The Internet Destroyed Us.

[XRubicon]

Who would have thought that the greatest invention of all time would destroy civilization.

[OAITW r.2.0]

1. And yet, you are posting in a place where everyone agrees with you.

[BWdem4life]

17. Why else would his OP have gotten 600 recs?

[electric_blue68]

2. I Don't Agree! Like Most Inventions there are the good, and the bad aspects in various proportions! There are so many..

things I can/have learned about in various degrees in a relatively faster degree, than searching for books. Doesn't mean I don't still go to the brick & mortar Library as well!

I use the Net for education, for fun (dedicated various interest sites [like DU]), news special sites, etc, connecting with out of city, State, and country family, and friends!

It's never cut into my perchant for being face 2 face with the people I care about either; that some people were concerned about as the Net grew into the public awareness vs it's original origins.

[XRubicon]

4. I like your attitude and a long time ago I used the internet for the same

But look around, it is totally out of control. Look at the crazy disinformation - there has never been anything like what is happening now.

[electric_blue68]

6. I get what you are saying, but RW TV and radio spreads alot, and for longer. We "just" (not easy) have to continue to...

counter them!
Not unlike what we have been doing in various ways, and avenues for decades (bah!).

[lame54]

19. I don't trust my toaster

[electric_blue68]

22. Oh, dear, then what can u count on?!

[betsuni]

3. How? Could you please explain?

[XRubicon]

7. Crazy people used to be isolated

They used to be marginalized, but now they can network globally.

Foreign nations can easily influence many people.

[H2O Man]

9. Recommended.

Also, sane people often isolate on cell phones.

[betsuni]

16. I think Americans are much more gullible than the populations of many, if not most, other countries.

[Prairie Gates]

5. Wild for every single clause of a sentence to be wrong

Impressive accomplishment!

[XRubicon]

8. LOL

[Prairie Gates]

10. Uh...so?

[RidinWithHarris]

11. We managed well enough to go crazy and xenophobic and genocidal well before the internet

I can see how the internet enables the rapid spread of so much disinformation and hate, but perhaps there's a balancing spread of good information too.

It is very sad where our country is right now. Even if Harris wins, that'll just be keeping what's so sad from becoming more destructive -- and maybe just delaying it.

We humans, however, are quite capable of destruction and self-destruction whether we communicate at the speed of walking or horseback riding or trains or the telegraph. I don't think you can blame the internet for where we are now.

[relayerbob]

12. And yet the Hitlers, Stalins, Pol Pots, Idi Amins, etc all thrived

The problem isn't the internet. The problem is with human nature. We have spent centuries selectively breeding violence and glorifying power (think of the hordes or, for that matter, whichever emperor du jour, rampaging through the countryside, killing those who stood in their way while letting their armies take the women for "wives" to further their ambitions). It's really no different now, other than we get find out about it much more quickly and more graphically. Who knows how we fix the problem - assuming that the AI Terminators don't fix it for us - but the tools for our self-destruction are many and varied, and take all sorts of insidious forms, almost all of which could transform our planet into a paradise if used correctly.

[Kaleva]

13. We were well on our way to catastrophic climate change before the Internet

Without the internet, I'd be extremely hard pressed trying to gather the best info on how to prepare to adapt to what's coming

[yonder]

14. I don't disagree yet I use it often and presume my use is responsible,

as wrong as that presumption might be. I do think my ability to remember things has taken a hit when an answer may be a keystroke away.

So, while asking from my keyboard, is it an insidious trap or useful tool? Dunno.

[Mossfern]

15. I've thought that for several years

nothing new.
I feel the same way about AI.

[lame54]

18. Hal

[llmart]

20. If civilization is eventually destroyed...

it won't be because of the Internet. Climate change isn't due to the Internet. It's due to human behavior.

[republianmushroom]

21. Disagree, the internet didn't destroy us,

but, it has shown us who and what we are as a species.