4 ms·

The unsaid implication of this comic is that getting rid of the internet would make society better. It would NOT. The ability to have rapid peer to peer commu

by lotu 4y ago

The unsaid implication of this comic is that getting rid of the internet would make society better. It would NOT. The ability to have rapid peer to peer communication with anyone on the planet is a good thing. BLM, LGBT rights, disability rights are causes that have thrived thanks to the Internet. The Internet did not cause fascism and any suggestion that it does ignored all of the 20th century.

williamcotton 4y ago
It’s more of a critique of techno-utopianism than the internet itself.
JamisonM 4y ago
I didn't take that as the unsaid implication of the comic at all.
unconed 4y ago
- Syonyk 4y ago
  > and it was mainly smartphones that enabled that, because they let you take the internet outdoors. I'm not sure it was "taking the internet outdoors" that made the difference - we could do that before, I certainly did with laptops. The key difference with smartphones, IMO, was the conversion of the internet from a "pull" technology (I had to choose to go to a website) to a "push" technology (that website/service can disrupt me wherever I am). That's driven a lot of the nasty impacts (remember how Facebook used to send nonsensical pings to your phone to drag you in? "Your friend so-and-so you've not talked to in 20 years has a birthday! Wish them well!" I assume it still does it, but I've long since stopped using it and it hasn't been an app on my phone in far more years than that). But we also had all the work on addiction from the "free to play" game model enabled by in-app purchases, which supercharged the research into how to just drive people up the wall and keep them staring at your service ("engaged"). If smartphones only worked inside, I think the problems would be almost as bad. I agree with you about smartphones, I just think there's a bit more nuance into why they ruined everything.
  - unconed 4y ago
    Think about why people wanted push in the first place: because the internet was now always-on instead of something you checked or surfed periodically. It has everything to do with carrying it in your pocket. Personally I don't let apps interrupt me and I keep my phone fully muted by default.
- chris_wot 4y ago
  That “drug addict” was murdered. LGB rights aren’t being curtailed by transgenderism, but I’d argue that if a large part of your identity is wrapped up around ideas of gender, then you might not want the “T” part of LGBT to gain any traction.
  - unconed 4y ago
    He was also hysterically complaining way before anyone leaned on him. The problem with transgenderism today is that it actually is extremely regressive to say that just because you don't conform to the male or female stereotype, you therefor are transgender and should transition. It is the exact opposite of what gay acceptance strived for.
    - chris_wot 4y ago
      Hysterically complaining is an excellent reason to lean on someone causing them to get killed. /s

by lotu 4y ago

williamcotton 4y ago

It’s more of a critique of techno-utopianism than the internet itself.

JamisonM 4y ago

I didn't take that as the unsaid implication of the comic at all.

unconed 4y ago

Syonyk 4y ago
> and it was mainly smartphones that enabled that, because they let you take the internet outdoors. I'm not sure it was "taking the internet outdoors" that made the difference - we could do that before, I certainly did with laptops. The key difference with smartphones, IMO, was the conversion of the internet from a "pull" technology (I had to choose to go to a website) to a "push" technology (that website/service can disrupt me wherever I am). That's driven a lot of the nasty impacts (remember how Facebook used to send nonsensical pings to your phone to drag you in? "Your friend so-and-so you've not talked to in 20 years has a birthday! Wish them well!" I assume it still does it, but I've long since stopped using it and it hasn't been an app on my phone in far more years than that). But we also had all the work on addiction from the "free to play" game model enabled by in-app purchases, which supercharged the research into how to just drive people up the wall and keep them staring at your service ("engaged"). If smartphones only worked inside, I think the problems would be almost as bad. I agree with you about smartphones, I just think there's a bit more nuance into why they ruined everything.
- unconed 4y ago
  Think about why people wanted push in the first place: because the internet was now always-on instead of something you checked or surfed periodically. It has everything to do with carrying it in your pocket. Personally I don't let apps interrupt me and I keep my phone fully muted by default.
chris_wot 4y ago
That “drug addict” was murdered. LGB rights aren’t being curtailed by transgenderism, but I’d argue that if a large part of your identity is wrapped up around ideas of gender, then you might not want the “T” part of LGBT to gain any traction.
- unconed 4y ago
  He was also hysterically complaining way before anyone leaned on him. The problem with transgenderism today is that it actually is extremely regressive to say that just because you don't conform to the male or female stereotype, you therefor are transgender and should transition. It is the exact opposite of what gay acceptance strived for.
  - chris_wot 4y ago
    Hysterically complaining is an excellent reason to lean on someone causing them to get killed. /s