• Dear Guest, Please note that adult content is not permitted on this forum. We have had our Google ads disabled at times due to some posts that were found from some time ago. Please do not post adult content and if you see any already on the forum, please report the post so that we can deal with it. Adult content is allowed in the glory hole - you will have to request permission to access it. Thanks, scara

Social Media

thfcsteff said:
I clearly remember the first time I physically held a brand new iPhone, three days after the first one launched. I'd done a lot of research into it, was fairly interested, but once I held it, well, something snapped and I immediately went and got one. I thought it would be a fun tool, but I always saw it as a tool to be used judiciously. I did not expect the sheer levels and depths of its ubiquity to become what they have.
I think the iPhone has been the single largest gateway into some very serious rewiring of humanity, both in a metaphoric and literal sense.
I genuinely feel we have short-circuited an area of our brains wired for longer thought processes into short-attention only actions. The sheer distance these objects put physically between us is madness (in terms of less in-person interactions).

The re-wiring of the world, the way life is now presented through these mediums and is designed to provoke big instant emotional responses devoid of rational thought (which, BTW, is OK IMO when Richy's scoring goals like THAT!) and the way in which genuine news has been. replaced by opinions dressed as news, are scary.
Click to expand...
Tremendous post
 
thfcsteff said:
I clearly remember the first time I physically held a brand new iPhone, three days after the first one launched. I'd done a lot of research into it, was fairly interested, but once I held it, well, something snapped and I immediately went and got one. I thought it would be a fun tool, but I always saw it as a tool to be used judiciously. I did not expect the sheer levels and depths of its ubiquity to become what they have.
I think the iPhone has been the single largest gateway into some very serious rewiring of humanity, both in a metaphoric and literal sense.
I genuinely feel we have short-circuited an area of our brains wired for longer thought processes into short-attention only actions. The sheer distance these objects put physically between us is madness (in terms of less in-person interactions).

The re-wiring of the world, the way life is now presented through these mediums and is designed to provoke big instant emotional responses devoid of rational thought (which, BTW, is OK IMO when Richy's scoring goals like THAT!) and the way in which genuine news has been. replaced by opinions dressed as news, are scary.
Click to expand...

Jony Ive, second only to Steve Jobs in modern tech impact, has expressed regret over what their creation has become: https://www.theguardian.com/technol...er-jonny-ive-openai-chatgpt-smartphones-apple

……whilst promoting his new AI venture. Whatever it is, I can’t imagine it’s going to help much.
 
thfcsteff said:
I clearly remember the first time I physically held a brand new iPhone, three days after the first one launched. I'd done a lot of research into it, was fairly interested, but once I held it, well, something snapped and I immediately went and got one. I thought it would be a fun tool, but I always saw it as a tool to be used judiciously. I did not expect the sheer levels and depths of its ubiquity to become what they have.
I think the iPhone has been the single largest gateway into some very serious rewiring of humanity, both in a metaphoric and literal sense.
I genuinely feel we have short-circuited an area of our brains wired for longer thought processes into short-attention only actions. The sheer distance these objects put physically between us is madness (in terms of less in-person interactions).

The re-wiring of the world, the way life is now presented through these mediums and is designed to provoke big instant emotional responses devoid of rational thought (which, BTW, is OK IMO when Richy's scoring goals like THAT!) and the way in which genuine news has been. replaced by opinions dressed as news, are scary.
Click to expand...
I think the phone is the hardware, the mini computer in your hand. I have no beef with it, just as I never had any concern with using various PCs and laptops down the years. It's probably the most useful thing ever invented.

It's the SM apps that are the problem.
Look at most people's 'well-being and activity tracker' on their phone and it's there to see. The intrusion timewise (SM apps) is staggering. Then you dig down into what they are doing (consuming) within those hours and the recipe is there.

Id be so so interested to see the impact of the removal of Tik tok, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat (and other such nefarious apps) from existence. It would be nice if it could be done as though they never existed, but alas they have. So the 'recovery' might not be a straight line for everyone.
 
Last edited:
ricky2tricky4city said:
I think the phone is the hardware, the mini computer in your hand. I have no beef with it, just as I never had any concern with using various PCs and laptops down the years. It's probably the most useful thing ever invented.

It's the SM apps that are the problem.
Look at most people's 'well-being and activity tracker' on their phone and it's there to see. The intrusion timewise (SM apps) is staggering. Then you dig down into what they are doing (consuming) within those hours and the recipe is there.

Id be so so interested to see the impact of the removal of Tik tok, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat (and other such nefarious apps) from existence. It would be nice if it could be done as though they never existed, but alas they have. So the 'recovery' might not be a straight line for everyone.
Click to expand...

Indeed, however what the iPhone did was make it all so convenient, portable, and 24-7 accessible. I remember thinking there was no way video could work on a screen so small. Yet here we are, 2025, I find myself in some airport or somewhere using my VPN and watching a match sometimes!

Yes indeed, imagine if we could see that world exist (sans apps). It would be really interesting...
 
thfcsteff said:
Indeed, however what the iPhone did was make it all so convenient, portable, and 24-7 accessible. I remember thinking there was no way video could work on a screen so small. Yet here we are, 2025, I find myself in some airport or somewhere using my VPN and watching a match sometimes!

Yes indeed, imagine if we could see that world exist (sans apps). It would be really interesting...
Click to expand...

I think we are 100% better off with those devices. As @ricky2tricky4city was alluding to, the criticism should be of the social media leeches. People like Mark Zuckerberg, who I'm convinced is pure evil. Steve Jobs, Jony Ive et al had good intentions with what they made. Mark Zuckerberg started by creating a website to rate the attractiveness of college girls and then stole the Facebook idea. He doesn't care about teenage girls committing suicide due to instagram bullying. He doesn't care about the insane volume of pedophiles and predators that operate on his services.

In 20 - 40 years, I'm sure we will look back on this period with a sense of disbelief in how we all played along (obviously those in power more at fault than just users). Zuckerberg's legacy will not make good viewing.
 
tommysvr said:
I think we are 100% better off with those devices. As @ricky2tricky4city was alluding to, the criticism should be of the social media leeches. People like Mark Zuckerberg, who I'm convinced is pure evil. Steve Jobs, Jony Ive et al had good intentions with what they made. Mark Zuckerberg started by creating a website to rate the attractiveness of college girls and then stole the Facebook idea. He doesn't care about teenage girls committing suicide due to instagram bullying. He doesn't care about the insane volume of pedophiles and predators that operate on his services.

In 20 - 40 years, I'm sure we will look back on this period with a sense of disbelief in how we all played along (obviously those in power more at fault than just users). Zuckerberg's legacy will not make good viewing.
Click to expand...

I was observing the impact of these devices more than criticizing them. The impact has been undeniable. And the device has a part to play. In this case it's designed to be convenient and sophisticated. A pocket portal to wherever. And I don't think many will be looking back in 20 years time; that implies that people will care about where we are. Only a few will IMO...
 
thfcsteff said:
I was observing the impact of these devices more than criticizing them. The impact has been undeniable. And the device has a part to play. In this case it's designed to be convenient and sophisticated. A pocket portal to wherever. And I don't think many will be looking back in 20 years time; that implies that people will care about where we are. Only a few will IMO...
Click to expand...

Sorry, wasn't meaning to say you were criticising them. The iPhone 100% enabled people like Zuckerberg and so it has a part in that conversation.

I think we will be looking back -- I hope we do, anyway. We haven't even seen the true fallout of the damage social media has done yet.
 
thfcsteff said:
Indeed, however what the iPhone did was make it all so convenient, portable, and 24-7 accessible. I remember thinking there was no way video could work on a screen so small. Yet here we are, 2025, I find myself in some airport or somewhere using my VPN and watching a match sometimes!

Yes indeed, imagine if we could see that world exist (sans apps). It would be really interesting...
Click to expand...
Yes accessibility is a good point....right there in your hand.
On one side that convenience (like in the example you give) is a godsend. Imagine getting a laptop out of your backpack to book a hotel or check a train time.

On the flip side it's a godsend for all the SM apps to have an end user with an always on, always in reach, portal to their brain.

The saddest thing is all of this is a creation for commercial enterprise. Even if some of it was initially a 'happy accident' from their pov, they've morphed the beast right through the vulnerable parts of brains and minds. The net benefit to society miles below zero.

The unchecked, unregulated horse has bolted :( ....it will be interesting to get feedback from our Aussie posters on how the under 16 ban is playing out down under??
 
ricky2tricky4city said:
Yes accessibility is a good point....right there in your hand.
On one side that convenience (like in the example you give) is a godsend. Imagine getting a laptop out of your backpack to book a hotel or check a train time.

On the flip side it's a godsend for all the SM apps to have an end user with an always on, always in reach, portal to their brain.

The saddest thing is all of this is a creation for commercial enterprise. Even if some of it was initially a 'happy accident' from their pov, they've morphed the beast right through the vulnerable parts of brains and minds. The net benefit to society miles below zero.

The unchecked, unregulated horse has bolted :( ....it will be interesting to get feedback from our Aussie posters on how the under 16 ban is playing out down under??
Click to expand...
The ban hasn't come into effect yet I think it starts in December. at the moment the main argument seems to be how to inforce the ban age vertification etc. on the whole most seem in favour of it which is a good thing young kids don't need social media.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back