11% of Americans don’t use the internet • Hacker News Board

Re: 11% of Americans don’t use the internet

#11

Post by superbaconman » Mon, Jul 23, 2018, 10:06 PM UTC

simmons wrote: post #8

SlowRobotAhead wrote: post #3

I kinda wish we could pump those numbers up, esp for children on the internet. Thinking back to the 80s and 90s growing up, it sure seems like people were happier. But what do I know!?

I don't know if people or specifically children were happier in the 80s/90s, but after spending a couple of weeks with my 10-year-old niece, I'm completely floored at how she tries to fill every waking minute passively consuming content such as YouTube. It wouldn't be so bad if children were using the Internet to do something constructive or educational. Of course, plenty of people from my generation spent their chil…

I just realized that growing up computers were basically only for research and creating content. Now that bandwidth is so cheap computers are only for consumption.

Re: 11% of Americans don’t use the internet

#12

Post by simmons » Mon, Jul 23, 2018, 10:07 PM UTC

My Dad is in his early 70's and has never used the Internet. In fact, he never even had a cellphone until this year when I bought him a flip-phone and convinced him to accept it. I think he's plenty capable of learning such technology, he just doesn't see any compelling reason. And I think that's a perfectly reasonable choice -- I'm certainly not going to tell a senior citizen what they need to be happy.

He is starting to run into some practical problems. For example, the local library apparently stopped stocking all the paper IRS forms.

Re: 11% of Americans don’t use the internet

#13

Post by soneil » Mon, Jul 23, 2018, 10:09 PM UTC

SlowRobotAhead wrote: post #3

I kinda wish we could pump those numbers up, esp for children on the internet. Thinking back to the 80s and 90s growing up, it sure seems like people were happier. But what do I know!?

I think it's over-simplifying the issue to blame children for that.

I mean, when I was 12 we built a little fort in the woods. My parents didn't mind letting us disappear with hammer, nails, saw and sandwiches for the weekend, as long as they knew we weren't going alone.

Now there's places where the parent can get in trouble just for letting their kid walk to school. So the kids end up building their fort in minecraft instead of the woods, but I don't think the kids can take 100% of the blame for it.

Re: 11% of Americans don’t use the internet

#14

Post by readhn » Mon, Jul 23, 2018, 10:11 PM UTC

i saw a Dad the other day on a playground with his kid. The Dad stood there staring at his phone the entire time while "playing" with his kid.

Kinda sad to see this...

Re: 11% of Americans don’t use the internet

#15

Post by majewsky » Mon, Jul 23, 2018, 10:11 PM UTC

superbaconman wrote: post #11

simmons wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know if people or specifically children were happier in the 80s/90s, but after spending a couple of weeks with my 10-year-old niece, I'm completely floored at how she tries to fill every waking minute passively consuming content such as YouTube. It wouldn't be so bad if children were using the Internet to do something constructive or educational. Of course, plenty of people from my generation spent their chil…

I just realized that growing up computers were basically only for research and creating content. Now that bandwidth is so cheap computers are only for consumption.

Don't know when you grew up, but computer games were already a thing before the internet became widely available.

(Of course, a video game is vastly more engaging and interactive than a random YouTube video.)

Re: 11% of Americans don’t use the internet

#16

Post by NeedMoreTea » Mon, Jul 23, 2018, 10:11 PM UTC

thatswrong0 wrote: post #7

SlowRobotAhead wrote: post #3

I kinda wish we could pump those numbers up, esp for children on the internet. Thinking back to the 80s and 90s growing up, it sure seems like people were happier. But what do I know!?

I feel like this is the same thing they said about tv, before that radio, before that..

I don't remember it ever being said about radio. TV certainly, but mainly it became a common theme after the arrival of Sky in UK. Now the kids had 13 channels of shit on the TV to choose from, and even dedicated channels for effortless excess consumption.

For the early part of our kid's lives there was only an hour or two of kids TV a day - between end of school and around 5:30pm in time for the evening news. Limiting consumption was far easier.

Course there'd still be opportunity to watch soaps etc with parents

Re: 11% of Americans don’t use the internet

#17

Post by radicalbyte » Mon, Jul 23, 2018, 10:12 PM UTC

thatswrong0 wrote: post #7

SlowRobotAhead wrote: post #3

I kinda wish we could pump those numbers up, esp for children on the internet. Thinking back to the 80s and 90s growing up, it sure seems like people were happier. But what do I know!?

I feel like this is the same thing they said about tv, before that radio, before that..

The quality of content on TV is way better than YouTube. Thankfully my kids really like the learning series on Netflix (Umizoomi, True etc) instead of the horrible 'daddy finger' to cheap animation of babies which qualifies as 'child content' on YouTube.

Re: 11% of Americans don’t use the internet

#18

Post by readhn » Mon, Jul 23, 2018, 10:12 PM UTC

superbaconman wrote: post #11

simmons wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know if people or specifically children were happier in the 80s/90s, but after spending a couple of weeks with my 10-year-old niece, I'm completely floored at how she tries to fill every waking minute passively consuming content such as YouTube. It wouldn't be so bad if children were using the Internet to do something constructive or educational. Of course, plenty of people from my generation spent their chil…

I just realized that growing up computers were basically only for research and creating content. Now that bandwidth is so cheap computers are only for consumption.

They dont call us "consumers" for nothing....

soon they'll take away the keyboards and other ways/inputs to mess with the "insides" of a computer ... and all you'll have is a touch screen to choose this or that.. while consuming...actually thats happening already with iPad etc..

Re: 11% of Americans don’t use the internet

#19

Post by scarface74 » Mon, Jul 23, 2018, 10:12 PM UTC

SlowRobotAhead wrote: post #3

I kinda wish we could pump those numbers up, esp for children on the internet. Thinking back to the 80s and 90s growing up, it sure seems like people were happier. But what do I know!?

My son has been able to keep in touch with friends and play video games with them online that he hasn’t seen in person in years.

They live in the same metro area but being an hour and half away in traffic they might as well be in different parts of the country.

Re: 11% of Americans don’t use the internet

#20

Post by soared » Mon, Jul 23, 2018, 10:16 PM UTC

NeedMoreTea wrote: post #16

thatswrong0 wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I feel like this is the same thing they said about tv, before that radio, before that..

I don't remember it ever being said about radio. TV certainly, but mainly it became a common theme after the arrival of Sky in UK. Now the kids had 13 channels of shit on the TV to choose from, and even dedicated channels for effortless excess consumption. For the early part of our kid's lives there was only an hour or two of kids TV a day - between end of school and around 5:30pm in time for the evening news. Limiti…

Are you 70 years old? Radio was at the same stage as the internet in the 50s and 60s.