Internet: Yes or No

[EverReady]

Here is sort of addictive and a bit entertaining. However I am definitely stupider than I was 20 years ago on many levels. My general knowledge is shot when I was quite the pub quiz master. I read voraciously and could hold my own on a lot of topics.
Now I'm pretty basic as my kids would say. The internet is mostly to blame and too much on the telly so you can't focus.
Then there is all the political stuff going on in the world which is not as important as my waning abilities at pub quizzes but it also counts.
What say you all and yeah the porn bit is grand.

[Nolanator]

I have a ridiculous and almost useless knowledge of what actors are in which films/TV shows, almost entirely because of the internet.

Still haven't found any women who are impressed by this, though.

[EverReady]

Nols I used to just remember that. True story.

[kiap]

not as important as my waning abilities at pub quizzes but it also counts.

Look, the solution there is internet at your fingertips during the pub quiz.

You need MOAR interwebs, not less.

[fonzeee]

Worst thing that ever happened. Burn it all to the ground.

Say what you will about porn, but kids these days will never know the glory of the imagination-wank.

I really do pity them.

[Farva]

Maybe pub quizzes have just got harder?

[fonzeee]

The vast majority of the most substantive conversations I've ever had/seen on the internet have been on this obscure rugby forum. That should tell you everything about the internet's value.

[backrow]

Porn

Edit - forgot to write ‘yay’
Soz

[Sandstorm]

I’m more experienced than I was 20 years ago, so I don’t need to know more. I just blag it.

[fonzeee]

Porn

Edit - forgot to write ‘yay’
Soz

Thanks for clarifying, wasn't sure what your stance was

[backrow]

Porn

Edit - forgot to write ‘yay’
Soz

Thanks for clarifying, wasn't sure what your stance was

Usually, lying down , occasional stealth one standing in front of the sink in my en suite

[iarmhiman]

Yes

Keeps me in a job

[fonzeee]

Porn

Edit - forgot to write ‘yay’
Soz

Thanks for clarifying, wasn't sure what your stance was

Usually, lying down , occasional stealth one standing in front of the sink in my en suite

Wow, we really are kindred spirits -- the avatar don't lie

[Sandstorm]

Yes

Keeps me in a job

Ditto. If I stop “delivering” at work, the Internet stops.

[de_Selby]

Yes

Keeps me in a job

Yup, but it's definitely not lived up to my expectations from back in the 90s when I first used it.

It seemed like a magical new technology that would solve all the worlds problems

[Nolanator]

The vast majority of the most substantive conversations I've ever had/seen on the internet have been on this obscure rugby forum. That should tell you everything about the internet's value.

Same. This place is absolutely class, when there isn't some political melting down happening.

[CM11]

We are dealing with a social contagion thing (which I won't go into) that would see me happily burn down every last server, blow up every TV station and go back to sticks and stones.

Whatever about adults, kids should never even be taught the internet exists.

[fonzeee]

The vast majority of the most substantive conversations I've ever had/seen on the internet have been on this obscure rugby forum. That should tell you everything about the internet's value.

Same. This place is absolutely class, when there isn't some political melting down happening.

If it's happening here though, it's a thousand times worse on the parts of the internet most people frequent.

[redderneck]

I would miss it like crazy, but frankly, would be quite happy to see the back of it.

[CM11]

The vast majority of the most substantive conversations I've ever had/seen on the internet have been on this obscure rugby forum. That should tell you everything about the internet's value.

Same. This place is absolutely class, when there isn't some political melting down happening.

If it's happening here though, it's a thousand times worse on the parts of the internet most people frequent.

This. The various political threads have been real eye openers.

[EverReady]

Here has gone a bit weird as well though. The brakes are off for lots of people. Look at Mick. He was always a misanthrope and like a dark cloud going across the sun, the sun being Irish people, but now he is just this relentless something. Haven't nailed him down yet

[Gavin Duffy]

Overall, yes. But twatter does make me wonder sometimes.

[fonzeee]

Overall, yes. But twatter does make me wonder sometimes.

Honestly I thought this for a while but nowadays I think Twitter might be (easily?) the most tolerable of the social media cesspools.

Whenever I glance at my GF's phone when she's scrolling through Facebook, I get a sudden urge to run over to the medicine cabinet and empty every bottle down my throat.

[Gavin Duffy]

Overall, yes. But twatter does make me wonder sometimes.

Honestly I thought this for a while but nowadays I think Twitter might be (easily?) the most tolerable of the social media cesspools.

Whenever I glance at my GF's phone when she's scrolling through Facebook, I get a sudden urge to run over to the medicine cabinet and empty every bottle down my throat.

I have facebook on my phone but haven't looked at it in weeks. Should probably delete it at this stage.

[Winnie]

Overall, yes. But twatter does make me wonder sometimes.

Honestly I thought this for a while but nowadays I think Twitter might be (easily?) the most tolerable of the social media cesspools.

Whenever I glance at my GF's phone when she's scrolling through Facebook, I get a sudden urge to run over to the medicine cabinet and empty every bottle down my throat.

Twitter is a hell hole

[Santa]

Overall, yes. But twatter does make me wonder sometimes.

Honestly I thought this for a while but nowadays I think Twitter might be (easily?) the most tolerable of the social media cesspools.

Whenever I glance at my GF's phone when she's scrolling through Facebook, I get a sudden urge to run over to the medicine cabinet and empty every bottle down my throat.

Twitter is a hell hole

It is. But to ignore it is to ignore what is coming down the pipeline.

[fonzeee]

Overall, yes. But twatter does make me wonder sometimes.

Honestly I thought this for a while but nowadays I think Twitter might be (easily?) the most tolerable of the social media cesspools.

Whenever I glance at my GF's phone when she's scrolling through Facebook, I get a sudden urge to run over to the medicine cabinet and empty every bottle down my throat.

Twitter is a hell hole

It is at least occasionally possible to get concise and insightful news/analysis from reputable sources there though, with minimal investment. It goes without saying that you need to stay away from the comments section below each tweet however.

[koroke hangareka]

The vast majority of the most substantive conversations I've ever had/seen on the internet have been on this obscure rugby forum. That should tell you everything about the internet's value.

Same. This place is absolutely class, when there isn't some political melting down happening.

If it's happening here though, it's a thousand times worse on the parts of the internet most people frequent.

This. The various political threads have been real eye openers.

Over the past 20 years this site has alerted me to the existence of, and intimately acquainted me with the thinking of: trolls, Trumpists, Silver, proud morons, and people who don't admire the All Blacks. It's been horrible but fascinating, a real education.

[Kahu]

Think of your brain as a computer. As you age it no longer automatically upgrades itself as quickly and it gets bogged down by the many junk files. The Internet is not responsible for your Internet Explorer like capabilities.

[Jeff the Bear]

To take this conversation in a slightly left field direction, I have latterly come to the conclusion that the internet is one of the most dangerous inventions man has ever created. However, before I go into the specifics of that assertion, a question...do you know how many nuclear bombs have been detonated on, in or over earth (without looking it up)?

The answer is 2000+! . I remember the first time I saw that, I was shocked. It seemed scarcely believable people would detonate that many devices that can kill so many directly, and just as many after the event. I then later come across a space book from the 60's, where they discussed how future rockets would be propelled by essentially detonating nuclear bombs behind it and riding the blast wave.

The point I'm making is, people didn't appear to realise the full fallout (pun intended) from detonating nuclear bombs until a long while after they had started detonating multiples of them.

And that's where I currently see us with the internet. Initially seen as the final frontier in the emancipation of the individual from the tyranny of 'the man', with the democratisation of information freeing us all to read and learn as much information as we like...and yet, it's been almost the exact opposite.

It's allowed those in power unprecedented levels of control over the individual, and worse still, in the race to get ever more comfortable, we have allowed it to happen...willingly putting ourselves into echo chambers so that we can make ourselves even dumber.

As such, I now think that historians will look back on this period and see things like Facebook harvesting personal data and selling it off = Nuclear bomb going off, or Instagram perpetuating unhealthy attainment goals that lead to mental health issues amongst youngsters = Nuclear bomb going off etc. Essentially, the internet has the capacity to be way more devastating than a nuclear bomb as it's reach is unparalleled, as it sits in the pocket of almost every adult on the planet.

I suppose it's about being careful what you wish for. We wanted/want the freedom the internet affords, yet all we've used it for is to be cunts. It wouldn't surprise me that in the end, it ends up being treated as a utility with government oversight (which would be a can of worms in itself, but is the current setup any better?)

[Zakar]

Overall, yes. But twatter does make me wonder sometimes.

Honestly I thought this for a while but nowadays I think Twitter might be (easily?) the most tolerable of the social media cesspools.

Whenever I glance at my GF's phone when she's scrolling through Facebook, I get a sudden urge to run over to the medicine cabinet and empty every bottle down my throat.

Twitter is a hell hole

It is. But to ignore it is to ignore what is coming down the pipeline from loons.

FTFY

[MungoMan]

I can say without fear of plausible contradiction* that the internet made me a moron. OTOH, goat porn...








*Mainly because none of you lot met me pre-internet

[koroke hangareka]

Overall, yes. But twatter does make me wonder sometimes.

Honestly I thought this for a while but nowadays I think Twitter might be (easily?) the most tolerable of the social media cesspools.

Whenever I glance at my GF's phone when she's scrolling through Facebook, I get a sudden urge to run over to the medicine cabinet and empty every bottle down my throat.

Twitter is a hell hole

It is. But to ignore it is to ignore what is coming down the pipeline.

You could make the same argument for sitting in a septic tank.

[eldanielfire]

Yes to the internet up until 2011 or 2012 or thereabouts. No to the internet when social media took over culture and politics in the stupidest ways by fact and reality denying extremists who need safe spaces.

[Santa]

Overall, yes. But twatter does make me wonder sometimes.

Honestly I thought this for a while but nowadays I think Twitter might be (easily?) the most tolerable of the social media cesspools.

Whenever I glance at my GF's phone when she's scrolling through Facebook, I get a sudden urge to run over to the medicine cabinet and empty every bottle down my throat.

Twitter is a hell hole

It is. But to ignore it is to ignore what is coming down the pipeline from loons.

FTFY

Correct. But down the pipeline it comes anyway.

[SFBB]

The internet hasn’t made me a better person, but it did expose me to all of you lot which has made me feel like a better person in comparison.

[terangi48]

It is said that the worlds knowledge doubled each 1-2 years in the year 2000.......it is now estimated that the worlds knowledge doubles about every 12 hours!!!!!

That means you knew this much.......
Mon AM: #
Mon PM: # #
Tue AM: # # # #
Tue PM: # # # # # # # #

So.......IF! you knew # on Monday, you'd have known everything.......but two days later you'd only know .125 of all the wlds knowledge.......no wonder we are no longer any good at pub quizzes.

Another two things I think about......how much can our memeory hold?

.......and if the pub is the venue where we exercise our prowess, how many brain cells do we knock out each quiz we go to when we get pissed?

[Nolanator]

The internet hasn’t made me a better person, but it did expose me to all of you lot which has made me feel like a better person in comparison.

Be fair. Because of the internet you got to save an idiot backpacker from prison in Cork.

[backrow]

Do porn mags even exist now ? Or do tramps in bushes all have a iPhone 5 with some grot?

[Hellraiser]

“We were keeping our eye on 1984. When the year came and the prophecy didn't, thoughtful Americans sang softly in praise of themselves. The roots of liberal democracy had held. Wherever else the terror had happened, we, at least, had not been visited by Orwellian nightmares.

But we had forgotten that alongside Orwell's dark vision, there was another - slightly older, slightly less well known, equally chilling: Aldous Huxley's Brave New World. Contrary to common belief even among the educated, Huxley and Orwell did not prophesy the same thing. Orwell warns that we will be overcome by an externally imposed oppression. But in Huxley's vision, no Big Brother is required to deprive people of their autonomy, maturity and history. As he saw it, people will come to love their oppression, to adore the technologies that undo their capacities to think.

What Orwell feared were those who would ban books. What Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who wanted to read one. Orwell feared those who would deprive us of information. Huxley feared those who would give us so much that we would be reduced to passivity and egoism. Orwell feared that the truth would be concealed from us. Huxley feared the truth would be drowned in a sea of irrelevance. Orwell feared we would become a captive culture. Huxley feared we would become a trivial culture, preoccupied with some equivalent of the feelies, the orgy porgy, and the centrifugal bumblepuppy. As Huxley remarked in Brave New World Revisited, the civil libertarians and rationalists who are ever on the alert to oppose tyranny "failed to take into account man's almost infinite appetite for distractions." In 1984, Orwell added, people are controlled by inflicting pain. In Brave New World, they are controlled by inflicting pleasure. In short, Orwell feared that what we fear will ruin us. Huxley feared that what we desire will ruin us.