real learning is effortful

Real learning (the kind that sticks) requires active effort and engagement with the material: building a toy project, writing a critical essay, etc. Passive consumption (especially of short form media) should be treated as entertainment more than learning.

The rule of thirds applies here. The valence when e.g. reading the average Twitter post tends to be pretty flat. There are no “tough” sessions of scrolling the feed (or, conversely really “great” sessions), so how much growth is really taking place?