Lessons on social media, advertising, and fashion - the case of book dissemination on social media. On the necessity of ordered and responsible dissemination of knowledge, so as not to generate conspicuous consumption for knowledge, which is the driving force of intellectual conservantism

1) In times when traditional second-hand bookstores can no longer be visited, you need to surround yourself with qualified people who can give you good book recommendations — these are the authorities you will need to enhance your freedom to speak with propriety, in the merits of Christ.

2) A good network of qualified intellectuals — who recommend works, share quotes, or even impressions of what they have read — is the backbone of a healthy social network. Without this network of suitable friends, you will flounder, forced to use the ideas of shipwrecked individuals, where the main criterion for knowing things is to preserve what is convenient and sensible since you do not yet know the others (due to not having made this discovery yet).

3) For those raised in the culture of preserving the memory of Christ's suffering to conserve what is convenient and sensible — to the point of this being refined over the centuries, since known truth is obeyed truth — the knowledge of previous generations as a reference is essential to gauge what is sold as the latest market novelty. The truth is that there is nothing new — what exists is a new packaging or some reinterpretation of what was already known, which can produce something new.

4.1) It is important to pay attention to the readings of the most brilliant minds you know on social media to seek constant improvement —if you lend your ear to any charlatan, your loves will become disordered, turning into fads, which are nothing more than a symptom of disordered love that inflates the demand for something, giving an exaggerated value to a good that does not always correspond to reality.

4.2.1) When I follow a content producer on social media, whether in video form or written form, I base my decision on the experiences my contacts have with this producer — if the relationship is good, then they will have my audience, as the content is good. If I were to base it on the experience of people I do not know, who do not share the same wants and dislikes founded on the true God and true man, my criteria would certainly be disordered, turning into a fad, which would serve empty purposes. This is not good, given that concupiscent loves are founded on the gluttony of Chronos, generating this unhealthy obsession people have with being first every second—resulting in a liquid life, devoid of meaning.

4.2.2) True fashion, which has the power to generate custom and eventually the power to generate law, requires temperance and benevolence. When we spread things that are good, we should not cast pearls before swine, but to those willing to listen to us, for order is founded on those who have the goodwill to hear what we have to say that is good. Over time, this order expands to other social circles through the transmission of knowledge, in the merits of Christ. For this reason, it is important not to rush—transmit what you know within what you are capable of doing, within your circumstances, and God will take care of the rest.

José Octavio Dettmann

Rio de Janeiro, July 10th, 2024 (date of original posting).

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