Reply to Just normal midlife? Or does the world sometimes feel unrecognizable to anyone else?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]OP, I think the issue is technology has outpaced humanity.

Human communication is primarily non-verbal yet most of our contact with others is via technology now.  Body language, eye contact, vocal tone, social norms and simple politeness and courtesy has gone out the window.

This has changed how we interact with each other and not for the better especially with social media. It affects business, politics, families and just about every aspect of our lives.

Look the the Euro poster here as just one example. I highly doubt this individual would make such arrogant and insulting comments if they were standing in front of dozens  of Americans, looking them in the eye.

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I totally agree, and I think PPs are vastly underestimating the impact of the internet, not just social media, on day to day life and even the shaping of our identities.  It is not so noticeable because it is a thousand cuts (some good!) and not one big Hiroshima moment but the psychological and social ramifications are profound.  I mean just look at the impact on deteriorating mental health, child development, social trust, pornography/sexual norms, conspiratorial thinking & extremism, celebrity culture, political activism, the absence of "boredom"/mental space, the documented loss of focus/attention span and empathy.  Heck, even what it means to have a omnipresent, online video camera on you at all times.

I know many will say, just put the phone. But that's beside the point  You may have a healthy use of online media (and I for instance only use social media for work), but that's [b]immaterial in the macro sense if 80% of your community doesn't.[/b][/quote]

^This is a valid point. Even if one chooses to abstain from social media or constant cell phone monitoring, the vast majority of society has chosen to make it the foundation of their life.  If you don't, then you are bound to feel disconnected and find the world unrecognizable and you'll long for what once was.  [/quote]

Yeah, I kinda feel like the internet was an experiment that humanity has failed over the last 20 years, even as it has brought great benefits and utility to some [i]individuals[/i].  But we are constantly putting our short-term individual needs over long-term collective benefit -- and the Internet just allows these choices to aggregate to a dizzying scale.  So when we are bored on the metro we pull out our iphones, get the instant gratification of entertainment, but overall and long-term, we may be better off with some unoccupied time to think, daydream, or gasp, engage in human contact. Or Amazon is a great example.... Yes, it makes my life so much easier, but ultimately I think I buy more than I need and of course it is putting a huge chunk of local business out of business.  Same could be said for online dating, social media, pornography, online political activism: they might work great for certain individuals and/or on the short term, but the larger impacts seem possibly much more negative (or at least mixed) in terms of changes in the world we live in.[/quote]

Eh, I really think the internet makes life better more than it makes life worse. Not just for individuals but for society. I think you are feeling bleak and pinning it on tech in a way that doesn't really make sense.

I am in my late 40s and I clearly remember the first time smoeone showed me the internet in college, and me being like: well, I don't have any interest in that. So I am not a kid who grew up with it. I just think it's really broadened what is possible in a way that would have been impossible to imagine when I was young. Sure, yes, porn - but meh. I don't think porn is such a big problem that we should fret over how connected we are, and how much information we have access to.[/quote]

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