J2S – We’re what we consume: The effects of the data we are exposed to (Episode 8)
I always wonder how everyone else manages the noise. The noise from the people that call you daily for various reasons and needs. Noise from the endless notifications from different apps seeking your limited attention. Noise in our head from the content we consume online, knowingly, and unknowingly.
Living life on the edge, always making the decisions 99% of people will not make. I began to wonder about my life choices. I thought of what decisions I would have made differently knowing what I know today. To be realistic, I might be in a better place financially today, sometimes I say to myself. Would I be closer to attaining my goals and life purpose? That question I can’t answer.
The start to my journey to self began after I read The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren and Business Secrets from the Bible by Rabbi Daniel Lapin. These books broadened my perspective on my reason for being alive and why going into business was my way forward to self-actualization.
We are responsible for the life we create. This means our destinies are written by us. It emanates from the choices we make and the content we decide to fill our thoughts and minds with. When the word consumption is uttered, most of us have the thought of food consumption pop into our heads. We imagine eating or drinking. Our minds make the word resonate with our mouths and physical consumptions. This is not bad or wrong, however, we get to forget that consumption also takes place mentally and spiritually also. These are the most important bits of consumption, as they affect our physical reality directly and indirectly.
The Frequencies of Brain Activities
Our brain operates in different frequencies, and studies have shown these various levels of brain activity. There are 5 brain wave frequencies.
1. Delta wave frequency.
Delta is the lowest frequency. Frequencies on this level are less than 4 Hz and occur in deep sleep and abnormal cases of brain activity. Infants of up to one year of age experience delta as their dominant rhythm, and it is present in stages 3 and 4 of sleep. The delta waves increase for us to decrease our physical awareness of the world we live in. This is what gives rise to our ability to access information in our unconscious mind.
2. Theta brain wave frequency.
This is the next, it has a frequency of 3.5 to 7.5 Hz and is still considered a low-activity brain frequency. Creativity, intuition, daydreaming, fantasizing, and its repository for sensations, memory, and emotions are said to relate to this level of brain activity. The theta waves are at their strongest during internal focus, meditation, prayer, and spiritual awareness. It is in the middle of wakefulness and sleep and is closely related to the subconscious mind that creates all we experience in the conscious. This is a state that is abnormal in conscious adults but perfectly normal in children up to the age of 13 years. It is at this level of brain activity that is best to impress positivity and the right action upon your subconscious. This could serve as the best state to consume proper inspiring and motivational content.
3. Alpha brain wave frequency.
Alpha waves range between 8 to 12 Hz. Its peak is at around 10 -12 Hz. Mental resourcefulness is the product of a good healthy alpha state, as it aids the ability to mentally coordinate, with an overall higher sense of relaxation and fatigue. This is the state of optimal performance, as it enables you to move quickly and efficiently to accomplish whatever task is at hand. It creates calm and ease when alpha predominates. This could link alpha to being in a state of Ikigai or in the possession of Ikenga.
4. Beta brain wave frequency.
Beta activity is seen as fast activity. With a frequency of 14 and greater HZ, it reflects the desynchronization of active brain tissue. This is regarded as a normal rhythm generally, making it the more dominant rhythm in those who are alert or anxious. It will represent overdrive or hyperdrive in a car scenario.
5. Gamma brain wave frequency.
Gamma frequency is measured between 30 and 44hz. It is the only frequency found in every part of the brain. For the brain to simultaneously process information from different areas, it requires a brain activity level of 40 Hz. Good memory is mainly associated with properly regulated 40 Hz activity, and on the flip side, a 40 Hz deficiency creates learning disabilities.
Effects of Data We Are Exposed To
In today’s world, we live in an era of “too much information in little time”. The advancement of technology has put media right in front of our daily lives. Inundated with information happening at the extreme end of the other side of the world as it happens must be something our African ancestors would have greatly warned against as this has put us in worse situations mentally. With the ease of information in an unguided manner, we are prone to searching for answers on search engines. This leaves us at the mercy of whatever it is we find at the top of our search results.
It is no news that big corporations run the affairs of the world. From wars to economic meltdowns and even pandemics, numerous pieces of evidence have pointed at the likes of tech giants, big pharma, and other corporate bodies in collusion with governmental forces like the CIA to monitor how information is spread, what is seen, and what is hidden.
Despite all efforts put in place to censor the right message, technology is also providing the solution for the problem it created through AI and algorithms. However, it is the responsibility of the user to engage with the right content to enable the algorithm to work in their favor by providing only content at pushes us towards achieving our life purpose. I mean what is the point of living if we are not using what we must to get what we want through the “right” action – It’s up to you to decide your right path.
What I Think
We could be affected negatively or positively, however, that is in our control. It is in our control to watch what and who we follow on social media. This would be by closely watching how what we see and consume affects our state of mind. I ask myself these days how every piece of content I come in touch with has a positive impact in providing more knowledge about my world, how it uplifts my spirit to take the right action and it helps me achieve my general life purpose. Without these fundamental questioning, 30 minutes on TikTok would either feel like time wasted or time well spent.
Watch Out for the next episode on J2S
