On Unhealthy Social Media Use / If Epicurus Were Alive Today, Would He Use A Smartphone?

Yes, i agree. Especially the manipulation part is, in my opinion, disgusting. I’m in very high opinion of psychology, as it can create great good- but also great evil. It’s a tool we’ve to be very, very careful with. And probably the same applies to social media.

If Epicurus wanted to start a world philosophical movement the way he did in the past, he would be forced to either use social media himself, or hire someone else to run his social media accounts for him to spread his ideas. I am not sure what Epicurus would write on the topic, but it seems to me to be consistent with his philosophy that if social media use is preventing one from enjoying simple pleasures, or even luxurious pleasures. If cell phone use is preventing one from fully experiencing these pleasures, than I expect Epicurus would see it as problematic.

Epicurus seems to have been very interested in the latest scientific speculation of his time, and he would use the Internet to help him learn about scientific research, and write scientific works. Social media tends to be very shallow, and someone who aims to have knowledge on a wide variety of subjects wouldn't waste too much time on it and would probably hire someone else to manage his accounts, perhaps personally writing messages from time to time. The Internet can get you started, but as an autodidact, I have found that old fashioned books are still the best way to find in-depth information from reputable sources that are not agenda driven.