Yeah, that's a good example -- what was originally the means to some end winds up being the actual end that you pursue, to poisonous or comic effect.

elvismercury

mostly_harmless

Streaks

> The really bad part is that this manifestation of what it means is not joyous or liberating.

I have this sense frequently when I spend too much time on SN. I equate it to experiences I have had in a corporate employment setting, where something trivial that has no real meaning beyond the culture of the organization can affect me profoundly. 