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I worry about the ever increasing ways, humans have to escape reality, and isolate themselves. Drugs and alcohol. Video games, soon, full immersive. Streaming

I worry about the ever increasing ways, humans have to escape reality, and isolate themselves. Drugs and alcohol. Video games, soon, full immersive. Streaming videos. Porn. One demand deliver of everything. Sexbots, coming soon. More remote work. Literally someone could work, eat, and never leave their house if they wanted to. It seems like technology is already making people more isolated. I really worry about this.

Retr0spectrum 10y ago
It's well known that isolation causes negative psychological effects, which makes me wonder if we'll ever get to a point where technology really can act as a substitute for human interaction. The next 50-100 years when AI really takes off is going to be an interesting time.
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]
evaneykelen 10y ago
I've been thinking about this and I came to the realization that it perhaps is a missing parameter from the Drake equation i.e. every sufficiently advanced civilization will "VR" itself into lethargy and wither away due to innovation coming to a complete standstill before this civilization spreads across multiple solar systems.
shredprez 10y ago
If, as I sometimes hear floated around the web, we're approaching a future where massive sections of the population aren't necessary/useful for productive economic endeavors, these pacifying tools may well be a good thing. Or at least a small comfort to anybody on the wrong side of the social ladder.
- cheez 10y ago
  So... Ready Player One.
kybernetikos 10y ago
The purpose of technology is to make peoples lives easier and more controllable, and it turns out that dealing with other people is often hard and introduces uncontrollabilty. Technology is an alternative solution to many of the same problems that we used to have to use community to solve. Finding ways to build community when we aren't forced to group together for survival is one of the big challenges of modern life. On the other hand, technology also provides us with reasons to connect (shared digital activities), it breaks down the barriers of connection (time and space, and increasingly language), it reduces the cost of connection, allows us to share other peoples lives in a way that was previously impossible. Most of what most people do on the internet is build community, real community, so even while we're contemplating the dangers, let's not get too pessimistic.
- legulere 10y ago
  Technology more and more transforms from a solution to a problem as social interactions are essential to being a human. Connecting to people digitally can't replace real contact in person.
  - tomp 10y ago
    Technology doesn't take anything away from those that actually want to have contact with other people in real life.
    - angersock 10y ago
      Counter-argument: trying to hold a dinner conversation with people or have a meeting when people are glued to the latest bubble news on their phones.
      - tomp 10y ago
        Hm... Sounds like they're fine, only you see this as an issue - I don't see how imposig your values on them would be an acceptable solution. I guess a better solution eould be having dinner with people who value the same thing as you do (dinner conversation).
Broken_Hippo 10y ago
On the other hand: Technology also makes it so we are less isolated. The more realistic some of this stuff is, the less isolated we'll feel - hopefully. It has potential to lessen some of the encounters we dread and some of the work we dread - no one really wants to be treated like a fast food worker. Some of us would really rather not deal with random people when we are shopping. Folks in new cities have instant communication with loved ones, and some of us meet folks and fall in love. The more realistic this stuff is, the less lonely some of that stuff might feel. Sexbots can easily mean that a well-matched but sexually incompatable couple could have a stable relationship, for example, each with their own respective sexbots. Or a happy couple could get a pair to enhance their own relationship or to explore things their partner isn't as comfortable with. My spouse and I (who met on the internet and used to live on different continents) actually plan on getting 2 (at the same time to avoid akwardness) when they become affordable. It might be that along with learning normal stuff, we learn different sorts of things in school to help take care of our psychological selves so we don't fall in a trap, but I doubt any of that will be needed. It won't really feel like we are isolated in the sense of solitary confinement, and in a generation or two it'll all seem a pretty natural way of life.
natrius 10y ago
We have to recreate neighborhood congregations. Topical meetup groups that meet weekly with social activities to build a local community. Kid-friendly activities that happen during meetups so people can bring their whole families. Congregations that become so strong that people choose neighborhoods by the types of congregations that exist in the neighborhood. Like cohousing[1], but with a lower barrier to entry. [1] http://www.cohousing.org/what_is_cohousing http://www.cohousing.org/what_is_cohousing
CM30 10y ago
I'd say video game wise, a lot of them are very much less isolating than they used to be. Think about how many of the popular games out there are single player only in this day and age. Fairly few to be honest, most have online multiplayer modes, voice chat, etc. And that's even without getting into the socialising effects of conventions, tournaments/eSports, online communities and forums about them, etc. That's less isolating that a lot of things. Old school monks and hermits and lone philosophers and scientists were probably more isolated then than a lot of gamers and folk on the internet are now.
- nitwit005 10y ago
  Video games have huge variation in social quality. I got a cold this week and played some Left 4 Dead 2, since I hadn't played it in a long while. Immediately made some friends and chatted with them about their band. It was kind of shocking. But it's a pretty good setup for it. Voice chat with 4 people who are incentivized to cooperate; can kick people as needed. The social experience in most games is pretty bad.
mpoloton 10y ago
You missed social media. I know people who spend hours on facebook each day!
Pica_soO 10y ago
The universe is filled with planets. Those planets are filled with life. And beneath every rainforrest on every planet, there are sunken city's, with lots of single rooms, in every one a mummified skeleton in a cable sakrophage, on every wall scratched the last words - "Social stress avoidance aka Loneliness solves the Fermi-paradox"
grondilu 10y ago
People escape reality when reality sucks. I'm not sure without technology their lives would be much better. Less isolated? Maybe, but also possibly not for the best. Isn't no company is better than bad company? I mean nowadays someone can spend the whole day on internet without talking to anyone. Is it sad? Well, consider that during this day he can have worked on a state-of-the-art free and open source software, discussed about it on IRC with developers all around the world, played chess online with a Grandmaster, followed free physics lessons on Coursera, asked a question to a famous personality on a reddit AMA, and so on. What would have he done without technology? I don't know, but if he's the typical lower class worker, his day would typically have ended up drinking a few beers in a pub.

Retr0spectrum 10y ago

It's well known that isolation causes negative psychological effects, which makes me wonder if we'll ever get to a point where technology really can act as a substitute for human interaction. The next 50-100 years when AI really takes off is going to be an interesting time.

deleted 10y ago
[deleted]

evaneykelen 10y ago

I've been thinking about this and I came to the realization that it perhaps is a missing parameter from the Drake equation i.e. every sufficiently advanced civilization will "VR" itself into lethargy and wither away due to innovation coming to a complete standstill before this civilization spreads across multiple solar systems.

shredprez 10y ago

If, as I sometimes hear floated around the web, we're approaching a future where massive sections of the population aren't necessary/useful for productive economic endeavors, these pacifying tools may well be a good thing. Or at least a small comfort to anybody on the wrong side of the social ladder.

cheez 10y ago
So... Ready Player One.

kybernetikos 10y ago

The purpose of technology is to make peoples lives easier and more controllable, and it turns out that dealing with other people is often hard and introduces uncontrollabilty. Technology is an alternative solution to many of the same problems that we used to have to use community to solve. Finding ways to build community when we aren't forced to group together for survival is one of the big challenges of modern life. On the other hand, technology also provides us with reasons to connect (shared digital activities), it breaks down the barriers of connection (time and space, and increasingly language), it reduces the cost of connection, allows us to share other peoples lives in a way that was previously impossible. Most of what most people do on the internet is build community, real community, so even while we're contemplating the dangers, let's not get too pessimistic.

legulere 10y ago
Technology more and more transforms from a solution to a problem as social interactions are essential to being a human. Connecting to people digitally can't replace real contact in person.
- tomp 10y ago
  Technology doesn't take anything away from those that actually want to have contact with other people in real life.
  - angersock 10y ago
    Counter-argument: trying to hold a dinner conversation with people or have a meeting when people are glued to the latest bubble news on their phones.
    - tomp 10y ago
      Hm... Sounds like they're fine, only you see this as an issue - I don't see how imposig your values on them would be an acceptable solution. I guess a better solution eould be having dinner with people who value the same thing as you do (dinner conversation).

Broken_Hippo 10y ago

On the other hand: Technology also makes it so we are less isolated. The more realistic some of this stuff is, the less isolated we'll feel - hopefully. It has potential to lessen some of the encounters we dread and some of the work we dread - no one really wants to be treated like a fast food worker. Some of us would really rather not deal with random people when we are shopping. Folks in new cities have instant communication with loved ones, and some of us meet folks and fall in love. The more realistic this stuff is, the less lonely some of that stuff might feel. Sexbots can easily mean that a well-matched but sexually incompatable couple could have a stable relationship, for example, each with their own respective sexbots. Or a happy couple could get a pair to enhance their own relationship or to explore things their partner isn't as comfortable with. My spouse and I (who met on the internet and used to live on different continents) actually plan on getting 2 (at the same time to avoid akwardness) when they become affordable. It might be that along with learning normal stuff, we learn different sorts of things in school to help take care of our psychological selves so we don't fall in a trap, but I doubt any of that will be needed. It won't really feel like we are isolated in the sense of solitary confinement, and in a generation or two it'll all seem a pretty natural way of life.

natrius 10y ago

We have to recreate neighborhood congregations. Topical meetup groups that meet weekly with social activities to build a local community. Kid-friendly activities that happen during meetups so people can bring their whole families. Congregations that become so strong that people choose neighborhoods by the types of congregations that exist in the neighborhood. Like cohousing[1], but with a lower barrier to entry. [1] http://www.cohousing.org/what_is_cohousing http://www.cohousing.org/what_is_cohousing

CM30 10y ago

I'd say video game wise, a lot of them are very much less isolating than they used to be. Think about how many of the popular games out there are single player only in this day and age. Fairly few to be honest, most have online multiplayer modes, voice chat, etc. And that's even without getting into the socialising effects of conventions, tournaments/eSports, online communities and forums about them, etc. That's less isolating that a lot of things. Old school monks and hermits and lone philosophers and scientists were probably more isolated then than a lot of gamers and folk on the internet are now.

nitwit005 10y ago
Video games have huge variation in social quality. I got a cold this week and played some Left 4 Dead 2, since I hadn't played it in a long while. Immediately made some friends and chatted with them about their band. It was kind of shocking. But it's a pretty good setup for it. Voice chat with 4 people who are incentivized to cooperate; can kick people as needed. The social experience in most games is pretty bad.

mpoloton 10y ago

You missed social media. I know people who spend hours on facebook each day!

Pica_soO 10y ago

The universe is filled with planets. Those planets are filled with life. And beneath every rainforrest on every planet, there are sunken city's, with lots of single rooms, in every one a mummified skeleton in a cable sakrophage, on every wall scratched the last words - "Social stress avoidance aka Loneliness solves the Fermi-paradox"

grondilu 10y ago

People escape reality when reality sucks. I'm not sure without technology their lives would be much better. Less isolated? Maybe, but also possibly not for the best. Isn't no company is better than bad company? I mean nowadays someone can spend the whole day on internet without talking to anyone. Is it sad? Well, consider that during this day he can have worked on a state-of-the-art free and open source software, discussed about it on IRC with developers all around the world, played chess online with a Grandmaster, followed free physics lessons on Coursera, asked a question to a famous personality on a reddit AMA, and so on. What would have he done without technology? I don't know, but if he's the typical lower class worker, his day would typically have ended up drinking a few beers in a pub.