761–770 of 1001 posts
A paywalled article isn't necessarily more valuable than its alternatives, only more expensive.
Eventually the entire Internet will be sequestered behind paywalls, which will redefine loneliness for all but the rich.
I think AI will probably be capable of solving loneliness in an actually beneficial way: by encouraging us to seek socialization with other humans and by helping us improve ourselves to be better companions. Finally reversing the modern trend toward isolation. Unfortunately the business incentives are probably a lot stronger to build the kind of thing that would replace human companionship instead of encouraging it.…
That’s also my optimistic hope. AI doesn’t make you less lonely by being your friend, but by helping you recognize and debug cognitive distortions and self-sabotage. In this way, it’s like an extension of CBT, one of the most effective forms of therapy according to data.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
unless you’re a kid or obnoxious police are quite reasonable made up fears are stealing your joy
These are not made up fears, this is illegal behavior and breaking the law means risking hefty fines and a criminal record. Drinking beer in a park is not worth the possible consequences
I’ve lived in places where it’s basically tolerated so long as everyone is civil and discrete. I’ve also lived in places where they enforce it to the letter and they’re not messing around.
I think people forget how big and messy the US can be.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> you're going to have to deal with them someday. I know this is a very depressing thought, but you don't have to deal with them someday. Even if there's no other way out, there's always suicide.
Or you can just get rich and emotionally self-sufficient enough to never depend on anyone. Although it's probably good to have end of life plan for when your body completely fails you because of old age.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Though it's popularized to blame social media and phones, economics should not be overlooked. Pay for young generations is lagging and restaurants and bar prices are super high. Public spaces for informal gatherings has shrunk - eg fewer malls
Parks and trails are/were non commercial meeting spaces. City recreational parks in America used to have water fountains and cool stuff like climbable sculptures for kids and decommissioned Korean War era fighter jets in sand pits. That all went away with the helicopter parents.
I always find it surprising that American lament the death of shared spaces - because that’s what public spaces are - when it’s pretty obvious that they don’t actually want to spend time with each other. I mean two comments under this one you will find a commenter explaining that the situation is to be blamed on the other half of America they dislike. Well, that’s not very conductive to an environment where public spaces thrive.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
The comment I responded to was specifically talking about "banning social media" and their confidence this would have a "positive" impact on birth rates, despite the clear preferences of younger people. I'm "bringing up" coercion because I'm not sure how to describe such policies and intentions otherwise? The reason for it might not have been made explicit but we both understand what they were driving at and why they…
> despite the clear preferences of younger people But the assertion was not that young people have a 'clear preference' not to have children, it was that they just have a clear preference to engage in a behaviour that, as a side-effect, lowers birth rates. > we both understand I'm assuming that you're not doing this intentionally, but by asserting that I "understand" the commenter is trying to 'coerce [me] into havin…
No, and the comment indeed ignored the very visibly growing "child free" movement popular with the younger generations in a way that framed it as unintentional.
> it was that they just have a clear preference to engage in a behaviour that, as a side-effect, lowers birth rates.
I understood this as well but if we're going to be picky about what was actually said then your use of "just" is unfair here. They actually didn't go one way or the other in it being coincidental or intentional.
> by asserting that I "understand" the commenter is trying to 'coerce [me] ...
I haven't implied this. I asserted that you understood that singling out the effect on birth rates over the effect on chocolate sales wasn't done arbitrarily. Did you understand that? Framing it as "just asking questions" obscures the obvious socio-political undertones and feels dishonest.
In general, once new technologies have been introduced, there has been the older generation who has been sad about it because they have the frame of reference on the previous way of doing things. However the new generation does not know anything else, and are often happy enough since the lower-dimensional new reality is their only reality.
Same thing has happened with fast-food, social media or psychologists in your phone. You have a generation grown up with nothing except for it, and dont know anything else, and hence are as happy as they can be with the options.
I think what is missing on from the conversation is the generational question. In general, once new technologies have been introduced, there has been the older generation who has been sad about it because they have the frame of reference on the previous way of doing things. However the new generation does not know anything else, and are often happy enough since the lower-dimensional new reality is their only reality.…
Every one of these past innovations has been removing manual labor from something - be it household chores, traveling, having to build something, etc.
This innovation is aimed at replacing both thinking and social interaction. Putting aside whether you find that exciting, terrifying, morally objectionable, etc. it’s just too different of a paradigm shift to predict.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I’m not sure it’s one or the other. Firing off a prompt to Claude Code and letting it rip can be great for productivity but I won’t pretend I’m reading every line it writes unless I have to. And yet if I’m inquiring into a subject matter I have scant knowledge about, and want to learn more about , I voraciously read the output and plan my next prompt thoughtfully throughout. The dividing line is intellectual curiosit…
To me AI feels like the early web. I can get information without sifting through heaps of SEO trash, and it’s like having this weird magic thinking mirror to explore ideas. Unlike social media it’s not a sea of culture war rage trolling and slop. I am not trying to use it as a companion though. Not only do I have human ones but it feels super weird and creepy to try. I couldn’t suspend disbelief since I know how thes…
To me AI feels like the final nail in the web's coffin
There is nothing remotely charming about it like the early web had
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Sure, but that’s one of many factors to consider. Are the improved chances of healthy kids really worth it if it comes at greatly elevated risk of financial duress, where all that extra energy is spent working multiple jobs to keep a roof over everybody’s heads? Is it worth the risk of divorce when you or your spouse get a better feel for yourselves in your late 20s and figure out you’re not actually that well suited…
Yeah but the people who have kids in their early 20s are largely not people who worry about having life all figured out. They are more go with the flow types. There's something to be said for it. The best intended plans do not survive first contact with reality.