comment: >
  
  Consuming media and hanging with people fulfill two different needs. Depending on how one engages with media there is genuine value to be had in it. At the risk of sounding cliche and cringe, one of the best movies I saw last year is something I don't think I could've gotten from hanging with my friends. It was a movie about an immigrant mother who did everything wrong with her family and I just saw so much of my family reflected in that story. I'll never get the happy ending the movie has but it was so cathartic and therapeutic seeing that story made. Comfort from my friends just doesn't hit the same way. 
  Granted, that is a very over the top example. In general, media consumption is a form of entertainment and it can exercise critical thinking skills that hanging with friends or pursuing hobbies does not. It can also serve as an avenue to make friends because fandoms are huge social circles that allow people to bond over common interests.
context: /u/pariah1165 (OP) has awarded 3 delta(s) in this post.
  All comments that earned deltas (from OP or other users) are listed here, in /r/DeltaLog.
  Please note that a change of view doesn't necessarily mean a reversal, or that the conversation has ended.
  ^Delta System Explained ^| ^Deltaboards >
  
  Reading fiction is positively associated with increased empathy.
  Fiction helps us understand what it’s like to be someone besides ourselves. You sit down and read a book and your spending a few hours actively imagining what it’s like to be someone else — it’s a workout routine for empathy (as well as your imagination.)
  Movies and TV are enjoyed much more passively and so those benefits are watered down, but are still there.
  I can’t say if at any given moment you would be better off reading fiction than going out in the world and doing whatever. But people should definitely make time in their lives for reading fiction. It makes better people out of us. >
  
  Δ   
  "A workout routine for empathy." I really like that!   
  As others have pointed out, I was being pretty all-or-nothing here, and of course going out and talking to people is good for building empathy too. But I really like the idea that reading fiction is like little bite-size versions of that. >
  
  Confirmed: 1 delta awarded to /u/pluralofjackinthebox (100∆).
  ^Delta System Explained ^| ^Deltaboards >
  
  When you read something, you are exploring the mind of someone else and their creation. Not everyone is extroverted, adventure seeking and society exist because of that. 
  If you feel you are wasting time watching shows and you are introverted, why not start small and take a class once a week or play a social sport and ease into it. See if you enjoy it, add something else, go a random trip somewhere close. Build from there >
  
  Fiction is an escape from the very life you describe as boring and sedentary. For many avid readers, Fiction is a way to escape from life's issues. It also broadens a person's imaginative and thinking brain muscles, providing them with different perspectives that they have never seen do to its fantastical nature. While all the reasons I listed could also be used to describe  the type of physical adventure you suggest, not everyone has the time or financial privilege to be able to go out on lavish outings to see what the world has to offer. So, many people live out their long adventure fantasies at home in the length of the few limited hours they have by reading and watching shows, making fiction a much more time efficient and worthwhile option for people. >
  
  Consuming media and hanging with people fulfill two different needs. Depending on how one engages with media there is genuine value to be had in it. At the risk of sounding cliche and cringe, one of the best movies I saw last year is something I don't think I could've gotten from hanging with my friends. It was a movie about an immigrant mother who did everything wrong with her family and I just saw so much of my family reflected in that story. I'll never get the happy ending the movie has but it was so cathartic and therapeutic seeing that story made. Comfort from my friends just doesn't hit the same way. 
  Granted, that is a very over the top example. In general, media consumption is a form of entertainment and it can exercise critical thinking skills that hanging with friends or pursuing hobbies does not. It can also serve as an avenue to make friends because fandoms are huge social circles that allow people to bond over common interests. >
  
  Δ   
  Thank you for sharing that story about that movie. That helped my perspective a lot. I'm an aspiring writer and I hope that my writing can have that effect on someone someday. But I hadn't heard it explained so well that fiction can help put things in perspective for people like that. And, as you said, can do so in a way that countless conversations with other people might not be able to.   
  Speaking of catharsis, reading these replies has been very cathartic when I was getting frustrated about my writing goals. So, again, thank you. >
  
  Confirmed: 1 delta awarded to /u/videoninja (123∆).
  ^Delta System Explained ^| ^Deltaboards >
  
  You're thinking in extremes. All or nothing. It's unrealistic.
  So get out and see the world. Meet new people. Talk about shared interests...
  Oh shit, what are those shared interests going to be? What if it's a new novel they read? What if it's this season's "it" TV show? What if it's the movie they saw last week?
  Reading & watching fiction is fun in its own right. Socializing can be too. But it's not an either or choice: you can do both. >
  
  Δ   
  Yeah, I thought about that when I re-read what I'd written.   
  I grew up in a very rural community and I think I still carry over the idea that the worldy (also usually wealthy) families didn't let their kids "waste time" watching TV like us poor kids.   
  But, as you said, a genuinely well-rounded person has a bit of both. >
  
  Confirmed: 1 delta awarded to /u/Not-your-lawyer- (73∆).
  ^Delta System Explained ^| ^Deltaboards >
  
  If you read 100 years worth of the best fiction books from a certain country you would by osmosis learn about the real fears, desires, dreams and sensibilities of that culture and how they changed. 
  Reading fiction is only a waste of time if you're being frivolous and using it purely as escape. If you're paying attention to the fiction you're consuming you instantly become an anthropologist. It's not as direct as flesh on flesh but fiction through art has existed for thousands of years because it stimulates the part of the brain that craves joy and delight from other regions. A message that's refracted through a lens not purely concerned with the everyday. >
  
  I’m going to emphatically agree with the comment about fiction giving people who can’t afford these grand experiences ways to explore. With one notable exception, I haven’t been in a position to go on adventures. I was able to go on a cruise with family, and it was great, but mostly, I only got the tourist-facing side of everywhere we went. 
  There was one bus tour in Roatán where they actually talked about what daily life is like, and showed us more of the island than just the, “Yay, tourists!” face. Fiction gives a more intimate view of certain things than you’re going to get meeting people. Mostly, if I want to see more than the, “Yay, tourists!” Or “Yay, strangers!” faces, fiction is generally going to be my best bet. The creator’s soul comes out in fiction in a way that a passing acquaintance or list of facts will never show you.
  Also, and I’m a bit ashamed of this one, but it’s true. I want so badly to be a good person and make a positive difference in the world that sometimes it can be hard for me to learn that some things I’m doing are the opposite of helpful. I get a little defensive and don’t take everything to heart as well as I should. Fiction gives me a no judgement, private place to learn about situations that maybe I’ve been stupid. My attachment and connection with the characters helps me take myself out of it for a minute and just listen. >
  
  Fiction allows us access to stuff we otherwise wouldn’t have access to - ideas that are impossible to truly live, like mind-reading or shapeshifting - or stories that would be traumatic to actually experience but are interesting to think about - for example, would I want to be anyone from How To Get Away With Murder? No, their lives are terrible, they live in fear constantly, the legal system is inaccurate and the FBI invades far too many people’s personal lives. But the ideas the show explores - what does it mean to kill for someone? How far can or should someone go to protect someone else? What happens to people who aren’t ever able to fully trust one another? The idea of a woman who can’t answer the phone because her father listens in to all her conversations - tragic in real life, but fascinating in fiction to consider how that influences what she says or doesn’t say throughout the story. Those are all fascinating concepts I like thinking about and get pleasure exploring through writing fanfiction, which wouldn’t exist if not for the fact that the trashy fiction existed first. Have you ever considered learning to animate? Or writing about the anime you like? It might feel less pointless >
  
  
  you could be better spending your time going out
  
  Why not do both? Fiction can be an escape for many, and i can think of a lot of “escapes” that are a lot more harmful than a little reading. Enjoying fiction doesn’t mean you have to shut yourself out from the outside world. If you want to meet real people and still enjoy a bunch of fiction, then try finding a group of people that enjoys fiction. 
  Also, many people don’t have the ability to experience the world as you say. Whether it’s financial reasons, health, or just general life circumstances, fiction can help fill that void people have. >
  
  All fiction is derived from reality. No one has ever written something that was beyond human comprehension. When you cry at a sad movie those tears are no less real, when you laugh you're experiencing real mirth. Fiction is not separate from reality, it is part of it. >
  
  In my experience, one rarely comes at the expense of the other. It's pretty common for great fiction to inspire people to see the world or build things or make art of their own. For example, my favorite books inspire me to make music. My favorite games got me into indie game design. >
  
  Is this really about enjoying fiction, or general loneliness / lack of agency in life that results from isolation?
  You could replace fiction with activities like reading non-fiction and the problems would be the same. Likewise, people with active lives that travel the world and meet many people still enjoy fiction. >
  
  You will never be able to do it all, but you can read about it >
  
  Networking is how people get a lot of jobs, you need social skills and nerd culture can help people relate. >
  
  In addition to the points already made about direct value: relaxation is important. Most people can't be "on" all the time and the sort of active engagement you mention takes effort. Fiction - in moderation - can be a great way to just rest. >
  
  I don’t think experiencing fiction and experiencing the real world are mutually exclusive. I’m a writer and with that comes a love for fiction, but I’m also a person and I live in the real world. I can chat with the guy who lives down the street and I can also connect with a fictional character. It doesn’t have to be one or the other. >
  
  It feels like you've idealized a very specific lifestyle, and decided that it's the best, despite you not even living it. Not to be a total armchair psychologist, but it seems like a projection of your current insecurities. You said it yourself, you're shy and like to watch Anime at home. So you see people who have the extreme opposite lifestyle of a vagrant who travels and works odd jobs, and wish that you had what they did.
  But that lifestyle isn't for everyone (including you, probably). It isn't just some carefree, happy-go-lucky thing. It lacks stability, and has minimal room for upwards mobility. And that's fine for some people. One of my friends dropped out of college and lives in a van. He loves it. But he fully acknowledges that it isn't a perfect lifestyle. While he has a safety net, he still has to worry about working, paying bills, and all that stuff. Oh, and he still watches TV shows and stuff.
  Personally, I work a perfectly regular office job. I have a nice social and family life, I get to travel plenty for work, and I have plenty of free time for things like video games and Anime. >
  
  I'm not going to argue for staying inside watching anime all day; if you like it watch it. I'm going to argue against "all day"
  Someone choosing to overindulge in something (escapism / fiction) doesn't make the thing bad.
  Someone who overindulges in cake doesn't make cake a bad thing. Someone who overindulges in video games doesn't make video games a bad thing. etc...
  The behavior and the fears that hold someone to those behaviors are problematic, not the thing itself. >
  
  /u/pariah1165 (OP) has awarded 3 delta(s) in this post.
  All comments that earned deltas (from OP or other users) are listed here, in /r/DeltaLog.
  Please note that a change of view doesn't necessarily mean a reversal, or that the conversation has ended.
  ^Delta System Explained ^| ^Deltaboards >
  
  Reading fiction is positively associated with increased empathy.
  Fiction helps us understand what it’s like to be someone besides ourselves. You sit down and read a book and your spending a few hours actively imagining what it’s like to be someone else — it’s a workout routine for empathy (as well as your imagination.)
  Movies and TV are enjoyed much more passively and so those benefits are watered down, but are still there.
  I can’t say if at any given moment you would be better off reading fiction than going out in the world and doing whatever. But people should definitely make time in their lives for reading fiction. It makes better people out of us. >
  
  Δ   
  "A workout routine for empathy." I really like that!   
  As others have pointed out, I was being pretty all-or-nothing here, and of course going out and talking to people is good for building empathy too. But I really like the idea that reading fiction is like little bite-size versions of that. >
  
  Confirmed: 1 delta awarded to /u/pluralofjackinthebox (100∆).
  ^Delta System Explained ^| ^Deltaboards >
  
  When you read something, you are exploring the mind of someone else and their creation. Not everyone is extroverted, adventure seeking and society exist because of that. 
  If you feel you are wasting time watching shows and you are introverted, why not start small and take a class once a week or play a social sport and ease into it. See if you enjoy it, add something else, go a random trip somewhere close. Build from there >
  
  Fiction is an escape from the very life you describe as boring and sedentary. For many avid readers, Fiction is a way to escape from life's issues. It also broadens a person's imaginative and thinking brain muscles, providing them with different perspectives that they have never seen do to its fantastical nature. While all the reasons I listed could also be used to describe  the type of physical adventure you suggest, not everyone has the time or financial privilege to be able to go out on lavish outings to see what the world has to offer. So, many people live out their long adventure fantasies at home in the length of the few limited hours they have by reading and watching shows, making fiction a much more time efficient and worthwhile option for people. >
  
  Consuming media and hanging with people fulfill two different needs. Depending on how one engages with media there is genuine value to be had in it. At the risk of sounding cliche and cringe, one of the best movies I saw last year is something I don't think I could've gotten from hanging with my friends. It was a movie about an immigrant mother who did everything wrong with her family and I just saw so much of my family reflected in that story. I'll never get the happy ending the movie has but it was so cathartic and therapeutic seeing that story made. Comfort from my friends just doesn't hit the same way. 
  Granted, that is a very over the top example. In general, media consumption is a form of entertainment and it can exercise critical thinking skills that hanging with friends or pursuing hobbies does not. It can also serve as an avenue to make friends because fandoms are huge social circles that allow people to bond over common interests. >
  
  Δ   
  Thank you for sharing that story about that movie. That helped my perspective a lot. I'm an aspiring writer and I hope that my writing can have that effect on someone someday. But I hadn't heard it explained so well that fiction can help put things in perspective for people like that. And, as you said, can do so in a way that countless conversations with other people might not be able to.   
  Speaking of catharsis, reading these replies has been very cathartic when I was getting frustrated about my writing goals. So, again, thank you. >
  
  Confirmed: 1 delta awarded to /u/videoninja (123∆).
  ^Delta System Explained ^| ^Deltaboards >
  
  You're thinking in extremes. All or nothing. It's unrealistic.
  So get out and see the world. Meet new people. Talk about shared interests...
  Oh shit, what are those shared interests going to be? What if it's a new novel they read? What if it's this season's "it" TV show? What if it's the movie they saw last week?
  Reading & watching fiction is fun in its own right. Socializing can be too. But it's not an either or choice: you can do both. >
  
  Δ   
  Yeah, I thought about that when I re-read what I'd written.   
  I grew up in a very rural community and I think I still carry over the idea that the worldy (also usually wealthy) families didn't let their kids "waste time" watching TV like us poor kids.   
  But, as you said, a genuinely well-rounded person has a bit of both. >
  
  Confirmed: 1 delta awarded to /u/Not-your-lawyer- (73∆).
  ^Delta System Explained ^| ^Deltaboards >
  
  If you read 100 years worth of the best fiction books from a certain country you would by osmosis learn about the real fears, desires, dreams and sensibilities of that culture and how they changed. 
  Reading fiction is only a waste of time if you're being frivolous and using it purely as escape. If you're paying attention to the fiction you're consuming you instantly become an anthropologist. It's not as direct as flesh on flesh but fiction through art has existed for thousands of years because it stimulates the part of the brain that craves joy and delight from other regions. A message that's refracted through a lens not purely concerned with the everyday. >
  
  I’m going to emphatically agree with the comment about fiction giving people who can’t afford these grand experiences ways to explore. With one notable exception, I haven’t been in a position to go on adventures. I was able to go on a cruise with family, and it was great, but mostly, I only got the tourist-facing side of everywhere we went. 
  There was one bus tour in Roatán where they actually talked about what daily life is like, and showed us more of the island than just the, “Yay, tourists!” face. Fiction gives a more intimate view of certain things than you’re going to get meeting people. Mostly, if I want to see more than the, “Yay, tourists!” Or “Yay, strangers!” faces, fiction is generally going to be my best bet. The creator’s soul comes out in fiction in a way that a passing acquaintance or list of facts will never show you.
  Also, and I’m a bit ashamed of this one, but it’s true. I want so badly to be a good person and make a positive difference in the world that sometimes it can be hard for me to learn that some things I’m doing are the opposite of helpful. I get a little defensive and don’t take everything to heart as well as I should. Fiction gives me a no judgement, private place to learn about situations that maybe I’ve been stupid. My attachment and connection with the characters helps me take myself out of it for a minute and just listen. >
  
  Fiction allows us access to stuff we otherwise wouldn’t have access to - ideas that are impossible to truly live, like mind-reading or shapeshifting - or stories that would be traumatic to actually experience but are interesting to think about - for example, would I want to be anyone from How To Get Away With Murder? No, their lives are terrible, they live in fear constantly, the legal system is inaccurate and the FBI invades far too many people’s personal lives. But the ideas the show explores - what does it mean to kill for someone? How far can or should someone go to protect someone else? What happens to people who aren’t ever able to fully trust one another? The idea of a woman who can’t answer the phone because her father listens in to all her conversations - tragic in real life, but fascinating in fiction to consider how that influences what she says or doesn’t say throughout the story. Those are all fascinating concepts I like thinking about and get pleasure exploring through writing fanfiction, which wouldn’t exist if not for the fact that the trashy fiction existed first. Have you ever considered learning to animate? Or writing about the anime you like? It might feel less pointless >
  
  
  you could be better spending your time going out
  
  Why not do both? Fiction can be an escape for many, and i can think of a lot of “escapes” that are a lot more harmful than a little reading. Enjoying fiction doesn’t mean you have to shut yourself out from the outside world. If you want to meet real people and still enjoy a bunch of fiction, then try finding a group of people that enjoys fiction. 
  Also, many people don’t have the ability to experience the world as you say. Whether it’s financial reasons, health, or just general life circumstances, fiction can help fill that void people have. >
  
  All fiction is derived from reality. No one has ever written something that was beyond human comprehension. When you cry at a sad movie those tears are no less real, when you laugh you're experiencing real mirth. Fiction is not separate from reality, it is part of it. >
  
  In my experience, one rarely comes at the expense of the other. It's pretty common for great fiction to inspire people to see the world or build things or make art of their own. For example, my favorite books inspire me to make music. My favorite games got me into indie game design. >
  
  Is this really about enjoying fiction, or general loneliness / lack of agency in life that results from isolation?
  You could replace fiction with activities like reading non-fiction and the problems would be the same. Likewise, people with active lives that travel the world and meet many people still enjoy fiction. >
  
  You will never be able to do it all, but you can read about it >
  
  Networking is how people get a lot of jobs, you need social skills and nerd culture can help people relate. >
  
  In addition to the points already made about direct value: relaxation is important. Most people can't be "on" all the time and the sort of active engagement you mention takes effort. Fiction - in moderation - can be a great way to just rest. >
  
  I don’t think experiencing fiction and experiencing the real world are mutually exclusive. I’m a writer and with that comes a love for fiction, but I’m also a person and I live in the real world. I can chat with the guy who lives down the street and I can also connect with a fictional character. It doesn’t have to be one or the other. >
  
  It feels like you've idealized a very specific lifestyle, and decided that it's the best, despite you not even living it. Not to be a total armchair psychologist, but it seems like a projection of your current insecurities. You said it yourself, you're shy and like to watch Anime at home. So you see people who have the extreme opposite lifestyle of a vagrant who travels and works odd jobs, and wish that you had what they did.
  But that lifestyle isn't for everyone (including you, probably). It isn't just some carefree, happy-go-lucky thing. It lacks stability, and has minimal room for upwards mobility. And that's fine for some people. One of my friends dropped out of college and lives in a van. He loves it. But he fully acknowledges that it isn't a perfect lifestyle. While he has a safety net, he still has to worry about working, paying bills, and all that stuff. Oh, and he still watches TV shows and stuff.
  Personally, I work a perfectly regular office job. I have a nice social and family life, I get to travel plenty for work, and I have plenty of free time for things like video games and Anime. >
  
  I'm not going to argue for staying inside watching anime all day; if you like it watch it. I'm going to argue against "all day"
  Someone choosing to overindulge in something (escapism / fiction) doesn't make the thing bad.
  Someone who overindulges in cake doesn't make cake a bad thing. Someone who overindulges in video games doesn't make video games a bad thing. etc...
  The behavior and the fears that hold someone to those behaviors are problematic, not the thing itself. >
  
  /u/pariah1165 (OP) has awarded 3 delta(s) in this post.
  All comments that earned deltas (from OP or other users) are listed here, in /r/DeltaLog.
  Please note that a change of view doesn't necessarily mean a reversal, or that the conversation has ended.
  ^Delta System Explained ^| ^Deltaboards >
  
  Reading fiction is positively associated with increased empathy.
  Fiction helps us understand what it’s like to be someone besides ourselves. You sit down and read a book and your spending a few hours actively imagining what it’s like to be someone else — it’s a workout routine for empathy (as well as your imagination.)
  Movies and TV are enjoyed much more passively and so those benefits are watered down, but are still there.
  I can’t say if at any given moment you would be better off reading fiction than going out in the world and doing whatever. But people should definitely make time in their lives for reading fiction. It makes better people out of us. >
  
  Δ   
  "A workout routine for empathy." I really like that!   
  As others have pointed out, I was being pretty all-or-nothing here, and of course going out and talking to people is good for building empathy too. But I really like the idea that reading fiction is like little bite-size versions of that. >
  
  Confirmed: 1 delta awarded to /u/pluralofjackinthebox (100∆).
  ^Delta System Explained ^| ^Deltaboards >
  
  When you read something, you are exploring the mind of someone else and their creation. Not everyone is extroverted, adventure seeking and society exist because of that. 
  If you feel you are wasting time watching shows and you are introverted, why not start small and take a class once a week or play a social sport and ease into it. See if you enjoy it, add something else, go a random trip somewhere close. Build from there >
  
  Fiction is an escape from the very life you describe as boring and sedentary. For many avid readers, Fiction is a way to escape from life's issues. It also broadens a person's imaginative and thinking brain muscles, providing them with different perspectives that they have never seen do to its fantastical nature. While all the reasons I listed could also be used to describe  the type of physical adventure you suggest, not everyone has the time or financial privilege to be able to go out on lavish outings to see what the world has to offer. So, many people live out their long adventure fantasies at home in the length of the few limited hours they have by reading and watching shows, making fiction a much more time efficient and worthwhile option for people.