I think this is true. At a very general level, I think it is increasing lonliness. Social media have enhance the ability to be falsely social. At least in person one's tone of voice, facial expression, posture all reveal things we might want to hide. In social media we have control and are encouraged to put a false front out. Children who use the internet are less good at reading faces - iow they are worse at empathy. This doesn't mean they no longer mean well, but they lack social mammal skills. Often teenagers are afraid of phones, even, let alone direct contact in person. Their social lives are more mediated (literally) and controlled. The internet is allowed for vastly more contact, but the kind of contact is impoverished and these trends are taking place in professional and private areas with adults. We are being atomed and distanced, while being fooled that we are in contact with others.One thing that the internet has brought amongst us is loneliness. — Konkai
One thing that the internet has brought amongst us is loneliness — Konkai
In an anonymous site it is hard to make the difference who is talking. — ssu
The author saw that it was meaningless to continue discussion — ssu
Hence people will be more impolite, rude and judging and just fixated on themselves. — ssu
Inclusiveness indeed lowers the quality and creates that noise. I do miss many members here that truly upheld some topics in the Forum with an educative approach and gave fruitful responses yet had the persistence to answer those who obviously didn't know much more than the basics.Yes again. This is one of the big drawbacks of the forum/social media publishing model which prioritizes inclusiveness over quality. Those we might most wish to talk to are bored by the discussions and have largely left the medium long ago. Back in the nineties when all of this was new some of the most interesting people engaged, until they realized what the signal to noise ratio was going to be. Many or most users today don't even realize what has been lost. — Hippyhead
I think this is a perfect example how the society is breaking up or changing. Earlier society gave us far more rules to adhere to and we kept far more in touch with our neighbors and family. People did visit extensively their family members and friends, while now something like Facebook makes everything so easy. The real issue is that we substitute actual socializing with net & social media use, and those are not the same thing.That seems to be a pattern which transcends the Net. My Dad (1925-2000) used to talk about this even before the Net took off. People really did used to be more polite in general (assuming we ignore blatant racism, sexism, homophobia etc), but that came in part from a more confining and controlling social environment where people were trained to worry about things like "what will the neighbors think?" Nobody gives much of a #%^ what the neighbors think these days, a form of social liberation, which comes at a price. — Hippyhead
I don't think this would help much. It could perhaps make things even worse. During this pandemic teleconferencing, using Zoom or Microsoft Teams etc. has become very typical. Yet if you have met a person only through the net in these situations even with the camera on, that person is still quite remote to those that you have actually met.If social media moves more from text to video, perhaps that will restore some of the social clues we need to stop acting like animals? — Hippyhead
The real issue is that we substitute actual socializing with net & social media use, and those are not the same thing. — ssu
I do not see myself as an enemy of the state but I do feel fearful because I need to apply for jobs and don't want future employees to have instant access to my own private world. — Jack Cummins
In real life I would relate to someone 50 years my junior in a more patient manner than I may online when I have no idea of their age. Well, I suppose I could grow up myself and relate to everyone in a more patient manner. — Hippyhead
I was a bit startled to see that everything I had written on this site, even my own photo, was showing up for anyone to read without anyone signing into the forum website. I don't blame the administrators of this site. It merely shows that Google, in England at least, is watching us at all times. — Jack Cummins
Unfortunately with social media our behavior is changing as there obviously are many people who don't care how or to whom they are talking or basically talk in a totally differently in the net as they would do in real life.
I fear that the online behavior will have an effect on our "offline" interactions. And the reasoning behind that might be that "having manners" and "being polite" is seen to be hypocritical and just a facade while the "online" way of talking is more "honest". Some people can have this attitude towards others, but I don't agree with them. Having good manners is a serious issue in any society and this isn't realized in the "online" community, where flaming, trolling or being redflagged isn't a big issue.The way we converse on the web is totally different from the way we do in person. What I can't tell for sure is that, whether this rude talk on the web is going to consequently reflect in our offline interactions. — Konkai
Commitment to a relationship is seen as a burden and our consumer society upholds individualism alongside materialism. There are long term changes behind these developments, starting for example on the number of people being single.Another example. Why are dogs so incredibly popular? Because they are great friends, whom we can control. When they become inconvenient we don't have to listen to their boring stories, we can just put them in the backyard. We can leave them in the backyard all day while we're at work so that they're bored out of their minds and desperate for companionship. And so when we arrive home we are greeted by a very enthusiastic friend. We can do what we want. We can get what we want. We are in control.
It's hard for real life human beings to compete with that, because engaging with real life humans involves all kinds of compromises. — Hippyhead
If you're concerned, we could change your username now and within a few days or weeks, any connection between your real name and this website will disappear, because the relevant pages in Google's index will be crawled again, and the old name effectively overwritten. Probably. — jamalrob
And the reasoning behind that might be that "having manners" and "being polite" is seen to be hypocritical and just a facade while the "online" way of talking is more "honest" — ssu
One thing that the internet has brought amongst us is loneliness. I think this is why most people want to be writers, we want to write in order to be heard. We want to find an audience, someone to listen to us, someone to relate to us.
If we were having more meaningful daily conversations, I doubt we would be publishing so much literary work. — Konkai
Hippyhead
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One thing that the internet has brought amongst us is loneliness — Konkai
The Internet allows us to zero in on exactly what interests us in a manner the real world typically can't match. Like this forum for example, MUCH more convenient and accessible than trying to find a philosophy club which meets once a month across town somewhere.
But then, having found what we're looking for in a very convenient and accessible form, we get sucked in to it. Gradually we spend more time online and less with offline friends, because online we can do exactly what we want to do when we want to do it. The offline friends fade away over time, to be replaced by an endless horde of anonymous strangers.
Ten minutes after I leave this forum for the last time I'll be forgotten forever. None of you will be sending me a card on my birthday. :-) The price we pay for getting what we want can be steep.
Oh, and wait, here's the "good news". It's going to get worse. Way worse. Do you think text is compelling? Wait until the Net can deliver virtual reality. Digital characters customized to your exact specifications, projected in to the 3D space of your living room, or um, perhaps bedroom.
We're headed down the rabbit hole folks. Well, you are, I'll probably be dead before the big time loneliness poop hits the fan. — Hippyhead
One thing that the internet has brought amongst us is loneliness. I think this is why most people want to be writers, we want to write in order to be heard. We want to find an audience, someone to listen to us, someone to relate to us. — Konkai
Most conversations I have in real life simply have little or no depth and are rarely of my interest. It's not that the topics or the people involved are shallow, but rather most folks become long bored with a topic at the point for me where it begins to have signs of developing into an interesting topic. — Mayor of Simpleton
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