The Web

[SimpleCaveman]

Hello All,

Hope you’re having a good year so far.

(Wasn’t sure whether to put this into Technology & Computing or Philosophy. If an admin wants to move it, that’s fine. Just let me know, please.)

I came across this quote in a larger podcast. You can search for the source, but I’m not interested in discussing that. I’m only interested in the concepts expressed here.

Since you all also (seem to) spend time on the web, I thought you might have some thoughts. For those that come here only sometimes, you might have different thoughts.

the Web is a disembodied habitat, a plausibility structure for the feeling that there is no givenness to reality, there is simply individual will. That’s what all of us are when log on. We are mental wills projected onto a screen.

What do you think about this description? How much do you see this playing out?

If it’s not true, then why not?

If it’s true, then is this good, bad or indifferent?

If it’s bad, what do you do to combat it?

[Angrboda]

I'm not sure there is a definitive way to understand the meaning of the passage.

[arewethereyet]

A little tiny bit of search and this idea comes from a self-proclaimed conservative and likens everything on the Internet to porn.

Not sure what you are looking for as far as answers go.

The Internet is a tool. What you make of your experience is up to you (the global you).

I like the interactions here and I like keeping up with friends and family that are miles away on other social media. As a kid I had pen pals...about the only difference is that I had met most of them in person. Now I can interact with people I know IRL and those I don't, some I would like to know IRL, and some - not so much.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

I think it’s gibberish.

Boru

[SimpleCaveman]

Hi awty,

A little tiny bit of search and this idea comes from a self-proclaimed conservative and likens everything on the Internet to porn.

Yeah, I was very clear that I wasn’t interested in the original other than the quote. You might have missed that.

Not sure what you are looking for as far as answers go.

I laid out the questions. Have no expectations on the answers.

The Internet is a tool.  What you make of your experience is up to you (the global you).

I like the interactions here and I like keeping up with friends and family that are miles away on other social media.  As a kid I had pen pals...about the only difference is that I had met most of them in person.  Now I can interact with people I know IRL and those I don't, some I would like to know IRL, and some - not so much.

Thanks for starting the conversation.

[SimpleCaveman]

I think it’s gibberish.

Thanks Boru.

Sure. Some might think so. Others may not.

[Angrboda]

I believe Aristotle had the right of it. All things in moderation. The rest is codswallop.

[arewethereyet]

Hi awty,

A little tiny bit of search and this idea comes from a self-proclaimed conservative and likens everything on the Internet to porn.

Yeah, I was very clear that I wasn’t interested in the original other than the quote. You might have missed that.

Not sure what you are looking for as far as answers go.

I laid out the questions. Have no expectations on the answers.

The Internet is a tool.  What you make of your experience is up to you (the global you).

I like the interactions here and I like keeping up with friends and family that are miles away on other social media.  As a kid I had pen pals...about the only difference is that I had met most of them in person.  Now I can interact with people I know IRL and those I don't, some I would like to know IRL, and some - not so much.

Thanks for starting the conversation.

No Skippy, I didn't miss it.

But it's a bit shady that you felt you should keep that part a secret.

I am not surprised...in fact I think it fell right in line with your online persona.

[Nay_Sayer]

I thought the internet was a series of tubes

[Belacqua]

What do you think about this description? How much do you see this playing out?

I think there's a lot of truth in what he says. 

And I'm sure he acknowledges that the Internet has many legitimate and helpful uses. After all, he has agreed to have his interview put on the Internet. 

We all make use of maps and databases and things like that. Find a medical specialist near you, all that. 

But there's no doubt that the Internet has shaped people's behavior and encouraged undesirable things as well. 

I think the whole interview is worth reading:

https://europeanconservative.com/article...uel-james/

Just because the speaker is conservative doesn't mean he is speaking nonsense. For example, he says:

The essence of pornography is taking what is really an experience between two subjects (a man and a woman) and turning it into a consumable commodity. Sex is not a product. It’s not something that can instantly downloaded by an isolated individual and then discarded after it accomplishes its purpose. Sex is personal. It’s human. It’s experiential. Pornography, especially online pornography, creates an artificial product that cannot really satisfy, because it was taken from something that is ontologically different.

Obviously, I think that sex is not only and always between a man and a woman. Same-sex sex is sex. But what he says about porn being ontologically different from person-to-person sex is definitely true. On-line communication between people you'll never meet in real life is not the same as old fashioned friendship. It can be a very good thing, but it is not the same, and it has risks as well. 

There is a lot of evidence that young people's minds are affected by Internet use. Attention spans seem to be shortening, which means that the ability to focus on tasks and maintain concentration is harmed. Porn is one aspect of it, because it gives the illusion of instant gratification without consequences, but this is not completely different from simply watching very short non-porn videos, or posting comments and waiting for the dopamine that comes from clicks and likes. Someone raised on this stuff is NOT learning the ability to sit down and read a serious novel for a couple of hours. 

My niece has degrees in early childhood development, and she is extremely strict about her twins' computer use. She has been horrified at all the times she has seen little kids get handed a tablet just as a way to keep them quiet.

I am extremely grateful for some things the Internet has given us. When I moved to Japan it cost a fortune to telephone my family in America, but now we can do hours-long Skype calls for free. And I'm sure that my academic research would have taken YEARS longer without Google. But I am very glad that my mind was mostly formed before the Internet took over.