rethinking hobbies, consumerism, and community
This is a response to the excellent video essay from hazelisonline titled why you keep abandoning hobbies.
The essay proposes that online hobby communities beset consumption, which leads to a chase of trying to obtain more things to fit more in with the community. All in the pursuit of happiness.
I related to this a lot as someone who doesn't necessarily collect hobbies, but definitely can fall into the trap of trying to get a new thing to feel closer or more included within the group. This is not forcing me to reflect how I can see myself in these communities without buying stuff.
The most important takeaway for me however, was that this is a symptom and not a cause. This is a response to global loneliness where community is what is missing from our lives. We should seek our community without falling into the trap of attempting to belong via things in a respective interest, hobby, or online community.
I'd recommend researching these themes that were introduced in the video: