4 ms·

It would look a lot like IRC or usenet or mailing lists today, but on a vastly larger scale. I suspect culturally it would look a lot like amateur radio / ham

by VLM 11y ago

It would look a lot like IRC or usenet or mailing lists today, but on a vastly larger scale. I suspect culturally it would look a lot like amateur radio / ham radio, the majority constantly making leading questions about "does that still exist today for grandpas?" despite actual continuous long term demographic growth. So the right people would find a way to hang out together while being marginalized by the masses.

Jtsummers 11y ago
Eh, you're already marginalized by the masses (in the US at least) if you don't fit into typical consumer culture. I barely watch TV. I watch sports (on TV) only occasionally, and then only a couple teams. I don't play video games. I do listen to music and go to movies, but generally avoid a lot of the really popular ones because they just don't appeal to me. I don't buy trinkets, nearly everything I own is useful, though I've started collecting some art recently (I like the look, and my home and office feel more comfortable with it around, so that's useful if subjective). I buy enough new clothes that my clothes are in good repair, but I'm hardly fashionable. I can barely relate to many of my peers (professional and otherwise). I've stopped viewing this as a bad thing, though. I have more time and money than many of them to spend on the things I want to do. And when I complain about not having enough time to do what I want, I can actually list off all the things I'm doing that are filling up my schedule (and they're all productive, at least for personal development if not professional and social goals). The subset of the internet that I use, and probably many here, is similar. Many of us probably skip Facebook (beyond perhaps casual browsing or maintaining our social network for communication), Buzzfeed and other time sink sites. Though HN can be pretty bad sometimes, hits just the right level of time sink + technical/professional interest. Again, I don't consider this a bad thing. I have a lot better discussions with people on sites like this or because of the content from sites like this than I do for 99.9999% of what's on Reddit or FB or anything else.
- placeybordeaux 11y ago
  If you feel like you are being marginalized for what you are describing maybe you just live in a shitty place.
  - Jtsummers 11y ago
    I said I don't consider it a bad thing. It's a good first-pass filter. If people can't talk about things beyond what was on TV last night (consistently), then there's probably little of importance that I can discuss with them. And when they can, we usually end up becoming really good friends.
- pavel_lishin 11y ago
  You've described some of your preferences, but you didn't describe at all how you're being marginalized; it sounds more like you're attempting to marginalize everyone else and their interests.
  - Jtsummers 11y ago
    It's hard to effectively communicate with a lot of people when their lives are driven around consumer (media and other) culture. There's just a fundamental disconnect. And (at least around here) that's a large percentage, if not the majority, of folks.
    - NeutronBoy 11y ago
      From their perspective, it's more like "It's hard to communicate when someone is anti-consumer, and thinks the fact I watch TV is a reflection on my values"

by VLM 11y ago

Jtsummers 11y ago

Eh, you're already marginalized by the masses (in the US at least) if you don't fit into typical consumer culture. I barely watch TV. I watch sports (on TV) only occasionally, and then only a couple teams. I don't play video games. I do listen to music and go to movies, but generally avoid a lot of the really popular ones because they just don't appeal to me. I don't buy trinkets, nearly everything I own is useful, though I've started collecting some art recently (I like the look, and my home and office feel more comfortable with it around, so that's useful if subjective). I buy enough new clothes that my clothes are in good repair, but I'm hardly fashionable. I can barely relate to many of my peers (professional and otherwise). I've stopped viewing this as a bad thing, though. I have more time and money than many of them to spend on the things I want to do. And when I complain about not having enough time to do what I want, I can actually list off all the things I'm doing that are filling up my schedule (and they're all productive, at least for personal development if not professional and social goals). The subset of the internet that I use, and probably many here, is similar. Many of us probably skip Facebook (beyond perhaps casual browsing or maintaining our social network for communication), Buzzfeed and other time sink sites. Though HN can be pretty bad sometimes, hits just the right level of time sink + technical/professional interest. Again, I don't consider this a bad thing. I have a lot better discussions with people on sites like this or because of the content from sites like this than I do for 99.9999% of what's on Reddit or FB or anything else.

placeybordeaux 11y ago
If you feel like you are being marginalized for what you are describing maybe you just live in a shitty place.
- Jtsummers 11y ago
  I said I don't consider it a bad thing. It's a good first-pass filter. If people can't talk about things beyond what was on TV last night (consistently), then there's probably little of importance that I can discuss with them. And when they can, we usually end up becoming really good friends.
pavel_lishin 11y ago
You've described some of your preferences, but you didn't describe at all how you're being marginalized; it sounds more like you're attempting to marginalize everyone else and their interests.
- Jtsummers 11y ago
  It's hard to effectively communicate with a lot of people when their lives are driven around consumer (media and other) culture. There's just a fundamental disconnect. And (at least around here) that's a large percentage, if not the majority, of folks.
  - NeutronBoy 11y ago
    From their perspective, it's more like "It's hard to communicate when someone is anti-consumer, and thinks the fact I watch TV is a reflection on my values"