Comment by JohnStrangeII | Hacker News Reader

Comment by JohnStrangeII | Hacker News Reader

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Although I don't want to say that this post is not insightful at all, I'm always a bit wary of people who place themselves above everyone else and think they know so much better. One thing the author doesn't explain, for instance, is why getting your little dopamin kicks from time to time is so bad. The post generalizes from the extreme cases.

For example, I buy too many VST audio plugins, stuff that I don't really need as a hobby musician. I know that I don't really need them, but from time to time when they are on sale, I like to buy another one just for fun, for the immediate satisfaction of trying it out. I can easily afford this, it's just a part of spending my modest discretionary salary (most of which I save). The habit gives me a nice feeling. What's wrong with that?

Maybe the author needs to take it a bit more easy?

VSTs are a tool you can use for creation. I see what you're doing as exploring and trying to find new sounds.

I think this is different than what the article speaks about.

From the article:

> Now, defining successful social interactions used to be difficult, but the sphere of social interaction has since been immanentized onto the metric of likes, retweets, hearts etc, wherein a greater number of positive likes equates to a more successful social interaction

I just don't see exploring sounds as equivalent to the above.

I mean are you trying to get likes, retweets, etc. with your VSTs? Not in the same manner - sure you will be making a audio work that you hope will be appreciated but it's nowhere near the same as unconsciously regurgitating some text macro image from a political think tank group or radio station.

As the author notes at the top, I think most people can directly feel the problem. We just don't often focus on it or try to solve it. It kinda fades into the background. I spend 10 minutes a day showering, an hour a day eating, and 3 hours a day randomly alternating between browser tabs - isn't that just what normal life is?

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