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I’ve deactivated Facebook for about 15 years. Hopefully my belief in fake news is correspondingly low. It’s tough though; for all the bullshit that comes at yo

by tailspin2019 2y ago

I’ve deactivated Facebook for about 15 years. Hopefully my belief in fake news is correspondingly low. It’s tough though; for all the bullshit that comes at you through these social networks, there is a lot of genuine personal connection too. Having shunned most social networking for double digit years I do feel “cleaner” for not having to wade through all the crap, probably comparatively less anxious about the world in general, but also undoubtedly more isolated too. No easy answer…

adamwong246 2y ago
We need to go back to "the old ways", that is, people just need to pay to use the internet. Compute and storage has never been cheaper. Instead of a service subsidized with ads, we each host our own software and just pay AWS (or whoever) for the bits we flip.
- joemazerino 2y ago
  My internet bill comes every month. What deal are you getting?
  - adamwong246 2y ago
    In this context, I am referring to the bill you'd get from AWS, not your internet utility provider.
    - robertlagrant 2y ago
      YouTube achieves this, but the wider web never has very successfully.
      - adamwong246 2y ago
        I consider the "host your own software" approach akin to being a linux user, so I am already accustomed to being in a minority. People love frictionless UX which the FOSS lifestyle really can never provide. So perhaps we can settle for a solution that meets the needs of enthusiasts, even if the masses choose "junk".
        robertlagrant 2y ago
        I tend to agree, but maybe I'm talking about something slightly different. I was meaning that when I watch a YouTube video, if the creator has monetised it then they get a tiny amount of money, which enables them to do more videos. The Web in general doesn't have anything like that.
        waterheater 2y ago
        True. You should look into Project Xanadu, which was created with seventeen original rules, one of which is the following: >Every document can contain a royalty mechanism at any desired degree of granularity to ensure payment on any portion accessed, including virtual copies ("transclusions") of all or part of the document.
hi41 2y ago
Regarding, loneliness, did you consider going to the library. Sometimes there are book reading clubs and you may meet like-minded people. Meetup app also helps connecting with people with similar outdoor activities such as hiking.
- jjulius 2y ago
  >Meetup app also helps connecting with people with similar outdoor activities such as hiking. Hah! It's funny that you mention that. Like OP, I've also kicked social media and heavy internet use to the curb. I also happen to love multi-day backpacking trips, but one of the things I love the most about them is the complete solitude I can have for days on end! Something about being completely disconnected like that is soul-soothing for me.
  - hi41 2y ago
    >>love multi-day backpacking trips Nice! I also dream of going on such trips. Do you have any good websites that I can use. I am starting out and prefer trails that are flat.
    - jjulius 2y ago
      AllTrails is a great site for someone starting out! Its map is handy for finding trails and trailheads near you, and you can filter for the type of hikes you're looking for. I tend to prefer higher destinations in alpine-y areas above treeline, and this is my usual method for finding hikes: - Load up CalTopo (a phenomenal mapping website) - Head to a wilderness area I know I want to visit - Find trails that look like fun destinations, see if I can connect those trails to other trails (I prefer hiking in loops, rather than out-and-backs) - Head to hiking forums to scour trip reports for information about the trails/route I'm looking at to make sure my idea works I live in the PNW, so I'm frequently on the NWHikers and OregonHikers forums, both equally amazing resources for on and off-trail research. Definitely see if you can find a forum-based community for your region, they've been a consistently positive experience for me compared to, say, a FB hiking group for the region.
jjulius 2y ago
>... but also undoubtedly more isolated too. This is a very interesting point, especially when you look at human connectivity over the past 100 years relative to the connectivity seen over the whole of our existence. If anything, your experience is somewhat of a "return to the norm" in some kind of sense. I often wonder if we've swung the pendulum too far with regards to hyper-connectivity. Interesting food for thought.

adamwong246 2y ago

We need to go back to "the old ways", that is, people just need to pay to use the internet. Compute and storage has never been cheaper. Instead of a service subsidized with ads, we each host our own software and just pay AWS (or whoever) for the bits we flip.

joemazerino 2y ago
My internet bill comes every month. What deal are you getting?
- adamwong246 2y ago
  In this context, I am referring to the bill you'd get from AWS, not your internet utility provider.
  - robertlagrant 2y ago
    YouTube achieves this, but the wider web never has very successfully.
    - adamwong246 2y ago
      I consider the "host your own software" approach akin to being a linux user, so I am already accustomed to being in a minority. People love frictionless UX which the FOSS lifestyle really can never provide. So perhaps we can settle for a solution that meets the needs of enthusiasts, even if the masses choose "junk".
      - robertlagrant 2y ago
        I tend to agree, but maybe I'm talking about something slightly different. I was meaning that when I watch a YouTube video, if the creator has monetised it then they get a tiny amount of money, which enables them to do more videos. The Web in general doesn't have anything like that.
        waterheater 2y ago
        True. You should look into Project Xanadu, which was created with seventeen original rules, one of which is the following: >Every document can contain a royalty mechanism at any desired degree of granularity to ensure payment on any portion accessed, including virtual copies ("transclusions") of all or part of the document.

hi41 2y ago

Regarding, loneliness, did you consider going to the library. Sometimes there are book reading clubs and you may meet like-minded people. Meetup app also helps connecting with people with similar outdoor activities such as hiking.

jjulius 2y ago
>Meetup app also helps connecting with people with similar outdoor activities such as hiking. Hah! It's funny that you mention that. Like OP, I've also kicked social media and heavy internet use to the curb. I also happen to love multi-day backpacking trips, but one of the things I love the most about them is the complete solitude I can have for days on end! Something about being completely disconnected like that is soul-soothing for me.
- hi41 2y ago
  >>love multi-day backpacking trips Nice! I also dream of going on such trips. Do you have any good websites that I can use. I am starting out and prefer trails that are flat.
  - jjulius 2y ago
    AllTrails is a great site for someone starting out! Its map is handy for finding trails and trailheads near you, and you can filter for the type of hikes you're looking for. I tend to prefer higher destinations in alpine-y areas above treeline, and this is my usual method for finding hikes: - Load up CalTopo (a phenomenal mapping website) - Head to a wilderness area I know I want to visit - Find trails that look like fun destinations, see if I can connect those trails to other trails (I prefer hiking in loops, rather than out-and-backs) - Head to hiking forums to scour trip reports for information about the trails/route I'm looking at to make sure my idea works I live in the PNW, so I'm frequently on the NWHikers and OregonHikers forums, both equally amazing resources for on and off-trail research. Definitely see if you can find a forum-based community for your region, they've been a consistently positive experience for me compared to, say, a FB hiking group for the region.

jjulius 2y ago

>... but also undoubtedly more isolated too. This is a very interesting point, especially when you look at human connectivity over the past 100 years relative to the connectivity seen over the whole of our existence. If anything, your experience is somewhat of a "return to the norm" in some kind of sense. I often wonder if we've swung the pendulum too far with regards to hyper-connectivity. Interesting food for thought.