Modern Meditations: Stoicism's Social Media Renaissance

The memes, motivational quotes, and Meditations popping up on your social media feed.

The Social media resurgence of Stoic philosophy has captured the attention of millions, offering bite-sized insights from ancient wisdom through platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Catch-all pages dedicated to general philosophical insights have played a pivotal role in popularizing Stoic philosophy, especially the work of Marcus Aurelius. By distilling complex ideas into digestible insights, they have brought philosophy out of academia and into the mainstream. But as its popularity surges, the depth and nuance of Stoic philosophy is often diluted by trend-based content and misinformation. It seems unlikely to me that the audiences of these social media Stoicists are inspired to read the full works of Seneca, Epictetus, or Marcus Aurelius; still, despite its pitfalls and occasional misinterpretations, this online movement fosters reflection, engagement, and a deeper connection to the principles of Stoicism. It's a testament to the enduring relevance of philosophical discourse in the modern age. I’d like to offer a brief history of this modern phenomenon, and suggest why it matters.

Modern Stoicism, from which the current social media versions has developed, can be traced to the late 20th century with the emergence of modern self-help culture, when psychologist Albert Ellis drew inspiration from Stoic philosophy in the development of his revolutionary Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), the precursor to the frequently employed modern practice of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Dr. Ellis’ REBT focused on helping individuals deal with irrational beliefs and manage their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors in a healthier way. The primary goal was to get patients to respond rationally to situations that may usually elicit stress, to strive towards self-acceptance and not dwell on mistakes, to limit the effect of the actions of others on themselves. One can see the influence of Marcus Aurelius from the following Ellis remark: “If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment”.

Following the work of Dr. Ellis, a number of authors penned books and articles seeking to make Stoic philosophy accessible and applicable in contemporary life. In 2008, William B. Irvine's book A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy introduced Stoic ideas to a wider audience. In 2012, a group of academics and psychotherapists from the UK initiated the Stoicism Today project, which aimed to explore the practical relevance of Stoicism in the modern world and organized Stoic Week, an annual event where participants engage in Stoic practices for a week. The organization also hosts the Stoicon, an annual public event where volunteer speakers focus on the contemporary benefits of Stoicism, such as ‘Stoicism and Sustainability.’

In 2015, the University of Edinburgh’s Eidyn Research Centre, in conjunction with Dr. Mary Bovill, created an offline-version of their 2013 Massive Open Online Course, “Introduction to Philosophy”. They developed a 7-week course using tutorials which were delivered to Low-Moss and Cornton Vale, the former an all-male prison and the latter an all-female prison. “Using the critical thinking skills enhanced by studying philosophy, the researchers developed the critical reasoning and interpersonal skills of prisoners”. The course was a success, with prisoners reporting the skills they gained would help them in the outside world; many went on to continue their philosophical studies.

In 2019, the Aurelius Foundation, a UK based organization, was founded by businessman Justin Stead and his wife, Natalia, in conjunction with individuals ranging from athletes to academics with the mission to “share this philosophy [of Stoicism] across multiple spectrums of society including business, prisons and particular focus to help young people consider how they might plan their journey through life and support their considerations of how to live a life of deeper purpose that contributes to the greater good”. The foundation offers a number of Stoic centered programs and events, working with institutions of higher education, and organizing seminars and well-being programs for individuals and businesses. The Aurelius Foundation also organized their own philosophy in prison program titled “Stoicism and Rehabilitation within the HM Prison Service”, hoping to use the “power of Stoicism to support offender rehabilitation and help individuals build better lives for themselves and their communities”. According to the organization’s website, the 16-week course made “significant breakthroughs in offender rehabilitation” and they plan to expand the course to other UK prisons.

These programs already laid a serious ethical foundation for social media Stoicism, and its tenets can be seen throughout. But what makes Stoicism so attractive for modern audiences, and what happens when millennia-old principles intersect with a trend-based platform that is prone to misinformation? The social media Stoic phenomenon has only recently gained traction, building over the last 10 years and, while self-help genres are usually marketed and consumed by middle-aged adults, the modern social media platform has targeted younger audiences. Hence the overwhelming number of social media accounts, posts, and philosophy-focused influencers generating a nearly incalculable amount of content.

One only need to search for ‘Stoic’ on Instagram to find dozens of accounts dedicated to this worldview, such as the aptly named ‘Daily Stoic’ (an account from Ryan Holiday’s Daily Stoic website) and nearly identical ‘Stoicism Daily’, which generate general Stoic content for audiences to help them navigate the world. The Daily Stoic Instagram page (boasting 3 million followers, including some celebrities!) contains posts ranging from videos in which Ryan Holiday summarizes the teachings of ancient Roman Stoics to memes that utilize popular culture to lightheartedly advertise Stoic tenets–such as using a scene from the Office–to those that present ancient quotes. The similarly named Stoicism Daily (with only 122k followers) is simpler, with only Stoic quotes on elegant stationary-like backgrounds.

There are also accounts that are not dedicated explicitly to Stoicism, but philosophy overall or simply motivational content that focuses on advice not to dwell on the past, or worry about the future, to let go of what we cannot control–all well-known Stoic principles. Keep on Motivation, for example, is dedicated to “motivation” and “mindset” and generates videos from celebrity interviews, movies, and TV shows. One such example is a snippet from an interview with Anthony Hopkins in which he is asked if has any regrets; he responds that “we are acceptable as we are, not as we think we should be”. One need not search hard to find the Stoicism within this idea. Similarly, RotQuotes, an Instagram account associated with RotClothing, a company that “believes in the power of online platforms…to spread inspiration, motivation, and positivity”, posts video snippets with inspirational messages from well-known figures; for example an interview with comedian Bill Burr in which he states simply “You’re going to be fine. And even if you’re not going to be fine, isn’t it better to just exist thinking you’re going to be fine until it’s not fine…there’s no sense to ruin right now.” These accounts are not concerned with context, citations, sources, or distinctions between philosophical schools; indeed, many post videos from social media influencers, podcast hosts, and celebrities who are not consciously referencing Stoicism in their thoughts, but still prescribe strategies that mirror Stoic teaching.

Social media audiences, of course, may not be concerned about the larger philosophical, literary, or textual context of the content they receive, nor its accuracy. One need to simply search the term ‘Stoicism’ on TikTok in order to be promptly overwhelmed with some 257,000 videos utilizing the hashtag #stoicism. These posts, garnering 2.5 billion views, lack precision, validity, and reliability since they often reference different philosophical traditions, or present a particular individual’s interpretation of what it means to be Stoic. The vast majority of the modern consumers of Stoic content are not asking themselves “Did Seneca really say that?”, but rather thinking of how the idea may help them with whatever they are dealing with at the moment. This serves as a cautionary reminder that while Stoicism may offer valuable insights for personal growth and resilience, it is not immune to misuse and misrepresentation.

Still, when social media users focus on a particular author, such as Marcus Aurelius, they tend to be on safer ground. His Meditations, the most recognizable ancient Stoic text, has been utilized by numerous public figures. In a New York TImes article from 1992, former president Bill Clinton’s then official spokeswoman revealed that he reread the Meditations every year or two, finding solace in Stoic philosophy during challenging times. The same text helped the emotional, hot-headed pro-golfer Rory McIlroy overcome his anger issues. In an interview after his European Ryder Cup victory in September 2023, McIlroy credited Marcus Aurelius with helping him focus after a meltdown. On the day before his Ryder cup win, Roy was taunted by the caddie of his American opponent Patrick Cantalay after he had lost the afternoon match. In response, McIlroy nearly came to blows with the caddie in the parking lot. Yet, “when McIlroy arose on Sunday morning he decided–as you do–to spend a few moments with the choice wisdom of the Roman philosopher-emperor Marcus Aurelius. ‘I needed to calm myself down,’ he said later. ‘Because I could have let it bring me down the wrong path, but I didn’t.’” Most recently, comedian Jerry Seinfeld, while erroneously crediting the Meditations as the beginning of Stoicism, spoke about how the Roman emperor’s thoughts helped him maintain perspective on his life and career.

Marcus’ appeal is not limited to men; a number of female public figures, such as author J.K. Rowling and actress Anna Kendrick have employed the Meditations in their work and personal lives. The founder of the Huffington Post, Ariana Huffington remains an ardent fan of Stoicism and Marcus Aurelius in particular. According to an interview she gave with the Daily Stoic, she keeps the following quote from the Meditations close by: “People look for retreats for themselves in the country, by the coast, or in the hills . . . There is nowhere that a person can find a more peaceful and trouble-free retreat than in his own mind. . . . So constantly give yourself this retreat, and renew yourself”.

Marcus Aurelius' enduring influence stems from the direct and practical nature of his Stoic philosophy. Aurelius was not an academic or teacher, he was an emperor grappling with the challenges of personal and political life. His Meditations offers a raw and unfiltered glimpse into his attempts to apply Stoic principles in real-world situations—exactly what modern Stoic readers strive to do. Aurelius's distance from academic debates and his focus on direct philosophy resonate deeply with contemporary audiences seeking guidance in navigating life's complexities. A powerful reminder that Stoicism is not just a theoretical framework or academic topic, but a practical philosophy for everyday living.

Stoicism, as elucidated by Marcus Aurelius, focused on cultivating inner peace (eudaimonia) by practicing a type of detachment or apatheia through self-restraint, moderation, and strict focus only on what was in one’s individual control. The goal was to undertake a practice of sophrosyne, the nurturing of one’s daimon, and acting according to and in harmony with nature. The emperor reminds us:

“All that is good is from the gods, full of Providence. Even that which is chance is not separated from nature without an interweaving and involution with the things that are ordered by providence. From thence all things flow; and there is also necessity and that which is for the advantage of the whole universe, of which you are a part” (2.3).

Clearly, simply suppressing one’s emotions to achieve a masculine ideal is not the whole picture.

Marcus Aurelius’ thoughts are the most recognizable in memes targeted mainly to people younger than those who have traditionally sought help in trying to figure out their relationships, the uncertainty of life, and the ever-changing landscape of the world. Social media Stoicism commonly centers on control, with memes using quotes from Marcus Aurelius to counter anxiety, lack of productivity, and negative attention. The r/Stoicism group on Reddit contains many threads where individuals discuss and ask for advice on applying the precepts of Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus, and Seneca in their daily lives. But these discussion groups focus overwhelmingly on control, or dealing with feelings of lack of control and accepting one’s fate when it is not the fate they want, when nothing is working out, when they are feeling hopeless. Likewise, interviews from public figures who utilize the Meditations often cite the precept of focusing on what we can control and discarding the rest; on accepting things as they are rather than what they could be or could have been; and living in the present. I think this reflects the overwhelming influence of social media in the contemporary world where billions of users publicly share so much of their lives, opening themselves up to negative comments, arguments, criticism, and, most commonly, comparing themselves with others in a way that causes them to feel negatively about themselves and their lives. Rather than being concerned with Marcus Aurelius’ idea of a rational mind or cultivating a virtuous life, social media audiences are concerned with navigating the chaos of the modern world, exacerbated by constant media, documentation, and unrealistic expectations. It is for these reasons that the concept of acceptance, focusing on things within one’s immediate control, and living in the moment are so attractive.

The prevalence of Social Media Stoicism, then, illustrates the digitization of self-help with a focus on the idea of the individual and the problems they face–something particularly emblematic of the modern age. The self-serve accessibility of Stoicism and texts like the Meditations may be less than scholarly. But this is the very nature of popular philosophy, which often changes or emerges alongside historical and generational development. Undoubtedly, even in the past philosophy was applied in less than honorable ways. Stoicism's digital renaissance reflects contemporary frameworks of content consumption and challenges around fast-moving information, the prevalence of public attention, and the internal chaos it can cause. While some may indirectly employ Stoicism in less than liberal ways, the potential misinformation of these accounts is overshadowed by the overwhelmingly positive associations with Stoicism in social media spaces and popular culture that are accessible and applicable to any audience. As succinctly defined by the Daily Stoic’s Ryan Holiday, Stoicism is “a philosophy designed for the real world, to solve real problems” which may account for the fact that it has been embraced by countless individuals amidst the chaos of social media to cultivate resilience, wisdom, and a deeper understanding of what it means to live a meaningful life.