To love the internet,?

[malificent7]

Obviously there are downsides...addiction, children having too much screen time, talking to predators. However, when used safely it is a marvellous thing.
On my long bus commute to work i can listen to anything i want on you tube, go on mumsnet, browse recipies etc.
Dd had free conference calls with mates during lockdown via insta.
Im not that bothered about social media and have learned to roll eyes at the bragging/ bullshit...but i wouldnt be without it...although i would like to cut my screen time somewhat!

Sorry for bad punctuation in title!

It's hard to remember a time without it isn't it? I have to say although I love it it's probably a good thing it wasn't around when I was a teen. I would have had to be peeled from it.

I do like Instagram although I never post anything I follow some fascinating pages. Over lockdown I listened to a lot of podcasts and browsed the internet watching strange YouTube videos.

It's been brilliant for the two DSs gaming during lockdown and having contact with their mates.

There are amazing aspects of it. I can remember pre-internet days just about. But my husband has siblings a decade younger than him who can't remember a life pre-internet.

Our 3 year old can work Alexa! Imagine a life where from birth, you have virtually every piece of information in the world at the touch of a button, or by just asking a speaker. Mind blowing!

It seems to have made everyone more intelligent, compassionate and humane.

I agree. And I think the current backlash against it while understandable is disproportionate. I think people forget how hugely it has improved their lives.

The current paranoia about social media for example: a lot of the concerns about political polarisation on Facebook are totally valid and its right to address the huge market power of the tech giants. There are other big challenges such as the effect the internet has had on retail and media etc which are very problematic and these companies need proper regulation.

But its become fashionable for people to say that the internet has made all of our lives poorer in every way and I think a lot of that is basically kneejerk Luddism which doesn't stand up to scrutiny: a bit like the reaction to the invention of the printing press.

The internet needs curbs and people need to be educated to learn how to use it but its vastly enriched people's ability to inform themselves in a way which ultimately benefits us all.

There's good and there's bad. I remember the days of trying to find my way around for work with nothing but a road map and a street atlas. I used to get lost a lot and would not always know where I was. Google maps and sat nav is revolutionary for that.

Also ereaders, where I can buy a book and read it instantly wherever I am in the world and online banking where I can move money between accounts in seconds.

It seems to have made everyone more intelligent, compassionate and humane

I can't tell whether that's sarcasm or just one side of the story. Because for all the 'intelligence, compassion and humanity' on the internet, there's an awful lot of mindless stupidity, hatred and cruelty.

BarbaraofSeville

To pick up on your point about the intelligence and compassion: I'm assuming that comment is sarcastic and I think its worth unpicking this a bit.

The truism is that the internet has made people nastier in general discussion and discourse: I think in reality the internet has simply amplified and made public something which was going on privately anyway. The internet and particularly bulletin boards and chat forums have made it easier for these nasty things to be voiced anonymously. There's obviously a negative side to this and it means its much more important for this to be policed appropriately.

But there's a positive side to this as well: it has democratised information massively. The fact that people feel they have greater confidence to put their points of view across on whatever it may be points to the fact that the internet has increased individual agency. "Comment" is no longer the preservation of a narrow group of elite people (politicians, journalists etc) and is open to anyone.

The downside of this is obvious. But overall I think its ultimately positive.

Just imagine if we had all had to deal with lockdown without the internet/smartphones/wi-fi.

I love the internet. So much.

I love that I can learn about things I never would have been exposed to otherwise; I love that I have friends all over the world; being connected to communities of people with the same interests or illness or family situation, just via a shared hashtag or forum or social media account; I love satnav and internet banking and online shopping and memes. I'm very 'online' generally haha.

Yeah there are downsides - for every good movement that swells because of how connected we all are, there's a bad one. For every bit of useful news and information there's plenty that's not true or is deliberately misleading. But I think generally it's made us better connected, better informed, more likely to question the powers that be, and that's a good thing!

My parents are in their 80s and have really embraced it. FaceTime with the family during lockdown, my Mum loves emailing her friends.
Online shopping and banking has been invaluable for them.

LOVE IT! 😁 It's a great source of advice, support, fun...
I use it for CPD, for DIY and crafting (I changed my locks, fixed a radiator valve, learnt to crochet, and lots more all through watching YouTube videos), for running a business and a charity event, shopping, and for fun such as streaming TV and music. It's fantastic for research too. So much of my day to day life was more difficult pre internet.

The early mainstream internet was great, from around 1995 to 2005.

Then social media arrived...

I think with social media you need a thick skin and an ability to see that much of it is fabricated bollocks...and we should let our kids know too!

@malificent7

I think with social media you need a thick skin and an ability to see that much of it is fabricated bollocks...and we should let our kids know too!

Totally agree. You have to not care really. If I cared what anyone thought I'd never post anything anywhere.