David Foster Wallace - The Dangers Of Internet & Media Addiction
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 ก.ย. 2024
- Decades ago, David Foster Wallace foresaw the problems that technology, media, and entertainment would cause for this generation. We now live in the internet/information age, where technology and media are inescapable. During Wallace's later life, he pointed out the problems that we should consider and be aware of when existing in such a society. We may have not listened then, but we should now.
You’re ruining my blissful ignorance with thought provoking ideas!
thats exactly what his video about the boomer and the doomer talks about u should watch it
NEVER start anything that involves the brain of Wallace if you don't want thought provoking. I don't think he was capable of anything less. He is amazing
Er, that's the whole idea bruh, I think you need to get out more!
“you’re ruining my blissful ignorance with thought provoking ideas!”
The term is "red Pilled".
My brother loved David Foster Wallace. It's been 9 months of trying to recover everything he loved since his suicide at the age of 21. Learning from the suicides of DFW, Robin Williams, Anthony Bordain, among others is like a small whisper into where to put what unpromised time, attention and energy I do still have without him. RIP Dan Hoffman. Hope you and David are off laughing at us somewhere.
i hope he’s resting peacefully sis:/ you’re loved and valued, you mean more than you can imagine, i hope your okay i’ll be thinking about you wishing the best
bourdain did not kill himself
Ugh
@@seth5394 he did….. you’re probably thinking of Epstein
"Like a small whisper into where to put what unpromised time, attention and energy I do still have without him," so beautifully put.
I had this video slated for when I finish Infinite jest, and I finally did today. My three takeaways from the book were:
1) No one moment is ever unendurable. Focus on the now instead of dreading the future. One day at a time.
2) Feeling embarrassment is fine. Embarrassment ABOUT embarrassment is not.
3) We're indoctrinated into a status quo of thinking chiefly about ourselves, and doing differently gets branded "cheesy", even though the cliched empathizing we balk at is our default from the day we're born. A Wallacean utopia is one where people aren't afraid to lay bare their internal struggles to others, and everybody's there for each other.
"A Wallacean utopia is one where people aren't afraid to lay bare their internal struggles to others, and everybody's there for each other."
Sounds great, doesn't it? ... and that's why it's called a utopia.
Makes me think of the communist adagio: "from each according to their possibilities ... for each according to their needs".
If only the world was that simple, huh?
@AdelaeR Exactly, its not cheesy, it's naive to be purely altruistic
Back when everyone was Christian, that is exactly how we were. We're an aimless, moralless people now.
I seriously think my exposure to endless amounts of low-grade media at such a young age has severely stunted my ability to think deeply and philosophically. I never had to think.
Same
Switch it off. You'll recover.
Allow yourself to. It'll happen.
Na your just dum
What ever you practice, you'll become good at.
And both the opposite can be said. What you don't practice, you'll never get good at.
The bright side to this is that it's not impossible. You just have to start.
It also has made us narcoleptic and reeling infants.
It's super weird to hear the 90's referred to as "decades ago".
@Froody Groober same!! Are you about the same age as me? I'm 33, and I wonder if there is something about being in high school that makes it seem like it's always the oughts. Or maybe like Y2K was especially traumatizing, and therefore memorable? It wasn't though... 🤔
@Froody Groober Hmmm that's an interesting theory, but it doesn't really resonate with me. I mean, 9/11 was a big deal but I don't think it really affected me that much, not knowing anyone who died in it and not being American. I spent the 90's eating sour candy and watching pokemon, not sure you could get much simpler than that. Anyway, Happy birthday!
@Froody Groober The 90s wasn't cynical. At all. I was a teenager at the time. In fact, it was probably the most optimistic time in history. The Cold War was over (I remember when the Berlin Wall came down), and Bill Clinton, a good president whatever you may think of him as a man, presided over the longest peacetime economic expansion in history. A lot of us thought that perhaps the End of History was truly at hand. Global warming was still a fairly distant threat.
9/11 was bad, but the real consequences of being dragged into endless conflicts in the desert didn't sink in for years. The fear of global warming was like a slow creep. It wasn't until the 2008 Great Recession hit that many of us became aware of massive systemic problems with the way the whole system was being run. And the wars in the Middle East were STILL raging.
So basically, 2008 was a better demarcation than 2001.
@Froody Groober I think there's an argument that relatively easy times of the 90s, and the comparative stability, are what lead us to here. Difficult times breed resilient people, and easy times, not so much.
weird is when below good content so shallow comments, just prove a point,- somebody cant concentrate and looking for easy entertainment
Two quotes come to mind after watching this video.
"Some people never go crazy, What truly horrible lives they must lead." - Burkowski
"Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know." - Hemingway
well im pretty happy thats my main modow in life. and i consider myself pretty intelligent. in fact i think more intelligent people are happier cause they know how to be happy and what that intales
@@E.a.Z.S.e.n.T it seems usually, the more intelligent someone is the more they are filled with doubt
@@magneto44 hmm really..?
@@E.a.Z.S.e.n.T As Plato said, "I know that I know nothing"
shouts out burkowski 🙏
Oh look. Another one of those moments where I pretend for a moment that I've turned a new stone. Just to wake up the next day and forget about it...
Taylor Parrish how have you been doing? You’ve got more strength than you think.
Same here.., but we should never give up!
Just give up at this point
Hey, noticing something is just one step towards healing it and recognizing there is another way
🔸Not if you summarize the key points, review & apply them slowly & find the solutions to points of hows/whys that they're missing.
🔹its not possible for everyone to do it all the time but, possible for many if you realize how to apply things practically.
🔹one may stumble on hurdles like lack of time to type but if we decide to move past that hurdle & keep an eye out for new things even if we're stuck.
🔹we can discover things like one notes dictation features & so on that help us summarize faster.
I was born with the internet I was addicted to it for a while whatever I want whenever I want
But found myself bored and wanting to go outside get a job experience something hard and actually do something it is very easy to let entertainment control and be your life if you not careful
Hello everyone hope you are all good i can see people giving suggestions on what to do if you quit media and they are very nice ideas but if any one willingly and genuinely needs help on any problems they face in life contact us +233245792900 on WhatsApp so that we can help that person with any struggles he has thank you
Every Day Tf is this? You starting a cult lmfao?
i love how im learning about the dangers of the internet on the internet
The internet is a tool, it can be used in a lot of ways.
Double edged sword
What a dumb comment
@@YOULOOTWESHOOT101 noice, how Ironic.
This summarises a lot for me.
I'm definitely addicted to Facebook and TH-cam.
But I'm aware of this and I'm looking to strike a healthier balance.
Excellent video this and I've shared it.
Have you managed a healthier balance yet?
Hello everyone hope you are all good i can see people giving suggestions on what to do if you quit media and they are very nice ideas but if any one willingly and genuinely needs help on any problems they face in life contact us +233245792900 on WhatsApp so that we can help that person with any struggles he has thank you
@@everyday9861 why do i think this is a scam.
@@Mcpwnt Bro dont sweat it you can think whatever you want besides we do not collect a dime from anyone and we already have too much on our plates, depressed individuals who came to us are now coping well with life that is what is our success, we do this because we want to help maybe my advertisement was not convincing and may sound like a scam but not really worried ok
I’ve loved David Foster Wallace’s words of insight and wisdom for several years now. I had no idea he committed suicide. You brushed over it so quickly at the beginning that I now have to pause and let that sink in. I’m heartbroken.
It was TV before and now here we are.
(Thank you so much for making this. I’m literally an internet addict, wasted about 10 years of my life escaping through it. This video is just the kick I needed today to get back in track with certain changes and it made things a lot clearer for me. You’re doing Gods work man.)
Seagulls are addicted to French fries. I've never seen a Seagull turn down a French fry.
They also like bread....It's fun to throw bread at them for a few minutes and then take some bread and mold it around a firecracker and then light it before you throw it....It really makes them mad
DelbertStinkfester 😂😂😂😂
Seagulls don't have Paypal
I asked them all for their first name and it's always Steven.
Are you a seagull? Or a French fry?
My approach to all of this is that there is a reason we have emotions. Using our senses, through life, we often come across something that is wrong and threathens our well-being. If we are comfortable enough to spend our lives in discomfort, which constand and mindless entertainment allows us to do, we lose sight of the actual problem. Negative emotions aren't there to make us perpetually suffer, but to tell us what we need to do so that they can subside.
Just damn sad. As a professional writer with 27 books published, the next in Portuguese, and as an American graduate of an M.A./Literature program, I ran into more than a few grad students who revered David Foster Wallace. Like him, they were obsessed with opinions, especially opinions about the shallowness of American culture--what they perceived to be the shallowness of American culture, and how addictive TV, the internet and drugs are. To which I replied: "Turn off your TV, turn off the Internet---except for free music on youtube, of course!--and spend at least two hours a day on a positive addiction, spend at least two hours a day writing poetry, not talking about it; spend at least 2 hrs/day hitting a heavy bag or working out and sparring in a dojo, spend at least 2/hrs a day jogging and swimming . . . . and you'll be OUTSIDE your opinions, outside of a classroom and DEEP in your soul, outside in the world. Don't waste any money on drugs that you can spend much better on a pair of boxing gloves and discover there are Americans out there who are doing very well, bricklayers and nurses and doctors and so on, who are not shallow at all, and guess what, they don't waste any damn time obsessing about other people's opinions, including mine, thank God." The DFW Acolytes didn't take my advice and they are now in their 40s, bitching and moaning about the price and availability of cocaine and the same obsessions about American culture that drove David Foster Wallace to suicide. Kerouac had the same obsessions and he drank himself to death in front of a television. Steinbeck, who was not obsessed with his own opinions or the opinions of others, lived out his days very well, on the other hand. If you want to end up like David Foster Wallace, be my guest. If you want to end up like Steinbeck, you'll write a helluva' lot more books and see a helluva' lot more sunrises and ball a helluva' lot more women and drink a helluva' lot more whiskey. Last word is from the Lord Buddha, Siddhartha: "Do good and be good on this road of life. If you follow that road, all the books you read will enlighten you in some way. If you do not follow that road, nothing you ever read will ever help you."
"as a"
"as an"
You're pompous.
What you wrote is true and speaks of my experience. Not pompous at all either.
I have been given a book to write but I don't know how. One. I read you and I think I don't even live on the same planet as this person, how can I make it to where he is? And yes I do blame myself for my consumption of media but when you are given nothing and left by yourself it is impossible to turn away. We need others more than anyone realizes. Curious about your portuguese title.
It is a little ironic to find you after watching some bunch of garbage. I am really thankfull of the randomness of internet this time, though this factor is one of the storngest causes of my adiccion: the expectation of something new, the infinite posibilities sliding down your screen... Tomorrow I was going to make a little esay for my little school, and, well, with the very limited ability I have on this languege, I want to thank you. I do not know how many eyes will meet this message... it has so much potential: literaly almost anyone could see it... I feel so powerfull righ now!
...I am very sorry... I just wanted to tell you -whoever you are behind that virtual courtin- that you made me smile, and get up from my nasty bed, write my esay and put aside this misterious engine.
Hi! how was your essay?
this comment rings true
I have no clue how I got so lucky, but this is typical of what I find on the internet. In general, excellent content, Paula Landhart. :)
@@jasperrafols750 I didn't write as much as I planned, but I read twice as much. Maybe tomorrow I will write two essays. I will write to them.
sarcasm?
It's a tricky situation. I once tried total visual media abstinence at one point. However everyone around me is so immersed in it; eventually you begin to miss out on common cultural touchstones and frames of reference. It becomes more and more difficult to talk to your neighbors and relatives. In insulating yourself from the pop culture media bubble, you become trapped in a Luddite bubble. Consequently you end up alone...with a book and journal as your only friends ;)
Literally me
This was very well said.
I've just been binging your content for the past hour now. Your scriptwriting skills are great and you do a really good job at breaking down complex ideas to make them easily digestible
Going through some serious depression myself I’m interested in hearing David foster Wallace’s thoughts on life but in another way it scares me because he couldn’t get over his depression and isn’t alive. That scares me knowing how it can go
Nice summary and good editing. The thought that was bouncing around was whether or not media like Citizen Kane and Great Gatsby resonate because we relate to the fact that becoming champions of The American Dream leaves us unfulfilled or because The American Dream seems to escape the masses and we enjoy watching stories about those who pursue it heartlessly and the suffering they then endure.
always coming back to this one from time to time - thanks
Much love for all your videos man
I'll admit that even with the awareness of my own addiction to "information " and the fact that is just as bad as addiction to entertainment, it's hard to break away
A philosophy of consumption is a symptom of deep fear of intimacy, even with oneself, and leads to increasing dysfunction. Most the best feeling things and valuable experiences have require conscience effort, are less exciting, and cost less monetary resources but more time. However, these things cannot be bought, cannot be taken away by anyone else in most cases, give more complete perspectives and have happiness/satisfaction longevity rather than putting you on an endless treadmill of hedonism. It's not easy to maintain the understanding of this under momentary pressure of impulse but the more you try anything the more skilled you become and once the urges pass, you start a process that pays dividends. Thanks for putting this out there because it's more profitable for people to be unhappy and consume than it is to seek true fulfillment in all its unique forms with it's very human, deep, common, and interpersonal foundations.
This started to affect me really hard the last few years. Like I need to really focus on activities that are not leading to be looking at a screen like what kind of life is this?
Much of what Wallace bemoaned as far as an empty feeling coming from the "pursuit of happiness" that our western media tells us we should strive towards, reminds me of King Solomon's expressions in Ecclesiastes and Proverbs.
Painful that so many people struggle with existence regularly. It just shouldn't be this way.
That analogy about Food really hit. I’m totally stealing that from this video when explaining why I’m not watching stranger things.
It all comes down to you. But., You are never alone. Unless you want to be.
Necessary video for today's time, truly Eye-opening!
I've no words to thank you, but still Thank You.
Spot on! "Improve the world around us, instead of trying to escape it."
Such a Great video. Something I’ve learned after tons of searches was our human (so to speak)wants to seek out the most pleasure with the least amount of pain and discomfort. Sometimes even just siting passively letting time pass without some input can cause discomfort. After much discipline and restriction of pleasurable pursuits. what overly stimulated people might find boring can bring pleasure to someone who has lessened their pleasure consumption.
Marshall McLuhan extensively covered this in the 50’s-70’s. Look him up.
Everyone's built to run from pain...
The owner of this channel forgot how dangerous is for the addicts the world "exposure".
When u are an addict u are not able to do things in a moderate way (we tend to go to the extremes) & when at least I feel in "balance" my brain interpretate that as "lacking" & the inner movement of addiction tries to control its way.
I'm dealing with addiction since my teens (I'm 39 years old now) & honestly sometimes I feel hopeless with this subject because I never felt like real well-being when I don't use, drink or distract myself & when I start to feel physically & mentally well it comes to me a huge void of boredom that brings me back to same old negative habits.
One addict can be understood only by another addict & with due all respect to the owner of this channel I am sure that with the best heart u shared your opinion just that for addicts it's a very dangerous solution the fact of controlling or trying to set up limits.
Peace ✌🏼
When you define yourself as an addict, you are destined to be addicted. YOU are the master of your own universe. YOU alone can overcome yourself. I believe in you.
Well made, like the summary!
Thank you!
the video is so well produced with great examples!
Great job, PoW. Very thought-provoking clip.
Actually, the 40 hour work week is difficult enough to warrant total escapism, which is why things are the way they are.
Work is not fun and it has always been a thankless grind.
Chris Dragotta, uh...no. Work is one vehicle through which we bring value to the community. Yep, It takes effort. Then I would say a goal is to have our work be an expression of our highest values and something that brings us satisfaction both intrinsically and extrinsically.
Yes, plenty of jobs suck. For you, I say stop working and start living. Do exactly what you want and do only what you want.
@@JohnnyArtPavlou you gotta pay the bills somehow, you sadly can't always do everything you want when you don't have anything or anyone to back you up.
As a labourer building walking tracks. Work is satisfying , gets me very fit at 50. And balances my tendency to overthink. But yes, clear breaks are important.. a thru hike, 3 weeks in the Philippines exploring islands...gets you back to silence, gets rid of automatic patterns, channge your job. This often requires taking a long break. Or quitting, or leading a nomadic life with low overheads. Eg having a van as home. This is becomming more and more common.
Leaving time to think and discuss the media I consume is helpful I think. It helps give meaning to what I've watched/ listened and gives me something to talk about. I've been reading more that helps. The Bible has been a compelling read too. My Grandma's Hurlbut's story Bible is really good.
In 30 days, mankind can adapt with or without and get used to anything - and really everything is in vain anyway, all is Vanity...never knew he died in 2008 RIP man :(
Finished reading Infinite Jest not too long ago. Great novel, learned a lot.
Only those who have the strength to practice self control will thrive. All others will perish.
I just discovered this channel and watching so many videos . This is honestly my new fav channel. Your very inspiring and it definitely opened my eyes ! Look forward to more content :)
We try to distract ourselves enough to be comfortable in our discomfort. Well said.
Simply Amazing. Great prose!
The extreme amount of content has had the opposite effect on me. It has made me much more selective, no longer settling for anything less than the best, whatever that is in the moment, and no longer lingering if I happen upon less than the best. I've also noticed that having that priority has somehow brightened the path to the best, which for me doesn't include social media.
These videos never disappoint
"O brave new world that has such things."
Thank you for this great video. Keep it up.
Thank you. I really enjoyed this. Cheers!
This is basically the next step to what David was against. We will now live our lives on the Internet. Much appreciated for the wise words this man have left us blinded people.
Well, I did not expect to find the answer to the technological age that has seemed to avoid everyone from DFW to Ted Kaczynski in a TH-cam video made by someone who I would assume from their voice is in their mid 20s. But you’ve pretty much hit the nail on the head in regards to practical solutions, which has always been my issue with this school of thought which runs in congruence with nihilism like they’re both very accurate representations of reality, but they offer very few solutions to the problems that they observe. I think the metaphor about mindful eating is a perfect way to convey this idea, because for some people, it is a lifelong endeavor to just attempt to be mindful in the way they eat or consume entertainment, and others are kind of born into a perfect situation where it happens automatically, and others are in between, like for me, I was born into the perfect situation where healthy eating and mindful use of technology were the norm and then went out into a world that was very much the opposite once I was an adult and it’s taken considerable reconciling. I have noticed that I’ve gotten back to a point where mindful consumption is default which seems much more difficult for others who are in or have been in different circumstances but I believe this final point remains true regardless once you are able to get past that barrier to where mindful consumption is your default, it works on the same psychological reward systems as junk food, social media, tv, etc. Like I’m at the point now where I actually find it more arduous to spend my time watching a TV show like Friends for instance or scrolling on social media, than it is to listen to recorded, lectures, or read a particularly intensive book, like I read infinite jest, essentially for fun because I’m now at the point where “fun” requires that the task also be psychologically intensive/educational, and I don’t really get that same response of “fun” otherwise.
Humans are just not build to be constantly happy, especially by one specific thing. Everything you like that you can do as much as you want will either become less fun or you'll get addicted, probably neglecting to do other important things in both cases.
You are absolutely right, i just want to add that things you are addicted too also become less fun, you just do em anways cause...you are addicted.
I think he whose work I love like no other authors works had all reasons to look at this world with these deeply sad eyes.he saw what we are in himself,only he had this amazing gift to build words that create a mirror for us.yet we don't wanna face it,mostly
Thanks for sharing!
This sounded like an ad for your channel. You made it seem like it’s your content that we should be ok in being addicted to. Fully knowing that as we subscribe we will be hooked by other novelty.
Well said. These are things I’ve been working on.
the comparison to food is so good!
I've been watching TH-cam for 20 hours straight and I'm watching this video for passive entertainment and dopamine boost.
Problem with media that does let us think and do something about our problems, is that there is a chance that the media we are consuming could be wrong, that’s why it’s important for us to research facts and consider the validity of the subjects we are watching.
Spot on!
I noticed my addiction not too long ago and decided to start online learning instead of just using my PC for entertainment
I'm addicted to research and generally what all is possible with basic tech that is available in surplus, you'd be amazed how many problems could be solved with basic knowledge, skills and access to patent databases
3:10 the editor went through the effort of finding a building image accurate to his alma mater, kudos.
Next level content, keep it up. Helping many people
Thank You
hey, if you have a script of your video, could you send it to me? I would like to do Russian subtitles. thnx.
Please send us an email at pursuit.wonder.media@gmail.com and we would love to send the script over to you. Thanks!
@@PursuitofWonder done.
David suffered from sever mental instability. Why should I listen to him? Welcome to the new world, you can't fight change. Watching this video on my smart phone using a media app from the comfort of my own couch.
this is an insightful video. thank you
Entertainment is not healthy, seek for art.
That's like saying candy isnt healthy. Of course it isn't, but if you learn to moderate over time and not have candy too often it's okay to indulge yourself every now and then; it's part of the human experience. Art is obviously more fulfilling, but where do you draw the line between art and entertainment?
@@MarcElfassy But candy is NOT healthy.
unhealthy things can be a part of a healthy life. the dose makes the poison.
People quit some addictions to fall into another one... the mind has become a continuous spiral in a state of abundance.
You seem to take the same position as Aldous Huxley that technology - specifically television - as an inherently neutral tool, right?
This is a fabulous video.
What a beautiful video. We need more content like this. Marvelous!!
He was more than sad and lonely, he suffered from mental illness.
Great video. Thank you for sharing your work with all of us. Conscious consumption is the order of the day.
I read about this guy, he was fascinating, hopefully i'll read some of his books soon. I hate!!!!!!!!!!!!!! social media and TV, but I admit I'm on YT too much, but I've at least go by my own anti gossiping rules, I don't think I've ever really known who Im talking to, at my own expense. I realize YT might be better if done together, but i would be a hypocrite if I said I hated social media, and gossiped or treated YT like Twitter and Facebook, so I basically make myself more isolated because of my ideals, even though it sucks! sometimes, but at the same time it feels good! standing up, and standing for something.
TV talmud vision
thank you
Felt like having read the same ideas about pleasure and happiness in Upanishads (about 2500 year old books on Philosophy)
That was an exceptional and totally on point video
Hard work makes you happy
Think about how often people lie. Now imagine that when theyre alone recording programs, videos and writing essays. God is recording everything since the beginning. The truth will all come to light.
I like that food analogy a lot, that's a good one to keep in mind
He is so right.
The thing is, Ive quit drugs and alcohol. Been sober for 6months now. But my computer and more specifically youtube is ruining my life in some ways. The endless choices, recommendations that leave you stuck in the spiral of content makes me stop creating. Im deeply into art but I basically find me wishing to be locked in a room with nothing but paint so that I don't have a choice to do anything else. No distractions. Its so easy watching your life away.
Close your eyes. Meditate and watch your own mind - it beats any other kind of watching. But I hear you...
One of if not my favorite modern writers is David Foster Wallace. I also have an internet addiction. This was hard to hear.
That was an incredible video..
Frankfurt School plus Baudrillard dude: spot on!!
Ohhhh man pure genius!
Me mindlessly nursing my media addiction down a DFW rabbit hole being scolded for my media addiction.
I´m addicted to TH-cam (and to reading replies to my comments. It always gives a dopamine high when I get a reply.) but I´ve already reduced. Until four days ago, I was here every day so long that I slept only four or five hours a night. When I got up, I wasn't tired at all, but my doctor thought that little sleep could be one of the causes of my depression. In the last few days I slept about eight and a half hours a night. My depression is almost gone.
The moment you leave the window open by saying social media is not bad, but rather... It does not take long to rationalize your way in overconsumption. We just never have that much ATP in our prefrontal lobes we would wish to have.
Keep us distracted is it's purpose.
That was brilliant.
Social media addiction is annoying as hell. Having a way to view critique and commentate on media at the tips of your fingers anytime is addicting no argument possible against it.
That's a smart man, onward to our self-destruction.
Excellent. See Marcuse and Adorno for a fuller account. By all means think individually, but see it's also political and collective.
I'm not saying it hasn't generally gotten worse for today's standards, but I was glued to the television as a kid from 1980-90. If I wasn't bringing in 5-6 hrs a day, I'm shocked.
My point? It's all about the parenting, ESPECIALLY if a parent isn't at home most times, and caring enough to keep their kid in check. I had neither.
Am I surprised this unhealthy habit continued for me into the tech age/internet? Of course not, but thank God I'm lucky to have had the optics to recognize I'm this way, and try my best to 'keep it real'. I'm going on 49 now, and thankfully I'm consuming less and less media garbage every year, and substituting it with outdoors and fitness.
TV and all social media have been gone from my life for 8 yrs now. Just need to do the same for gaming and 'news' consumption; my biggest remaining hangups. Self mastery in these things is a life long pursuit for me.
This reminds me of some scenes in evangelion , overall it's a great video can't wait for more.