I came across this video from 1994 touting the perks of “THE INTERNET”
I have to admit, I become a bit nostalgic 
Any one else?
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Here’s is another video compilation with people’s initial thoughts on the INTERNET…It’s really something- very telling.
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Yeah, the internet is past its peak. I don’t see anything exciting about it anymore.
But then again, Zuckerberg is trying to make Metaverse happen LOL
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I wonder if making the move to be deliberately offline could be the next new hot trend- the way vinyl made a comeback.
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Yeah, I think we have reached a point in history where we do have some choices as to how we move forward, but it won’t be that way for long.
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I don’t think it will be some kind of trend, but rather some people will consciously think about leading an “analogue” way of life again. I know some people for whom it’s all getting to be too much and for whom the government’s measures and surveillance during the pandemic showed what is possible with digital technology, in a negative sense.
I am really tired of it all. The times when the internet was a great reference work and imparted knowledge are over. Nowadays, false information is spread deliberately to influence and manipulate people. The times when you discussed different opinions on any topic with like-minded people in internet forums are over. Today, people trumpet their own opinion on Facebook and Twitter and everything that deviates from this opinion is mercilessly put down and preferably censored/deleted (cancel culture).
The internet is used to satisfy various addictions. Shopping addiction, seeking attention (Instagram) etc…
I rarely use my laptop anymore. One of the few activities is this and another forum where you still meet sensible people.
I don’t use streaming services anymore, but I read more books and listen to vinyl records. I write letters by hand, in ink on nice paper. I write letters to authorities and the like on an old typewriter that I restored. I enjoy all that because it’s a conscious action that I concentrate on and I don’t do anything on the side.
That kind of thing is totally lost in the digital world.
Life has become far too complicated and energy-sapping because of all these digital “aids”.
Who knows what is happening in the background on their PC or smartphone while they are doing something. What does the technology do, what happens to my data in the background, etc.?
When I write a letter with my typewriter, I see and know exactly what happens there. It’s a completely different world.
Of course we shouldn’t go back to the stone age, but consciously going back to the good old analogue alternatives for some things would certainly do some people good.
We absolutely have to learn to live more consciously again and to feel in every moment what we are doing and why we are doing it.
No more digital distractions that rob us of valuable time.
We must learn to endure and appreciate times of silence and boredom.
That is healthy and enormously important.
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@marko Thanks for sharing this with us.
I have to say I agree with you about the reasons why people are shifting away from this constant connection. I think slowly they are realizing that it’s perhaps “unnatural” for us as human beings to be so immersed in a hyper-digital world.
Technology is GREAT when it helps us be more efficient, ie making a transfer online rather than going to the bank & making the transfer in person.
However, picking up the phone & calling a long-distance friend on their birthday instead of just mindlessly sending a text or posting on their social media account- that’s when technology is not allowing us to be more efficient, but just more disconnected & less human.
@valleygirl I’m sure there are places where it could be done. I’m often in NYC & there’s this place were they have a dark room & you can develop your own pictures.
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There was a time, long ago, when the internet was new and exciting. Information was free, there was no shopping, communities of like-minded individuals found gathering places to discuss what interested them, and there were very few ads. Those ads that did exist weren’t intrusive. There were no pop-ups. That internet quickly disappeared, and during the 2000s, the internet transformed into a relatively user-hostile place. Today, even search is completely broken.
I worked for a managed webhosting company for many years. Sadly, that company was eventually sold and the new owners killed off the bespoke bare-metal offering that was the company’s main trade. This means that total cost of ownership of websites goes up, and then the need to monetize increases commensurately. This is just one aspect, but the entire industry has been completely restructured to try to maximize the lucre that can be obtained. The centralization of all compute into the hands of three companies does little to help the situation (Microsoft Azure, Amazon AWS, Google).
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