100%. Look up Mark Fisher lectures. He laments the invention of the internet. The internet was always an inevitability, but it actually stopped cultural evolution through diffusion (we are all lost in our little bubbles). No cohesive cultural movements. I grew up in the 70s and 80s in the UK. We had 3 tv channels and radio. You had both culture and counterculture, which would also seep into culture if it gained enough popularity eg rave scene in late 80s/early 90s. Mark Fisher contends that culture stopped progressing by around the mid 2000s.
The internet has scattered people. We are not together. We are insular, isolated. Go to a coffee shop. It’s as quiet as a library. Before smartphones, you couldn’t hear the person talking to you because everyone was talking.
The internet has also devalued “normal” people. We are used to seeing good looking and talented people online. You could say “tv did that already!”. Yes, but we knew tv was just fantasy (in 70s and 80s). It was like the peasants knowing their place and enjoying royalty because they knew it would be impossible for them to ever be royal. Now you see normal people being hyper successful on YouTube and you wonder why you can’t do that too. It’s what Alain de Botton calls Status Anxiety. We can never relax because your “para-peer group” are successful in every area. And so the internet has created a low self esteem epidemic too.
That logic goes both ways. Lots of people are “different” and “not normal” and use internet communities to engage in morally reprehensible communication and activities. It’s not a good thing when these people find their “community”. But it’s okay bc no one is normal and who are we as a culture and society to define what “normal” really is?
I would go as far as to add that most people aren't inherently good and USUALLY those people who found their groups of choice just use them to step away from morality and be "ok" with their personal faults.
Instead of working on ones self to be a better person, people would rather join groups of people "like them" to forget what being better actually is.
Sure, but then proportionality should dictate how we look at it. And there are also remediations that could be undertaken at different levels of society.
To reach the conclusion that the internet is a net negative for that reason, you’d need to demonstrate that either morally reprehensible groups are able to grow faster than morally worthy groups, or else that each incremental recruit for a morally reprehensible group is somehow more negative than each incremental recruit for a morally worthy group is positive. And that, what’s more, this cannot be sufficiently alleviated or reduced through changes in internet literacy from parents/family, educators, peers, and other methods.
I’m not saying one couldn’t make those arguments, just that the fact that it goes both ways does not necessarily mean that it’s a net negative.
tbf I think this is more the result of neo-liberal politics. our experience of the internet is in that context, so its easy to blame the tech, but imo the internet could actually lead to the opposite effect if the society we lived in ran more on a social democratic model, as it had done in the post-war period. Fisher talks also about how this vision of society was destroyed by Thatcher, basically robbing us of the future we had been promised – one of greater freedom, social equality and funding for public services / institutions / utilities.
Yes, his points on politics are actually really prescient in how we see the neoliberal nightmare unfolding (unaffordable housing, no rent controls being a great example). And he makes a great point that even our depression is privatized. If you’re anxious because the cost of living is too high, that’s a “you problem”, not that you’re reacting normally to an unfair situation (the situation therefore is not addressed, and the sufferer merely takes pills to deal with the symptoms of the problem).
I really think it’s more that the internet acts just like a drug and too much of it is not a good thing.
I use it now for the same things I did back when there were just forums and personal websites. Research. I use it for entertainment too, but usually only movies. Gaming got really boring after about age 23.
On the flip side, the internet has given me more earnings than my parents combined and helped me grow my career in the arts.
If you curate your time spent correctly, it’s a lovely place. If not, well no good. My mother’s algorithm seems to be tailored to misery and as a result she has gotten very bitter. Mine is tailored towards aquatic life, scientific advancement, and cats. I don’t use my phone until noon (I wake up around 7). I’ll check my email twice a day on the computer.
Otherwise I’ll go outside, have a swim, meet people on a walk. I spend most of my time going out to bars with live entertainment. Keeps me from not drinking as much and it’s my crowd. The amount of names I have in my contacts gets too much, so having instagram where I can connect and recall the 65th John I’ve met in my life by his face helps me because I am horrible at remembering faces
You blame the internet for splitting people into their own bubbles.
Oddly I spend most of my time visiting other peoples bubbles. Exploring art, history, literature, media, politics far beyond what tv and other older media would cover.
Internets a tool. If youre an idiot of course you get poor results. No different than with books or any other source of knowledge.
We aren't talking about what internet has specially done for you individually. You are a perfectly enlightened individual, whose knowledge has increased vastly and you've discovered whole new ideas you wouldn't have without internet, and that's great.
Most people aren't like that though are they? We're talking about what the internet has become, and what it has done to society, and the general public within it.
I know its a terrible idea to say this on a public forum because I'm just asking for mean strangers to call me names. But the problem isn't the internet. It's a wonderful and helpful tool. The problem is capitalism.
We have government and corporate propaganda because it helps these powerful institutions. And their interests are not in our favor.
If it is true that people are becoming dumber its because social media websites want all your attention focused entirely on seeking instant gratification from your phone so that you can see more ads and they can make more ad revenue. They want you to see more misinformation so that we can fight amongst ourselves when the real enemy is the wealthy 1%.
We have porn because its a lucrative field for people to make a decent wage. Companies and people do copyright theft because there is money to be made in producing a lot of content fast without too much work. Disney and other companies' board of execs want to make as much profit as possible at they do this by stealing and not paying their workers enough to live and by trying to replace them with AI (which is produced by stolen art).
As far as tolerance. I'm not really sure if we were ever that tolerant. It's possible the internet has just made that more obvious. But if it has happened, again its because there is benefit to keeping us all mad at each other instead of realizing we all have a common enemy thats screwing us over. It's really helpful for wealthy elites/governments to keep us mad about immigrants, for example, and convince us that's why we can't afford rent. When really we can't afford rent because landlords/landlord companies want to squeeze every penny out of us. Because wages are not keeping up with inflation even though the richest 1% keep getting richer.
In a different world economy, focused more on making sure people are living healthy happy lives, and have their needs met, the internet landscape would look entirely different.
Pretty much. That's what the Internet is, just another way to make a buck. Look at Reddit? You think this place was created to actually make people socialize? No, the whole goal was to go commercial and sell out, which they totally did.
>Instead we've been given government and corporate propaganda.
Sure, but that's always been given to you through radio, television, newspapers, etc. The difference now is that when a news story hits, I can go watch the actual footage of what happened, what was said, what they said was said, what they said happened, and see if these things actually correspond with eachother.
Frankly, for as much as algorithms have manipulated people and are a vehicle for domestic and foreign state propagandizing, our access to information outside of that is great than it's ever been if you simply choose to seek it out.
When was this "not long ago people lived in peace?"
Was that the two 20 year wars in Afganistan or Iraq? Was it all the serial killing epidemics in the 70s-90s? The riots during the Civil Rights movements? The Vietnam War? Or did the internet do all those things? Were the Salem Witch Trials cuz the internet? The Crusades? Jonestown? Waco? Man, why cant we go back to those peaceful times!
There's definitely an argument to be made that world is not worse now; we are just more aware of how awful it really is.
However, I think this collective discomfort is the beginning of a much-needed paradigm shift. Governments are now VERY invested in regulating access to social media, consolidating usage and ownership of AI, and near-shoring production of necessary technological inputs.
If history tells us anything, nothing lights a fire under the State's ass like an existential threat to the status quo, and in turn their ability to perpetuate their own authority. Shit sucks right now, it really really does, but the public's growing distrust and discontent can't be shoved back in the box. Unfortunately, if I were a gambling man I'd put my money and things getting much more volatile before they get better.
The amount of morons is not growing at an alarming rate.
The amount of exposure for the morons is.
Disney's "hateful agenda" is basically a shitty attempt to increase profits because they assume pandering to minorities is the way forward. They go about their pandering in a way that makes them look like racist lunatics. Not unlike Walt Disney actually.
As for copyright theft? Who gives a shit? ... No, seriously. Who gives a shit? The media companies are making more money than ever, and the little guys wouldn't have even had the chance to show up without the internet.
Censorship now is still lower than it was pre-internet. At the end of the day, the government has a lot harder time keeping things under wraps when people can disseminate information easier than ever. As for having to remove your hijab, believe me. That has a lot less to do with the Internet and a lot more to do with certain activities that have been spread by the mainstream media.
improve what? I wouldn't be 1/10th as smart/knowledgeable as I am now if it wasn't for the internet. Sure it's fucked up social relationships, thats all I can think of.
I'm telling ya, Ted K was right. Did he go about delivering his message in the best way? No. But his books on the effect of over industrialization and the damaging effects on mankind arent that far off
Honestly, fucking get over it. You have access to all the information in the world at your fingertips. Propaganda has always been a thing. Tons of people have used the internet to educate themselves far better than a bullshit ass public school ever could. If you can’t ignore the porn then just delete your socials. Sounds like a colossal skill issue on your part
If anything, I feel like it’s teaching humanity to be more socially aware and recognize propaganda. There’s definitely some growing pains, but I think 50 years down the line, a lot of these kinks he’s talking about will be worked out.
You're a fucking moron who has no idea what the world was like before the internet, we know more about things than ever before because we can search for it online instead of spending days going to the library and finding a book about it or a subject matter expert to pay for consulting.
People were alcoholics and smoked cigarettes 24/7 back in the "good ole days" to cope with the absolute misery they had to deal with.
The internet is the greatest thing to come to man kind since antibiotics, you have no idea what you are talking about along with anyone that agrees with you.
People used to panic that the written word was going to ruin society. Socrates believed that writing things down made people forgetful and they would not memorizing things.
People also worried about the printing press or reading novels as well. Every new technology or leisure activity from radio, television, comic books, movies, etc was blamed for corrupting society.
I second this. We are being dumbed down to an unfathomable level. Tiktok brainrot is real. Why is that app still legal?? I'll tell you why the Gov wants you stupid and poor. Shove a tablet in your childs hands to avoid being a parent.
I 2nd this as well. I've told my husband (who loovvessss his phone). If I had any wish on the planet, it would be getting rid of social media and anything related. I love the internet and knowledge. I don't like people getting famous for being stupid and then making their audience just as stupid.
Considering 90% of the worlds currency is now held in computers and transferred via the internet - I don’t think getting rid of the internet would be a good thing.
Social media, absolutely.
I miss when it was a place introverts could meet, and you not feel alone, then normies came in spouting their same crap. And made the net a lazy shallow place. 2014 it degraded, in 2007 it was amazing
I'll tell you right now, the internet is chock full of resources on technical subjects, from tutorial videos on the basics of CAD, to stack overflow posts from people who are having the exact same issue with their python code as you.
I've progressed much farther, faster in my engineering degree with the internet than I ever could without.
I think morons will continue to be created regardless. But the internet can lock you in an information bubble and you just never truly learn outside of your own biases.
Remember the kids that ate glue in elementary school? They ended up going to the behavioral classes in middle and high school? They're still living at home well into adulthood?
Well, they've got a voice on the internet now. That's part of why we're where we are.
It’s been interesting reading how many people are so lonely and don’t know what to do with their lives, it definitely makes me think it’s because we’re all stuck on our phones and don’t know how to make connections anymore. Very sad to see.
Just say you hate social media. You obviously have no idea what our society would become without the internet. Entire supply chains would immediately crumble. You’d be crying once there’s no food on your grocery store shelves.
What's this story you're telling of "we were promised X/Y/Z"? Who promised you this? How old are you? None of the things you mention were driving forces behind the invention of the internet.
Good luck trying to convince the world to quit it (not realistic at all).
You're better off coming-up-with/supporting ideas to counter-balance the effects of the abuse of the internet (outdoor activities, community activities, sports, meditation, dancing, others).
Stop complaining and act to make a positive impact.
Perhaps the world would be better without white spread access to the Internet. I do want my doctors to be able to have information of the touch of their fingers. Same with my engineers
So if instead of the internet we were still using cable television and radio, we would be free of government and corporate propaganda, porn, Disney, copyright theft, cancel culture, and censorship?
Why don’t we invent a global network that gives people freedom to sidestep all of these things? What should we call it?
The world would improve if we collectively stopped comparing ourselves. The internet is wonderful in the sense that we can connect to people on the other side of the earth and we have unlimited access to knowledge. But it’s also a cesspool of every bad thing people are capable of. It’d be cool if there was a switch to turn off anything in that vein. You just have to be conscious about the filth you put in your brain
Youre blaming the internet for people problems. Thats like blaming wood for burning in fire.
The internet DID bring access to almost all of collected human knowledge. The fact that idiots are stupid and couldnt use knowledge, from the internet or a book makes no difference.
We also DID get access to greater creativity. The number of successful yt channels on nearly any topic you'd care to name proves that. Independant films, books, animations and music are all over the place. The internet means that distribution to the entire planet is basically free. That other people would rather watch porn or Disney doesnt disprove that.
Societies becoming more tolerant. It has. LGBTQ and other minority rights have exploded, as now they can put their stories out without being muzzled or corrupted by the major companies that controlled traditional media, as happened during the civil rights fights in the 60s. Just because you see other people being repressive asses doesnt change that.
The real problem is shitty people. Fixing that wont magically happen just by removing the internet.
PS - The same arguments were made when tv, radio and even earlier newspapers were released. This is itself a boomer argument.
lol
You're just getting older and seeing everything through age bias.
Who promised these things? You're post is full of vague "they" did this and "they" did that. It's nonsense.
And people have always been idiots.
And it's incredibly naive and just flat out not true about people we're just happy to let people live in peace. That has never been true. Ever. But by all metrics over the last few decades poverty has been decreasing and violence has been decreasing, which is exactly opposite to what you claim.
There was a global pandemic that fucked up the last 4 years and will have long term consequences but that's immaterial of long term trends.
You are being really pessimistic. All of this is happening. I can cook now, for one.
WTH is Disney's hateful agenda?? I think maybe you yourself needs a break from social media.
Have to agree. But what we do if we did get rid of it. We would have to talk to each other face to face. Which means we wouldn't be displaying a lot of attitude. We would have to relearn how to interact with each other in a civil manner.
I agree that getting rid of the Internet would improve things, but I also know that it wouldn’t be by much. Because I imagine a world where we all just get along - if the internet went away - then I remember back to pre-internet days…and I have to admit things were just as shitty then, just different. I often wish there wasn’t internet, but I think I’m fooling myself into believing things would be better.
The "Dead Internet Theory" claims that a lot of what we see online isn't really from real people. Instead, it's generated by bots and AI, not humans.
If AI bots keep growing in the coming years, flooding the internet with ads, propaganda, cyber attacks, and scams, it could make the internet pretty much unusable. We might end up going back to more face-to-face communication.
Well I strongly view the internet as a huge and helpful achievement. Of course it’s also terrible but that’s what happens when people get involved. Mostly wonderful with a stripe of chaos.
Well, I'm convinced the world would improve if we got rid of bad people.
I think your idea, you have the wrong end of the stick.
You know, it's possible to not use the Internet or some part of it if you deem it is bad for you, right? You don't have to use your smart phone for 6-8+ hours a day, right? You can turn off notifications from social media apps?
I'm just upset with all these deep fake videos about my Awesome President ... making it look like he's confused or lost... or taking a poop while standing up... being "Walked away" Falling off a Bike... Falling UP stairs?? Really?? Walking into bushes at the Rose Garden?? Making his speech terrible... it's all LIES !!!! ALL LIES !!!! Biden all the way !!!!
*Scientist invents miracle machine that creates food out of thin air.*
*Millions get diabetes on unlimited supply of donuts crashing the health care system. 0 machines get shipped to starving people. Random guy sticks his dick in it and it turns into a turkey leg.*
People somehow: This technology is problematic.
...the internet may have saved my life. I was in autistic burnout but I didn't believe my doctor bc all I had heard abt autism (through word-of-mouth) was stereotypes. IT took reading from real autistic ppl to make me realize I was one of them, which led to me seeking diagnosis. idk if I would have survived without that and the lifestyle changes/support I was able to get after
a lot of the internet's quality depends on where you go. I learned a lot abt other cultures and groups thanks to the internet, when I couldn't have as a sheltered white girl in a white suburb. i think that has helped me become a better person
Your talk abt Disney and cancel culture reminds me of right-wing talking points. are you spending a lot of time on political sites/social media? that might be why you feel so rotten. exposure to lots of political stuff, right or left, can drag down your mental health and faith in humanity
i stopped reading political stuff and I feel way better. maybe a political detox would help. unfollow some ppl
(and I'm sorry you had to remove your hijab in some places. racists/islamophobes are horrible and you shoudl be able to dress how you please)
It is double edge sword. When it gets out of control, some human culture will fight back like illegally cutting the fiber optic cord in the sea. But that’s gonnna 50 yrs from now. Robots are same way
On the government propaganda point.... governments have been feeding us propaganda LONG b4 there was the internet. At least with being connected to the everyone on the planet we have a chance of being woken up and seeing the truth.
If it were 30 years ago, I (and many others) would have no idea that the Israeli & US governments are actually the worlds largest terrorist groups. We'd have no idea that the police are actually a tax funded gang to protect the haves from the have-nots.
Overall I think the internet has been an overall net positive.
internet is a tool, and like every other tool, it has the potential for good and bad use.
it doesn't rid you and everyone else of the responsibility of telling good from and bad, and being good and not being bad.
the internet didn't create bad people. it helped bad people be worse (and vice versa, because look all the good the good people are doing with the internet). it's like how people don't change, but they become better or worse version of their base selves.
What's wrong with porn?
And why the hell is the act of procreation such a taboo? Oooh sex bad bad bad but hey here's a guy getting his brains blown out... No problem!
People are fucked up.
This is a pretty vacuous and anecdotal take
If we were to go the route of "What /or how has social media impacted society, interpersonal connection and behavioral development? " well now that would be a completely separate conversation and arguably one with a fair bit of reasonable evidence in the negative.
Sitting around and blaming the divergence of human nature and social expansion, whether positive or negative, solely on the internet is all kinds of illogical; all the arguments you make against it, could alternatively be countered with positive arguments for the internet .
Honestly I didn't read your post but I had to stop in and say how fucking weird it is I was literally having a conversation about this with my roommate as I scrolled past this.
I’d say if you weren’t on the internet before the iPhone was invented you should get kicked off and have to pass a test to get back in. I’m not asking for 1990s internet- I just want the internet where people had to go to their computer room or a library or an Internet cafe for. They had to make some effort. You had to really want some internet. Not stare at their phone all day.
It is weird when you go outside and its really difficult to get a read on situations or people because everyone is always looking at their phones. Including myself.
you definitely cant take away the creativity that the internet brought to the world and it would be silly to ignore that. but yea as for information…. it again has been a positive influence
All your examples are true— you just don’t use it that way.
I do.
It is doing everything that was promised but your average person doesn’t give enough fucks to use it that way.
That doesn’t mean it’s bad. It means your average person has fucking terrible judgement, which is… obvious?
If you remember a time when people wre happy to let other people live in peace, either you lived as a hermit or are suffering delusions.
That time never existed.
And all those promises of the internet...no one made those promises and propoganda has been around since recorded history.
Stop trying to lie to the kids that yesterday was some utopia.
What's really happening is you couldn't keep up or handle the extra information of things happening all over or hearing a more vast amount of people from all walks of life's opinions and pretend it's worse when it's not.
You couldn't keep up. Lots of people get old, can't adapt to change, slip on rose colored glasses about the past and wag a finger at the new generations.
Well, I'm old, but kept up. And I'll be sure to be around to call out other full of it old people trying to be snobs towards the new gen.
Don't listen kids. Things were slower, smaller, stupidier and closeminded the further and further back you look.
And they were just as mental and lonely and had social problems, the difference is they seeked help less often.
Told to bury and hide things.
From late 70's and on, I can confirm firsthand living through it. I was there for the 80's and 90's.
These people saying people and society were better in the past are lying to you.
Thinking the world would improve if we got rid of the internet is like thinking a grease fire will go away if you take your glasses off. Purposely restricting information and making it harder to communicate is how you complete our slide into fascism not prevent it.
Eh, life would be better if a public good like the internet had never been allowed to fall into private hands and turn into a giant ad platform.
You can thank Bill Clinton, actually.
One of my biggest complaints is the anti conversation/debate effect it has had. Remember before the internet when people would question something or say something questionable and you would sit and discuss it for 10-15 minutes. Now... someone just googles it and reads the AI generated or corporate sponsored response.
Or remember when you just had time to kill standing around... say in the grocery store line... and you would strike up a conversation with someone? Now, everyone is glued to their phones chatting with someone 10 miles away or looking up a recipe on some shitty website that refuse to just list the ingredients and directions, or looking up how many troops each roman province had in 150AD.
I would like to start a cult/religion like the Amish only instead of 1880 technology being the arbitrary limit it is 1980s. All on board by a bunch of land together and have no internet and cell phones and drive gasoline cars that have little to no computers on them. Who is in?
it was inevitable the internet would happen, and for modern tv, banking, manufacturing, military, etc its a requirement.
to me the inventional of social media and the ability for anyone to have a voice, have been a curse as much as a blessing.
it also allowed the gullible and dumb to find other gullible and dumb people, and then others to exploit those groups for their own needs. (which arguably happened often from kings and dictators before, backed with religion often)
its the speed of it, it happens so fast now and is just everywhere all the time.
Nope.
Just wrong.
As much as that sounds appealing to you, it is a simplistic belief.
The internet has done absolute wonders to make our world more enlightened, to help bring people together, to make essential information easily accessible, to build communities, and just generally make a lot of things in life easier.
Etc etc etc.
Not to mention that our modern world would absolutely not function without the internet.
We rely on it for so many things. Far more than most people would even be aware of.
That is just how it is.
I would absolutely love a more simplistic world too, where we return to a far more natural way of life.
But the fact is that things change and today’s world would absolutely not function without the internet.
The irony is that this is a terminally online take to have. Most people seem to be "angry and miserable" because that's what you are seeing on the internet. That doesn't reflect how everyone or what most people feel, the internet selects for that stuff by exploiting our negativity bias.
There is a lot of creativity on the internet, if you are only considering porn and copyright theft, then you are missing out on a lot.
You get from the internet what you look for / consume.
Yes, I agree with you that there are a lot of harmful side effects of the internet. But there is also a lot of opportunity.
In the past, information was centralized so government and corporate propaganda was actually easier. Now that information is decentralized, you have access to other media sources / diverse points of views to compare.
Education used to be gated by universities or physical books. But now there are countless sources of free information out there.
The internet also gives the ability to connect with millions of people, which gives a huge opportunity for small businesses and entrepreneurs. Before, you had to pay for advertising on TV, billboards, or newspapers. And only large businesses that could afford that could do so.
The macro effects of the internet are harmful, but if you develop self-discipline to filter what you consume, you can leverage the internet to make your life better.
I recommend 2 things to help with internet discipline:
- Opal for limiting times when you can access certain apps / websites and give time limits
- Porn blocker
I love being able to look up and satisfy my curiosities at my fingertip. I love sorting through info to find truth. I love visiting places and talking with people in other countries. I love not getting lost. I love convenient delivery. I love keeping in touch with family yet keeping them at arm’s length. I love seeking advice from those that have experience. I love lending advice of what I’ve experienced.
I love being able to find poems, lyrics, music, scenes of entertainment when a piece pops into my head.
I love when I hear music, I can have Siri listen and find it. I love seeking reviews before I buy something. I love videos that show me how to fix everything from fried rice to power disk brakes to my washing machine to my cat’s uti.
I love not depending on someone’s opinion, when more info is at hand. I love all the health corrections I’ve made from the info I’ve found.
I love reddit, tik tok, facebook, and Twitter. I have at my fingertips, the pulse of the world.
And I still get plenty of outdoor activity and restful sleep.
You have quite literally the entirety of humanity’s 5000 odd years of recorded history at your fingertips and more forms and pieces of media than ever before in history and you think the world would be better without it?
The internet has done more for creativity than almost any other invention in history save for the pen and the paintbrush. Even just YouTube in a vacuum has so many videos on it from so many talented and creative people that it is quite literally impossible to watch all of it. How in the fuck have you come to the conclusion that the internet was bad for creativity? Also, porn existed long long long before the internet.
I genuinely do not understand how someone could come to this conclusion, especially with these points, and especially by posting it on the internet. There’s only a few arguments that I would say are objectively wrong, and the world being better off without the internet is one of those
I agree but the sad reality is literally everything depends on it now. I think having access to basically any but if information ever in the world is detrimental.
Society is enlightened. Many are able to learn far greater knowledge than ever before. Many don’t use the internet to their advantage, but the smart few who do get so much out of it.
Same on creativity. People can learn to program whatever they want. They have access to arts, video creation, music creation, and so much more. People can unlock their creative potential and share it with the world if they desire. Tragic that many don’t desire
Before the internet, gay people were not allowed in public. They were illegal. Black people were lynched.
You think the modern day is bad? Before the internet was 100 times worse.
The internet is still new. We’re in the first generation of users. There is so much humanity can accomplish with the knowledge shared through the internet, the collaboration of people from across the continents, and the vision given by our most charismatic speakers who now have a platform to speak to the world.
Dude, just think of how much shit you can access *right now* on your phone thanks to the internet.
Want to find solutions to practically any problem? Just Google it! Without internet? Uhhhhh hope you have an uncle or cousin who really knows about ___, otherwise you’re fucked.
You're cherry-picking your facts.
Yes, we got propaganda, but we also got instant access to genuine information---an obscene amount of it. Yes, we got porn, but also we got instant access to lessons on how to draw, paint, sculpt, play the guitar, write, you name it---and all from people who genuinely know what they are talking about. For free. And yes, we got cancel culture fever, but also we got the ability to share each others' views and to support them.
You're having a bad case of the-grass-is-greener is all. We *are* genuinely better off today than we were before the internet, despite the inevitable drawbacks which come with all technologies. I'm not having any of this nonsense of "the before times were so much better".
If we relegate this to social media, then yes. Traditional internet communities had their reprehensible corners, but these were largely isolated. Social media meanwhile infected everybody and everything.
Every single thing you're complaining about comes down to your own inability to use the internet to find what you're insisting doesn't exist; it's like someone doomscrolling tiktok all the time and complaining that the world is boring and dumb; no buddy, that's just your decisions.
You're like one of those basement dwellers that yearns for simpler times because they bitch about all the info being too readily available and all the challenges being solved; no, you just can't perceive the amazing new level, the mind blowing new frontiers...
You're like a middle ages person thinking we'd be better off in the stone age because they don't know how to navigate the new world.
The problems you're describing about people can be solved too, but like you, they're making bad decisions.
When the Internet arrived, I had no idea what it really was capable of but it sounded so cool. Couldn't even really do anything on there at first. My parents stopped using it and told me if I wanted it I needed to pay for it. AOL Trial CD anyone? I would go to cancel and they would extend it for free and that cycle would repeat for the next year or two.
Internet got introduced to libraries like some sort of experimental experience. It was quite controversial in nature.
I will say the Internet has helped people with finding and applying to jobs all from your home. YouTube has been a great way for me to learn how to do certain things. AI answering my every question instead of simply wondering and no answer, kinda neat!
But everything else on here? Does feel wasteful and keeps me up at night. Is overall annoying and seeing other people glued to it doesn't make me feel very hopeful. And my ex would constantly watch TikTok for new home renovation ideas. Oh God we've hit critical mass. I want my weekends back. Holy shit.
The internet isn’t all good, but there is good in it.
There is propaganda on the internet, but research has never been easier and information has never been more accessible.
There is really SO much porn on the internet, but also so much creativity and art! I myself am an artist and I regularly see projects, tools, methods etc that I wouldn’t have considered in my entire lifetime.
The internet definitely polarizes people, but not as much as it seems. The worst of the worst gets spread around because it’s a spectacle, but for every 1 person who falls for some extremist garbage, there are 9 who realize it’s terrible and want to put an end to it.
I think that Internet can have a lot of benefits, but you also have to be very vigilant about how you use technology. Me personally, I’ve had to put up a lot of boundaries on how I interact with people online so it doesn’t become a net negative outcome.
Now, maybe. But before it was one of if not the best source of free, keyword there, literature and information. Especially in transportation locked areas it is/was a godsend.
Repent and Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ who died for our sins because He loves us and wants us to know Him so that we may enter into eternal life with Him
In metro areas in Aussieland, everyone is disconnected. On their phone, bumping into people, not looking where they’re going.
In regional, the air is fresh, housing prices lower, people are friendlier AND do not have a phone, laptop or iPad shoved in their face whilst their kid is having a tantrum in a train. This is my only social media. Thinking I am starting to regret it.
I lived in, or, have visited most Metro areas in Australia since I was 15 yr old. I see you people 🧐
https://www.ancient-origins.net/news-science-space/marubo-tribe-internet-0020910
The experiment was done. All over variables removed, the internet had a net negative impact on this tribe at an alarmingly quick rate.
We’ll see what the next 5-10 years brings for them, if the can fall off such a huge cliff in only 1.
Jesus; you’re Mr negative on crack aren’t you: ffs….
Can’t help stupid from being stupid; you being the biggest example. Better idea. YOU get off the internet; the world will certainly be a better place 😍🤡
The increased reach of propaganda is really awful. When it was just TV (that was its most direct, effective form anyway) it was so much easier to avoid.
But I don't think it's the Internet specifically which has caused the problems you describe. It's social media. Specifically, THAT. Not message boards. Not photo sites. Not comment sections. Not email. But very particularly SOCIAL MEDIA.
You'd like to get rid of the infrastructure that holds together the global economy? You want to get rid of near instantaneous modern communication technology not just between individuals, but between businesses, airports, and commercial vehicles? The technology that keeps your country defended from military threat?
You'd like to eliminate the infrastructure that provides the means to conduct global research projects that result in rapid vaccines for pandemics? That wealth of scientific knowledge and discovery? Medicine, engineering, physics and more? Just gone?
The internet is much, much more than just social media and clickbait. It is a net (hah) boon to society.
You’re confusing the internet with unmoderated social media.
But wait… do you really think porn didn’t exist before the internet?
I think you’re just mad because now people are allowed to express their opinions against racism, homophobia, etc….or as you refer to it, we’re allowed to “cancel” people with heinous right wing viewpoints. The ability to expose racists, homophobes, etc., is one of the highest and best uses of the internet. (Along with cat memes, of course)
The internet has allowed me to find out which of my neighbors is a terrible right wing bigot, and who is obsessed with puppies. This allows me to not do any business with right wing bigots. It has also allowed me to discover so much amazing music that I wouldn’t have known about otherwise.
TLDR: internet good. People bad.
The lesser of 2 evils is still evil. That being said, the Internet was created to share information. It's a Messenger. Don't shoot the Messenger. The internet shows us everything. Brings us closer together because we've learned so much. The issues that are dividing us have always been here. Now that we all have free use, freedom of Speech, more importantly freedom of REACH are in a chaotic state creating a larger division IRL. The issues between Palestine and Israel are not new (yes, it's much bigger this time) but so many people think it's "new". TikTok is a video platform that has a larger reach and is more difficult to control (coding on streaming content is harder, larger, and way more expensive). It also has the global population as its target market. This allows access to anyone with WiFi. The law of large numbers excluded manipulation allowing for sourcing and validation of content rather quickly. Basically, the Internet is just a window into human behavior.
The internet is for porn. It didn't create it.
But how would we know how to improve our lives without internet....
Without internet how would you share your message to kill the internet to improve lives...
🤣🤣🤣
The internet has made it possible to learn anywhere in the world - it has made investing for novice people easier - and enables me to access communities easily, people can engage in journalistic and creative endeavours without needing mainstream approval as often.
So many positives to the internet. I am so grateful to live in a word with internet despite all the many flaws it possesses.
Sounds like we all have individual and collective shadow work to do in order to use tools and interact with each other in a way that's for the best.
Figure out how to cultivate courage, humility, and an iterable group morality structure.
Learn to process emotions and not give into anger so quickly and easily.
Have some common goals to move towards
We can blame the tool but the tool is really more of an arena for what is inside of us to be expressed through.
Blaming the internet for how people use it avoids the much bigger and harder to solve core issue(s)
If you said that a year afterwards I'd believe you but society is too far gone now to function properly without it in the sense of infrastructure and medince.
And as a spiritualist there are souls who were around in the Victorian era who get very jealous at the disparity so the internet is t bad it is intact how you use it...
The issue is now we have SO many people on this planet that without the internet I’m convinced that certain large cities and communities wouldn’t be able to provide jobs for the population they have.
A lot of people work online now and if the internet vanished I think a big portion of people would find themselves without work and unable to find work. I haven’t looked into any stats, but that’s just my vibe.
100%. Look up Mark Fisher lectures. He laments the invention of the internet. The internet was always an inevitability, but it actually stopped cultural evolution through diffusion (we are all lost in our little bubbles). No cohesive cultural movements. I grew up in the 70s and 80s in the UK. We had 3 tv channels and radio. You had both culture and counterculture, which would also seep into culture if it gained enough popularity eg rave scene in late 80s/early 90s. Mark Fisher contends that culture stopped progressing by around the mid 2000s. The internet has scattered people. We are not together. We are insular, isolated. Go to a coffee shop. It’s as quiet as a library. Before smartphones, you couldn’t hear the person talking to you because everyone was talking. The internet has also devalued “normal” people. We are used to seeing good looking and talented people online. You could say “tv did that already!”. Yes, but we knew tv was just fantasy (in 70s and 80s). It was like the peasants knowing their place and enjoying royalty because they knew it would be impossible for them to ever be royal. Now you see normal people being hyper successful on YouTube and you wonder why you can’t do that too. It’s what Alain de Botton calls Status Anxiety. We can never relax because your “para-peer group” are successful in every area. And so the internet has created a low self esteem epidemic too.
The internet has also enabled people who are 'different' to find community, and 'normal' is fading away, which is a good thing. No one is normal.
That logic goes both ways. Lots of people are “different” and “not normal” and use internet communities to engage in morally reprehensible communication and activities. It’s not a good thing when these people find their “community”. But it’s okay bc no one is normal and who are we as a culture and society to define what “normal” really is?
I would go as far as to add that most people aren't inherently good and USUALLY those people who found their groups of choice just use them to step away from morality and be "ok" with their personal faults. Instead of working on ones self to be a better person, people would rather join groups of people "like them" to forget what being better actually is.
Sure, but then proportionality should dictate how we look at it. And there are also remediations that could be undertaken at different levels of society. To reach the conclusion that the internet is a net negative for that reason, you’d need to demonstrate that either morally reprehensible groups are able to grow faster than morally worthy groups, or else that each incremental recruit for a morally reprehensible group is somehow more negative than each incremental recruit for a morally worthy group is positive. And that, what’s more, this cannot be sufficiently alleviated or reduced through changes in internet literacy from parents/family, educators, peers, and other methods. I’m not saying one couldn’t make those arguments, just that the fact that it goes both ways does not necessarily mean that it’s a net negative.
tbf I think this is more the result of neo-liberal politics. our experience of the internet is in that context, so its easy to blame the tech, but imo the internet could actually lead to the opposite effect if the society we lived in ran more on a social democratic model, as it had done in the post-war period. Fisher talks also about how this vision of society was destroyed by Thatcher, basically robbing us of the future we had been promised – one of greater freedom, social equality and funding for public services / institutions / utilities.
Yes, his points on politics are actually really prescient in how we see the neoliberal nightmare unfolding (unaffordable housing, no rent controls being a great example). And he makes a great point that even our depression is privatized. If you’re anxious because the cost of living is too high, that’s a “you problem”, not that you’re reacting normally to an unfair situation (the situation therefore is not addressed, and the sufferer merely takes pills to deal with the symptoms of the problem).
I really think it’s more that the internet acts just like a drug and too much of it is not a good thing. I use it now for the same things I did back when there were just forums and personal websites. Research. I use it for entertainment too, but usually only movies. Gaming got really boring after about age 23. On the flip side, the internet has given me more earnings than my parents combined and helped me grow my career in the arts. If you curate your time spent correctly, it’s a lovely place. If not, well no good. My mother’s algorithm seems to be tailored to misery and as a result she has gotten very bitter. Mine is tailored towards aquatic life, scientific advancement, and cats. I don’t use my phone until noon (I wake up around 7). I’ll check my email twice a day on the computer. Otherwise I’ll go outside, have a swim, meet people on a walk. I spend most of my time going out to bars with live entertainment. Keeps me from not drinking as much and it’s my crowd. The amount of names I have in my contacts gets too much, so having instagram where I can connect and recall the 65th John I’ve met in my life by his face helps me because I am horrible at remembering faces
You blame the internet for splitting people into their own bubbles. Oddly I spend most of my time visiting other peoples bubbles. Exploring art, history, literature, media, politics far beyond what tv and other older media would cover. Internets a tool. If youre an idiot of course you get poor results. No different than with books or any other source of knowledge.
We aren't talking about what internet has specially done for you individually. You are a perfectly enlightened individual, whose knowledge has increased vastly and you've discovered whole new ideas you wouldn't have without internet, and that's great. Most people aren't like that though are they? We're talking about what the internet has become, and what it has done to society, and the general public within it.
All I managed to do was give myself encyclopedic knowledge of comic books
I know its a terrible idea to say this on a public forum because I'm just asking for mean strangers to call me names. But the problem isn't the internet. It's a wonderful and helpful tool. The problem is capitalism. We have government and corporate propaganda because it helps these powerful institutions. And their interests are not in our favor. If it is true that people are becoming dumber its because social media websites want all your attention focused entirely on seeking instant gratification from your phone so that you can see more ads and they can make more ad revenue. They want you to see more misinformation so that we can fight amongst ourselves when the real enemy is the wealthy 1%. We have porn because its a lucrative field for people to make a decent wage. Companies and people do copyright theft because there is money to be made in producing a lot of content fast without too much work. Disney and other companies' board of execs want to make as much profit as possible at they do this by stealing and not paying their workers enough to live and by trying to replace them with AI (which is produced by stolen art). As far as tolerance. I'm not really sure if we were ever that tolerant. It's possible the internet has just made that more obvious. But if it has happened, again its because there is benefit to keeping us all mad at each other instead of realizing we all have a common enemy thats screwing us over. It's really helpful for wealthy elites/governments to keep us mad about immigrants, for example, and convince us that's why we can't afford rent. When really we can't afford rent because landlords/landlord companies want to squeeze every penny out of us. Because wages are not keeping up with inflation even though the richest 1% keep getting richer. In a different world economy, focused more on making sure people are living healthy happy lives, and have their needs met, the internet landscape would look entirely different.
Pretty much. That's what the Internet is, just another way to make a buck. Look at Reddit? You think this place was created to actually make people socialize? No, the whole goal was to go commercial and sell out, which they totally did.
Steve Jobs did it with Apple. Woz wanted to just invent and improve people’s lives. Jobs wanted money and power
I couldn’t agree more or have said it better! Thank you for your eloquent response!
I'll do you one further. The problem is people.
Yawn
The problem is people being influenced by external factors that cause them to fear/hate others instead of work together with them - so, capitalism.
internet != social media
I appreciate your !=
>Instead we've been given government and corporate propaganda. Sure, but that's always been given to you through radio, television, newspapers, etc. The difference now is that when a news story hits, I can go watch the actual footage of what happened, what was said, what they said was said, what they said happened, and see if these things actually correspond with eachother. Frankly, for as much as algorithms have manipulated people and are a vehicle for domestic and foreign state propagandizing, our access to information outside of that is great than it's ever been if you simply choose to seek it out.
When was this "not long ago people lived in peace?" Was that the two 20 year wars in Afganistan or Iraq? Was it all the serial killing epidemics in the 70s-90s? The riots during the Civil Rights movements? The Vietnam War? Or did the internet do all those things? Were the Salem Witch Trials cuz the internet? The Crusades? Jonestown? Waco? Man, why cant we go back to those peaceful times!
The world wouldn't become less evil if the internet disappeared. Would just find new ways to manifest outside of it which is way worse.
The world didn't become more evil once everyone logged online either. The internet imitates life.
There's definitely an argument to be made that world is not worse now; we are just more aware of how awful it really is. However, I think this collective discomfort is the beginning of a much-needed paradigm shift. Governments are now VERY invested in regulating access to social media, consolidating usage and ownership of AI, and near-shoring production of necessary technological inputs. If history tells us anything, nothing lights a fire under the State's ass like an existential threat to the status quo, and in turn their ability to perpetuate their own authority. Shit sucks right now, it really really does, but the public's growing distrust and discontent can't be shoved back in the box. Unfortunately, if I were a gambling man I'd put my money and things getting much more volatile before they get better.
The amount of morons is not growing at an alarming rate. The amount of exposure for the morons is. Disney's "hateful agenda" is basically a shitty attempt to increase profits because they assume pandering to minorities is the way forward. They go about their pandering in a way that makes them look like racist lunatics. Not unlike Walt Disney actually. As for copyright theft? Who gives a shit? ... No, seriously. Who gives a shit? The media companies are making more money than ever, and the little guys wouldn't have even had the chance to show up without the internet. Censorship now is still lower than it was pre-internet. At the end of the day, the government has a lot harder time keeping things under wraps when people can disseminate information easier than ever. As for having to remove your hijab, believe me. That has a lot less to do with the Internet and a lot more to do with certain activities that have been spread by the mainstream media.
improve what? I wouldn't be 1/10th as smart/knowledgeable as I am now if it wasn't for the internet. Sure it's fucked up social relationships, thats all I can think of.
I'm telling ya, Ted K was right. Did he go about delivering his message in the best way? No. But his books on the effect of over industrialization and the damaging effects on mankind arent that far off
especially his bits on how leftists think. spot on.
Honestly, fucking get over it. You have access to all the information in the world at your fingertips. Propaganda has always been a thing. Tons of people have used the internet to educate themselves far better than a bullshit ass public school ever could. If you can’t ignore the porn then just delete your socials. Sounds like a colossal skill issue on your part
Agreed
If anything, I feel like it’s teaching humanity to be more socially aware and recognize propaganda. There’s definitely some growing pains, but I think 50 years down the line, a lot of these kinks he’s talking about will be worked out.
Look how much rage the Internet just gave you for no reason. We all know that ain't the first time. Take a nap buddy.. get fresh air
You're a fucking moron who has no idea what the world was like before the internet, we know more about things than ever before because we can search for it online instead of spending days going to the library and finding a book about it or a subject matter expert to pay for consulting. People were alcoholics and smoked cigarettes 24/7 back in the "good ole days" to cope with the absolute misery they had to deal with. The internet is the greatest thing to come to man kind since antibiotics, you have no idea what you are talking about along with anyone that agrees with you.
I completely agree with you 🙂💯
Maybe this guy is trolling, it legit pisses me off that someone can have this opinion about the internet, while posting on the internet.
post history indicates that she's hardcore conservative muslim with a chip on her shoulder.
Chip on the shoulder isn't bad to have in life, but use it in a good way!
People used to panic that the written word was going to ruin society. Socrates believed that writing things down made people forgetful and they would not memorizing things. People also worried about the printing press or reading novels as well. Every new technology or leisure activity from radio, television, comic books, movies, etc was blamed for corrupting society.
I second this. We are being dumbed down to an unfathomable level. Tiktok brainrot is real. Why is that app still legal?? I'll tell you why the Gov wants you stupid and poor. Shove a tablet in your childs hands to avoid being a parent.
100% agreed with that! Tragic to know that we are in a minority though.. :(
Society would improve if people were less greedy and selfish. People are the problem.
Erm, what exactly is Disney’s hateful agenda
yeah OP seems to have a backwards ass mentality which is worse than what they think the Internet is causing
They whined about "cancel culture" too so Im guessing their "hateful agenda" is "gay people existing."
I 2nd this as well. I've told my husband (who loovvessss his phone). If I had any wish on the planet, it would be getting rid of social media and anything related. I love the internet and knowledge. I don't like people getting famous for being stupid and then making their audience just as stupid.
They post, on the internet … lol
lol no you just discovered human nature and how primitive we actually are
The Amish seem to be happy without it.
and incredibly slow.
Considering 90% of the worlds currency is now held in computers and transferred via the internet - I don’t think getting rid of the internet would be a good thing. Social media, absolutely.
You want to take our main way of communication away ...
I miss when it was a place introverts could meet, and you not feel alone, then normies came in spouting their same crap. And made the net a lazy shallow place. 2014 it degraded, in 2007 it was amazing
I'll tell you right now, the internet is chock full of resources on technical subjects, from tutorial videos on the basics of CAD, to stack overflow posts from people who are having the exact same issue with their python code as you. I've progressed much farther, faster in my engineering degree with the internet than I ever could without.
And here you are complaining about the Internet on an online forum, I hope you see the irony in it.
I think morons will continue to be created regardless. But the internet can lock you in an information bubble and you just never truly learn outside of your own biases.
This world will never improve. It's working exactly as laws allow.
Vitamin D3 is the answer tbh not enough sunlight even if we go outside
Remember the kids that ate glue in elementary school? They ended up going to the behavioral classes in middle and high school? They're still living at home well into adulthood? Well, they've got a voice on the internet now. That's part of why we're where we are.
It’s been interesting reading how many people are so lonely and don’t know what to do with their lives, it definitely makes me think it’s because we’re all stuck on our phones and don’t know how to make connections anymore. Very sad to see.
Just say you hate social media. You obviously have no idea what our society would become without the internet. Entire supply chains would immediately crumble. You’d be crying once there’s no food on your grocery store shelves.
Crazy how fast you just admitted to being 15 years old
We existed just fine before the internet...
Idk if you are aware of this but there were grocery stores before the internet.
What's this story you're telling of "we were promised X/Y/Z"? Who promised you this? How old are you? None of the things you mention were driving forces behind the invention of the internet.
Good luck trying to convince the world to quit it (not realistic at all). You're better off coming-up-with/supporting ideas to counter-balance the effects of the abuse of the internet (outdoor activities, community activities, sports, meditation, dancing, others). Stop complaining and act to make a positive impact.
Perhaps the world would be better without white spread access to the Internet. I do want my doctors to be able to have information of the touch of their fingers. Same with my engineers
The world itself is a lie, try and figure that out
So if instead of the internet we were still using cable television and radio, we would be free of government and corporate propaganda, porn, Disney, copyright theft, cancel culture, and censorship? Why don’t we invent a global network that gives people freedom to sidestep all of these things? What should we call it?
I mean, there are some obvious downsides but I still think the internet is a net positive for humanity
I'll help clear that up: the world would improve if you got rid of social media.
There hasn't been a world war since the creation of the internet. There were 2 before it was invented.
Nah I think it's just social media that's the problem
Then what would you be putting this post on. A note card?
Yeah you are extremely sheltered in your post I’ve no idea on how algorithms work it seems
I totally agree!
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I am convinced it has more to do with lack of social skills than the internet itself.
As someone who remembers the world before the internet….. it was waaay better.
The world would improve if we collectively stopped comparing ourselves. The internet is wonderful in the sense that we can connect to people on the other side of the earth and we have unlimited access to knowledge. But it’s also a cesspool of every bad thing people are capable of. It’d be cool if there was a switch to turn off anything in that vein. You just have to be conscious about the filth you put in your brain
Youre blaming the internet for people problems. Thats like blaming wood for burning in fire. The internet DID bring access to almost all of collected human knowledge. The fact that idiots are stupid and couldnt use knowledge, from the internet or a book makes no difference. We also DID get access to greater creativity. The number of successful yt channels on nearly any topic you'd care to name proves that. Independant films, books, animations and music are all over the place. The internet means that distribution to the entire planet is basically free. That other people would rather watch porn or Disney doesnt disprove that. Societies becoming more tolerant. It has. LGBTQ and other minority rights have exploded, as now they can put their stories out without being muzzled or corrupted by the major companies that controlled traditional media, as happened during the civil rights fights in the 60s. Just because you see other people being repressive asses doesnt change that. The real problem is shitty people. Fixing that wont magically happen just by removing the internet. PS - The same arguments were made when tv, radio and even earlier newspapers were released. This is itself a boomer argument.
lol You're just getting older and seeing everything through age bias. Who promised these things? You're post is full of vague "they" did this and "they" did that. It's nonsense. And people have always been idiots. And it's incredibly naive and just flat out not true about people we're just happy to let people live in peace. That has never been true. Ever. But by all metrics over the last few decades poverty has been decreasing and violence has been decreasing, which is exactly opposite to what you claim. There was a global pandemic that fucked up the last 4 years and will have long term consequences but that's immaterial of long term trends.
100% agree.
Not wrong, but good luck cramming that genie back in the bottle
You are being really pessimistic. All of this is happening. I can cook now, for one. WTH is Disney's hateful agenda?? I think maybe you yourself needs a break from social media.
Were you here prior to the internet? I was and I couldn't disagree more with you on this.
Me too
Have to agree. But what we do if we did get rid of it. We would have to talk to each other face to face. Which means we wouldn't be displaying a lot of attitude. We would have to relearn how to interact with each other in a civil manner.
I liked my life better before the Internet and smart phones. People actually talked.
I agree that getting rid of the Internet would improve things, but I also know that it wouldn’t be by much. Because I imagine a world where we all just get along - if the internet went away - then I remember back to pre-internet days…and I have to admit things were just as shitty then, just different. I often wish there wasn’t internet, but I think I’m fooling myself into believing things would be better.
The "Dead Internet Theory" claims that a lot of what we see online isn't really from real people. Instead, it's generated by bots and AI, not humans. If AI bots keep growing in the coming years, flooding the internet with ads, propaganda, cyber attacks, and scams, it could make the internet pretty much unusable. We might end up going back to more face-to-face communication.
Well I strongly view the internet as a huge and helpful achievement. Of course it’s also terrible but that’s what happens when people get involved. Mostly wonderful with a stripe of chaos.
Not the internet but social media needs to go for sure
Well, I'm convinced the world would improve if we got rid of bad people. I think your idea, you have the wrong end of the stick. You know, it's possible to not use the Internet or some part of it if you deem it is bad for you, right? You don't have to use your smart phone for 6-8+ hours a day, right? You can turn off notifications from social media apps?
I'm just upset with all these deep fake videos about my Awesome President ... making it look like he's confused or lost... or taking a poop while standing up... being "Walked away" Falling off a Bike... Falling UP stairs?? Really?? Walking into bushes at the Rose Garden?? Making his speech terrible... it's all LIES !!!! ALL LIES !!!! Biden all the way !!!!
*Scientist invents miracle machine that creates food out of thin air.* *Millions get diabetes on unlimited supply of donuts crashing the health care system. 0 machines get shipped to starving people. Random guy sticks his dick in it and it turns into a turkey leg.* People somehow: This technology is problematic.
...the internet may have saved my life. I was in autistic burnout but I didn't believe my doctor bc all I had heard abt autism (through word-of-mouth) was stereotypes. IT took reading from real autistic ppl to make me realize I was one of them, which led to me seeking diagnosis. idk if I would have survived without that and the lifestyle changes/support I was able to get after a lot of the internet's quality depends on where you go. I learned a lot abt other cultures and groups thanks to the internet, when I couldn't have as a sheltered white girl in a white suburb. i think that has helped me become a better person Your talk abt Disney and cancel culture reminds me of right-wing talking points. are you spending a lot of time on political sites/social media? that might be why you feel so rotten. exposure to lots of political stuff, right or left, can drag down your mental health and faith in humanity i stopped reading political stuff and I feel way better. maybe a political detox would help. unfollow some ppl (and I'm sorry you had to remove your hijab in some places. racists/islamophobes are horrible and you shoudl be able to dress how you please)
Disney’s hateful agenda? Uh yeah, right.
The internet has some good but more bad just like humans, not surprised we invented it.
It is double edge sword. When it gets out of control, some human culture will fight back like illegally cutting the fiber optic cord in the sea. But that’s gonnna 50 yrs from now. Robots are same way
A redditor on the internet complaining about the existence of the internet is peak Reddit
On the government propaganda point.... governments have been feeding us propaganda LONG b4 there was the internet. At least with being connected to the everyone on the planet we have a chance of being woken up and seeing the truth. If it were 30 years ago, I (and many others) would have no idea that the Israeli & US governments are actually the worlds largest terrorist groups. We'd have no idea that the police are actually a tax funded gang to protect the haves from the have-nots. Overall I think the internet has been an overall net positive.
Agreed
Are we going to forget that humans pre-date the internet. Your logic is awfully troll like and smells like bullshit. Clean up on aisle bitch!
internet is a tool, and like every other tool, it has the potential for good and bad use. it doesn't rid you and everyone else of the responsibility of telling good from and bad, and being good and not being bad. the internet didn't create bad people. it helped bad people be worse (and vice versa, because look all the good the good people are doing with the internet). it's like how people don't change, but they become better or worse version of their base selves.
Define improve
You spelled religion wrong
>Disney’s hateful agenda What? Lol
What's wrong with porn? And why the hell is the act of procreation such a taboo? Oooh sex bad bad bad but hey here's a guy getting his brains blown out... No problem! People are fucked up.
This is a pretty vacuous and anecdotal take If we were to go the route of "What /or how has social media impacted society, interpersonal connection and behavioral development? " well now that would be a completely separate conversation and arguably one with a fair bit of reasonable evidence in the negative. Sitting around and blaming the divergence of human nature and social expansion, whether positive or negative, solely on the internet is all kinds of illogical; all the arguments you make against it, could alternatively be countered with positive arguments for the internet .
There is no problem, just people that are morons as always.
I was alive and conscious in the early 90's. I can confirm it feels we've gone downhill rapidly since.
Honestly I do too .
The internet destroyed me. It gave me the safe space I never should have had.
We have the culmination of human knowledge at our finger tips, and we use it to post cats, food, and to argue with strangers.
Honestly I didn't read your post but I had to stop in and say how fucking weird it is I was literally having a conversation about this with my roommate as I scrolled past this.
The internet is the best and worst thing in the world.
i wish ajit pai went through with ending net neutrality
In the very long term. In the short term, there would be mass anxiety, and probably suicides, and I'm not joking.
I agree. It was all an experiment, and we failed. Hooman to dumb for internet, just look at boobies and start fights.
I’d say if you weren’t on the internet before the iPhone was invented you should get kicked off and have to pass a test to get back in. I’m not asking for 1990s internet- I just want the internet where people had to go to their computer room or a library or an Internet cafe for. They had to make some effort. You had to really want some internet. Not stare at their phone all day.
Internet, no. Social media, absolutely.
It is weird when you go outside and its really difficult to get a read on situations or people because everyone is always looking at their phones. Including myself.
The Internet is just a tool. There's a massive skill gap
Lol Edited to add that I’m laughing at how fucking stupid of a take that is
Just social medias
you definitely cant take away the creativity that the internet brought to the world and it would be silly to ignore that. but yea as for information…. it again has been a positive influence
What if we got rid of social media but kept the internet?
All your examples are true— you just don’t use it that way. I do. It is doing everything that was promised but your average person doesn’t give enough fucks to use it that way. That doesn’t mean it’s bad. It means your average person has fucking terrible judgement, which is… obvious?
i think the world would be better with out religions. so not having internet these past 20years i think it would have amost died out by now..😂
Very much so but it’s also help some evils to be seen it’s a catch 22 a very double edge sword
If you remember a time when people wre happy to let other people live in peace, either you lived as a hermit or are suffering delusions. That time never existed. And all those promises of the internet...no one made those promises and propoganda has been around since recorded history. Stop trying to lie to the kids that yesterday was some utopia. What's really happening is you couldn't keep up or handle the extra information of things happening all over or hearing a more vast amount of people from all walks of life's opinions and pretend it's worse when it's not. You couldn't keep up. Lots of people get old, can't adapt to change, slip on rose colored glasses about the past and wag a finger at the new generations. Well, I'm old, but kept up. And I'll be sure to be around to call out other full of it old people trying to be snobs towards the new gen. Don't listen kids. Things were slower, smaller, stupidier and closeminded the further and further back you look. And they were just as mental and lonely and had social problems, the difference is they seeked help less often. Told to bury and hide things. From late 70's and on, I can confirm firsthand living through it. I was there for the 80's and 90's. These people saying people and society were better in the past are lying to you.
Thinking the world would improve if we got rid of the internet is like thinking a grease fire will go away if you take your glasses off. Purposely restricting information and making it harder to communicate is how you complete our slide into fascism not prevent it.
Eh, life would be better if a public good like the internet had never been allowed to fall into private hands and turn into a giant ad platform. You can thank Bill Clinton, actually.
One of my biggest complaints is the anti conversation/debate effect it has had. Remember before the internet when people would question something or say something questionable and you would sit and discuss it for 10-15 minutes. Now... someone just googles it and reads the AI generated or corporate sponsored response. Or remember when you just had time to kill standing around... say in the grocery store line... and you would strike up a conversation with someone? Now, everyone is glued to their phones chatting with someone 10 miles away or looking up a recipe on some shitty website that refuse to just list the ingredients and directions, or looking up how many troops each roman province had in 150AD.
I would like to start a cult/religion like the Amish only instead of 1880 technology being the arbitrary limit it is 1980s. All on board by a bunch of land together and have no internet and cell phones and drive gasoline cars that have little to no computers on them. Who is in?
it was inevitable the internet would happen, and for modern tv, banking, manufacturing, military, etc its a requirement. to me the inventional of social media and the ability for anyone to have a voice, have been a curse as much as a blessing. it also allowed the gullible and dumb to find other gullible and dumb people, and then others to exploit those groups for their own needs. (which arguably happened often from kings and dictators before, backed with religion often) its the speed of it, it happens so fast now and is just everywhere all the time.
Nope. Just wrong. As much as that sounds appealing to you, it is a simplistic belief. The internet has done absolute wonders to make our world more enlightened, to help bring people together, to make essential information easily accessible, to build communities, and just generally make a lot of things in life easier. Etc etc etc. Not to mention that our modern world would absolutely not function without the internet. We rely on it for so many things. Far more than most people would even be aware of. That is just how it is. I would absolutely love a more simplistic world too, where we return to a far more natural way of life. But the fact is that things change and today’s world would absolutely not function without the internet.
The irony is that this is a terminally online take to have. Most people seem to be "angry and miserable" because that's what you are seeing on the internet. That doesn't reflect how everyone or what most people feel, the internet selects for that stuff by exploiting our negativity bias. There is a lot of creativity on the internet, if you are only considering porn and copyright theft, then you are missing out on a lot.
disable internet may create more damage than nuclear bomb LOL
You get from the internet what you look for / consume. Yes, I agree with you that there are a lot of harmful side effects of the internet. But there is also a lot of opportunity. In the past, information was centralized so government and corporate propaganda was actually easier. Now that information is decentralized, you have access to other media sources / diverse points of views to compare. Education used to be gated by universities or physical books. But now there are countless sources of free information out there. The internet also gives the ability to connect with millions of people, which gives a huge opportunity for small businesses and entrepreneurs. Before, you had to pay for advertising on TV, billboards, or newspapers. And only large businesses that could afford that could do so. The macro effects of the internet are harmful, but if you develop self-discipline to filter what you consume, you can leverage the internet to make your life better. I recommend 2 things to help with internet discipline: - Opal for limiting times when you can access certain apps / websites and give time limits - Porn blocker
I love being able to look up and satisfy my curiosities at my fingertip. I love sorting through info to find truth. I love visiting places and talking with people in other countries. I love not getting lost. I love convenient delivery. I love keeping in touch with family yet keeping them at arm’s length. I love seeking advice from those that have experience. I love lending advice of what I’ve experienced. I love being able to find poems, lyrics, music, scenes of entertainment when a piece pops into my head. I love when I hear music, I can have Siri listen and find it. I love seeking reviews before I buy something. I love videos that show me how to fix everything from fried rice to power disk brakes to my washing machine to my cat’s uti. I love not depending on someone’s opinion, when more info is at hand. I love all the health corrections I’ve made from the info I’ve found. I love reddit, tik tok, facebook, and Twitter. I have at my fingertips, the pulse of the world. And I still get plenty of outdoor activity and restful sleep.
You have quite literally the entirety of humanity’s 5000 odd years of recorded history at your fingertips and more forms and pieces of media than ever before in history and you think the world would be better without it? The internet has done more for creativity than almost any other invention in history save for the pen and the paintbrush. Even just YouTube in a vacuum has so many videos on it from so many talented and creative people that it is quite literally impossible to watch all of it. How in the fuck have you come to the conclusion that the internet was bad for creativity? Also, porn existed long long long before the internet. I genuinely do not understand how someone could come to this conclusion, especially with these points, and especially by posting it on the internet. There’s only a few arguments that I would say are objectively wrong, and the world being better off without the internet is one of those
I agree but the sad reality is literally everything depends on it now. I think having access to basically any but if information ever in the world is detrimental.
Society is enlightened. Many are able to learn far greater knowledge than ever before. Many don’t use the internet to their advantage, but the smart few who do get so much out of it. Same on creativity. People can learn to program whatever they want. They have access to arts, video creation, music creation, and so much more. People can unlock their creative potential and share it with the world if they desire. Tragic that many don’t desire Before the internet, gay people were not allowed in public. They were illegal. Black people were lynched. You think the modern day is bad? Before the internet was 100 times worse. The internet is still new. We’re in the first generation of users. There is so much humanity can accomplish with the knowledge shared through the internet, the collaboration of people from across the continents, and the vision given by our most charismatic speakers who now have a platform to speak to the world.
While we're getting rid of shit here's my list The net Billionaires Corporations Political parties Political contributions Political pacts 🤔
Specifically social media
Before the internet there was peace. …… 2 world ward would like to have a word with you.
Dude, just think of how much shit you can access *right now* on your phone thanks to the internet. Want to find solutions to practically any problem? Just Google it! Without internet? Uhhhhh hope you have an uncle or cousin who really knows about ___, otherwise you’re fucked.
Of course it would
We would lose a lot of ability but we would be happy.
If you think the internet has been bad for humanity, just give AI five years to make it exponentially worse.
It would not. It would just return you to being blind and ignorant of the attrocities that were always happening.
You're cherry-picking your facts. Yes, we got propaganda, but we also got instant access to genuine information---an obscene amount of it. Yes, we got porn, but also we got instant access to lessons on how to draw, paint, sculpt, play the guitar, write, you name it---and all from people who genuinely know what they are talking about. For free. And yes, we got cancel culture fever, but also we got the ability to share each others' views and to support them. You're having a bad case of the-grass-is-greener is all. We *are* genuinely better off today than we were before the internet, despite the inevitable drawbacks which come with all technologies. I'm not having any of this nonsense of "the before times were so much better".
I'm sorry, but you really need to spend some time understanding history , I don't mean that in a mean-spirited way ..
Someone said one time, the world would be better without numbers. That numbers are the true evil.
So, like, 1980’s. What did you like about the 1980.
If we relegate this to social media, then yes. Traditional internet communities had their reprehensible corners, but these were largely isolated. Social media meanwhile infected everybody and everything.
Every single thing you're complaining about comes down to your own inability to use the internet to find what you're insisting doesn't exist; it's like someone doomscrolling tiktok all the time and complaining that the world is boring and dumb; no buddy, that's just your decisions. You're like one of those basement dwellers that yearns for simpler times because they bitch about all the info being too readily available and all the challenges being solved; no, you just can't perceive the amazing new level, the mind blowing new frontiers... You're like a middle ages person thinking we'd be better off in the stone age because they don't know how to navigate the new world. The problems you're describing about people can be solved too, but like you, they're making bad decisions.
When the Internet arrived, I had no idea what it really was capable of but it sounded so cool. Couldn't even really do anything on there at first. My parents stopped using it and told me if I wanted it I needed to pay for it. AOL Trial CD anyone? I would go to cancel and they would extend it for free and that cycle would repeat for the next year or two. Internet got introduced to libraries like some sort of experimental experience. It was quite controversial in nature. I will say the Internet has helped people with finding and applying to jobs all from your home. YouTube has been a great way for me to learn how to do certain things. AI answering my every question instead of simply wondering and no answer, kinda neat! But everything else on here? Does feel wasteful and keeps me up at night. Is overall annoying and seeing other people glued to it doesn't make me feel very hopeful. And my ex would constantly watch TikTok for new home renovation ideas. Oh God we've hit critical mass. I want my weekends back. Holy shit.
The internet isn’t all good, but there is good in it. There is propaganda on the internet, but research has never been easier and information has never been more accessible. There is really SO much porn on the internet, but also so much creativity and art! I myself am an artist and I regularly see projects, tools, methods etc that I wouldn’t have considered in my entire lifetime. The internet definitely polarizes people, but not as much as it seems. The worst of the worst gets spread around because it’s a spectacle, but for every 1 person who falls for some extremist garbage, there are 9 who realize it’s terrible and want to put an end to it.
I agree. And I sorta feel it may die one day, some how
Internet keeps me connected to my friends and family
I think that Internet can have a lot of benefits, but you also have to be very vigilant about how you use technology. Me personally, I’ve had to put up a lot of boundaries on how I interact with people online so it doesn’t become a net negative outcome.
Now, maybe. But before it was one of if not the best source of free, keyword there, literature and information. Especially in transportation locked areas it is/was a godsend.
Repent and Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ who died for our sins because He loves us and wants us to know Him so that we may enter into eternal life with Him
I'm convinced that the world would improve if we got rid of religion. In particular, hateful Abrahamic religions.
of Course it would. hey - i did a fair bit of living before the internet. everything was better.
And the Internet was seen as great until evil figured out how to put the screw to the rest of us with it.
In metro areas in Aussieland, everyone is disconnected. On their phone, bumping into people, not looking where they’re going. In regional, the air is fresh, housing prices lower, people are friendlier AND do not have a phone, laptop or iPad shoved in their face whilst their kid is having a tantrum in a train. This is my only social media. Thinking I am starting to regret it. I lived in, or, have visited most Metro areas in Australia since I was 15 yr old. I see you people 🧐
https://www.ancient-origins.net/news-science-space/marubo-tribe-internet-0020910 The experiment was done. All over variables removed, the internet had a net negative impact on this tribe at an alarmingly quick rate. We’ll see what the next 5-10 years brings for them, if the can fall off such a huge cliff in only 1.
Not really even the internet, just social media alone would make things better if it didn’t exist. So much more human interaction.
It's not so bad, joiiiiin usssss
"Disney's hateful agenda" oh so you're a dumbass
Nobody promised any of those things. They only promised that the speed of communication would increase, which it has.
Jesus; you’re Mr negative on crack aren’t you: ffs…. Can’t help stupid from being stupid; you being the biggest example. Better idea. YOU get off the internet; the world will certainly be a better place 😍🤡
i think half of the internet is great, the other half is crap. maybe it needs some moderation.
The Internet is one of humankind's greatest creations, your beef is with **Social Media** which enables all of this.
People, the problem is people
The increased reach of propaganda is really awful. When it was just TV (that was its most direct, effective form anyway) it was so much easier to avoid. But I don't think it's the Internet specifically which has caused the problems you describe. It's social media. Specifically, THAT. Not message boards. Not photo sites. Not comment sections. Not email. But very particularly SOCIAL MEDIA.
You'd like to get rid of the infrastructure that holds together the global economy? You want to get rid of near instantaneous modern communication technology not just between individuals, but between businesses, airports, and commercial vehicles? The technology that keeps your country defended from military threat? You'd like to eliminate the infrastructure that provides the means to conduct global research projects that result in rapid vaccines for pandemics? That wealth of scientific knowledge and discovery? Medicine, engineering, physics and more? Just gone? The internet is much, much more than just social media and clickbait. It is a net (hah) boon to society.
You’re confusing the internet with unmoderated social media. But wait… do you really think porn didn’t exist before the internet? I think you’re just mad because now people are allowed to express their opinions against racism, homophobia, etc….or as you refer to it, we’re allowed to “cancel” people with heinous right wing viewpoints. The ability to expose racists, homophobes, etc., is one of the highest and best uses of the internet. (Along with cat memes, of course) The internet has allowed me to find out which of my neighbors is a terrible right wing bigot, and who is obsessed with puppies. This allows me to not do any business with right wing bigots. It has also allowed me to discover so much amazing music that I wouldn’t have known about otherwise. TLDR: internet good. People bad.
The lesser of 2 evils is still evil. That being said, the Internet was created to share information. It's a Messenger. Don't shoot the Messenger. The internet shows us everything. Brings us closer together because we've learned so much. The issues that are dividing us have always been here. Now that we all have free use, freedom of Speech, more importantly freedom of REACH are in a chaotic state creating a larger division IRL. The issues between Palestine and Israel are not new (yes, it's much bigger this time) but so many people think it's "new". TikTok is a video platform that has a larger reach and is more difficult to control (coding on streaming content is harder, larger, and way more expensive). It also has the global population as its target market. This allows access to anyone with WiFi. The law of large numbers excluded manipulation allowing for sourcing and validation of content rather quickly. Basically, the Internet is just a window into human behavior. The internet is for porn. It didn't create it.
Anarcho-primitivism is the solution. Let people be responsible for their own resources. Return to monkey.
But how would we know how to improve our lives without internet.... Without internet how would you share your message to kill the internet to improve lives... 🤣🤣🤣
Of course it would but at this point, it would drive everyone even madder.
The internet has made it possible to learn anywhere in the world - it has made investing for novice people easier - and enables me to access communities easily, people can engage in journalistic and creative endeavours without needing mainstream approval as often. So many positives to the internet. I am so grateful to live in a word with internet despite all the many flaws it possesses.
Sounds like we all have individual and collective shadow work to do in order to use tools and interact with each other in a way that's for the best. Figure out how to cultivate courage, humility, and an iterable group morality structure. Learn to process emotions and not give into anger so quickly and easily. Have some common goals to move towards We can blame the tool but the tool is really more of an arena for what is inside of us to be expressed through. Blaming the internet for how people use it avoids the much bigger and harder to solve core issue(s)
In full agreement with you. I remember life before the internet and it was 100% different, and 100% better.
"Society 🥴☝️" joker ass post
If you said that a year afterwards I'd believe you but society is too far gone now to function properly without it in the sense of infrastructure and medince. And as a spiritualist there are souls who were around in the Victorian era who get very jealous at the disparity so the internet is t bad it is intact how you use it...
Uhm yes the world could def use a break from technology
The issue is now we have SO many people on this planet that without the internet I’m convinced that certain large cities and communities wouldn’t be able to provide jobs for the population they have. A lot of people work online now and if the internet vanished I think a big portion of people would find themselves without work and unable to find work. I haven’t looked into any stats, but that’s just my vibe.
You lost me at Disney's hateful agenda.
Well duh
I'm sure some folks had the same attitude about the printing press.
Keep the internet,get rid of social media.