Jump to content

The Internet is Dying - Is It Worth Saving?


RealMarkDeneen

Recommended Posts

In the beginning....

The dreamers waxed excitedly about building global communities, democratization of everything, and opening up the world to all voices. And then hucksters and pirates moved in to use it for mass behavior modification and training the population to consume more. Then the reality of what "community" actually means set in, and the new owners didn't like it at all. Real "communities" are not like Disney fantasy villages, they are far more messy. There are lots of kinds and styles of interaction and relationships - good and bad. There are lots of noisy disagreements, bar stool conversations, ideological bantering, and too many variables to control. The "town square" no longer fit neatly into establishment values. Enter the various "clamp downs" "cram downs" "cancellations" and my favorite euphemism - "de-platforming."

 

All ownership eyes turned to the idea of Disneyfication of every property and every messy town square. Consider what YouTube has become from what it once was.

Is the Internet worth saving just so people can shop in their PJ's at 3:00 a.m., and hear "news of the establishment pied-pipers?"

Or should it just die off like what is happening to broadcast TV?

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The internet 'MAGNIFIES' the detritus that has always existed in most of modern humanity and in fact, it has accelerated such behavior with it's ability to viralize such content.

 

nothing will change, because people won't change.

 

Web3 is coming which will further incentivize and monetize behaviors that can garner the scale and crowd funding properties of abhorrent behaviors. It is very like being brain washed and hypnotized in that personalities that would normally be unwilling to act in such manners, begin to partake in behaviors that have become 'Normalized'... no matter how unhealthy that behavior is. The adverse is unable to garner the same velocity of adoption because it appears 'standard' and 'normal'.

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I imagined "Web3" as virtual consumption replacing physical consumption which is approaching the brick wall of Doomed Earth. Clearly, we can't continue forever consuming a finite resource - - enter the MetaVerse - - where you consume imaginary goods with imaginary crypto that you exchanged for your real dollars. Once the world is accustomed to consuming insanely expensive entertainments - like baseball and football** -  it will be a short leap over to consuming even more wildly expensive Virtual Cruises to Virtual Locations, eating Virtual gourmet meals, prepared by virtual chefs, all invented by cheesy programmers. 

 

** How is it possible that the economic realm was stretched, distorted and tortured out of shape to such an absurd level that men are paid $40M/year to play a game of baseball for 6 months of the year?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, RealMarkDeneen said:

** How is it possible that the economic realm was stretched, distorted and tortured out of shape to such an absurd level that men are paid $40M/year to play a game of baseball for 6 months of the year?

One explanation is that the supply and demand for the specifically skilled labor actually tilted in labor's favor, thanks to collective bargaining.  Human behavior enjoys the escape that sports provide, and form an identity with their respective teams, spending not only big sums on attendance (think of church goers who attend every Sunday and throw sums of money into the basket, often more than once in a 45 minute session), but even more money on paraphernalia.  Owners have managed to distort on their side public money and sweetheart deals to build massively expensive and elaborate arenas, which lines their pockets and allows for paying mega-salaries to labor.  It must also be mentioned that huge television contracts have played a role.  How is it possible that with perhaps the exception of one state, that the highest paid public employee is a college sports coach?  It's part and parcel of our society.  

A better question might be why this escapism seems so necessary, and is so intrinsic.  It is a world wide phenomenon where only the sport changes depending upon location.

FYI, I am a sports fan, but the riches would never happen if most fans spent as little as I do.

 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, oldtimer said:

  It's part and parcel of our society

 

Yes, it is, but doesn't need to be and shouldn't be part of a healthy society. I compare sports riches to the massive distortion in our food system that has Americans consuming insane amounts of sugar. Yes, it is happening, but it doesn't have to be this way.

First, the USA is a highly managed economy overall. Huge amounts of money are officially appropriated for defense, Social Security, policing, jails, courts, support of foreign wars, space programs, primary education, and special subsidies for agriculture.

Second, we have a highly managed tax structure wherein tax policy is used as a powerful tool and prime mover for markets. The latest craze being tax credits to buy electric cars.

Third, what possible point is there to financial policy if the goal isn't "betterment of the society?"

If betterment was a goal, policy makers would rank the positive contribution of various economic sectors and adjust policy accordingly. Just to propose a sane example of such a thing, I would suggest that "fresh, clean water in all communities" is 100X more important than playing and televising baseball games. And since the water systems all across the country are all short of the required capital to buildout and maintain a working infrastructure, let's tax baseball salaries and baseball corporations at 90% and divert all that extravagant entertainment capital to the water systems across the nation. I'm sure 20-something boys wouldn't mind playing baseball in the fresh air for a mere $4M a year when the alternative is flipping burgers. Of course, I am oversimplifiying the example to make the point sharp. But, using managed policy for "betterment" shouldn't be such an absurd idea.

 

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, RealMarkDeneen said:

Is the Internet worth saving just so people can shop in their PJ's at 3:00 a.m., and hear "news of the establishment pied-pipers?"

Or should it just die off like what is happening to broadcast TV?

Well, I do get a lot from the www. For a year now most of my food also, miss amazon fresh in this little berg though. Actually miss those good Dietz & Watson Red Hots!

Picked up my favorite salsa and a case of chips today, coffee last week. Xochitl in Plano wanted 110 to 120% more than the price of the product to ship it to me! Picked it up from a site from NJ for $6.99 shipping FedEx to me!

 

Haven't made any friends listing RIPs from non-fake sites, but the truth can be found out there.

 

Been cancelled before in my life... @`em if they can't take a joke!

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

16 minutes ago, oldtimer said:

Anyway, of course the internet is worth saving.  How else would we be monitored with such effectiveness?


I think the cell phone is far more effective for that role. It is the "chip implant" all the paranoids were scared of in 1975! Who knew the masses would run out and buy their own tracking chip for $1,000 a pop? Dr. Mengela not needed.

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ten years ago, it seemed that every conversation eventually had the word "Facebook" popping up. Um, not so much today. The "avatar-to-avatar" relation took awhile to reveal itself as useless and fraudulent compared to the time tested "face-to-face." Yes, it was transactional, but devoid of love. It's dying a slow death, but dying none the less. It was just another hula-hoop, Pet Rock, managed by insincere gangsters that got found out. Is anyone really watching sit-coms anymore? Or the evening news?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, RealMarkDeneen said:

Yes, it is, but doesn't need to be and shouldn't be part of a healthy society. I compare sports riches to the massive distortion in our food system that has Americans consuming insane amounts of sugar. Yes, it is happening, but it doesn't have to be this way.

 

1 hour ago, RealMarkDeneen said:

what possible point is there to financial policy if the goal isn't "betterment of the society?"

LOL.  What possible point?  You know the answer.

Sure, it doesn't have to be this way, but it is.  It has been for millennia.  Ancient Rome is a good example, the entertainment of the masses is the "opium of the people," to borrow a phrase.  Keep them happy so they don't rise up in anger, it's what rulers, the ruling elite, do.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, RealMarkDeneen said:

Yes, that's the standard playbook and reason "civilization" was invented. It has had it's run though. It may have taken 7500 years to enslave humanity and destroy the planet, but it is out of gas. No more runway. Not much more to exploit at compounding rates of growth. De-growth is upon us.

So Planet of the Apes may be a real reality huh? Could be, but taking everything into account, homo sapiens are just a click on a geological clock in reference to astral time. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

To answer the question in the thread title….it depends. The internet provided humanity with a wealth of documented knowledge, at everyone’s fingertips, but we twisted into something terrible out of greed. If it continues down the same path, then in my opinion, no.

 

I am forced by necessity to have a smart phone, and sadly much of my current day to day requires it. I have less and less interest in the internet as time goes on. This forum is as close to social media as I get. 
 

Aside from the reference material, I could do without it.

 

The phone was obviously first, the answering machine second. The internet killed the ability for people to be free of the instant contact tether.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, richieb said:

“tax credits to buy electric cars”. And in near lock-step auto makers raise electric vehicle prices near the same credit. While the dealer network gouges consumers with +++++ MSRP markups. 

 

But Chevrolet announced a price for their all electric Equinox at $30k.

 

That's not outrageous at all.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...