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do you realize that roads are optional? you don't have to leave your house to talk to friends. do you realize that using the mail service is optional? nobody f

do you realize that roads are optional? you don't have to leave your house to talk to friends. do you realize that using the mail service is optional? nobody forces you to write post cards. do you realize that electricity is optional? you can get a shack in the forest and burn wood. do you realize that water pipes are optional? you can dig for your own ground water. the world is not made of solipsistic individuals. infrastructure encases, shapes, and forms the possibilities and constraints in which all of us live.

commandlinefan 4y ago
> "let's ditch social networks!" > "You realize they're optional, right?" > "Technically so are roads and mail and electricity and water!" so... are you saying we should ditch roads and mail and electricity and water? Your response is one of the sillier non sequiturs I've seen in a while, and I browse Reddit.
- realce 4y ago
  Obviously the utilization of social networks is fundamental to social engagement in modern life. It's not silly whatsoever, it's a natural response when someone quips that a that a thing that's essentially needed but not absolutely required isn't worth complaining about.
  - msm_ 4y ago
    How is it obvious? I (and most of my friends) don't use social networks at all. They're not "absolutely required" for absolutely anything (unless your country is significantly different from mine). You'll only "miss out" on things that are only happening on social networks, but that's the point, right?
    - realce 4y ago
      I literally said they were not "absolutely required" and I don't know why you'd go out of your way to misquote my 2 sentence statement. My mom didn't have a telephone, she had other friends without telephones, but having a telephone when she was a kid was fundamental to building robust social relationships. The reduction of social bandwidth generally results in fewer opportunities for social advancement, and most people would like to experience social advancement of some type.
  - JohnFen 4y ago
    > Obviously the utilization of social networks is fundamental to social engagement in modern life. That is not obvious at all. I think it's not even true.
    - realce 4y ago
      It's so non-obvious that 60% of the entire population of the Earth uses it.
      - JohnFen 4y ago
        That doesn't support the thesis that it's "fundamental to social engagement". I understand that it actually may be in some places, but I haven't seen a reason to think that's the most common case.
msm_ 4y ago
Roads, mail service, electricity and water pipes are valuable for me and improve my life. I want to use them, and I do. Social networks are not valuable for me, and they would not improve my life. I don't want to use them, and I don't. It's that simple, really.
- mym1990 4y ago
  Those things also don't quip at you ever 5 minutes saying 'use me!' and 'check me!'

commandlinefan 4y ago

> "let's ditch social networks!" > "You realize they're optional, right?" > "Technically so are roads and mail and electricity and water!" so... are you saying we should ditch roads and mail and electricity and water? Your response is one of the sillier non sequiturs I've seen in a while, and I browse Reddit.

realce 4y ago
Obviously the utilization of social networks is fundamental to social engagement in modern life. It's not silly whatsoever, it's a natural response when someone quips that a that a thing that's essentially needed but not absolutely required isn't worth complaining about.
- msm_ 4y ago
  How is it obvious? I (and most of my friends) don't use social networks at all. They're not "absolutely required" for absolutely anything (unless your country is significantly different from mine). You'll only "miss out" on things that are only happening on social networks, but that's the point, right?
  - realce 4y ago
    I literally said they were not "absolutely required" and I don't know why you'd go out of your way to misquote my 2 sentence statement. My mom didn't have a telephone, she had other friends without telephones, but having a telephone when she was a kid was fundamental to building robust social relationships. The reduction of social bandwidth generally results in fewer opportunities for social advancement, and most people would like to experience social advancement of some type.
- JohnFen 4y ago
  > Obviously the utilization of social networks is fundamental to social engagement in modern life. That is not obvious at all. I think it's not even true.
  - realce 4y ago
    It's so non-obvious that 60% of the entire population of the Earth uses it.
    - JohnFen 4y ago
      That doesn't support the thesis that it's "fundamental to social engagement". I understand that it actually may be in some places, but I haven't seen a reason to think that's the most common case.

msm_ 4y ago

Roads, mail service, electricity and water pipes are valuable for me and improve my life. I want to use them, and I do. Social networks are not valuable for me, and they would not improve my life. I don't want to use them, and I don't. It's that simple, really.

mym1990 4y ago
Those things also don't quip at you ever 5 minutes saying 'use me!' and 'check me!'