That's not pedantic at all. I've consciously decided I will favor Real Life over the Internet as much as possible. I really believe the meme that Nothing Happens On The Internet; it's a projection of the Real World and as people we are very susceptible to confusing the map for the territory.
From the article:
> You can close the computer, but the world will go on without you.
Even if culture decides that the Internet is tantamount to real life, I'm happy to keep the Internet at arm's length. It is profoundly weird to me that the private online life I led in the 90s was something shameful and to be hidden and now it's okay to be so addicted you become awkward in real life, constantly on your phone, and that I should give a fuck about my follower count.
Besides, accepting that the world will go on without you is part of adulthood.
Why not reverse it, I push a button on the computer and something falls out of the sky IRL. Your smart electric meter turns off. The water company shuts off your service. The internet is real life as much as you cannot tow a leaking oil tanker 'out of the environment'.
People don't need the internet to be narcissistic, they've done that fine for thousands of years without it.
no, when you meet many grounded people they're helpful, want to help fix your tire, see if you're ok. Things have changed towards narcissism and unless you're older than 35 you probably can't see that.
pressing a button to have something fall into reality is another thing that creates narcissism. You don't see any of the people involved in getting that thing to you. You can start seeing the world as your personal slave at your bidding. Now for centuries, yes, there have been rich people that can do that. If we make that accessible to a LOT more people - everyone has a butler that they don't need to even talk to.
I don't know what I'm saying right now other than - the world is vastly different than it was pre-internet. It can't go back. Things are forever changed for the worst in some (most?) categories.
"The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers." -- Socrates
Cultures, people, and attitudes change. They've been changing for millenia and they'll continue to change.
> everyone has a butler that they don't need to even talk to.
Aristocracy in some parts of the world didn't talk to staff, they would just announce in the presence of the servant that something was needed and expect that it be provided.
The bigger impact here when it comes to internet/real life schism is the fact that employers will utilize any digital footprint to make judgments about you, and subsequently fire you or refuse to hire you because of it. At the same time, having a follower count beyond a certain threshold also gives you access to a lot of real life resources. Both of these have tremendous impact on people in many ways, as an example one of the careers kids have most wanted to become in several decades now has been internet-focused (youtubers, tiktokers, influencers, etc).
That's the issue with the qualifier "as much as possible". That will always be sliding towards increasing levels of digitalization that the qualifier becomes meaningless.
It certainly has an influence on one's life, but I refuse to make it the center point. I also refuse to be anxious about the fire/no-hire potential it can pose.
It is a useful medium for sharing things and I'm always open to contributing more good content online. But being Extremely Online? No thank you.
There's some real value in social circles around games. Even if accomplishing things in game might be seen as a nothing, those social ties can be real.
Yes. Because the game is the medium for connection, and overcoming challenges in a group of people who want to do that is pretty magical. GitHub is similar in the sense that people have a shared, common goal. I love stuff like that.
Most traditional social media doesn’t work as well for me. I need an underlying common goal.
From the article:
> You can close the computer, but the world will go on without you.
Even if culture decides that the Internet is tantamount to real life, I'm happy to keep the Internet at arm's length. It is profoundly weird to me that the private online life I led in the 90s was something shameful and to be hidden and now it's okay to be so addicted you become awkward in real life, constantly on your phone, and that I should give a fuck about my follower count.
Besides, accepting that the world will go on without you is part of adulthood.