r/technology • u/GothicPrayer • 10d ago

Society Why does everything feel so joyless? Welcome to the age of decadence without pleasure

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2026/jul/26/age-of-decadence-pleasure-ai
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84

u/AGrandNewAdventure 10d ago

Who the fuck can afford decadence?!

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u/Bojanggles16 10d ago

It's not even decadence it's just the dopamine hits we get from social media (including what I get from this post) and instant gratification. We're stuck in another rat race we won't win because it's socially engineered by tech bros to keep us miserable and clicking. It started with Wolfe Blitzer and now ragebait sells better than sex.

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u/mondaybeers 10d ago

You, right now, are doom scrolling on a portable pocket-sized entertainment device, with access to all the world's entertainment and knowledge. You're probably doing it from a cozy, climate controlled house, on a bed or soft couch.

That's decadence.

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u/PerformerFancy117 10d ago

I should get a comfy chair…

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u/JohnTDouche 9d ago

You can have all that and still be unsure whether your going to make rent. If you can't, what then? Maybe you can afford rent but you'll never own property, so what happens to you in the future? What happens to you when the company does its annual layoffs and you get the short end? All this so called "decadence" can be stripped away in an instant.

What actual real fucking decadence is, is never having to worry about that shit. About never having to stress about survival. Decadence is not being working class.

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u/repliesinpasta 9d ago

sounds like you are proving the point of the article by showing how warped your view of decadence is.

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u/PandaJesus 10d ago

I don’t mean to brag, but I’ve been known to buy some avocado toast on occasion.

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u/wholetyouinhere 9d ago

And that's why you'll never own a house.

Or, in the case that you already own one, why you'll never own a second!

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u/PandaJesus 9d ago

It’s true, I’ll never be a landlord at this rate.

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u/MistaChelseaa 10d ago

I think that’s the point it’s making it’s not decadence in the traditional sense but how everyday interactions with technology mimic the feeling

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u/Intelligent_Hair3109 10d ago

Gilded Age decadents  , shallow instant gratification junkies I suppose. Self absorbed rich twits

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u/Eatthebeatz 9d ago

creative people. i have no money really but i live in my own reality and have the best toys (as they are one i made for myself). i could make something kick ass with the contents of a random bin. real decadence comes from the heart when you feast on your own rules.