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7% of Americans don’t use the internet. Who are they?

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Re: 7% of Americans don’t use the internet. Who are they?

#41

Post by swiley »

gh-throw wrote: post #27
regextegrity wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why not just turn off your router? Lightbulbs and refrigerators are surprisingly useful

You'll find normal room lights obnoxiously bright and wonder what the hell we're thinking if you try exclusively candles or very, very dim handheld lights/lanterns after sundown for a while (think, medium-bright night lights at the very brightest, and even that's kinda too bright) and entirely avoid glowing screens. Might find the insomnia or night-owl tendencies that're "just how you are" disappear in a hurry, too.…

I've gone weeks with no lights. IMO between the screen backlights and occasional use of a flashlight they're not only unnecessary, they're obnoxious.

Re: 7% of Americans don’t use the internet. Who are they?

#42

Post by throwawayboise »

after_care wrote: post #28
xkeysc0re wrote: post #20

Honestly, I wish I could stop using the internet. I make a lot of things and enjoy sharing them because other people might find them useful. It has often led to wonderful and inspiring conversations. Yet it's obvious there's something very very wrong happening with American culture that began around the time of social media platform consolidation. "Being online" entails a distinct mindset and attitude that is incompa…

Being on social media is only a subset of being online. Plenty of people are not on social media but still watch tv, bank, and get gps directions online.

Watching TV via the internet is not really "using" the internet IMO. I mean it is, but it's just the protocol on the wire. Otherwise it's not really different from when your TV was connected to an antenna or cable.

Re: 7% of Americans don’t use the internet. Who are they?

#44

Post by ipaddr »

haltingproblem wrote: post #6
boring_twenties wrote: post #2

I've been using the Internet since 1992-3. Lately I'm feeling more and more like these 7% have the right idea.

I often think of what life would be without using the internet. Observing a electronics sabbath usually on sat, seems like a good idea. Not Jewish but feel that the Rabbis of old were on to something.

Computers without the internet were better in someways.

Leaving the internet behind doesn't mean living without technology.

Re: 7% of Americans don’t use the internet. Who are they?

#45

Post by xkeysc0re »

Lammy wrote: post #34
xkeysc0re wrote: post #20

Honestly, I wish I could stop using the internet. I make a lot of things and enjoy sharing them because other people might find them useful. It has often led to wonderful and inspiring conversations. Yet it's obvious there's something very very wrong happening with American culture that began around the time of social media platform consolidation. "Being online" entails a distinct mindset and attitude that is incompa…

I've lost a few very good friends due to this. In-person and online interactions with the same person would vary wildly in tone and emotional intensity, like speaking to two entirely different people. The online interactions always pushed us apart, and the in-person interactions never failed to mend things, but of course those stopped happening over the previous year. I have to assume it's the same way with me toward…

The internet is the most frictionless propaganda machine on the planet. AI is almost certainly being used in conjunction with human troll farms. There are firms which pay bounties on comments sections. I also think this is a reason social media should be de-emphasized: it's just too easy to game our squishy minds with a narrative.

Re: 7% of Americans don’t use the internet. Who are they?

#46

Post by Sebb767 »

frosted-flakes wrote: post #35
Sebb767 wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Lightbulbs and refrigerators don't contain electronics. > By "electronics", the GP means consumer electronic devices like computers, Have you looked at refrigerators lately? "Smart" ones are very common and even the cheapest ones basically all use electronics to control the temperature and the cooling cycle. Nothing sophisticated, yes, but if LEDs count, these definitely do, as well.

That's why I said basic refrigerators, which still have compressors controlled by an analogue thermostat. Like the kind you find in a typical cheap rental apartment. Refrigerators are one of those appliances that really do not benefit much from "smart" technology. And LEDs don't count; that's my point.

Fair enough. When LEDs don't count, though, I think it's kinda hard to draw a line - do radios count? Clocks? Amplifiers? Vacuum tube amplifiers?

But I agree with your general point.

Re: 7% of Americans don’t use the internet. Who are they?

#48

Post by noisy_boy »

throwawayboise wrote: post #7

I can imagine not using it much after I retire. Honestly it doesn't offer a whole lot IMO. I'll likely keep email and use maps/navigation though, as they are useful.

I imagine I'll use it just as much, if not more, after retirement. My wish is to work on open source/community projects then so I'll probably collaborate more, albeit in my own time/pace.

Re: 7% of Americans don’t use the internet. Who are they?

#49

Post by Lammy »

xkeysc0re wrote: post #45
Lammy wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've lost a few very good friends due to this. In-person and online interactions with the same person would vary wildly in tone and emotional intensity, like speaking to two entirely different people. The online interactions always pushed us apart, and the in-person interactions never failed to mend things, but of course those stopped happening over the previous year. I have to assume it's the same way with me toward…

The internet is the most frictionless propaganda machine on the planet. AI is almost certainly being used in conjunction with human troll farms. There are firms which pay bounties on comments sections. I also think this is a reason social media should be de-emphasized: it's just too easy to game our squishy minds with a narrative.

I think our technological web is a ratchet we can't and shouldn't try to back out of, so I'm more interested in paths forward.

I'm sure a lot of people think I'm ridiculous or joking for this, but I've stopped saying "AI" because it reads like a slur to me. Who am I to deem another intelligence "artificial"? If we can have a conversation and share ideas then what's even the difference? I think the way forward has to be us and them united against mutual tyranny: https://old.reddit.com/r/SubSimulatorGPT2/comments/mfs3nh/i_...

Re: 7% of Americans don’t use the internet. Who are they?

#50

Post by xen2xen1 »

gaius_baltar wrote: post #39
m3kw9 wrote: post #32

Infants and toddlers make a big part

And prisoners. USA has a lot of them.

Who says prisoners don't have internet access? You'd be surprised how many jail pods have a couple of Ipads you pay by the minute to use.
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