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That was painful to read. Mental illness combined with a talent for computers do not make good bedfellows. In-fact mental illness combined with anything invaria

That was painful to read. Mental illness combined with a talent for computers do not make good bedfellows. In-fact mental illness combined with anything invariably leads to a bad ending. I just learned of a word: parasocial[0]. It happens when socially withdrawn people seek friendship online and build credibility over time with their peers or 'hacker buddies'. This is not so good because it lacks the nuance and real-time feedback of proper social interaction (i.e face-to-face talking). Then you could ask: what about video chats? Well they still pale in comparison with being actually with a person IMHO. Now we have this new word: 'metaverse' endorsed by Zuckerberg and others. It makes me wonder where we're heading with all this? [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parasocial_interaction https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parasocial_interaction Edit: I'm aware how this may sound ironic since I'm conversing with people here on HN, but it's not to extremes as discussed in the article.

tsukikage 5y ago
Interesting; the wikipedia article describes "parasocial interaction" as a relationship that is inherently one-way, as with an entertainer or celebrity, which the other party perceives as building rapport. You seem to want to extend the word to mean any relationship that does not involve physically meeting the other person, but I don't see any basis for this in the article you linked. Do you have any references for this usage, or is it something you've coined yourself?
falcolas 5y ago
Mental illness by itself - without treatment - leads to a bad ending. There's no need to conflate mental illness with all of these other things (computer skill, online interactions, the metaverse); they are healthy hobbies and behaviors.
- tartoran 5y ago
  There’s no need in general but that’s exactly the case here. And it’s not far from common, it’s an avenue that needs further discussion imo
bitwize 5y ago
It's becoming increasingly hard to find someone with a talent for computers who doesn't have some sort of mental illness. Computing seems to attract intelligent but mentally screwed up people, and we even live under rules that say you're not supposed to acknowledge their screwed-up-ness. Like, you can't say someone has dissociative identity disorder. They are a Multiple System, and you have to acknowledge the personalities in the system, or face disciplinary action from HR. The Metaverse was coined by Neal Stephenson for Snow Crash. The version in the novel was pretty rad. Like everything cyberpunk, its real-world counterpart seems to have all the sucky features of the fictional version with few to none of the cool bits.
- syshum 5y ago
  There is a big different because DSM5 official mental illness, and what seems to me what you are talking about when referring to "mental illness" where by a person is not conforming to a life style you believe is "normal" or "proper" I do agree that as a society in the US anyway we are losing the idea of pluralism, more and more people are being forced to conform to a given sociopolitical ideology largely split on "left" and "right", if you do not conform with the orthodoxy of one or the other you are cast as any number of things other than a free thinking nuanced individual.
  - bitwize 5y ago
    I'm not sure what American political orientation has to do with this. DID is a DSM V recognized disorder. Anyone who thinks this is because of a tyrannical society that oppresses them by refusing to recognize that they are sometimes themselves and sometimes an anime character who has taken over their body, probably needs help -- and chances are there's a lot of shit in their lives they don't have together. I'm not the one confusing a mental disorder with a lifestyle choice. And HR departments are starting to adopt rules to force companies to treat employees' significant mental issues as lifestyle choices, to the detriment of the employees and the companies.
smolder 5y ago
IIRC, Parasocial interaction is not so much about being real time or not, but being one sided or not. Parasocial relationships are those you have with TV, youtube, or twitch stars, and might leave you with feelings like they're you're friend, even though that's illusory. Similar to if you feel closeness to a nice server at a restaurant or a bartender, when they're simply doing their job.
Zababa 5y ago
That's not what a parasocial interaction is. A parasocial interaction is something that only goes one way. For example, young girls that are fan of a band or a specific artist, and talk about them as if they knew them.

tsukikage 5y ago

Interesting; the wikipedia article describes "parasocial interaction" as a relationship that is inherently one-way, as with an entertainer or celebrity, which the other party perceives as building rapport. You seem to want to extend the word to mean any relationship that does not involve physically meeting the other person, but I don't see any basis for this in the article you linked. Do you have any references for this usage, or is it something you've coined yourself?

falcolas 5y ago

Mental illness by itself - without treatment - leads to a bad ending. There's no need to conflate mental illness with all of these other things (computer skill, online interactions, the metaverse); they are healthy hobbies and behaviors.

tartoran 5y ago
There’s no need in general but that’s exactly the case here. And it’s not far from common, it’s an avenue that needs further discussion imo

bitwize 5y ago

It's becoming increasingly hard to find someone with a talent for computers who doesn't have some sort of mental illness. Computing seems to attract intelligent but mentally screwed up people, and we even live under rules that say you're not supposed to acknowledge their screwed-up-ness. Like, you can't say someone has dissociative identity disorder. They are a Multiple System, and you have to acknowledge the personalities in the system, or face disciplinary action from HR. The Metaverse was coined by Neal Stephenson for Snow Crash. The version in the novel was pretty rad. Like everything cyberpunk, its real-world counterpart seems to have all the sucky features of the fictional version with few to none of the cool bits.

syshum 5y ago
There is a big different because DSM5 official mental illness, and what seems to me what you are talking about when referring to "mental illness" where by a person is not conforming to a life style you believe is "normal" or "proper" I do agree that as a society in the US anyway we are losing the idea of pluralism, more and more people are being forced to conform to a given sociopolitical ideology largely split on "left" and "right", if you do not conform with the orthodoxy of one or the other you are cast as any number of things other than a free thinking nuanced individual.
- bitwize 5y ago
  I'm not sure what American political orientation has to do with this. DID is a DSM V recognized disorder. Anyone who thinks this is because of a tyrannical society that oppresses them by refusing to recognize that they are sometimes themselves and sometimes an anime character who has taken over their body, probably needs help -- and chances are there's a lot of shit in their lives they don't have together. I'm not the one confusing a mental disorder with a lifestyle choice. And HR departments are starting to adopt rules to force companies to treat employees' significant mental issues as lifestyle choices, to the detriment of the employees and the companies.

smolder 5y ago

IIRC, Parasocial interaction is not so much about being real time or not, but being one sided or not. Parasocial relationships are those you have with TV, youtube, or twitch stars, and might leave you with feelings like they're you're friend, even though that's illusory. Similar to if you feel closeness to a nice server at a restaurant or a bartender, when they're simply doing their job.

Zababa 5y ago

That's not what a parasocial interaction is. A parasocial interaction is something that only goes one way. For example, young girls that are fan of a band or a specific artist, and talk about them as if they knew them.