The Internet Revolution

[artfag]

I don't know if this question is old and retired or not, but I am pretty new to the whole world of the boards on the internet. Many times I find boards completely pointless, filled with worthless rambling. Other Times I find that I am tuned into info I would not find on my own that I am greatful for. Both seem lead to the same outcome.
About four months ago I paid the fee to cancel my cell phone because I hated the idea of it that much. I realized how my life had changed and how my stress level had actually increased due to always having a cell phone blow up at any time. Sure people say just turn it off when you don't want to hear it, but unless your in a movie or library who really ever thinks at some random moment that they don't feel like hearing there cell phone. In a middle of a peaceful hike suddenly your cell is blowing up, the forest awakens, birds flutter, squirrels drop their acorns and your heart beats ac ouple beats faster startled by your girlfreind nagging you about hanging out. Or whatever the case the days of making plans and then leaving your house and following them through, underdisturbed were long gone. Then I dropped the cell and for months I went w/o a phone at all. Most thought immature. I thought it incredibly relaxing. Now, after months I caved and got a land line hooked up for sheer necessity.
That all seemed beside the point but when I went w/o a phone I seemed to seep into the internet world. So many spaces to cry to anybody and everybody on the net. I found myself typing away on a board last night when I remembered I used to do this at a coffee shop or bar or a friends house. It seems the comfort of typing away and endlessly shooting the pointless shit on the net has largely taken the place of face to face communication. The loss is great. It seems to me that in turn the sense of friendship has become much more surface level as well. I am not saying that the coffee shop has become endangered, but instead of seeing a group of friends sitting round spitting philosophy, you see someone on a laptop.

My points have been left open for further debate.

[The Sheck]

It seems the comfort of typing away and endlessly shooting the pointless shit on the net has largely taken the place of face to face communication. The loss is great. It seems to me that in turn the sense of friendship has become much more surface level as well. I am not saying that the coffee shop has become endangered, but instead of seeing a group of friends sitting round spitting philosophy, you see someone on a laptop.

Message boards and the Internet HAVE replaced, in some cases, face-to-face communication, dating, friendship, etc. While anything that is overused has a tendency to 'go bad,' for a lack of better words, I don't think it's exclusively a terrible thing that it's gone down this way. What about all the board bashes? Those are testament to the Internet not being a bad thing. I met my last gf through the 'net, too.

Everything's cool in moderation. Not everybody has the addictive personality to become an Everquest junkie (for example).

[artfag]

Message boards and the Internet HAVE replaced, in some cases, face-to-face communication, dating, friendship, etc. While anything that is overused has a tendency to 'go bad,' for a lack of better words, I don't think it's exclusively a terrible thing that it's gone down this way. What about all the board bashes? Those are testament to the Internet not being a bad thing. I met my last gf through the 'net, too.

Everything's cool in moderation. Not everybody has the addictive personality to become an Everquest junkie (for example).
This is the good side that I was speaking of. But just like anything, as humans we evolve towards what is easy and comfortable to us. Maybe it was just being yonger but it seems that the meeting up with friends for anything from playing records to organizing a function. Sure it was more of a hassle but that just makes it real and more memorable. Nobody is going to come up to you and say "remember that time on the internet? Man, we all laughed so hard."

[The Sheck]

Nobody is going to come up to you and say "remember that time on the internet? Man, we all laughed so hard."

Maybe not the 'laughed so hard' part, but there have been a few people who've tracked me down offline to talk about events of the day on the boards.

But just like anything, as humans we evolve towards what is easy and comfortable to us.

I don't know about that necessarily. Technology is supposed to make things easier, yes, but like you said, there's a lot of hassle and stress that comes along with it. One could argue our current society seems to encourage difficulty and hardships as much as it claims that everyone is more prosperous than they were 30 years ago.

[weeone]

I don't know if this question is old and retired or not, but I am pretty new to the whole world of the boards on the internet. Many times I find boards completely pointless, filled with worthless rambling. Other Times I find that I am tuned into info I would not find on my own that I am greatful for. Both seem lead to the same outcome.
About four months ago I paid the fee to cancel my cell phone because I hated the idea of it that much. I realized how my life had changed and how my stress level had actually increased due to always having a cell phone blow up at any time. Sure people say just turn it off when you don't want to hear it, but unless your in a movie or library who really ever thinks at some random moment that they don't feel like hearing there cell phone. In a middle of a peaceful hike suddenly your cell is blowing up, the forest awakens, birds flutter, squirrels drop their acorns and your heart beats ac ouple beats faster startled by your girlfreind nagging you about hanging out. Or whatever the case the days of making plans and then leaving your house and following them through, underdisturbed were long gone. Then I dropped the cell and for months I went w/o a phone at all. Most thought immature. I thought it incredibly relaxing. Now, after months I caved and got a land line hooked up for sheer necessity.
That all seemed beside the point but when I went w/o a phone I seemed to seep into the internet world. So many spaces to cry to anybody and everybody on the net. I found myself typing away on a board last night when I remembered I used to do this at a coffee shop or bar or a friends house. It seems the comfort of typing away and endlessly shooting the pointless shit on the net has largely taken the place of face to face communication. The loss is great. It seems to me that in turn the sense of friendship has become much more surface level as well. I am not saying that the coffee shop has become endangered, but instead of seeing a group of friends sitting round spitting philosophy, you see someone on a laptop.

My points have been left open for further debate.
Let me know anytime you are in Louisville, we'll hang out all face to face style. I'm a large proponent of this sort of thing.

[72valiant]

yeah, everything in moderation. including excesses.

personally, i don't have any internet friends. i have people i have met that i keep in touch with via email but still look forward to the time i will see them or talk on the phone. the boards are entertaining and i've met some good people. i miss the bashes. i think there was a point here when i started...

[72valiant]

Let me know anytime you are in Louisville, we'll hang out all face to face style. I'm a large proponent of this sort of thing.

yeah, same here. anyone coming to the orlando/daytona area, give me a holla and we'll do tea.

[markalot]

I don't know if I would say that this medium has replaced face to face.

I wouldn't talk to you all if it wasn't for this board, so in fact it's increased my communications.

[artfag]

I don't know if I would say that this medium has replaced face to face.

I wouldn't talk to you all if it wasn't for this board, so in fact it's increased my communications.
I whole heartedly agree. I was making a point on the evolution.

[trintdog]

I agree, this is the reason I got rid of that damn Myspace account that everyone got me into. I think cell phones are worse, I walk around more now and every other person on the streets has a cell phone glued to their ear. ugh..that's as much as I want to go into it now, next time I see any of you I will talk about it. ;)

[euro60]

I was making a point on the evolution.
Which was what again? :p

I find hanging out at Board is most fun during the day, at work. Too much stuff going on usually in the evening. So no, they don't replace face-to-face, but are complimentary.

[vivalamusica]

I think one aspect of this is that the internet has allowed people who have similar interests but are geographically diverse to find each other.

I'm not the type to chat online much - in fact, this board is really the only place online I've actively participated in the discussion. And even here, I'm only a sporadic poster at best (depending, of course, on my workload at any given time.) But one of the reasons I started participating at all is that I love music, and I like to talk about music with people who have similar tastes and can discuss it intelligently. I love my real-life friends and family, but if I told any of them that I'm sitting here listening to the new Broken Social Scene album, they'd say "the broken who what huh?"

There are downsides to this, of course. Take politics. Where, pre-internet, you might have a group of different-minded friends sitting around a table discussing politics, today it seems liberals just chat on liberal blogs, and conservatives on conservative blogs. Under the old face-to-face model, someone may have stood a chance at actually persuading someone to change their views slightly. I think there may have been more of an overall moderating effect. On the internet, with like minded people seeking each other out, everyone can end up reinforcing each other's own views.

Anyway, I might have been going somewhere with this, I think.

[george]

The Internet has made it much easier for me to pick up underaged chicks.

[Homsar]

I'd have never known there were so many cool people out there.
And the internet actually has led me to meet new people face to face.
But if I had to choose, I'd definitely choose real life.
It's just that I can't get out all the time.

[teribl sob stry]

yeah, everything in moderation. including excesses.


yeah, seriously. you guys spend too much time on the internet.

:p

[Homsar]

Moderation?

This IS in moderation!

Wog wants moderation...

[DaHood]

As far as the cell phone thing goes, I treat mine as a convenience. I turn the ringer off in restaurants, cinemas or any place where I think it would be disturbing in public. I don't answer my phone when I'm in these places, especially in a cinema unless absolutely necessary. I'll leave the room if I have to carry on a conversation. There's no need to answer the phone when out to dinner unless you're waiting for something very important. That's why Buddha created voice mail. Turn the freaking things off when you're eating out people.

As far as the internet goes, I've had a great time chatting and posting on message boards. I've been able to meet people in person that I would have otherwise never met (including a lot of great woxy boarders) if it had not been for these boards. I can't wait to get to another board bash.

You have to use moderation and common sense with modern conveniences. Only then will you rule technology instead of having technology rule you.

[drougan]

on the topic of cell phones...I keep mine on perpetual vibrate since

a) every ring tone out there sucks
b) it doesnt offend the woodland creatures
c) gives me a nice vibratey feeling in my pants
d) Once i get that nice vibratey feeling, I can answer my call or discreetly shut it off.

I maintain that my cell phone is for my convenience and not others. Anyone who tries to tell me different can suck it long and suck it hard.

On the topic of message boards. I am a firm believer that you cannot socialize on the internet. You can communicate fo' sho'. But that ain't socializing. I once was dating a girl who spent alot of time on one of these things and had lots of 'friends' on one and they were all supportive of her and shit. But they had no idea how much of a bitch she could really in person when she wanted to be. So these people out there who thought she was the best thing since sliced bread had no clue of her darker side cause she obviously chose not to show it. When you're f2f you can actually read into other things than the carefully contrived words they choose to communicate. I think this is something that is at the heart of socialization, and the primary reason that the people on these boards make frequent efforts to hang out socially to compliment the virtual. The internet is just way too sterile to have any meaningful relationship with a person.

[markalot]

Has anyone noticed that building there before?

[The Sheck]

The internet is just way too sterile to have any meaningful relationship with a person.

Tell me about it... :rolleyes:

[))>:<((]

Though this argument is an intriguing one, the point of the need for moderation has been made and then made again and then again. Thus far this thread is just redundant. I think this was an important argument Vonegut often tried to make and probably did a much better job. :p

But it is very true that evolution sways toward the morally vacant and physically easier side. Name one successful invention that didn't make things easier and I will name all the other successful inventions.

Hey artfag lets smoke a j and talk nihilism in Louisville with weeone.