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Why do you waste so much time on the internet?

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Re: Why do you waste so much time on the internet?

#481

Post by noduerme »

jordanpg wrote: post #379
senjin wrote: post #322

I know exactly why I do it and it feels impossible to stop. I scroll endlessly to avoid the pain of everything else in life. Doing work, doing chores, doing hobbies, talking to anyone, making decisions even about projects I'm excited to work on, it all causes a small hit of emotional pain. I don't really know where this pain comes from either. Maybe some childhood trauma that I can't even remember? I don't know. The…

I believe the sociologists of the future are going to look back at this era and cite the manifest lack of meaning in human life as source of the ennui that is the subject of this thread. For a long time, religion filled this void, but for almost everyone, it no longer does. I don't even think most people who hold themselves out as religious really find any significant meaning there -- not doubting their sincerity, on…

Be that as it may, I was at peace with my existentialist void before the modern internet came along. I had companionship in smokey cafes with other people who saw the same lack of meaning in the universe, but were engaged in the making and building of things. All I see in this new paradigm is the desire of everyone to tear everything down, to destroy.

Existentialism leaves room for humans to give meaning to their own lives, through acts of creation and bonhomie. It also leaves room for the Holocaust, for evil.

Humans don't necessarily need a new religion. We need to learn to recognize evil when we see it without relying on dogma.

Re: Why do you waste so much time on the internet?

#482

Post by _piyush »

senjin wrote: post #322

I know exactly why I do it and it feels impossible to stop. I scroll endlessly to avoid the pain of everything else in life. Doing work, doing chores, doing hobbies, talking to anyone, making decisions even about projects I'm excited to work on, it all causes a small hit of emotional pain. I don't really know where this pain comes from either. Maybe some childhood trauma that I can't even remember? I don't know. The…

I sometimes feel that it's because I'm not hanging out with the right kind of people. People with whom if I hang out I will be fun and they will be fun and I will be myself. But then I think when was the last time I was comfortably myself with someone. It was always either professional, or an acquaintance type friend, or a hiking group, or guitarist. Everywhere I'm a persona and not me and on internet I'm me and it's not bad. Don't know, something simpler perhaps.

Re: Why do you waste so much time on the internet?

#483

Post by boppo1 »

rootusrootus wrote: post #452
JackFr wrote: post #401

Earlier quoted context omitted.

From a philosophical perspective that Wikipedia article covers a lot. I truly want to do A, but I do B instead. How is that possible? The Wikipedia article offers a couple of classical and modern takes on the problem but I'd offer one more. That we misunderstand our own intentions. When I say “I’d like learn to speak Italian” that’s not what I mean at all. What I mean is “I’d like to be able to speak Italian.” and I…

I love hearing things like this. It's not like it tells me something I didn't already know, but just saying it in a new way that gives me hope I may eventually find a strategy that works better. In my case it's carrying too much weight around. Even though I know objectively how much better it feels to be lighter, how much better I feel all around. I want to be thinner, and I want that even at the exact moment I'm eat…

Another thing to try if you haven't: ask yourself if you will still be alive after not doing the thing you feel compelled to do. Focus at that moment on the version of yourself in 60 seconds or up to an hour who didn't [do compulsive thing] and the fact that they're still alive. The fact that it is physically possible to not [do compulsive thing].

I find that often helps me. It's being in the habit of reminding myself I have more than one choice when dopamine cravings would otherwise cause me to forget.

Re: Why do you waste so much time on the internet?

#484

Post by boppo1 »

jordanpg wrote: post #379
senjin wrote: post #322

I know exactly why I do it and it feels impossible to stop. I scroll endlessly to avoid the pain of everything else in life. Doing work, doing chores, doing hobbies, talking to anyone, making decisions even about projects I'm excited to work on, it all causes a small hit of emotional pain. I don't really know where this pain comes from either. Maybe some childhood trauma that I can't even remember? I don't know. The…

I believe the sociologists of the future are going to look back at this era and cite the manifest lack of meaning in human life as source of the ennui that is the subject of this thread. For a long time, religion filled this void, but for almost everyone, it no longer does. I don't even think most people who hold themselves out as religious really find any significant meaning there -- not doubting their sincerity, on…

>to know, somewhere in the back of your mind, consciously or unconsciously, that none of this means anything.

But perhaps that is incorrect.

Re: Why do you waste so much time on the internet?

#485

Post by boppo1 »

ehnto wrote: post #173
the_only_law wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I wonder if this is because people are lonely..? Just wondering out loud here. Discord has propped up my social life for years now. And I mean outside of the internet as well! I also engage in independent, more traditional social engagement and it usually ends in nothing more than a hangover. Not unexpectedly, the internet makes it easier to bring people with similar interests/believes/personalities together. There…

I have found that people who grew up on the internet tend to have a "third place" that's online, which it sounds like for you is discord. That kind of makes that your priority over a real-life third place like a pub or something, since it's where all the people you are super familiar with are it's easier just to stick around that. For me all my online third places disappeared (specific IRC chats and forums), and I ne…

Third place? What are the first two?

Re: Why do you waste so much time on the internet?

#486

Post by mise_en_place »

amelius wrote: post #444
mise_en_place wrote: post #430

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’d recommend you get your testosterone levels checked. One of the symptoms of low total testosterone is depression in males. When I was checked I was on the lower end at 200 ng/dl and had the symptoms you describe. My doctor prescribed me first stanolone (DHT) and then switched me to regular testosterone. All I can say is it has changed my life. It may not be applicable to your situation but it might help.

Gotta love internet diagnoses. Probably well-intended, but you don't even know if they are male or female :)

As I had mentioned, it may not be applicable to their situation. But there is no doubt in my mind that testosterone mediates longevity in some fashion.

The question is, at what level is that? And does it vary individually? Too much and you’re at risk for adverse cardiovascular events. Too little and your bones will snap like twigs and your muscles will waste away.

Re: Why do you waste so much time on the internet?

#487

Post by dalmo3 »

danielmarkbruce wrote: post #447
senjin wrote: post #322

I know exactly why I do it and it feels impossible to stop. I scroll endlessly to avoid the pain of everything else in life. Doing work, doing chores, doing hobbies, talking to anyone, making decisions even about projects I'm excited to work on, it all causes a small hit of emotional pain. I don't really know where this pain comes from either. Maybe some childhood trauma that I can't even remember? I don't know. The…

The 2nd part is especially bad, lots of people (I'm an offender) justify bs reading with "learning".

I'm on the same boat, but, without trying to rationalise it, I think exposure is a real thing.

HN is mostly entertainment for me, but just absorbing tidbits of information from people I believe are much better than me in my field is extremely useful. It's not much different than passively attending a conference.

Re: Why do you waste so much time on the internet?

#488

Post by heavy_machinery »

the_only_law wrote: post #108
dcchambers wrote: post #21

My completely unprofessional opinion is that almost everyone that uses the internet throughout the day has developed some form of undiagnosed ADD/ADHD. The modern internet has broken our slowly evolved brains. We are not built to cope with these types of attention destroying activities and media. At least 20 years ago you had to sit down at a specific place and use a chunky computer. Smartphones have made it 1000x wo…

I remember years ago being a teenager and having limited access to computers and the internet so when I did have them I used my time to learn as much as I could. When I didn’t, I got bored, and I picked up books. I remember reading books on history, biology, psychology, electronics, programming, etc. and learning from them, often just by flipping pages and reading passages that looked interesting. In fairness, even n…

I recently uninstalled the social media apps on my phone and I have been noticing the number of times I reach for my phone are quite many. These are times I am just seeking stimulation of some sort, not trying to communicate or research something. Since I no longer have the apps, I just head over to settings or photos and then get so bored I just end up reading a book instead.

Re: Why do you waste so much time on the internet?

#489

Post by dghughes »

For me I've found over my 27 years of browsing (I'm 53) for each decade there is less substance and more fluff. There's far more stuff out there on the Internet for sure but much I find is vapid and that seems to be attractive. Like fast food it's empty calories but satisfying.

Years ago it took effort to be on the Internet you made sure the phone was available, you started a program, a dial-up modem connected (or not), you opened up Internet application not a Web application. It took work just to get to step 1 now it's instant. More and more interactions but no substance just people trying to be witty - so much witticism, memes, echo chambers, anger.

Now I find I am to the point where most times I just use a mouse or tap on an icon very little typing and I seem to stick to the same ten websites.

I think it's basic stimulus, response, reward. Just seeing two vertical arrows one pointing up and one down has a visceral effect on me. We've conditioned ourselves to be like this. The bell rings and we salivate.

Re: Why do you waste so much time on the internet?

#490

Post by boppo1 »

Crabber wrote: post #339
30944836 wrote: post #306

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>I got rid of my smartphone Teach me! How do you keep in touch with people on the go? This is the only thing that has stopped me from dumping my iPhone altogether. I sometimes leave home without it but I end up relying on others for coordination, etc -- which means I haven't liberated myself so much as fobbed off the responsibility to others. I don't have social media (besides HN), so my main contact with people who…

I just use a £15 nokia phone (they still make them). It calls, texts, and plays snake. Texting on a T9 keyboard is slow but I've come to consider that a feature. Before I had a smartphone I would just text everyone, now that texting takes actual effort I find myself calling people more, or asking to meet up in person. And I find myself forming much deeper personal connections with people as a result.

What model?
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