Here's the thing about the internet. It turns humanity into a big hive-mind.
One of the only memorable moments in Superman Returns had Brandon Routh sort of listening to the earth from the stratosphere. It was like being God, the information-overload aspect.
That's what the internet does. It provides access to everyone's chatter, and that chatter tends to be more raw id/unfiltered due to the sense of anonymity/lack-of-recourse.
In the old days as you walked down the street you never knew what somebody's politics were and there are unwritten social rules about how much to share based on how close your social relationship. It's generally rude to open a conversation with a stranger about politics because you have no way of knowing what side of the spectrum they're on. I've had cases at the gym where I've been a captive audience and there's a guy who just keeps opening these political dialogues. He's acting under certain assumptions about me and frankly I don't want to have to engage him and potentially get into a fight. People used to know these rules. They don't online, though. You get hit up with everyone's belief-systems all the time. It feels like an assault.
I started to sense this when news sites started having free-for-all comments sections at the bottom. That used to be relegated to select letters-to-the-editor. Now it's so distracting that the slugfest in the comments is really the only thing I remember, NOT the article. It has destroyed journalism to the point where only people's REACTION to news matters, not the news itself.
You see this playing out right now with #MeToo. News starts to wag the dog where it becomes all about people getting outraged over what people said ABOUT #MeToo (like Matt Damon) and then people get triggered by the triggering, and they get triggered by the triggering of the triggering, etc....
![[Image: 9c1.jpg]](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/877/480/9c1.jpg)
You also see this play out with GamerGate, ComicsGate and the whole SJW media controversy (Last Jedi, Ghostbusters, etc...). Next to politics, what people's likes/dislikes are in entertainment is probably the next level down in conflict. If you want to find someone with bad taste, it's never been difficult. But now this has been weaponized to the point of religious devotion. Now to some people you're a "bad person" if you like or dislike X.
Humans were designed to live in small tribal bands. We are simply incapable of managing the weight of billions of voices constantly banging out ignorant and opinionated brain-farts. The net result so far has been that it raises everyone's stress hormones as we feel constant assaulted by the opinions of those who harbor irreconcilable differences.
It was easier to feel a sense of respect for your neighbor and a sense of community when their polarizing thoughts were kept to themselves. But as it is now I think it drives people into narrow identity politics silos. I just think we've opened a Pandora's box.
One of the only memorable moments in Superman Returns had Brandon Routh sort of listening to the earth from the stratosphere. It was like being God, the information-overload aspect.
That's what the internet does. It provides access to everyone's chatter, and that chatter tends to be more raw id/unfiltered due to the sense of anonymity/lack-of-recourse.
In the old days as you walked down the street you never knew what somebody's politics were and there are unwritten social rules about how much to share based on how close your social relationship. It's generally rude to open a conversation with a stranger about politics because you have no way of knowing what side of the spectrum they're on. I've had cases at the gym where I've been a captive audience and there's a guy who just keeps opening these political dialogues. He's acting under certain assumptions about me and frankly I don't want to have to engage him and potentially get into a fight. People used to know these rules. They don't online, though. You get hit up with everyone's belief-systems all the time. It feels like an assault.
I started to sense this when news sites started having free-for-all comments sections at the bottom. That used to be relegated to select letters-to-the-editor. Now it's so distracting that the slugfest in the comments is really the only thing I remember, NOT the article. It has destroyed journalism to the point where only people's REACTION to news matters, not the news itself.
You see this playing out right now with #MeToo. News starts to wag the dog where it becomes all about people getting outraged over what people said ABOUT #MeToo (like Matt Damon) and then people get triggered by the triggering, and they get triggered by the triggering of the triggering, etc....
You also see this play out with GamerGate, ComicsGate and the whole SJW media controversy (Last Jedi, Ghostbusters, etc...). Next to politics, what people's likes/dislikes are in entertainment is probably the next level down in conflict. If you want to find someone with bad taste, it's never been difficult. But now this has been weaponized to the point of religious devotion. Now to some people you're a "bad person" if you like or dislike X.
Humans were designed to live in small tribal bands. We are simply incapable of managing the weight of billions of voices constantly banging out ignorant and opinionated brain-farts. The net result so far has been that it raises everyone's stress hormones as we feel constant assaulted by the opinions of those who harbor irreconcilable differences.
It was easier to feel a sense of respect for your neighbor and a sense of community when their polarizing thoughts were kept to themselves. But as it is now I think it drives people into narrow identity politics silos. I just think we've opened a Pandora's box.