The internet

We consume far more information and words now that we used to. A lot of which is unnecessary in my mind.  This cannot be good for our brains!

I agree with the sentiment you are expressing, which may be surprising as technology is one of my special interests and I’ve spent a career working on it.

Social media in particular has been absolutely poisonous. It has polarised politics, supercharged extremism of all kinds, damaged peoples’ mental health and made it very difficult for people to distinguish truth from disinformation.

That said, it has allowed me order things online instead of having to set foot inside shops <shudders>.

Homebird said:

It is noticeable that there was a lack of people out on Christmas and Boxing Day. We used to see children on new bikes, scooters etc.

I think this is also linked to the "health and safety" culture now where it is seen as dangerous. Kids could have an accident, be kidnapped, get wet or damage the bike.

A bigger factor however is that children are becoming more sedentary - happier to sit indoors in the warmth glued to their phone / tablet. I don't think I've ever seen such a high proportion of overweight and unfit kids as I do now.

I grew up in the 70s in a small town in Scotland and I rarely stayed indoors - there were so many exciting things to do and I loved taking my dog for long walks out of town, into the countryside and explore scrap yards, abandoned houses, old mine workings etc - the sort of things parents now consider near instand death for kids.

I was working in IT (mainframes) when the internet first became accessable so have been working with it for over 30 years and I know a lot about the positives and negatives (I used to work as an Ethical Hacker for a while in the 2000s).

What I have taken from this is that it is a net positive - it facilitates so many good things that the bad things are well worth accepting.

My mother is prone to falling over (balance issues) and has a bracelet that will alert the care authorities so someone is in contact within seconds and a team dispatched as soon as an issue is identified. This has saved her on a number of occassions.

I can see my home on my webcam so I know if there is a break-in or anyone who I gave a key to has been helping themselves to my stuff.

I can download any TV episode, film, music or book I want in minutes if I want. Some through legal sources and some not so much, but no more being restricted by TV schedules or availability in your region.

The crime aspect is very overblown by the media I think - of course there is all sorts of bad stuff out there but this all existed in paper / celluloid form before or were services you could obtain once you knew who to ask - but now there are more layers of security that can be used to get away with it.

Overall I think it is just an evolution of society. Things we had as a kid would have been unthinkable to our parents as children etc.

Is it better or worse? It doesn't really matter as we can't change it.

The irony of your post and what happened to it. I'm sure the 'internet' is causing a lot of bother for some people here lately. 

But the other thread is still deleted.

Perhaps some of the problems you are experiencing ARE because you have these multiple accounts?  Just a thought?

Additionally the time stamp shows me that it was posted 3 hours ago. 

when it comes to the topic of internet, I think it’s on one hand god that everything is easier and faster. On other hand as the world is accelerating, we lose the ability to enjoy. To enjoy the moment, the connection, etc. now I often see a group of friends sitting together and each of them glued to their phone. “Chatting” if it goes this way, the general population will loose the ability to socialize and communicate with one another.

This site is for me the absolutely best social media I’ve ever tried, no ads, simple design, and people among whom I feel I belong. So I’m happy that we have the internet. 

Thank you for confirming this was your question. I don't think I have seen it before. 

In respect of TV there was a lot more I would watch in the 70s and 80s on the main channels. This year there has been very little. Sadly it appears that less new programmes are made and the extra channels mainly have repeats.

It is noticeable that there was a lack of people out on Christmas and Boxing Day. We used to see children on new bikes, scooters etc.I guess lots had technical things. My excitement as a child with that sort of thing was a spiromatic and Lego with bricks which lit up, both working with batteries.

There is something more relaxing I feel in reading a story in an actual book. It also concerns me if there was a long power cut as phones now rely on electricity and looking up numbers. I think sometimes it was easier to find services in a telephone directory.

I agree too about doctors. It seems these days they are expecting us to have researched and said what we think is wrong. 

There are a lot of positives about the internet, when it is working properly, but technology is complicated in my mind. I also find the younger generation expect everything to be instant. A lot of things they take for granted would have seemed very exciting in my childhood when things were mundane. Communication meant seeing a friend or ringing and making sure to not talk for too long as we were charged by the minute. My parents expected me to call on evenings or weekends, due to the costs unless urgent. We even had a chart with the call costs for different times of the day and distances. That is of course when we had a home phone. We also didn't have a TV when I was young.

I agree that another downside is the link to crime, both related to misinformation and the increase in scams. It must be very difficult too for the elderly, especially those who live alone.

This is bizarre.

My thread has returned without the replies.

I am the 'deleted user' OP.

Does this mean it was deleted by error?

Where are  the replies?

An explanation would be good.