4 ms·

You aren't more isolated living in a suburban house than in an inner city apartment. Isolation mostly has to do with your desire/initiative/ability to engage in

You aren't more isolated living in a suburban house than in an inner city apartment. Isolation mostly has to do with your desire/initiative/ability to engage in social activities.

8bitsrule 6y ago
Depends. Inner city may offer quicker/easier access to favored activities. When I had a car, I found that a ten-mile drive in from the burbs (and back) can become a barrier. Mass transit, much moreso. Socializing, there can be a substantial difference between interaction and meaningful interaction. Both can require time away from favored/necessary activities; both can have multiple consequences (desirable or not). A perceived need for constant contact may be unhealthy. Tech is a crappy substitute for the real thing (as E. M. Forster famously noted), so has some destructive potential.
ip26 6y ago
I don't know about that. I've observed that co-workers who live in the exurbs are virtually never seen at social functions.
- goseeastarwar 6y ago
  There are many reasons for that: - They miss their kids - They prefer friends and activities much closer to where they live - Transit home gets far more complicated the later it gets, particularly when alcohol is involved
  - mnahkies 6y ago
    I think the complications getting transit home is a major cause of point two there. Co-workers that have to catch trains out to commuter towns always needed to be mindful of the time, and may have needed to drive the final part of their journey. Big contrast to being able to catch an underground/subway within a few minutes with no planning, and fall back to a relatively affordable Uber if you get carried away and miss the last one
- jokethrowaway 6y ago
  People often live in the suburbs because: - They have kids and need a bigger house - They got tired of all the crappy city social life Plus, most work related social functions are quite cringey. Just give me my pay-check. I'll skip the booze and small talk with coworkers I should be friend with so I have less excuses to quit.
  - ip26 6y ago
    In short: "Yeah, I'm isolated, but I chose to be"?
theonemind 6y ago
The higher barrier will isolate a person more. Whatever initiative a person has encounters higher barriers, with the net effect more isolation in aggregate. Advertising basically works this way. Nudges demonstrably work at a population level without anyone feeling coerced. In aggregate, for the population as a whole, it likely makes a statistical difference, even though no one in particular feels like it makes a deciding factor. Like, say, with organ donation. Make opt in default, an enrollment goes up. Unless some other factor associated with suburban living cancels the effect, it seems extremely unlikely that it does not make a difference, even if every individual feels like "the only thing that dictates it is my desire/initiative/ability".

You aren't more isolated living in a suburban house than in an inner city apartment. Isolation mostly has to do with your desire/initiative/ability to engage in social activities.

8bitsrule 6y ago

Depends. Inner city may offer quicker/easier access to favored activities. When I had a car, I found that a ten-mile drive in from the burbs (and back) can become a barrier. Mass transit, much moreso. Socializing, there can be a substantial difference between interaction and meaningful interaction. Both can require time away from favored/necessary activities; both can have multiple consequences (desirable or not). A perceived need for constant contact may be unhealthy. Tech is a crappy substitute for the real thing (as E. M. Forster famously noted), so has some destructive potential.

ip26 6y ago

I don't know about that. I've observed that co-workers who live in the exurbs are virtually never seen at social functions.

goseeastarwar 6y ago
There are many reasons for that: - They miss their kids - They prefer friends and activities much closer to where they live - Transit home gets far more complicated the later it gets, particularly when alcohol is involved
- mnahkies 6y ago
  I think the complications getting transit home is a major cause of point two there. Co-workers that have to catch trains out to commuter towns always needed to be mindful of the time, and may have needed to drive the final part of their journey. Big contrast to being able to catch an underground/subway within a few minutes with no planning, and fall back to a relatively affordable Uber if you get carried away and miss the last one
jokethrowaway 6y ago
People often live in the suburbs because: - They have kids and need a bigger house - They got tired of all the crappy city social life Plus, most work related social functions are quite cringey. Just give me my pay-check. I'll skip the booze and small talk with coworkers I should be friend with so I have less excuses to quit.
- ip26 6y ago
  In short: "Yeah, I'm isolated, but I chose to be"?

theonemind 6y ago

The higher barrier will isolate a person more. Whatever initiative a person has encounters higher barriers, with the net effect more isolation in aggregate. Advertising basically works this way. Nudges demonstrably work at a population level without anyone feeling coerced. In aggregate, for the population as a whole, it likely makes a statistical difference, even though no one in particular feels like it makes a deciding factor. Like, say, with organ donation. Make opt in default, an enrollment goes up. Unless some other factor associated with suburban living cancels the effect, it seems extremely unlikely that it does not make a difference, even if every individual feels like "the only thing that dictates it is my desire/initiative/ability".