and demanding accurate information is our responsibility. We must be willing to wait but we should not settle for anything below than the absolute best quality. We are open to errors but only if your commitment is ideal.

Also make action your dharma/duty. Seek so that you can act it out, mere discussions/gossip/arguments is nothing but mudding a muddled puddle.

How did you enjoy the tongue twister?

What you don’t intend to act upon at least don’t form a biased opinion about it. If you want to add your opinion to the discussion at least make some effort to do relevant research and contemplation. Contemplation should be a big part of a person’s thought process.

Once you arrive at an honest conclusion you won’t wait any longer to become a part of the growth movement.

Work and look for the solution rather than engaging in who is right, only the solution is right. Don’t seek closure to feel gratified immediately but rather, keep an open mind to move consistently in the direction of progress, it’s uncomfortable but it’s powerful.

Apart from the internet, in totality, it’s time for a collective consciousness.

Everyone needs to start thinking in a collective form. How our every little actions are affecting us and the world around us. How our unconscious habits are fueling the industry of fake news and misinformation, how our desire to rest is damaging progress and how half-baked opinions are disrupting the path of action and expansion.

Consider this as a rule of thumb, if everyone learns to enjoy every facet of life and they understand the joy behind shaping it, everyone will be happy with a little less comfort and a little less luxury. But what everyone will eventually gain will be incredible.

The divide between people will disappear. All life will have a beautiful home on earth and prosperity and joy will be a state of mind.

A movement in thought and in action.

Conclusion

A simple vice as “Instant gratification” is shaping and affecting our world in an adverse way. If we simply decide to get rid of it one day, that day will be a bright and warm day in the life of humanity.

Let’s continue this discussion in the comments section, I am quite curious about your take on this.