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The internet is kind of a predatory cesspit now

stephendiehl.com

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Re: The internet is kind of a predatory cesspit now

#181

Post by to11mtm »

Biologist123 wrote: post #24

> People increasingly behave like addicts because addiction is the business model. I sense my internet addiction got a lot worse in recent years. I don’t use social media, but I consume news, blogs and newsletters - and comment threads - voraciously. I think the addiction began as soon as I started to work at a desk behind a computer which had internet access - 20+ years ago. Like putting an alcoholic to work behind…

One of the things I liked about my Windows phone, was the relative lack of apps made it very hard to fall into addiction 'traps'.

On the flip side, my partner has fallen deep into the cesspit, either seeing her doom-scrolling through Facebook for hours, or the way she talks about all the things she saw on there despite not handling any of the things that she said she would get done that day (FWIW... My partner does not work at this time, she quit her job under the auspices of taking care of the house. Has not gone well. I guess at least she stopped playing cow-clicker games on her phone...)

If I will give my first 'real job' some credit for anything around their Blocking policies, they had extremely strict blocks around anything that could be 'personal use' and had very alarming warnings pop up if you happened to hit one of the blocks. (To the point where even doing legitimate work research I more than once freaked out and went right to my manager and the IT managers explaining my case and what I was doing.)

But it's also part of why the open office / panopticon layout has become more popular; It provides at least some vague threat to somewhat lower the risk folks get sucked into their phones out of view...

Re: The internet is kind of a predatory cesspit now

#182

Post by agumonkey »

Biologist123 wrote: post #24

> People increasingly behave like addicts because addiction is the business model. I sense my internet addiction got a lot worse in recent years. I don’t use social media, but I consume news, blogs and newsletters - and comment threads - voraciously. I think the addiction began as soon as I started to work at a desk behind a computer which had internet access - 20+ years ago. Like putting an alcoholic to work behind…

The web changed too, early 2000s was a balanced between real world, old media and web trying to exist, then it swallowed more, and many old things had to migrate or imitate. Now the world is all streamed, always on..

Re: The internet is kind of a predatory cesspit now

#183

Post by inigyou »

varispeed wrote: post #148

I think part of it is due to corrupt government regulating internet as if only Facebooks and Reddits were on the market. It destroyed niche forums and made the place less democratised. Today you cannot just rent a server and start a forum without massive financial backing and therapist on speed dial.

Did you know that if you just run a forum you don't go to jail for that? First the police have to notice you in a negative light for any reason, and second they have to bother to do something about it, and thirdly their first interaction with you is more likely to be "oi! stop doing that!" than anything else. What killed them isn't the law, it was firstly centralisation pressure, and secondly our own paranoia about the law.

And if the government wants to arbitrarily get you, it can do that with or without you running a forum.

Re: The internet is kind of a predatory cesspit now

#184

Post by foobarbecue »

asdfman123 wrote: post #131
Biologist123 wrote: post #24

> People increasingly behave like addicts because addiction is the business model. I sense my internet addiction got a lot worse in recent years. I don’t use social media, but I consume news, blogs and newsletters - and comment threads - voraciously. I think the addiction began as soon as I started to work at a desk behind a computer which had internet access - 20+ years ago. Like putting an alcoholic to work behind…

If you're interested in what helped me overcome the worst aspects of my internet addiction, I learned to reframe it. I wasn't overcome with addiction, but I was CHOOSING to take a break. There are good reasons to read the news, there are good reasons to take breaks. End the war against yourself and take more wholesome breaks, so your subconscious doesn't take over and force them. It may involve forcing yourself to be…

Forcing a short delay is such a powerful technique.

I use this when I'm at risk of binging a show. If I'm tempted to let Netflix continue into the next episode, I say "ok maybe, but let's get up and do something else for a few minutes first and see if I still want to" and before I know it I'm building a robot instead.

Re: The internet is kind of a predatory cesspit now

#186

Post by jolmg »

Biologist123 wrote: post #24

> People increasingly behave like addicts because addiction is the business model. I sense my internet addiction got a lot worse in recent years. I don’t use social media, but I consume news, blogs and newsletters - and comment threads - voraciously. I think the addiction began as soon as I started to work at a desk behind a computer which had internet access - 20+ years ago. Like putting an alcoholic to work behind…

> I don’t use social media, but I consume news, blogs and newsletters - and comment threads - voraciously.

> It seems to have worsened in recent years. I’d like out, but the dealers are on every corner.

That's just anxiety from worsening politics, don't you think? Getting out of that anxiety may just be a matter of recognizing that just because bad stuff's happening in certain places that may eventually have repercussions in your own individual life, it doesn't mean that it's going to affect you that bad. It's like someone jumping in the pool. The waves will dissipate by the time they reach you. You can ignore them and just pay attention to the water in your personal space.

Re: The internet is kind of a predatory cesspit now

#187

Post by tayo42 »

linster wrote: post #81

Ok article, and has similar points to “You should quit Reddit” (which was a pretty good book). About 2/3 in, the sentences got choppier and shorter, and you could tell some context rot was setting in.

What did you like about that book or what points stuck out to you?

Re: The internet is kind of a predatory cesspit now

#188

Post by aktenlage »

Glyptodon wrote: post #76
aktenlage wrote: post #16

This so exaggerated. If you think some of the people you know are assholes, that's fine. If you think all of them are assholes, you are either choosing the wrong places to be, or (more likely) the problem is with you.

I don't think everyone is an asshole exactly but something is wrong with more and more people and you see it everything from how people drive to the degree to which so many things seem more adversarial or feel like part time jobs.

Hm, maybe. Though I thought that's a combination of what Corona did to the society, late-stage capitalism and me getting older and more sceptical.

Re: The internet is kind of a predatory cesspit now

#189

Post by ed_elliott_asc »

Biologist123 wrote: post #24

> People increasingly behave like addicts because addiction is the business model. I sense my internet addiction got a lot worse in recent years. I don’t use social media, but I consume news, blogs and newsletters - and comment threads - voraciously. I think the addiction began as soon as I started to work at a desk behind a computer which had internet access - 20+ years ago. Like putting an alcoholic to work behind…

Just focus on putting your phone in a draw for as long as you can, leave a stopwatch on it running so you can see how long you have left it - it will be short to start with but with practice you’ll regain the ability to live without consuming information.
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