Cause, Symptom, or Cure?

Our writing class is once again working its way through Affluenza: The All-Consuming Epidemic by John de Graaf, David Wann, and Thomas H. Naylor. As we've mentioned in a previous post, the book discusses the harm wrought upon society by over-consumption.

(DIGRESSION: No, the irony of attaching a link for you to buy the book is not lost on the Solipsist. EOD)

Today, we discussed chapter eight, which talks about the toll taken on communities by excessive consumption. The central point is that social capital has all-but-disappeared in this era when everyone wants not only to keep up with but to surpass "the Joneses"; the social Darwinism at the heart of the free-market system encourages a never-ending competition with friends and neighbors and largely neutralizes any sense of community-minded altruism.

Our discussion today got us thinking about virtual communities. We couldn't help but ponder their relationship to the "all-consuming epidemic." Are they a cause? A symptom? A potential cure? All of the above?

We suppose that social networks can't fairly be called a cause of affluenza; after all, this disease has been spreading since at least the advent of television and was pandemic before Facebook was even a gleam in Mark Zuckerberg's eye. Symptom, then? Somewhat. Or at least a vector. Facebook has caught flak whenever it has attempted to capitalize on its user's information; the idea that the social network can transmute its members into data points for advertisers proves that marketing is omnipresent, and that an escape into a virtual world will not remove you from the affluenza hot-zone.

Still, the virtual community--being, after all, a community--may hold out hope for a remedy. Of course, Facebook and its ilk have commoditized the very concept of friendship ("You only have 238 friends? I have 497!"). At the same time, isn't it kind of neat that we are no longer bound by geography when seeking like-minded souls? Most of our "friends" are actually people we know in meatspace, but those who aren't are folks who share common interests--especially interest in "The Solipsist"!

Any virtual community that facilitates the growth of Solipsist Nation bodes well for the future of mankind and its ability to ward off the worst symptoms of affluenza. And now another word from our sponsor.