Has the internet made the world too complex?

[dms1972]

The use of internet technology does come with a certain amount of risk, but like it or not ... it is part of our world ... a BIG part as you say.

In what ways can its use for evil be limited? Good question, however, who is to decide this?

Personally, I'm more concerned with the electrical power grids, of which it is really unknown what ... if any .... very serious steps in protecting them are being taken.

We live in uncertain times ;o)

I think you raise a valid area of concern, that has crossed my mind at times, and probably crossed others minds too. Areas of infrastructure such as you mention do need protection and should be thought about. But there is so much to watch if you mean sub-stations.

There used to be adverts called PLAY SAFE warning of the dangers of fooling around or going in to restricted areas that used to be on fairly often here in the UK. If they are aired too much, they kind of lose their impact, but there are new generations of kids who need to know the risks of entering these electricity sub-stations, even some adults can be clueless! No doubt such locations are checked up on from time to time, but perhaps that needs to be more often?

 

[eleos1954]

I think you raise a valid area of concern, that has crossed my mind at times, and probably crossed others minds too. Areas of infrastructure such as you mention do need protection and should be thought about. But there is so much to watch if you mean sub-stations, that prayer is need, so that God might grant for some police unit to be in the right spot at the right time to intercept any attack. Public TV adverts warning of the dangers of fooling around or going in to these areas used to be on fairly often here in the UK. If they are on too much, they kind of lose their impact, but there are new generations of kids who would not know the risks of entering these sub-stations. No doubt they are checked up on from time to time, but perhaps that needs to be more often - I don't know?

well, don't know how it is in the UK ... but we have cameras everywhere here in the US ... somewhat of an exaggeration ... but many many many. Significant loss of electricity over a fairly short period of time would kill millions.

We have so many possible disturbing threats that could happen, boggles the mind sometimes. ;o) Trusting in the Lord ... trusting in the Lord.

 

[RDKirk]

In my teens home computers took 5 mins to load a 48k game! and downloading a 640*480 image could take as long as 30mins over a 2400 baud modem!!

I remember a pal from my teenage years, telling me about the coming of the internet several years before it was actually in existence (it probably existed as network APRANET but not in the form it is now). Foolishly I didn't take it all that seriously. But now its here and the world seems a lot more complicated because of it. Although there is much valuable content, and anyone engaged in research must find it an great boon. But there is the other side, in that it makes it easy for instance for pedophiles to exchange images of child abuse over the dark web and other sinister activities. There are the issues of inappropriate content addiction, bullying on social media, all the conspiracy videos about this that and the other group making a grab at world-domination (surely all these different conspiracies will cancel each other out?)

So what do you think is the world just much the same as before the internet, or more complex?

Do the pros balance out the cons of the internet?

Does the internet need a reboot?

No, it has not made the world more complex. The world is what the world is.

Before the internet, it was difficult to hear only one side of a story.

The internet enables people to enclose themselves into echo chambers so that they delude themselves that the world is much more simple than it really is.

 

[mama2one]

following

 

[mama2one]

The internet enables people to enclose themselves into echo chambers so that they delude themselves that the world is much more simple than it really is.

think the opposite

before the net, the world appeared safe because parents didn't read off the net all the reports of local bad happenings

 

[RDKirk]

think the opposite

before the net, the world appeared safe because parents didn't read off the net all the reports of local bad happenings

due to net & sites like local police crime site, I read reports of "creeps" trying to pick up kids in our town which has happened more than once
one girl got license plate of one man & no attempts have been successful as kids run

my child isn't going to have the freedom others grew up with prior to net as I'm aware of the dangers out there & not living in the "carefree" world prior to net

People were not unaware of such things. My parents certainly were not in the 50s and early 60s. The "police blotter" was always in the newspaper every day, and news always got around anyway because people talked to each other back then.

Rather, they actually had a more accurate "feel" for how serious those events really were for them where they were.

 

[Tom 1]

In my teens home computers took 5 mins to load a 48k game! and downloading a 640*480 image could take as long as 30mins over a 2400 baud modem!!

I remember a pal from my teenage years, telling me about the coming of the internet several years before it was actually in existence (it probably existed as network APRANET but not in the form it is now). Foolishly I didn't take it all that seriously. But now its here and the world seems a lot more complicated because of it. Although there is much valuable content, and anyone engaged in research must find it an great boon. But there is the other side, in that it makes it easy for instance for pedophiles to exchange images of child abuse over the dark web and other sinister activities. There are the issues of inappropriate content addiction, bullying on social media, all the conspiracy videos about this that and the other group making a grab at world-domination (surely all these different conspiracies will cancel each other out?)

So what do you think is the world just much the same as before the internet, or more complex?

Do the pros balance out the cons of the internet?

Does the internet need a reboot?

Way better with. I could have done the same amount of study in a quarter of the time if I'd had internet access at Uni.

 

[bèlla]

I’ve been online for nearly three decades. The Internet you’re experiencing today isn’t the way it was in its early moments. Access was more expensive and most weren’t online.

People gathered in forums due to shared interests. Not because of anxiety, isolation, or the absence of human contact. We had a life outside of the Net. It wasn’t a substitute for what’s lacking.

Temperaments were different. You had a few eccentric types but not the overly sensitive craziness you encounter today. It was fun and we knew how to have fun.

 

[mama2one]

Access was more expensive

when child was younger, we dropped net to save money and I went to library with child in stroller to ck email

have again & cost goes up with no explanation

 

[bèlla]

when child was younger, we dropped net to save money and I went to library with child in stroller to ck email

Schools and public libraries were popular access points. Computers were costly at that time. WebTV provided an alternative for Internet access at a lower price point.

Long distance wasn’t free either. I conversed with people around the world via phone. MCI had the best rates and their $0.05 cents-per-minute Sunday promotion was well used.

Dating wise, most stuck to their region. But there were a few like myself who ventured afar (OR, TX, CA, MD, NJ, NH, MA and Australia). Although it may appear you’re paying more, your expenses would have been far greater back then.

You’d probably be emailing or IM’ng your relatives instead of calling. Video existed through webcams which we accessed through instant messengers. Connecting is much cheaper now.

 

[dms1972]

I’ve been online for nearly three decades. The Internet you’re experiencing today isn’t the way it was in its early moments. Access was more expensive and most weren’t online.

People gathered in forums due to shared interests. Not because of anxiety, isolation, or the absence of human contact. We had a life outside of the Net. It wasn’t a substitute for what’s lacking.

Temperaments were different. You had a few eccentric types but not the overly sensitive craziness you encounter today. It was fun and we knew how to have fun.

Thanks for your comments. You are quite right. In some respects the psychology or attitudes and temperaments of people in regard to computers and the Internet / World wide Web have changed enormously. First think of early computer advertisements (if you can remember any) which were often in terms of computers being a focus of the entire family and advertised towards being a new sort of family entertainment. It was often the younger family members that caught on quickest, and that's still mostly the same, unless your mum or dad works in the computing field. Well younger ones may pick it up (or some aspects of it) fairly quick, but that certainly doesn't mean they understand the wider implications of it any better.

Yes the Internet has changed enormously since 1995 (at at least it was around then that I started using it for the first time). It will continue to change. Therefore it seems best at this point for those with an influence to start looking at charting possible ways to avoid it becoming a mess. I am pretty sure some of those folks who developed it already are. Nothing like this has existed before, the best way to do that is unclear to me as people tend to dislike increased regulation but that will probably happen in some way or other. However I am not one of that group that unleashed the internet and world wide web, and I am not even all that clued up in regard to online tech, and so i have very little influence. I used to be able to keep up with developments, I could programme at machine code level on early microcomputers. But I don't try to keep up as much now in regard to whats happening (I find some of it a bit boring now - a lot of talk about overclocking as stuff - but when I wrote programmes, it was about optimising your programme to make best use of the limitations).

As your comment points out the situation needs to be assessed not just in terms how many more Megabytes that can be downloaded a second, or how much hard disk space we can have now compared with 20 years ago, but in terms of impacts, in many areas including the social, spiritual, and ethical.

 

[bèlla]

Thanks for your comments. You are quite right. In some respects the psychology or attitudes and temperaments of people have changed enormously.

Thought and reason have been significantly impacted. The absence of discernment is striking. There’s a collective group think and people readily believe what they hear without validation in many instances. Its bizarre to watch.

First think of early computer advertisements (if you can remember any) which were often in terms of computers being a focus of the entire family and advertised towards being a new sort of family entertainment.

I remember. I had a Commodore 64. But physical materials still held primacy at that time and still do for me. I skim everything in this space. I save my energy and attention for books and other materials whose source I can verify.

but in terms of impacts, in many areas including the social, spiritual, and ethical.

There’s a lot fear and more obia’s than I’ve encountered throughout my life. Add the social challenges to the mix and its overwhelming.

I don’t have the answers but I’m moving towards a perspective which lessens the place the Internet has in my personal life. I’m placing a greater focus on business relationships that will foster the personal.

I was more inclusive in the past but that isn’t a sustainable approach in today’s culture.

 

[dms1972]

Thought and reason have been significantly impacted. The absence of discernment is striking. There’s a collective group think and people readily believe what they hear without validation in many instances. Its bizarre to watch.



I remember. I had a Commodore 64. But physical materials still held primacy at that time and still do for me. I skim everything in this space. I save my energy and attention for books and other materials whose source I can verify.

Practical reason played a larger part in past times. There was an emphasis on cultivating inner qualities and moral virtues, that there is not as much emphasis on these days, although there are efforts to revive this sort education in contemporary dress.

I didn't have a C64 but I was looking up some of the adverts for that machine and the VIC 20 - Commodore certainly had an eye to business by marketing their computers in that way. Before that in those days 1970s and early 1980s anything computer related was an expensive outlay as you mention, they aimed it at educational uses, home economics and programming as well as being a games machine. The more affordable VIC20 was probably the machine that really brought computers into the home. Now with mobile phones and tablets and notebook devices (really the integrated screen which doesn't require use of the family TV set), things have shifted away somewhat from family oriented systems.