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From all visible metrics, sex and social activity are plummeting precipitously across the developed world——lower rates of sex, lower sales of condoms, higher ma

by aabhay 7y ago

From all visible metrics, sex and social activity are plummeting precipitously across the developed world——lower rates of sex, lower sales of condoms, higher marriage age, lower birth rate, more suicide, higher rates of antisocial mental disorders, and on. It’s easy to see that not just YouTube but communication technology in general is partially, if not greatly responsible. But what’s even more concerning to me is the idea that all this feels in some ways inevitable. I think this has been so plain that even science fiction has grappled with it extensively from the musings in Neuromancer, Snow Crash, Transmetropolitan, etc. The biggest question to me is: as feeble biological beings who are prone to replacing healthy social interaction with the kind of social hallucinations provided by technology, what would lead us to a better life? Technology seeks to mediate all things, and is possibly more successful at this than even capitalism writ large. What can fallible humans possibly do to combat this malaise?

thrwaway69 7y ago
Embrace it. Focusing on what is inevitable isn't healthy. What we can do is develop tools that will evolve us to combat tech. Fight the tech with tech. Biotech may solve current problems forever. Gene therapy and modification is the future, probably. So you need not worry, give in your fate to the tech overlords. Or wait until you can live with AR that is good enough to replace your actual social interaction without you developing health problems. All we need to do is create good enough replacement for humans. That is the problem with current social platforms. They are too static. They fail and result in uncanny communication. They aren't able to convey body language, emotions and many other details that actual humans give off. plays black mirror episode I am waiting for my robot partner because everyone else in my life just sucks and I can't relate to any of them. Internet provides you power to embrace different culture and world than the one you live in, and sometimes it creates in inevitable environmental and cultural dissonance where you are nothing like anyone else you know. Well, that explains my internet addiction at least. Where else do you think am I going to find buddies to talk about free software, anime, startups and odd bizarre stuff? Post is meant to be satirical.

by aabhay 7y ago

thrwaway69 7y ago

Embrace it. Focusing on what is inevitable isn't healthy. What we can do is develop tools that will evolve us to combat tech. Fight the tech with tech. Biotech may solve current problems forever. Gene therapy and modification is the future, probably. So you need not worry, give in your fate to the tech overlords. Or wait until you can live with AR that is good enough to replace your actual social interaction without you developing health problems. All we need to do is create good enough replacement for humans. That is the problem with current social platforms. They are too static. They fail and result in uncanny communication. They aren't able to convey body language, emotions and many other details that actual humans give off. plays black mirror episode I am waiting for my robot partner because everyone else in my life just sucks and I can't relate to any of them. Internet provides you power to embrace different culture and world than the one you live in, and sometimes it creates in inevitable environmental and cultural dissonance where you are nothing like anyone else you know. Well, that explains my internet addiction at least. Where else do you think am I going to find buddies to talk about free software, anime, startups and odd bizarre stuff? Post is meant to be satirical.