The wanting vs liking distinction seems relevant here. Politics can be truly fun, especially when you’re discussing it with someone who’s clearly presenting their views in good faith, and when you can both learn something from the interaction. However, it’s easy for the wanting to stay strong long after the liking has completely disappeared.
I wonder if that’s a common trait of most or all addictive things, or at least of “non-physical” addictions (things where you don’t suffer withdrawals, yet still may find yourself spending more time on them than you wish while not enjoying them much or at all). These days, Twitter is the classic example of an unfulfilling time sink. But Twitter really is great, at least when you’re starting out by learning news and seeing new ideas from your favorite thinkers. But the urge for “just another tweet” can persist for hours, while the fun of it, in my experience at least, lasts more like fifteen or twenty minutes.
Wow, I really like that wanting vs liking distinction! Great point! It’s something that I think about a lot myself but didn’t really see the relation here. I do agree that it is relevant though for the reasons you described.
The wanting vs liking distinction seems relevant here. Politics can be truly fun, especially when you’re discussing it with someone who’s clearly presenting their views in good faith, and when you can both learn something from the interaction. However, it’s easy for the wanting to stay strong long after the liking has completely disappeared.
I wonder if that’s a common trait of most or all addictive things, or at least of “non-physical” addictions (things where you don’t suffer withdrawals, yet still may find yourself spending more time on them than you wish while not enjoying them much or at all). These days, Twitter is the classic example of an unfulfilling time sink. But Twitter really is great, at least when you’re starting out by learning news and seeing new ideas from your favorite thinkers. But the urge for “just another tweet” can persist for hours, while the fun of it, in my experience at least, lasts more like fifteen or twenty minutes.
Wow, I really like that wanting vs liking distinction! Great point! It’s something that I think about a lot myself but didn’t really see the relation here. I do agree that it is relevant though for the reasons you described.