By now, you probably know what Reddit is, let alone r/mildlyinteresting. It has over 22 million members and is ranked #23 on the entire platform. At least as of this listicle.
Even the subreddit’s description was fourth-wall breaking and kinda like “ah, screw it, it’s in the name.” That’s how universally recognized the subreddit has become.
It’s a bit hard to explain what mildly means in the context of interest. You’d think you’re either interested in something or you’re not. Sure, you can be on the fence about it, or you can be in a situation where you want to like something. And that makes loads of sense. This is where you start to think about how much of your time and energy you’d want to allocate to whatever you’re mildly interested in. But how much is mildly?
#7 I Was Taking A Photo Of A Deer On A Trip And Another Deer Came Out And Smooched It
The concept of interest (not the financial thing) can be seen as a feeling of wanting to know or learn more about stuff. It can also be explained as a quality that attracts people for the same reason. This ultimately boils down to a joint definition that is used to describe an activity—one that draws people into taking part in it. Yeah, that doesn’t sound like anything that would by nature be scaled to a certain degree. It either is, or isn’t interesting.
#10 A Reflection From My Friend’s Phone Created A Pink Floyd Album Cover On Her Hazard Button
#11 Japanese Gum Comes With A Pad Of Paper To Wrap It Up And Throw It Away Later
#12 My Friends Cat Got Shaved At The Vet And Now She Looks Like A Game Of Exquisite Corpse
But weirdly enough, technology and the internet combined with human nature kinda explains that in and of itself: something is interesting enough to stop by while scrolling on the phone, but not necessarily interesting enough to click, comment on, upvote or act on it in any other way. And because everyone has different likes and interests in life, it’s hence a different reaction for each person.
What is more certain is the idea of self-interest. Scottish economist and philosopher Adam Smith talked at length about the concept. The focal point of his definition of self-interest is that every person is by nature first and foremost concerned with himself. It is a certain kind of hardwiring that we as individuals forming communities, societies, and an entire race can’t help but obey.
#17 My Local Hospital Has Examples Of When You May Need An Urgent Care vs. An Er
He goes on to say that self-interest is what motivates people to pursue goals. The first of which are basic bodily human needs, like eating and staying healthy. According to Smith, this should not be confused with wants and desires—sure, everyone wants a Ferrari, and it might be within someone’s self-interest to get one, but it’s not key to your survival, and that’s Smith's take on it.
