5 ms·

I wonder will the internet have matured (jumped the shark with excess commercialism, JS, ads etc) to the extent TV has that people start cord cutting the net.

I wonder will the internet have matured (jumped the shark with excess commercialism, JS, ads etc) to the extent TV has that people start cord cutting the net. Anecdotally the novelty is starting to wear thin with more than a few people I know who barely use anything beyond a chat service and a little shopping (probably at Amazon).

azernik 8y ago
People didn't start cutting the TV cord because of commercialism or ads or really anything about TV in particular; they cut because there was a substitute. Until there's another option as good for that chat and shopping, they'll keep their internet connection (even if only a cellular one).
- the_cat_kittles 8y ago
  there is a kind of natural selection on the internet that breed things that capture attention- sometimes i think of the internet as an intelligent agent thats just trying to exist in as many minds as prominently as possible. it will only get better at this, but i guess i wonder if it gets better easier by hijacking attention, or by being helpful. i feel like hijacking attention might be hitting a ceiling? at least i hope so.
- NeedMoreTea 8y ago
  I don't think that's completely true. There was a choice between streaming services with no ads and TV with ever longer ad breaks and cheaper programming. Dissatisfaction with TV made the choice easy. No ads was a big selling point for Netflix.
greedo 8y ago
I'm tempted to unplug when I retire in a bit more than a decade. After working in tech for 20+ years, the idea is appealing. I doubt it will be very easy to function in an ever-connected society however.
- nine_k 8y ago
  What is tempting for you in that idea, if you don't mind?
  - greedo 8y ago
    Not being on call, not being reachable 24/7 by family, friends, work. The expectations of persistent connectivity has grown tiresome.
- convivialdingo 8y ago
  I used to work with a very hands-on CEO who called me multiple times a day. I learned to take vacations in places without cell coverage. Honestly some of my favorite vacations over the past few years. I love my CEO, but when I take a week off I really want to be away from it all. It’s not a vacation if I’m being called to do a support call or some such.
cirgue 8y ago
It already has jumped the shark for me. I go online for HN, arxiv, stackoverflow/other online documentation, and google groups for my ulti league. I don’t use the internet for recreation anymore at all. It’s a cesspit. I have an rss reader that I check for headlines every couple of days, a Spotify account, and Hulu/Netflix/hbo go that I don’t use enough to justify the expense. If there were a way to find non-toxic, non-bullshit content (sort of an anti-reddit), I might consider using that if it were completely ad-free. I really miss the old days of the internet before there was any significant amount of money to be made. Forums, personal web pages, etc were fucking awesome. You could really feel the personal passion for what people were doing. People felt entitled to be themselves without fear of retribution, offending others, or failing at some standard set by society. Now it seems like everything is about chasing either money or likes. I fucking hate it.
- mr_toad 8y ago
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eternal_September https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eternal_September

azernik 8y ago

People didn't start cutting the TV cord because of commercialism or ads or really anything about TV in particular; they cut because there was a substitute. Until there's another option as good for that chat and shopping, they'll keep their internet connection (even if only a cellular one).

the_cat_kittles 8y ago
there is a kind of natural selection on the internet that breed things that capture attention- sometimes i think of the internet as an intelligent agent thats just trying to exist in as many minds as prominently as possible. it will only get better at this, but i guess i wonder if it gets better easier by hijacking attention, or by being helpful. i feel like hijacking attention might be hitting a ceiling? at least i hope so.
NeedMoreTea 8y ago
I don't think that's completely true. There was a choice between streaming services with no ads and TV with ever longer ad breaks and cheaper programming. Dissatisfaction with TV made the choice easy. No ads was a big selling point for Netflix.

greedo 8y ago

I'm tempted to unplug when I retire in a bit more than a decade. After working in tech for 20+ years, the idea is appealing. I doubt it will be very easy to function in an ever-connected society however.

nine_k 8y ago
What is tempting for you in that idea, if you don't mind?
- greedo 8y ago
  Not being on call, not being reachable 24/7 by family, friends, work. The expectations of persistent connectivity has grown tiresome.
convivialdingo 8y ago
I used to work with a very hands-on CEO who called me multiple times a day. I learned to take vacations in places without cell coverage. Honestly some of my favorite vacations over the past few years. I love my CEO, but when I take a week off I really want to be away from it all. It’s not a vacation if I’m being called to do a support call or some such.

cirgue 8y ago

It already has jumped the shark for me. I go online for HN, arxiv, stackoverflow/other online documentation, and google groups for my ulti league. I don’t use the internet for recreation anymore at all. It’s a cesspit. I have an rss reader that I check for headlines every couple of days, a Spotify account, and Hulu/Netflix/hbo go that I don’t use enough to justify the expense. If there were a way to find non-toxic, non-bullshit content (sort of an anti-reddit), I might consider using that if it were completely ad-free. I really miss the old days of the internet before there was any significant amount of money to be made. Forums, personal web pages, etc were fucking awesome. You could really feel the personal passion for what people were doing. People felt entitled to be themselves without fear of retribution, offending others, or failing at some standard set by society. Now it seems like everything is about chasing either money or likes. I fucking hate it.

mr_toad 8y ago
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eternal_September https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eternal_September