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Completely agree. I believe that social media overstimulates a young person’s expectations of society in the same way that porn overstimulates our expectations

by Daub 2y ago

Completely agree. I believe that social media overstimulates a young person’s expectations of society in the same way that porn overstimulates our expectations of sex.

jeltz 2y ago
Dunno, I feel porn gave me quite positive and reasonable expectations of sex (relaxed, that it is fun, that women like sex too, etc). It made sex seem much less dramatic and more normal. But maybe I am an outlier plus it is not like I started watching porn until I was like 17-18.
- Daub 2y ago
  I am sufficiently old that I did not experience hard core internet porn until I could manage it. But evidence seems to show that for the vulnerable, porn consumption can lead to dopamine deletion and depression.
- 123yawaworht456 2y ago
  [flagged]
- p_j_w 2y ago
  > It made sex seem much less dramatic and more normal. I think you’ll find quite a lot of people, even here, view this as a bad thing.
- rsynnott 2y ago
  Probably also depends on the porn you were exposed to. I think the people who see porn as inherently problematic are usually mostly thinking of the nastier stuff.
laser_eagle 2y ago
Where is the line and what defines the boundaries for what is termed social media? For example, is discord still permitted? Ai bots and bad influences exist there as well, but I don't think a ban is the right solution.
- JumpCrisscross 2y ago
  > Where is the line and what defines the boundaries for what is termed social media? Algorithmic sorting + public or semi-public content. Chat rooms have different problems.
  - Aurornis 2y ago
    > Algorithmic sorting + public or semi-public content. That includes HN, among other things. Putting age limits on sites requires age verification for everyone. And no, there isn’t a clever crypto mechanism that makes anonymous age verification work without also making it easy for people to borrow age verification credentials from someone older.
    - Const-me 2y ago
      > That includes HN I think when people say “algorithmic sorting” they usually mean an algorithm which generates different, “personalized” sort order for different users.
    - Gigachad 2y ago
      Australia basically just came up with a list of social media sites it applies to. It's perhaps not entirely fair or objectively true. But it lets them age restrict Facebook/Tiktok/etc without restricting IMs or small sites like HN.
- Daub 2y ago
  From my experience as a teacher, I believe that ticktock and instagram are the worst offenders, particularly for young women. The hyper-visuality and ease of consumption of these media sets them apart from platforms which can accommodate actual discussion (such as discord). The very fact that ‘influencer’ is now a profession supports my position. That being said, I am not of the ‘for gods sake won’t someone think of the children’ brigade. Their goal seems to be to use the vulnerability of young people to control the internet.
  - 2y ago

by Daub 2y ago

Completely agree. I believe that social media overstimulates a young person’s expectations of society in the same way that porn overstimulates our expectations of sex.

jeltz 2y ago

Dunno, I feel porn gave me quite positive and reasonable expectations of sex (relaxed, that it is fun, that women like sex too, etc). It made sex seem much less dramatic and more normal. But maybe I am an outlier plus it is not like I started watching porn until I was like 17-18.

Daub 2y ago
I am sufficiently old that I did not experience hard core internet porn until I could manage it. But evidence seems to show that for the vulnerable, porn consumption can lead to dopamine deletion and depression.
123yawaworht456 2y ago
[flagged]
p_j_w 2y ago
> It made sex seem much less dramatic and more normal. I think you’ll find quite a lot of people, even here, view this as a bad thing.
rsynnott 2y ago
Probably also depends on the porn you were exposed to. I think the people who see porn as inherently problematic are usually mostly thinking of the nastier stuff.

laser_eagle 2y ago

Where is the line and what defines the boundaries for what is termed social media? For example, is discord still permitted? Ai bots and bad influences exist there as well, but I don't think a ban is the right solution.

JumpCrisscross 2y ago
> Where is the line and what defines the boundaries for what is termed social media? Algorithmic sorting + public or semi-public content. Chat rooms have different problems.
- Aurornis 2y ago
  > Algorithmic sorting + public or semi-public content. That includes HN, among other things. Putting age limits on sites requires age verification for everyone. And no, there isn’t a clever crypto mechanism that makes anonymous age verification work without also making it easy for people to borrow age verification credentials from someone older.
  - Const-me 2y ago
    > That includes HN I think when people say “algorithmic sorting” they usually mean an algorithm which generates different, “personalized” sort order for different users.
  - Gigachad 2y ago
    Australia basically just came up with a list of social media sites it applies to. It's perhaps not entirely fair or objectively true. But it lets them age restrict Facebook/Tiktok/etc without restricting IMs or small sites like HN.
Daub 2y ago
From my experience as a teacher, I believe that ticktock and instagram are the worst offenders, particularly for young women. The hyper-visuality and ease of consumption of these media sets them apart from platforms which can accommodate actual discussion (such as discord). The very fact that ‘influencer’ is now a profession supports my position. That being said, I am not of the ‘for gods sake won’t someone think of the children’ brigade. Their goal seems to be to use the vulnerability of young people to control the internet.
- 2y ago