There’s a related state, Gear Acquisition Syndrome (GAS). Instead of making music, you spend hours and hours researching the next guitar pedal that will definitely finally let you sound like Kevin Shields. It’s a misdirection where the creative hole in your heart is stuffed full of Things. Most people that know the term probably suffer from some form of it.
Obviously a new pedal will not make you good at playing guitar, but I just want to be clear that a new Cervelo with a Dura-Ace group set would absolutely be the first step towards me making the Tour de France.
Some people claim "GAS" was coined by the late, great Walter Becker for "Guitar Acquisition Syndrome". Be that as it may, Becker's 1996 "editorial" is amusing:
"Forum brain" is a really great bit of nomenclature, and I agree with the thrust of the argument, but I also see this tendency (or mania) in areas outside of just hobbies. I spent over an hour the other day looking at plastic bins; comparing photos, measurements, customer reviews, prices, et al. At the end of the day, I just need a fucking box to put books into, to then stick in our cruddy basement while they work on our apartment. When you have infinite choices at the tip of your fingers, which choice is correct? How informed of a consumer can you possibly be? Before you finally submit your order there should be a pop-up that says “I am taking this only so that you do not think you have failed to do anything.”
LOL I was definitely thinking of Wirecutter. Ties neatly into notions of "control" and something Alex Pareene said ages ago about how Americans: fear getting ripped off, feel like they are getting ripped off, and most likely *are* getting ripped off all the time. But maybe this SEO review page will save me!
Half-baked question, but isn't there something different when this obsessive technological solutionism is directed at the body? Just from my own experience, coffee forum brain is very different from fitness forum brain (which, by no accident, often devolves into starvation diets and performance-enhancing drugs). I see the clear connections and how both are about control, but there's an odd step from the psychological self-harm of obsessively throwing money at perfect coffee and stereos and the physical self-harm of throwing money at experimental body treatments, no?
Yeah I sort of avoided discussing (mostly male) fitness/bodybuilding forums, but they're much closer antecedents to extreme-beauty forums. I totally agree they're vastly more harmful for the obvious reasons—and are maybe more extreme even beyond the material harm because they locate all of that strategizing and optimizing and solutionizing in the body instead of outside it—but I also think it can be enlightening to see the ways the desire for control (or for the relinquishment of control) applies itself in other, less fraught areas.
Totally. The internet forum facilitates a particular style optimization-via-consumption manifested in all of these examples. The forum as the backbone of optimization culture.
Nothing was better for my skin than going to therapy and learning to love myself a little bit. Results may vary, but it seems easier than Laura's (holy crap I counted) one hundred and twenty two pills every week.
There is nothing worse than trying to find the best answer to your question and falling deep down the forum brain rabbit hole. I'd argue wirecutter is an extension of this phenomenon. I'm tired of "bests", just give me the "good enoughs".
I am sure "Audiophile Forum brain" is a real thing. But audiophilia predates that and perhaps served as a model for more bad behavior (gamergate echoes?)
Considering all the talk about 80s and 90s thrillers here, Audiophilia has a strong aesthetic/nostagic angle that is fascinating. Patrick Bateman stereo, Risky Business stereo.
Vaporwave and co are love letters to the CD age. Bang & Olufsen stuff!!
I am also fascinated by how stereo equipment was a main product consumer product in the past and gradually evolved into this complex, expensive niche while the major brands sell awful cheap stuff
"I believe in taking care of myself, and a balanced diet and a rigorous exercise routine. In the morning, if my face is a little puffy, I'll put on an ice pack while doing my stomach crunches. I can do a thousand now. After I remove the ice pack, I use a deep pore cleanser lotion. In the shower, I use a water activated gel cleanser. Then a honey almond body scrub. And on the face, an exfoliating gel scrub. Then apply an herb mint facial mask, which I leave on for 10 minutes while I prepare the rest of my routine. I always use an aftershave lotion with little or no alcohol, because alcohol dries your face out and makes you look older. Then moisturizer, then an anti-aging eye balm followed by a final moisturizing protective lotion."
I suspect both things are true: it's about trying to exert some control over the precious little you can even imagine controlling (as an ordinary person), *and* it's about feeling like you're making progress toward something (however "hazily defined, endlessly deferred") instead of just drifting to your demise.
home hifi forum brain so thoroughly conditioned me to expect imperceptible “improvements” from every new piece of gear that when I added a signal booster to a long noisy HDMI cable run and it just objectively and obviously worked as advertised I was flabbergasted.
also my daily retinol routine will definitely mean I never get old, shut up!
There’s a related state, Gear Acquisition Syndrome (GAS). Instead of making music, you spend hours and hours researching the next guitar pedal that will definitely finally let you sound like Kevin Shields. It’s a misdirection where the creative hole in your heart is stuffed full of Things. Most people that know the term probably suffer from some form of it.
Absolutely!! I have this for all kinds of stuff, including productivity methods
I wouldn’t know it if I didn’t have it myself haha
Kinda scared I have forum brain too.
Obviously a new pedal will not make you good at playing guitar, but I just want to be clear that a new Cervelo with a Dura-Ace group set would absolutely be the first step towards me making the Tour de France.
Some people claim "GAS" was coined by the late, great Walter Becker for "Guitar Acquisition Syndrome". Be that as it may, Becker's 1996 "editorial" is amusing:
https://sdarchive.com/gas.html
"Ask yourself: would I like to be thought of and remembered as a guitar player or as a guitar owner?"
"Forum brain" is a really great bit of nomenclature, and I agree with the thrust of the argument, but I also see this tendency (or mania) in areas outside of just hobbies. I spent over an hour the other day looking at plastic bins; comparing photos, measurements, customer reviews, prices, et al. At the end of the day, I just need a fucking box to put books into, to then stick in our cruddy basement while they work on our apartment. When you have infinite choices at the tip of your fingers, which choice is correct? How informed of a consumer can you possibly be? Before you finally submit your order there should be a pop-up that says “I am taking this only so that you do not think you have failed to do anything.”
(I bought costco ones that were onsale ¯\_(ツ)_/¯)
Totally!! Forum Brain can develop for things that don't actually have forums dedicated to them—I think this is basically what Wirecutter is.
LOL I was definitely thinking of Wirecutter. Ties neatly into notions of "control" and something Alex Pareene said ages ago about how Americans: fear getting ripped off, feel like they are getting ripped off, and most likely *are* getting ripped off all the time. But maybe this SEO review page will save me!
It doesn't help there's thousands of bins you can pick from. We start with wanting a simple thing then discovering there's multiple solutions.
When humans see forks in roads they're tempted to take them all sometimes.
Oh no! If you give a name to my affliction, i'm forced to confront it!
Half-baked question, but isn't there something different when this obsessive technological solutionism is directed at the body? Just from my own experience, coffee forum brain is very different from fitness forum brain (which, by no accident, often devolves into starvation diets and performance-enhancing drugs). I see the clear connections and how both are about control, but there's an odd step from the psychological self-harm of obsessively throwing money at perfect coffee and stereos and the physical self-harm of throwing money at experimental body treatments, no?
Yeah I sort of avoided discussing (mostly male) fitness/bodybuilding forums, but they're much closer antecedents to extreme-beauty forums. I totally agree they're vastly more harmful for the obvious reasons—and are maybe more extreme even beyond the material harm because they locate all of that strategizing and optimizing and solutionizing in the body instead of outside it—but I also think it can be enlightening to see the ways the desire for control (or for the relinquishment of control) applies itself in other, less fraught areas.
Totally. The internet forum facilitates a particular style optimization-via-consumption manifested in all of these examples. The forum as the backbone of optimization culture.
Nothing was better for my skin than going to therapy and learning to love myself a little bit. Results may vary, but it seems easier than Laura's (holy crap I counted) one hundred and twenty two pills every week.
There is nothing worse than trying to find the best answer to your question and falling deep down the forum brain rabbit hole. I'd argue wirecutter is an extension of this phenomenon. I'm tired of "bests", just give me the "good enoughs".
I am sure "Audiophile Forum brain" is a real thing. But audiophilia predates that and perhaps served as a model for more bad behavior (gamergate echoes?)
Considering all the talk about 80s and 90s thrillers here, Audiophilia has a strong aesthetic/nostagic angle that is fascinating. Patrick Bateman stereo, Risky Business stereo.
Vaporwave and co are love letters to the CD age. Bang & Olufsen stuff!!
I am also fascinated by how stereo equipment was a main product consumer product in the past and gradually evolved into this complex, expensive niche while the major brands sell awful cheap stuff
The term Forum Brain is very forum-brained, and the 20 somethings I work with don't know what forums are. But I love this.
Also, shameless promotion (that makes me no money): highly recommend his episode of Big Mouth we did where the kids put on a musical version of Disclosure https://www.netflix.com/watch/80241191?trackId=284616272&tctx=0%2C0%2C0ac4ff8e-1ac8-4a4e-9b26-e6e6eefb8bb4%2C0ac4ff8e-1ac8-4a4e-9b26-e6e6eefb8bb4%7C%3DeyJwYWdlSWQiOiIwMTMzYzRiNy0yYjk3LTRlNmQtYTFmYi1kNWMyOGNkYTZlMWEvMS8vYmlnIG1vdXRoLzAvMCIsImxvY2FsU2VjdGlvbklkIjoiMiJ9%2C%2C%2C%2CtitlesResults%2C80117038%2CVideo%3A80241191%2CdetailsPageEpisodePlayButton
...without actually considering what? There's a blank space there
Have never clicked on a readmax from a headline so fast
"I believe in taking care of myself, and a balanced diet and a rigorous exercise routine. In the morning, if my face is a little puffy, I'll put on an ice pack while doing my stomach crunches. I can do a thousand now. After I remove the ice pack, I use a deep pore cleanser lotion. In the shower, I use a water activated gel cleanser. Then a honey almond body scrub. And on the face, an exfoliating gel scrub. Then apply an herb mint facial mask, which I leave on for 10 minutes while I prepare the rest of my routine. I always use an aftershave lotion with little or no alcohol, because alcohol dries your face out and makes you look older. Then moisturizer, then an anti-aging eye balm followed by a final moisturizing protective lotion."
I suspect both things are true: it's about trying to exert some control over the precious little you can even imagine controlling (as an ordinary person), *and* it's about feeling like you're making progress toward something (however "hazily defined, endlessly deferred") instead of just drifting to your demise.
home hifi forum brain so thoroughly conditioned me to expect imperceptible “improvements” from every new piece of gear that when I added a signal booster to a long noisy HDMI cable run and it just objectively and obviously worked as advertised I was flabbergasted.
also my daily retinol routine will definitely mean I never get old, shut up!
Leaving aside the gratuitous offenses to the audiophile community, have you seen this 1991 comedy? https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102609/
no!