More, More, More: How Do You Like it?

Quantity Culture and Optimization

by Manny Rodriquez

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Are we a quantity over quality society? I think so, and right now I am leaning toward believing this is inevitable. By the end of this story, that opinion might change. Anyway, I am very curious to know what you think.

First, it is logical to assume that capitalism is the root of the “more is better” state of mind. Mass production feeds the unending habit to manufacture more at a cheaper cost. In fact, we might be able to conceive of mass production as part of our collective consciousness in addition to its role as the engine of modern economies.

I mean that more is just part of our thought process. We don’t notice it very often or at all. We just live with more as a kind of infection that is never treated.

There is too much of everything and several ramifications that result.

We are an un-feeling civilization. I include all who can rightfully call themselves modern in that group. Do not get me wrong, plenty of us remain sensitive to events in our lives, and cognizant of our emotions, but I speak in the general sense.

We have been worn-down by the volume of everything out there. Merely living day to day demands a hundred decisions that appear more important than they are.

Everything is replaceable. Think about your furniture and almost everything that you own. How much vested interest do we have in our throwaway objects? Not much.

Dear reader, you might be thinking that this is fine. Wouldn’t it be materialistic to value a couch, lamp, blender, refrigerator, vehicle, and so on?

I am talking about pride instead of materialism. Products are a fact of life inescapable for all except those who live alternative lifestyles. To me, it is a good idea to be surrounded by things that are imbued with at least some emotional investment. Otherwise, we live in a kind of nothingness every day. What we see is not valued, therefore that infection grows more sinister and threatens to demean our lives as a whole.

Quantity makes us indifferent toward most objects, people, and situations. One thing is not better than another version of that thing. It is common to hear folks say, “We are going out for pizza” or “We are going to get some Chinese.” So, it must not matter where and what, specifically.

We cannot select quality from a range of options. Everything blends together, and we are conditioned not to pursue something excellent. Also, we no longer can identify the great from the mediocre.

Have you tried real eggs from the source and not the grocery store? What about tomatoes straight from the farmer? There is a huge difference.

Expectations are low, especially as it pertains to exchanges with other people. I assess almost every greeting and conversation as hollow. I cannot say for sure if there was a time when people actually knew and understood others around them, but we definitely do not now. Neighbors are just strangers who happen to live closer than other strangers.

Quantity over quality eventually must contend with the Internet and all the positives and negatives that comes with it. There is no escaping it. Really, any topic now must include the Internet, it seems.

Capitalism, quantity, and the Internet all work together to stimulate competition, and competition is not all bad. You can probably guess, though, that there are some criticisms in the sentences to follow.

The Internet is the greatest democratizing force right now and for all of history. We wake up and check the Internet. Many people post how they slept the previous night or what they are having for breakfast. In the afternoon, we load up our various messaging systems. Social media is consulted and probably the news and weather. At night we succumb to exhaustion with a phone, laptop, or tablet in our hands or nearby.

The Internet is a blessing, but it is also hard to get noticed. Living online is like being in a huge crowd of people with everyone shouting at the same volume. You want to get louder, but you cannot. Everyone has the same capacity to do everything.

If one tries to move toward the front to be heard, that person can succeed for a few seconds but will ultimately fail. There are too many other folks who had the same idea. Each thing said is overcome by the noise.

If the problem is quantity, then it’s inevitable that some will get outrageous with what they say. People become crass and insensitive. But since others also thought of this strategy, one must be shockingly distasteful early and often.

Once again, quantity over quality makes for a population of the un-feeling.

We are not mindful of the welfare of people who are mocked on the Internet. We care little for the mental health of those who we scrutinize. So any individual can become just another side-show, and few take a timeout to have concern for what is happening.

Everything is rated online by numbers and not quality. I have to tell no one reading about the importance of clicks. A click is shallow, without real value or humanity, and causes us to obsess about numbers while disregarding any other measure of worth. A click is as impersonal as it gets.

Quality equals the number of followers. This is the route to stardom and riches or just having a modicum of success. In fact, without lots of followers we are just another nobody in the crowd, and an individual is not legitimate as a creator or a respected voice.

We must have likes and lots of them. It literally does not matter how someone gets them, dear reader. If you think about this for a few seconds, you know it’s true. It’s the number that is impressive and there is no need to consult anything else.

The Internet certainly has played a role in the pursuit of optimization. This is the logical outcome when we stress quantity over quality. My interpretation of optimization is to study and implement maximum output in all endeavors.

I notice that many self-helpers encourage us to optimize our lives. I get it, and the ideas therein can be beneficial, but we must gently press the brakes on the multitasking, no wasted time, superhuman mission to become quantity machines instead of human beings.

The beginnings of optimization can be traced back to the guys with stopwatches who standardized how long a worker should take to do each thing. Efficiency and money were the motivators. Well, practically everyone hated the stopwatch guys.

For those who create from the heart, we must be careful of the advice we allow to infiltrate our brains. All the time, I hear that writing one story can actually be two or three stories, three or four posts, five or six poems, perhaps several haikus, and many other repackaged forms of content. I am kidding but not kidding.

Packaging is a very quantity-based word to use. It assumes that nothing is too valuable on its own, in its present form, to be something else. Packaging also reminds me again that one thing is just as good as another thing and that volume is really what counts.

Optimizers decree that we must make any space and every opportunity a possibility for clicks, likes, or purchases. I think it is a good idea to embed a subscription button somewhere in every Christmas gift that is wrapped. No, not really.

Ah, embedding also is a great word associated with quantity. To me, embedding insinuates that we should not be forced to consume any work of a human mind, for too long, unless we are given something else to look at or click on. Then, that next thing should also include an embed in a never-ending experience of infinite quantity.

Before I ramble on too long, I won’t. Remember, I am describing causes and symptoms of a quantity-over-quality culture. It is not that I am opposed to every kind of optimization, embedding, or anything else mentioned.

However, I will not compromise on mental health. Your feeling of overwhelm probably has some connection to the quantity culture. Please realize that the Internet is revolutionary, still very new, and not something that artists of the past had to contend with.

It does not matter if your heroes are painters, poets, novelists, essayists, comedians, or whomever. They likely would be intimidated by quantity and the Internet sensibility that is everywhere.

Do not feel bad. I try not to, and believe me when I say this really matters to my life. To those of us with mental illness, it is especially vital to remain calm, have reasonable goals, and stay centered on what life is and not what it should be.

Is it unnatural to be persuaded to live in a world of quantity? Does this even make sense? My perception is no. What do you think? As always, leave massive amounts of comments and likes. The more the better.

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THANKS FOR READING.

HAVE YOU EVER FELT OVERWHELMED BY THE QUANTITY CULTURE?

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