Platforms like TikTok are full of 'irrelevant content' that is destroying human creativity, says Russian tech billionaire Durov

Online services such as streaming website Netflix and video-sharing platform TikTok are harming human creativity by distracting people from tasks that really matter, the Russian founder of the Telegram Messenger app has claimed.

Writing on his personal channel on Saturday, Pavel Durov claimed that the consumption of both food and information work in a similar way.

"If we nourish our brain with real-life data that allows it to solve fundamental problems, it will process this data in the background and come up with unexpected solutions," he said.

However, most people prefer to feed their brain "random Netflix series or TikTok videos" instead of "real-life facts that can let us change the world," he said, calling for humans to protect their most powerful tool – the mind.

According to Durov, the brain cannot always distinguish between reality and fiction, leading people to focus on solving nonexistent problems rather than real-life issues.

"To be creative and productive, we must first clear from our minds the sticky mud of irrelevant content with which 'recommendation algorithms' flood it on a daily basis," he concluded.

Durov is no stranger to posting about the tech world on his channel. Last week, he slammed American corporations Apple and Google for actively censoring information.

"20 years ago, we had decentralized Internet and a relatively unrestricted banking system," he wrote. "Every year, we give up more power and control over our lives to a handful of unaccountable corporate executives we didn't elect."

According to Durov, the most "active and creative minds" are so busy focusing on "free enterprise" and "producing digital content" that they've forgotten about the principles of privacy and freedom on the internet.

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