What Would Marcus Do Week 4: The Stoic Response to Social Media Winding You Up

“How much trouble he avoids who does not look to see what his neighbour says or does.” — Marcus Aurelius

The ancient Stoics understood something that modern neuroscience confirms: anger is a choice, not an inevitable response to provocation. Research demonstrates an undeniable link between social media use, negative mental health, and low self-esteem, particularly when platforms amplify outrage and inflammatory content to maximise engagement.

Digital Anger

The Stoics taught that anger always involves a judgement—the belief that someone has wronged us and deserves punishment. But Marcus Aurelius reminded us: “Whenever you want to cheer yourself, consider the good qualities of your companions.” Social media does the opposite, systematically highlighting the worst aspects of human behaviour and opinion.

The Rage-Attention Economy

Epictetus distinguished between what happens to us and our judgements about what happens. Research reveals that fear of missing out (FOMO) mediates the relationship between poor family functioning and social media addiction, suggesting that many people use online platforms to seek the validation and connection they lack elsewhere.

This creates a vicious cycle where platforms profit by keeping users emotionally activated, offering superficial engagement while deepening real isolation. The Stoics would see this as a perfect example of pursuing preferred indifferents (social validation, being “right” in arguments) whilst sacrificing genuine goods (inner peace, real relationships, wisdom).

Judgement

Marcus Aurelius practised examining his initial impressions, asking whether his emotional responses were based on facts or interpretations. Applied to social media, this means distinguishing between information and inflammatory framing. Most online outrage stems not from events themselves, but from how they’re presented to maximise emotional impact.

Seneca noted that anger makes us forget our humanity—both our own and that of others. Studies show that emotionally salient stimuli are robust in the context of distraction and take attentional precedence over neutral stimuli. This explains why outrageous content captures our attention so effectively, but also why engaging with it damages our capacity for reasoned thought.

What would Marcus Do?

Try this for a week.

The Pre-Response Pause: Before responding to any provocative online content, implement Marcus Aurelius’s practice of examining your initial impression. Ask: “What judgement am I making here? Is this based on facts or on how the information was framed to provoke me?”

The Seneca Scroll Filter: Before reading news or social media, remind yourself of Seneca’s insight: “What is grief but an opinion?” Most online outrage involves events over which you have no control. Choose to focus your emotional energy on what you can actually influence.

The Evening Anger Audit: Each night, review moments when you felt irritated or angry online. Ask: “Did this emotion improve my judgement? Did it lead to any constructive action? Or did it simply agitate me whilst benefiting platform engagement metrics?”

The Marcus Aurelius Perspective Shift: When encountering opinions that anger you, practice his technique of imaging the person behind the screen. They’re struggling with their own fears, limitations, and misconceptions—just as you are. This doesn’t mean agreeing with them, but responding from reason rather than emotion.

The Weekly Outrage Fast: Choose one day weekly to avoid all potentially inflammatory content. Notice how this affects your mood, your relationships, and your capacity for sustained thought. Seneca advocated voluntary hardship to appreciate what we have; avoiding outrage helps us appreciate mental tranquillity.

The Stoics offer us tools for maintaining equilibrium in an environment specifically designed to destabilise our emotional balance. By applying their insights to social media, we can engage with information without being consumed by carefully contrived outrage.