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> Millions of Americans are miserable. The internet has “gotten worse” because Americans are not ok. Near-universal internet access means that there are immiser
by Andrex 5y ago
> Millions of Americans are miserable. The internet has “gotten worse” because Americans are not ok. Near-universal internet access means that there are immiserated, lonely people spending many hours a day online. The breakdown in the social fabric, climbing "prime-age" unemployment and high rates of addiction and mental illness manifest themselves in our mutually-constructed online spaces. There is a misery that wants to make itself known--to inflict itself on the world--that social media enables. We are reaping what we've sown; the interconnectedness enabled by the internet and the gains from open communication/cooperation cannot succeed while so many are left behind.
There's an awesome idea for a sci-fi/cyberpunk/horror story in here somewhere.
Reminds me of Serial Experiments Lain.
- zapataband1 5y agoReality reminds me of Serial Experiments Lain .... pretty sure we even have the 3d avatars in virtual reality
- Andrex 5y agoIt also reminds me of .hack too, specifically the antagonist Morganna Mode Gone.
- mixedCase 5y agoIf we're talking dystopic anime, we already have celebrity avatars like in Psycho Pass, and surveillance that rivals Sybil's at times. I wonder how long do we have until things like China's social score directly lead to preemptive arrests. At least Sybil strives to be fair as it's prime directive and the thought of it being self-serving is radical.
- eyelidlessness 5y ago> > There is a misery that wants to make itself known--to inflict itself on the world > There's an awesome idea for Absolutely gross.
- jjcon 5y agoWhy hello little hammer - not my problem if other people are miserable
- GeoAtreides 5y agoThe role of books is, among other things, to handle uncomfortable topics, uncomfortable discussions and uncomfortable people. It's not their role to be safe spaces.
- Andrex 5y agoI could have worded my comment more sensitively, I apologize. However, the impulse to create art that aims to better inform the populace of various sufferings is age-old. Victor Hugo wasn't Valjean, but Valjean was based on an incident he witnessed, and Les Misérables was born from that, to use one example.
- eyelidlessness 5y agoThank you for this reply. This is both a much better take and a welcome way of engaging. In that spirit, I apologize for not giving you more benefit of the doubt that it’s possible this is what you meant.