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I Used to Be a Human Being

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Re: I Used to Be a Human Being

#151

Post by npsimons »

mcphage wrote: post #105
marmot777 wrote: post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Technology is neutral, though. It's the people using the technology that are not neutral or am I missing something?

It's not, because technology is a product of the people and processes that created it. And since people and processes aren't neutral (who is, after all), the technology they create won't be, either.

> because technology is a product of the people and processes that created it. And since people and processes aren't neutral (who is, after all), the technology they create won't be, either.

Karl Schroeder expounds upon this idea (albeit via science fiction) in "Lady of Mazes", and a little near the end of the Virga series. I highly recommend them.

Re: I Used to Be a Human Being

#152

Post by bzbarsky »

morgante wrote: post #134
tspike wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If we're going with the alcoholic analogy, alcoholism very clearly has a genetic component, so some people are predisposed to it. I don't think it's far fetched to hypothesize that technology addiction might be genetic as well, with the key difference being that using technology is basically compulsory while using alcohol is not. Sounds like you're just saying "deal with it" because you don't personally struggle with…

> Sounds like you're just saying "deal with it" because you don't personally struggle with it. Sorry if it came off that way. Like I said, I don't doubt that some people might be addicted to it. I absolutely think they should pursue the remedies they need for themselves, whether that's quitting social media or pursuing a meditation practice. I have friends who quit Facebook and I don't hold it against them (though I…

He is not calling on all restaurants to do this. He just thinks it would be good if there existed some restaurants that did.

Just like there are some restaurants that don't serve alcohol, note. Or restaurants that don't serve meat.

Re: I Used to Be a Human Being

#153

Post by cartlonchew »

n72 wrote: post #118

I'm considering writing a plugin which, much like an ad-blocker, removes click bait links. There would be various black lists one could use. Any feedback on implementation appreciated.

Would be interesting to see whether this would cause a retreat to "honest" titles, or an evolution to something completely different.

Re: I Used to Be a Human Being

#154

Post by crawfordcomeaux »

marmot777 wrote: post #109
cmstoken wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Interesting. If you actually enjoy being on Facebook there is no reason to do this. It's only going to help if you're trying to give it up like you did with Twitter. My suggestion is a less radical alternative to the common "delete your Facebook account" mantra that you mentioned.

Yes, that's right. I'm realizing that the problem the OP brings up is really a spectrum. I actually do think I have a problem with too much time online but everyone's solution isn't drastic measures. For some it might be scheduling yoga, the gym, a beer with friends. You know you have a problem when you're grateful when a friend cancels plans as you get to spend more time online. One thing is clear though, immersion…

When I think I might have a problem with something, my experience has been I'm usually right about it. I also can't remember the last time I did something in response to feeling like I had a problem and regretting the decision.

You're absolutely right, though, and it's something a lot of people recovering from this or that addiction don't typically understand: solutions to addiction exist on a personal level, everyone has to find their own, and absolute abstinence isn't necessarily required. I've encountered lots of addicts who've tried to tell me that I can or can't do this or that thing or else I won't be sober.

The distinction between me doing something, like reading a physical book, in an addictive manner vs not is exactly what you said: awareness.

Of course, I'm responding to comments in this thread partially because I'm avoiding an anxiety-provoking creative project to use as a means of getting a job. Awareness is key, but apparently something else is needed. My guess is it's emotional support (or at least that's what it is in my case).

Re: I Used to Be a Human Being

#155

Post by mcphage »

marmot777 wrote: post #108
mcphage wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not, because technology is a product of the people and processes that created it. And since people and processes aren't neutral (who is, after all), the technology they create won't be, either.

I may come off as disagreeing but I question to understand. Do you have some tangible examples?

A simple example is, think of a car. Cars are uncomfortable for people who are very tall, or very short. Now, you may say, "it's pretty much impossible to design a car to fit everyone!" which is absolutely true—and that's my point. Car makers can't design a car that fits everyone comfortably, so the car maker has to decide—based on the tradeoffs of cost, complexity, and audience size—who to size the car for. Is it uncomfortable for people over 6'3"? Is it uncomfortable for people over 6'10"? That's where the creator's views creep in, and there's no way to avoid it. It's not the end of the world; decisions do need to be made, and we make do. We just need to recognize that technology reflects the biases of its creator, and take that into account when seeking to understand technology and its impact.

Re: I Used to Be a Human Being

#156

Post by crawfordcomeaux »

ryandrake wrote: post #52
te_chris wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or, how about the writer has experienced something very personal which their editor thought would appeal to an audience as wide as that of NYMag? Perhaps, instead of just saying the writer is wrong, you could try and empathise with the position, see if you feel better after some time apart from the internet. Try and understand another perspective. Writing is 1 to many, the author was most certainly not writing just f…

It's fine to say, "Hey, I don't like this--here's the personal story about how I had a huge problem with it." It goes off the rails when he starts calling it "our" [collective] problem. Sorry, I just think that's assuming an awful lot about one's audience.

I'm a recovering info addict (not the author) & here's what I mean when I describe it as our collective problem:

1. We're living in the Information Age.

2. Information can be addictive?! Holy shit!

3. And we barely have a clue as to how to deal with people addicted to anything else, let alone addicted to that thing we're defining this entire age of humanity on?!

It doesn't have to be a problem you suffer from to see that information being addictive implies significant potential for collective harm.

Re: I Used to Be a Human Being

#157

Post by marmot777 »

stnmtn wrote: post #140
marmot777 wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is the problem of authenticity, another word for being yourself (right?) a problem specific to online? I wonder if it's a problem that came with modern civilization. People can feel this way IRL. I guess the Internet does add an extra measure of distance in a sense but in another sense it reduces those distances. We all routinely interact with people all over the globe. I'm not arguing against what you're saying, jus…

I was reading a book a couple weeks ago and there was a throwaway line that really stuck out to me. I think it was a David Foster Wallace book It was something like all the great themes are taken. We've taken all the great themes and adventures and created theme parks where you can go to experience a fantasy yet know this isn't real. You know it's not authentic. I'm butchering the meaning of it, wish I could figure o…

I didn't buy it when someone said, "there's nothing new under the sun" and I don't buy it now. :-)

Re: I Used to Be a Human Being

#158

Post by OnLookAStar »

simonbarker87 wrote: post #8

I read somewhere recently that smart phones have essentially become random gratification engines in the same way as slot machines. Sometimes on a slot machine you win the jackpot, because of this every pull gives you an endorphin kick, each time we pick up our phones or get a notification it might be an important/interesting thing, therefore we get a little endorphin kick that keeps us checking. Because of this I tur…

Huh. Weird. I have the opposite issue. Notifications/phone calls actually make me anxious because for the past few years its far more often related to something going wrong at work.

Re: I Used to Be a Human Being

#159

Post by mesmerizingsnow »

What's clicked for me is:

https://selfcontrolapp.com/

It's an open source project either:

https://github.com/SelfControlApp/selfcontrol/

What I do is, essentially, the following: every day at around 0-1 am (before I go to sleep) I set a timer so that it would fire at 7-8 pm (that's when I would get home). This allows me to force myself from browsing unnecessary sites (facebook, twitter, HN, reddit etc.) that would otherwise distract me from doing meaningful work.

As for the other devices, not long ago I would have twitter, facebook, VK, and a few others social media apps on my iPhone. I deleted everything except twitter which I check rarely (<= 10m a day). Deleting the facebook app contributed greatly to my smartphone's battery life either.

Re: I Used to Be a Human Being

#160

Post by rdiddly »

marmot777 wrote: post #82
hitekker wrote: post #9

"I used to be a human being": I like this phrase. It captures, poetically, the existential despair of losing the conditions of humanity. Regardless of if the author's particular conditions necessitates the implicit drama, each of one us, I'm sure, have felt like we lost what made us "real" or "authentic" at some point or another.

Is the problem of authenticity, another word for being yourself (right?) a problem specific to online? I wonder if it's a problem that came with modern civilization. People can feel this way IRL. I guess the Internet does add an extra measure of distance in a sense but in another sense it reduces those distances. We all routinely interact with people all over the globe. I'm not arguing against what you're saying, jus…

The loss of authenticity most definitely has something to do with modern life itself (i.e. since the Industrial Revolution) though arguably goes back to the dawn of the practice of agriculture some 10,000 years ago. You ought to read, I hesitate to suggest, the Unabomber Manifesto a.k.a. "Industrial Society and its Future" by Ted Kaczynski. No shortage there of ideas on how modern man has lost his authenticity. (He also calls for violent revolution, which is just ADORABLE.)

We evolved to be hunter-gatherers in small social groups. As such, being on high alert for a faint sound, a movement in your peripheral vision, or some sign from your friends, comes naturally to us because these are traits that were naturally selected and could mean the difference between having a meal and going hungry, or between life and death. "Distraction" wasn't an issue either, because the distraction was usually the more important/urgent thing to be paying attention to, and because there weren't as many of them. We didn't have the situation we have today, where these entire natural cycles of stimulus/response/reward have been studied, and where people have figured out through years of trial-and-error, how to replicate the stimuli, and replace the rewards, in order to substitute a different response that just so happens to make them money. To the degree that you are susceptible to these stimuli you are actually being an authentic human being. It's the environment you're in that is completely inauthentic. We're all swimming in an ocean of bullshit. Being born into a world already mostly built and made for us, it's easy to forget that somebody (humans) had to come along and construct it all. Once you realize humans built it all, you then realize they had to have a reason, an incentive, maybe even an agenda. Being authentic requires reclaiming your own agenda and rejecting others' agendas where they differ from yours.

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