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Is the Internet destroying society?

#81
Its just a Hollywood movie, but I watch a flick called Eagle Eye, that kid from the transformers movie is in it. Yeah, its overly dramatic, again....Hollywood. But it will make you think about how and what is connected and how it can be used against you. A bit sobering to say the least.
 
#84
The internet killed local journalism and that's helped to destroy democracy. The cell phone implementation has destroyed sociability.

The local papers were supported by advertising and used that money to fund journalism so they'd get readers. Ad costs were high, but whether help wanted or sell your car you payed by word or line.

Cell phones as conversational devices have replaced conversations. Couples walking down the street with stroller, concentrating on their phones. Texting not talking can eventually make talking harder to do. We seem to be changing as a species.
 
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#85
As a library and information geek I had (unreasonably) high hopes for the internet in the beginning. It didn't take long for corporate interests and short sighted governments to derail those high hopes. If the internet is destroying society I would place the blame at the feet of those who allowed it to become monetized and gave corporate interests the upper hand. The internet is just another tool as has been mentioned but at this point it appears a good bit of the tool's use is to influence the thoughts of the people (control) and to sell them products and services. Television certainly got the ball rolling fast down the hill on things like homogenization (of people, products, language, etc.) and polarization of opinions, but the internet has taken it all to a new level. Not all of this 'progress' is 'bad' but the big picture is pretty bleak in my view. I fly to Europe and I see the same products for sale that I see here unless I really dig deep. Languages and cultural identities disappear regularly, lost forever. I can have a chat on social media with someone from across the country or the globe and get the same 'opinion' regurgitated from talking heads and headlines. Bricks and mortar stores go out of business and Amazon (and similar) pick up more sales and power... If I put the politics and conspiracy theories aside, at a minimum it is all quite boring from the point of view of someone who appreciates diversity and uniqueness.
 
#86
Umm, pretty heavy topic here. Perhaps it's impractical to try to bang out on the keyboard any detailed comments.

Is the internet destroying society? I'd say that it is a contributing factor. Along with many other things.

I will say that the internet is not contributing to happiness. If it was, we should all be very happy now but we are not.

I'm stopping here.

b032c7e7a2fd74c8571a4861de0e8fcd20c03501eb2781aec47d6697a28b2b75.jpg
 
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#87
kjp360 said:
As a library and information geek I had (unreasonably) high hopes for the internet in the beginning. It didn't take long for corporate interests and short sighted governments to derail those high hopes. If the internet is destroying society I would place the blame at the feet of those who allowed it to become monetized and gave corporate interests the upper hand. The internet is just another tool as has been mentioned but at this point it appears a good bit of the tool's use is to influence the thoughts of the people (control) and to sell them products and services. Television certainly got the ball rolling fast down the hill on things like homogenization (of people, products, language, etc.) and polarization of opinions, but the internet has taken it all to a new level. Not all of this 'progress' is 'bad' but the big picture is pretty bleak in my view. I fly to Europe and I see the same products for sale that I see here unless I really dig deep. Languages and cultural identities disappear regularly, lost forever. I can have a chat on social media with someone from across the country or the globe and get the same 'opinion' regurgitated from talking heads and headlines. Bricks and mortar stores go out of business and Amazon (and similar) pick up more sales and power... If I put the politics and conspiracy theories aside, at a minimum it is all quite boring from the point of view of someone who appreciates diversity and uniqueness.
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I agree. We seem to forget that it's alway necessary to regulate commerce. Rather than regulate commerce, we've been removing regulation and then wondering how thing go wrong. The evasion of sale-tax by the internet merchants was allowed for years because of failure to regulate and uphold the law.
 
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#88
A hammer is really nothing more than a hammer.... How a person uses that hammer is what gives that hammer it’s meaning in that moment. Prior to it being used, it is possesses nothing more than possibility. It could be used to build shelter or it can be used to crack a skull. It’s the same as the internet. It’s value lies in how it is used, not in what it is.
 
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#89
walking Bass said:
The internet killed local journalism and that's helped to destroy democracy.
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Journalism is not the exclusive domain of companies such as local newspapers.

Typically a newspaper will present or conceal information depending on their ideology. This has been ongoing since the railroad barons purchased the newspapers in the 1800’s and continues to this day with Bezos’ acquisition of the Washington Post.

The internet and free journalism is displacing these slanted fiefdoms.

Never before have I had access to so many diverse points of view from so many individuals that aren’t toeing the line in the name of job security.

I would suggest that the web is enhancing democratic freedom.
 
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#90
charlie monroe said:
Journalism is not the exclusive domain of companies such as local newspapers.

Typically a newspaper will present or conceal information depending on their ideology. This has been ongoing since the railroad barons purchased the newspapers in the 1800’s and continues to this day with Bezos’ acquisition of the Washington Post.

The internet and free journalism is displacing these slanted fiefdoms.

Never before have I had access to so many diverse points of view from so many individuals that aren’t toeing the line in the name of job security.

I would suggest that the web is enhancing democratic freedom.
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I agree there are many diverse points of view, but journalism is never free. Someone always pays for it, since doing it costs money. If democracy was working, why are so many issues decided in favor of small financial constituencies rather than for the benefit of society, despite majority opinion.
 
#91
It would be a tad harder to march indigenous people on a trail of tears or kill 6,000,000 members of a religious group you don't like if the entire world can see it happen in real time. Researchers can collaborate across oceans and so on and so forth. If we're going to ask if the internet is destroying society, it's only fair to point out that its benefits have actually made life better for us all in many ways as well. I get that people don't like the political dishonesty, but I don't see much difference between it now or back when William Hearst used his newspaper to manipulate public opinion. I get that you get targeted ads, but is it REALLY much different than Montgomery Ward buying your address and sending you junk mail every week? Greedy and corrupt people have always and will always be around to manipulate the stupid, the gullible and the poor. It's just a byproduct of living in a free society.

As for the idea that people don't talk due to cell phones well......
back in my day.jpg
 
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#92
walking Bass said:
I agree there are many diverse points of view, but journalism is never free. Someone always pays for it, since doing it costs money. If democracy was working, why are so many issues decided in favor of small financial constituencies rather than for the benefit of society, despite majority opinion.
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By “free”, I meant unencumbered by a boss.

By “democratic” I meant choices made by people.

And FYI, we do not live in a democracy.
 
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#93
At the risk of sounding like a jerk who thinks he is brighter and more well read than many: Although there may be more diverse opinions available the reality is that most will read only what they have been targeted to read by the larger players. On top of that many will only read the headlines provided and, at best, scan the article. Add to this the ever growing trend of the polarization of opinions and many will only read what fuels their particular preferred viewpoint. As curious musicians and artists (we could probably add un-owned academics and the odd non-polarized news junkie) we are probably not the norm as we search out alternative views and dig deeper into issues. Do that many really go beyond the first page of search results? I do not think it is far fetched to believe that most only read or watch what they are spoon fed by large corporations and other groups with deep pockets and an agenda. As @charlie monroe points out this has been going on a long time. That said, the internet and related technology facilitates greater target accuracy and wider dissemination.
 
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#94
blue4 said:
It would be a tad harder to march indigenous people on a trail of tears or kill 6,000,000 members of a religious group you don't like if the entire world can see it happen in real time. Researchers can collaborate across oceans and so on and so forth. If we're going to ask if the internet is destroying society, it's only fair to point out that its benefits have actually made life better for us all in many ways as well. I get that people don't like the political dishonesty, but I don't see much difference between it now or back when William Hearst used his newspaper to manipulate public opinion. I get that you get targeted ads, but is it REALLY much different than Montgomery Ward buying your address and sending you junk mail every week? Greedy and corrupt people have always and will always be around to manipulate the stupid, the gullible and the poor. It's just a byproduct of living in a free society.

As for the idea that people don't talk due to cell phones well......
View attachment 3406120
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and there have been no genocides since the internet?
 
#97
Anything people do on the internet is a manifestation of a human desire.
When A.I. turns the wheels, that may no longer be the case.

PauFerro said:
This was a comment that a few people made in the Mentality thread in Band Management. There seemed to be a strong wave of opinion about how the Internet is, as people put it, 'destroying society'.

I am curious what people think of this. Speaking generally, is the Internet hurting society more than it's helping it? If so, why do you think so?
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#98
rashrader said:
A hammer is really nothing more than a hammer.... How a person uses that hammer is what gives that hammer it’s meaning in that moment. Prior to it being used, it is possesses nothing more than possibility. It could be used to build shelter or it can be used to crack a skull. It’s the same as the internet. It’s value lies in how it is used, not in what it is.
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My thoughts exactly...except you put it more succinctly and eloquently.:thumbsup:
 

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