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Refrigeration, department stores, radio. That's food, sundries, and information, the 3 main things that humans go out of their home to get, and before those 3
by CptFribble 7y ago
Refrigeration, department stores, radio.
That's food, sundries, and information, the 3 main things that humans go out of their home to get, and before those 3 inventions you had to get into your community to get them.
Refrigeration allowed the growth of larger, depersonalized grocery stores.
Department stores were the first iteration of buying sundries at a place run by people you don't know.
Radio was the first non-local information source available on demand.
For most of human history, people lived in communities and had to interact with each other to live their lives. In the last 100 years out of 10,000 we suddenly don't anymore, and we're still figuring it out. And that's before you consider the impact of the Internet.
This has been a long, slow burn, and I worry that humanity won't be able to grow up fast enough to figure it out before we do something really stupid.
- adamsea 7y agoI would argue its gross inequality more so than those technologies. In other countries with less economic inequality I believe studies show more happiness and social cohesion.
- shortandsweet 7y agoLower class has more connectivity due to need. Upper class not so much. I always thought it was more fun being poor due to this but rich was more comfortable.
- dbspin 7y agoNot surprising that suggesting social inequality might play a part gets you instantly downvoted. Despite being as plausible an explanation as other (more right wing) possibilities - 'diversity', 'women working' that proliferate in this thread. Its uncomfortable for highly paid tech workers to accept the reality that inequality damages social cohesion. Nevertheless, If inequality is a major cause of this kind of alienation, it's a particular kind of inequality. Specifically people living in competition, and confronted by the impact of competition in close proximity. Some desperately unequal societies in South East Asia don't seem to have the same level of social dysfunction, while Japan which is relatively flat has enormous amounts of alienation, mental health issues, relationship decline, and of course suicide.
- deleted 7y ago[deleted]
- threatofrain 7y agoAlso for people who were working to be part of a knowledge economy, casual commentary from even very well-educated folks can only take you so far; you need expert guidance or peerage to get to the next level. Strangely, even YouTube or Discord can be higher signal than a random friends group.
- partyboat1586 7y agoGet to the next level of what? Understanding of the alienated situation we find ourselves in? (genuine question)
- pchristensen 7y agoStrong factors, but they all started in the early 20th century, not in the 1970s. Huge contributors to the failure of the business model of private mass transit (streetcars).