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Walk that thought through to the end. Because it's become a popular sentiment even on this platform which is interesting. If what you're saying is true, the int

Walk that thought through to the end. Because it's become a popular sentiment even on this platform which is interesting. If what you're saying is true, the internet itself is toxic to mental health, and the only sane thing to do is to keep away from it at all costs, as you suggest. However, we are on a hacker news, an overwhelmingly technical message board. Are we all just modern poison pushers then? Is the very nature of what we do somehow toxic to the flourishing of human life? I don't think so. I want to see a more critical analysis of what in particular is driving mental health outcomes down. Don't mistake this for me saying there is nothing to do. I was in support of the ban on social media in schools for example. But as modern people who use technology regularly to live our lives, surely atleast we understand it is more nuanced than just "use the computer less"

Dalewyn 2y ago
The beauty and horror of the internet is that we can access all the information; the internet provides us information from everywhere. Meanwhile, there is scientific theory to suggest that our mental capacity to handle information is ultimately finite; for example, Dunbar's Number[1] and the Paradox of Choice[2]. This means unfettered use of the internet can lead to information overload. In addition, because information from the internet most likely concerns things far away[3], you quite literally have no fucks left to give to concerns local and actually relevant to you (see: Dunbar's Number[1]). The answer is, of course, the same as everything else we consume: In moderation. Use the internet in moderation. Too much internet is bad for you just like too much water or oxygen is bad for you. Stop doomscrolling through sensation after sensation and running your brain literally dry of mental fuel; instead, get out into your reality and live. Touch grass, because that grass is more relevant to you than whatever the fuck the Sensation Industrial Complex is peddling onto you via the internet. Kneejerking as you suggest ("keep away at all costs") is, well, kneejerking and doesn't actually look at the problem. >what in particular is driving mental health outcomes down. When you subject yourself to an endless onslaught of sensational negative "news", the logical conclusion is you end up depressed and mentally ill. You are what you consume, this includes non-tangibles like information. This has actually been pointed out since long before even the internet[4], because "journalism" has always preferred sensational hit pieces that pull on viewers/readers' emotional purse strings since they garner more revenue. The internet enabling easier distribution of and access to information simply exacerbated this problem. Good news isn't good business. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunbar's_number https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunbar's_number [2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Paradox_of_Choice https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Paradox_of_Choice [3]: War in Ukraine! Uprising in Syria! Oppression in China! Congress in turmoil! The EV revolution in Scandinavia! Here's what King Charles had for dinner! [4]: https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/10001-if-you-don-t-read-the-newspaper-you-re-uninformed-if-you https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/10001-if-you-don-t-read-the...

Dalewyn 2y ago

The beauty and horror of the internet is that we can access all the information; the internet provides us information from everywhere. Meanwhile, there is scientific theory to suggest that our mental capacity to handle information is ultimately finite; for example, Dunbar's Number[1] and the Paradox of Choice[2]. This means unfettered use of the internet can lead to information overload. In addition, because information from the internet most likely concerns things far away[3], you quite literally have no fucks left to give to concerns local and actually relevant to you (see: Dunbar's Number[1]). The answer is, of course, the same as everything else we consume: In moderation. Use the internet in moderation. Too much internet is bad for you just like too much water or oxygen is bad for you. Stop doomscrolling through sensation after sensation and running your brain literally dry of mental fuel; instead, get out into your reality and live. Touch grass, because that grass is more relevant to you than whatever the fuck the Sensation Industrial Complex is peddling onto you via the internet. Kneejerking as you suggest ("keep away at all costs") is, well, kneejerking and doesn't actually look at the problem. >what in particular is driving mental health outcomes down. When you subject yourself to an endless onslaught of sensational negative "news", the logical conclusion is you end up depressed and mentally ill. You are what you consume, this includes non-tangibles like information. This has actually been pointed out since long before even the internet[4], because "journalism" has always preferred sensational hit pieces that pull on viewers/readers' emotional purse strings since they garner more revenue. The internet enabling easier distribution of and access to information simply exacerbated this problem. Good news isn't good business. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunbar's_number https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunbar's_number [2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Paradox_of_Choice https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Paradox_of_Choice [3]: War in Ukraine! Uprising in Syria! Oppression in China! Congress in turmoil! The EV revolution in Scandinavia! Here's what King Charles had for dinner! [4]: https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/10001-if-you-don-t-read-the-newspaper-you-re-uninformed-if-you https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/10001-if-you-don-t-read-the...