What is this? The case for continually questioning our online experience (2021)

#1

Post by Gigamouse » Mon, Aug 25, 2025, 8:43 AM UTC

What is this? The case for continually questioning our online experience (2021)
systems-souls-society.com

Re: What is this? The case for continually questioning our online experience (2021)

#2

Post by roenxi » Thu, Aug 28, 2025, 8:43 AM UTC

This article was too rambly for me, but I got about 6 paragraphs in and became disappointed at how long it was taking to get to the obvious point about online experiences - online forums are dominated by terminally online people. According to my observations [0], the terminally online are just a completely different demographic from the average healthy & happy human who don't have the time or inclination for that.

It is pretty obvious every time any country has an election or any policy debate comes up that the priorities of the sort of people who write or comment on the internet represent the median view more by accident than intent when it does happen. They're typically very isolated voices.

Re: What is this? The case for continually questioning our online experience (2021)

#3

Post by bsenftner » Thu, Aug 28, 2025, 10:41 AM UTC

So close to being useful. The situation is far more serious: question everything. Question your education, and why there is so much emphasis on obedience and team playing, yet next to nothing on strategy or communications. Question these political parties that have inserted themselves into our politics, yet they are not mentioned in the Constitution nor Amendments and in fact several of the USA's founding fathers were strongly against their formation. Question your bosses income, versus your own, and why you're working for others at all. Question all the pointless gatekeeping. Question the motivations of anything anyone states as a point of advocacy for them, and not a point of fact of what they are talking about.

Re: What is this? The case for continually questioning our online experience (2021)

#4

Post by cal_dent » Thu, Aug 28, 2025, 10:44 AM UTC

roenxi wrote: post #2

This article was too rambly for me, but I got about 6 paragraphs in and became disappointed at how long it was taking to get to the obvious point about online experiences - online forums are dominated by terminally online people. According to my observations [0], the terminally online are just a completely different demographic from the average healthy & happy human who don't have the time or inclination for that. It…

I do always think there is some truth to the classic reddit post that says most of what you read on the internet is written by someone insane

https://www.reddit.com/r/slatestarcodex/comments/9rvroo/most...

Re: What is this? The case for continually questioning our online experience (2021)

#5

Post by CommenterPerson » Thu, Aug 28, 2025, 11:09 AM UTC

roenxi wrote: post #2

This article was too rambly for me, but I got about 6 paragraphs in and became disappointed at how long it was taking to get to the obvious point about online experiences - online forums are dominated by terminally online people. According to my observations [0], the terminally online are just a completely different demographic from the average healthy & happy human who don't have the time or inclination for that. It…

Yes. I agree with the gist of it but, TLDR.

Re: What is this? The case for continually questioning our online experience (2021)

#6

Post by [deleted] » Thu, Aug 28, 2025, 11:16 AM UTC

[deleted]

Re: What is this? The case for continually questioning our online experience (2021)

#7

Post by somedude895 » Thu, Aug 28, 2025, 11:23 AM UTC

roenxi wrote: post #2

This article was too rambly for me, but I got about 6 paragraphs in and became disappointed at how long it was taking to get to the obvious point about online experiences - online forums are dominated by terminally online people. According to my observations [0], the terminally online are just a completely different demographic from the average healthy & happy human who don't have the time or inclination for that. It…

This is why I utterly detest media outlets who amplify those people by reporting on petty "shitstorms", giving them way more power than they deserve. Opinions on the internet are almost always extremely niche all things considered and do not represent the views of society at large, but the media makes it look like they do.

Re: What is this? The case for continually questioning our online experience (2021)

#8

Post by beacon473 » Thu, Aug 28, 2025, 11:40 AM UTC

cal_dent wrote: post #4

roenxi wrote: post #2

This article was too rambly for me, but I got about 6 paragraphs in and became disappointed at how long it was taking to get to the obvious point about online experiences - online forums are dominated by terminally online people. According to my observations [0], the terminally online are just a completely different demographic from the average healthy & happy human who don't have the time or inclination for that. It…

I do always think there is some truth to the classic reddit post that says most of what you read on the internet is written by someone insane https://www.reddit.com/r/slatestarcodex/comments/9rvroo/most...

HN news is great because the crazies are high-functioning.

Re: What is this? The case for continually questioning our online experience (2021)

#9

Post by gyomu » Thu, Aug 28, 2025, 11:49 AM UTC

somedude895 wrote: post #7

roenxi wrote: post #2

This article was too rambly for me, but I got about 6 paragraphs in and became disappointed at how long it was taking to get to the obvious point about online experiences - online forums are dominated by terminally online people. According to my observations [0], the terminally online are just a completely different demographic from the average healthy & happy human who don't have the time or inclination for that. It…

This is why I utterly detest media outlets who amplify those people by reporting on petty "shitstorms", giving them way more power than they deserve. Opinions on the internet are almost always extremely niche all things considered and do not represent the views of society at large, but the media makes it look like they do.

> This is why I utterly detest media outlets who amplify those people by reporting on petty "shitstorms", giving them way more power than they deserve

My thoughts exactly when “highbrow” outlets like the NYT started making headlines out of every silly thing Trump said in 2015/2016. All those media sources who professed to be against what he stood for didn’t realize that the words were meaningless, and merely by reporting on his inanities, they were implicitly endorsing exactly what he stood for.

Re: What is this? The case for continually questioning our online experience (2021)

#10

Post by gyomu » Thu, Aug 28, 2025, 11:51 AM UTC

beacon473 wrote: post #8

cal_dent wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I do always think there is some truth to the classic reddit post that says most of what you read on the internet is written by someone insane https://www.reddit.com/r/slatestarcodex/comments/9rvroo/most...

HN news is great because the crazies are high-functioning.

Crazy high functioning people pretty much came up with every technical and social innovation modern civilization runs on.

No crazies = no Newton, no Dirac, no Marx, no Descartes, no Curie, etc etc etc.