Offsetting the Disadvantages of the Internet

[JustGeorge]

Remember life before the internet?

Well, I do. It wasn't that long ago for me. Though I had internet in my home for part of my childhood, I seldom did as an adult. I'd have it for a bit, then I wouldn't have it for longer. It was never that big of a deal. I have never had a smartphone. The first time I had internet in years was when Covid hit. Because we couldn't go to the gym anymore, we used our extra money from that to get the internet.

Because its so fresh in my mind, I can't help but notice the changes, both positive and negative the internet brings. Some good things:

-I no longer have to buy a cookbook to explore regional cuisines. I can look it up online.
-I can associate(virtually) with people other than those I live with daily. Pre internet, I could go several days without talking to an 'outsider'.
-Its easier to get information on stuff. Its been a blessing when it comes to religious studies.
-Its extremely valuable as a homeschooling tool.

But, nothing is all good or all bad. The internet has had a negative affect on the household as well, and I can't help but be very aware(some days more than others). Some bad things are:

-My memory and attention span have gotten worse. No question.
-Its contributed to a family member's "I wanna be famous" urges to a point its becoming disruptive. Its contributed to another member's anger(and sometimes paranoia) problem.
-Its easy to waste time on, and essentially at times we would have been active, we're all stuck with the lights of screens adorning our faces.
-It puts you in situations to get scammed more frequently.

For those who remember life before internet, or those who are aware of how sometimes its a double edged sword, what are some problems you've faced regarding internet usage? Did you solve them? If so, how?

 

[Twilight Hue]

Remember life before the internet?

Well, I do. It wasn't that long ago for me. Though I had internet in my home for part of my childhood, I seldom did as an adult. I'd have it for a bit, then I wouldn't have it for longer. It was never that big of a deal. I have never had a smartphone. The first time I had internet in years was when Covid hit. Because we couldn't go to the gym anymore, we used our extra money from that to get the internet.

Because its so fresh in my mind, I can't help but notice the changes, both positive and negative the internet brings. Some good things:

-I no longer have to buy a cookbook to explore regional cuisines. I can look it up online.
-I can associate(virtually) with people other than those I live with daily. Pre internet, I could go several days without talking to an 'outsider'.
-Its easier to get information on stuff. Its been a blessing when it comes to religious studies.
-Its extremely valuable as a homeschooling tool.

But, nothing is all good or all bad. The internet has had a negative affect on the household as well, and I can't help but be very aware(some days more than others). Some bad things are:

-My memory and attention span have gotten worse. No question.
-Its contributed to a family member's "I wanna be famous" urges to a point its becoming disruptive. Its contributed to another member's anger(and sometimes paranoia) problem.
-Its easy to waste time on, and essentially at times we would have been active, we're all stuck with the lights of screens adorning our faces.
-It puts you in situations to get scammed more frequently.

For those who remember life before internet, or those who are aware of how sometimes its a double edged sword, what are some problems you've faced regarding internet usage? Did you solve them? If so, how?

I still remember web TV.

 

[JustGeorge]

I still remember web TV.

What's web TV?

 

[Viker]

Yes, I remember. It's why I often separate myself from it. Pre-internet life still exists and is good. It's best to put it in it's perspective. It's useful at times and pointless when overused. I believe everyone should get a bike, camping gear and get their butts into the woods... often. It won't obliterate every personal/social obstacle. It would help to shine light on daily mundanity and give the internet it's proper due.

 

[Viker]

What's web TV?

It was an advancement just past the telnet.

 

[VoidCat]

Remember life before the internet

I was born after the internet was invented. So no.

 

[DharmaCatLamp]

Remember life before the internet?

Well, I do. It wasn't that long ago for me. Though I had internet in my home for part of my childhood, I seldom did as an adult. I'd have it for a bit, then I wouldn't have it for longer. It was never that big of a deal. I have never had a smartphone. The first time I had internet in years was when Covid hit. Because we couldn't go to the gym anymore, we used our extra money from that to get the internet.

Because its so fresh in my mind, I can't help but notice the changes, both positive and negative the internet brings. Some good things:

-I no longer have to buy a cookbook to explore regional cuisines. I can look it up online.
-I can associate(virtually) with people other than those I live with daily. Pre internet, I could go several days without talking to an 'outsider'.
-Its easier to get information on stuff. Its been a blessing when it comes to religious studies.
-Its extremely valuable as a homeschooling tool.

But, nothing is all good or all bad. The internet has had a negative affect on the household as well, and I can't help but be very aware(some days more than others). Some bad things are:

-My memory and attention span have gotten worse. No question.
-Its contributed to a family member's "I wanna be famous" urges to a point its becoming disruptive. Its contributed to another member's anger(and sometimes paranoia) problem.
-Its easy to waste time on, and essentially at times we would have been active, we're all stuck with the lights of screens adorning our faces.
-It puts you in situations to get scammed more frequently.

For those who remember life before internet, or those who are aware of how sometimes its a double edged sword, what are some problems you've faced regarding internet usage? Did you solve them? If so, how?

I would say that the internet is a tool. Your results on there are going to depend how you use it and what you give into vs what you don't. Humans have always longed to be constantly entertained and now it's easier than ever but a lot of it is just vacuous. Websites don't care whether or not you are happy with what you are seeing they just want you to click more. Internal leaked facebook memos just confirm this.

I have on various occasions in the past recognized that I just used the internet to escape doing things I didn't want to do. The easier solution I came up with was forcing myself to do things I had to do beforehand. The other part was setting up goals so I could know what to focus on. I also set up time limits. Things like 2 hours of studying earns me an hour or so of youtube etc.

Probably the biggest thing I had to work on was impulsiveness and buying things cause I was bored. That one was a bit difficult but it was just making choices more than anything.

Part of the problem is I think you have to resist the urge to click certain things. Half this website for instance is very clearly people trying to turn the religious forums into a place to yell about liberals and conservatives or the president blah blah. Meaningless babble that extends into eternity where nothing is gained by engaging with it.

So part of the issue is just not engaging with the bad parts. That is easier said than done but it is important to remember that each click is a choice. It's like quitting a bad habit, it's just being mindful and making individual choices. If you don't want to buy booze for instance you need to recognize there is a series of choices that lead to you getting booze and each one of those choices you make is leading you in the right or wrong direction.

I am also going to point out that you mention it's easy to waste time on. It's pretty easy to waste time in general but the internet is built in such a way that you will have a constant stream of nonsense given to you. A lot of that can just be more or less ignored. Though I would argue that we shouldn't assume just because we aren't wasting time on the internet we wouldn't just waste it another way. That is more about being productive and satisfied than it is the internet specifically.

You can also choose to limit the time you spend on certain sites. If a site is just something benign but you think you are spending too much time on it then set limits. "Okay, I can look for 10 minutes." Then after that ten minutes you have to do something else. Some people actually use this to get fit cause they will make it so every time they want to look at certain websites they have to do tasks like pushups first. 10 pushups earns you ten minutes etc.

I would also argue there is no such thing as wasting time unless you have a goal to meet. How can you waste time if anything you would be doing otherwise is equally goalless? You need to have something to work towards in your life. Once you have that you can look at each individual site and say " This is helping me towards that goal." Or not. That makes it way easier to cut down on time doing nonsense.

As far as those folks you know who are doing worse things because of the internet. That sounds like a them problem rather than an internet problem. Sure the internet encourages certain kinds of behavior but ultimately you have to choose to participate in it for that to happen.

I guess I could sum up by saying a lot of it is just making choices and holding yourself accountable for the choices you make. You can keep a little journal too where you write down what you did that day. For a lot of people it becomes easier to limit yourself once you actually see what you did each day. If you spend 8 hours on nothing you start to want to change that naturally.

I would also say sometimes it's okay to indulge in wastes of time. Cause relaxing and enjoying yourself is not a waste of time but you should look at your feelings as you are doing something. " Am I really enjoying this or am I just trying to kill time? Is this really fun or is this just habit?" are useful questions to ask yourself.

 

[The Hammer]

Its contributed to another member's anger(and sometimes paranoia) problem.

Is this me??? Lmao

 

[The Hammer]

For those who remember life before internet, or those who are aware of how sometimes its a double edged sword, what are some problems you've faced regarding internet usage? Did you solve them? If so, how?

I was alright switching on/off and/or input with Facebook and a few other social media things, where I spent the majority of my time.

What I have found is that the TikTok style short videos, like Facebook reels are an absolute attention destroyer. It's so hard to break way from those mini videos.

 

[Brickjectivity]

For those who remember life before internet, or those who are aware of how sometimes its a double edged sword, what are some problems you've faced regarding internet usage? Did you solve them? If so, how?

Every computer that uses internet relies upon the standard internet protocols --> which means every computer has a hosts file. It is a text file that any admin (or computer owner) may edit. If you specify a web site in this file and supply an IP address, your computer will direct *all* inquiries about the site to that IP address. This is a final and absolute way to keep programs on your computer from going to certain web sites. The only way around it is to use a VPN program.

See this for info about hosts file: What is a Hosts File?

All you do is first find out where your hosts file is. Then you add this:

127.0.0.1 WEBSITE_NAME

Save the file and close. 127.0.0.1 always points to your own computer. From now on, whenever someone wants to go to that site your computer will only search itself for that site, which means the site will never be found by programs on that computer. You can add as many lines like this as you like.

*****************

Ok, now if you REALLY WANT TO MESS ABOUT AND ARE WILLING TO LEARN SOME NETWORKING then what you could do, is redirect one web site to a different one! That is far more complicated and beyond the scope of this post. What you have to do to get this effect, is you have to create a local DNS caching server on your network and set your computers to use it instead of their usual DNS servers. (A DNS caching server is a program that is intended to speed up your internet access a little, but you can also subvert it to redirect web pages.) You could make it so anybody on your computer or local network who tried to access google com would instead get goggles com. It could be potentially fun. You could redirect twitter inquires to a school homework site. Start learning now and you can be prepared by April 1, 2023.

 

[icehorse]

Did you solve them? If so, how?

If you stay off of the big social media sites like FB, twitter and such, you'll be way ahead.

As for games, thinking games like wordle and chess and such should be fine for most people. But the "fast twitch", FPS type games should be played infrequently - they are literally bad for your brain

 

[Stevicus]

For those who remember life before internet, or those who are aware of how sometimes its a double edged sword, what are some problems you've faced regarding internet usage? Did you solve them? If so, how?

For me, the internet has been a lot more convenient for finding information. Streaming music and movies also is a nice convenience. It's easier than going down to the movie theater or the record store.

Just getting news from other sources is nice. Before the internet, the only newspapers I could get were local, except for USA Today which came out in the 1980s. There was a store downtown which sold copies of newspapers from other states and countries, but it obviously wasn't the latest news - about a week old. The library would also have newspapers from out of town as well. Nowadays, I can go to news websites from nearly every country in the world.

Now, I have a somewhat related question: Does anyone remember what life was like before caller ID? Or before you could actually turn off the ringer on your phone?

 

[JustGeorge]

Is this me??? Lmao

I meant family member. I was meaning my oldest son.

If you stay off of the big social media sites like FB, twitter and such, you'll be way ahead.

As for games, thinking games like wordle and chess and such should be fine for most people. But the "fast twitch", FPS type games should be played infrequently - they are literally bad for your brain

I don't use the social media sites you mention.

I like to do logic puzzles online(the grid type), but sometimes they hurt my eyes...

For me, the internet has been a lot more convenient for finding information. Streaming music and movies also is a nice convenience. It's easier than going down to the movie theater or the record store.

Just getting news from other sources is nice. Before the internet, the only newspapers I could get were local, except for USA Today which came out in the 1980s. There was a store downtown which sold copies of newspapers from other states and countries, but it obviously wasn't the latest news - about a week old. The library would also have newspapers from out of town as well. Nowadays, I can go to news websites from nearly every country in the world.

Now, I have a somewhat related question: Does anyone remember what life was like before caller ID? Or before you could actually turn off the ringer on your phone?

I actually don't get news off the internet... only my oldschool newspaper. Which keeps getting smaller and smaller... last month, they cut the comic page in half.

I do remember before caller ID. It was so thrilling when it came out! And I could always shut the ringer off the phone, it was just a physical switch instead of buttons on a screen.

 

[Heyo]

Remember life before the internet?

Well, I do. It wasn't that long ago for me. Though I had internet in my home for part of my childhood, I seldom did as an adult. I'd have it for a bit, then I wouldn't have it for longer. It was never that big of a deal. I have never had a smartphone. The first time I had internet in years was when Covid hit. Because we couldn't go to the gym anymore, we used our extra money from that to get the internet.

Because its so fresh in my mind, I can't help but notice the changes, both positive and negative the internet brings. Some good things:

-I no longer have to buy a cookbook to explore regional cuisines. I can look it up online.
-I can associate(virtually) with people other than those I live with daily. Pre internet, I could go several days without talking to an 'outsider'.
-Its easier to get information on stuff. Its been a blessing when it comes to religious studies.
-Its extremely valuable as a homeschooling tool.

But, nothing is all good or all bad. The internet has had a negative affect on the household as well, and I can't help but be very aware(some days more than others). Some bad things are:

-My memory and attention span have gotten worse. No question.
-Its contributed to a family member's "I wanna be famous" urges to a point its becoming disruptive. Its contributed to another member's anger(and sometimes paranoia) problem.
-Its easy to waste time on, and essentially at times we would have been active, we're all stuck with the lights of screens adorning our faces.
-It puts you in situations to get scammed more frequently.

For those who remember life before internet, or those who are aware of how sometimes its a double edged sword, what are some problems you've faced regarding internet usage? Did you solve them? If so, how?

I used TV (excessively) to "treat" my depression (escapism). Then I got rid of the TV. Now I have the internet ...

 

[JustGeorge]

I used TV (excessively) to "treat" my depression (escapism). Then I got rid of the TV. Now I have the internet ...

Is it about the same, as far as effect goes?

 

[Heyo]

Is it about the same, as far as effect goes?

It can be, for a time. But I can handle it better than TV somehow.

 

[JustGeorge]

It can be, for a time. But I can handle it better than TV somehow.

Perhaps because its more interactive.

 

[sayak83]

Remember life before the internet?

Well, I do. It wasn't that long ago for me. Though I had internet in my home for part of my childhood, I seldom did as an adult. I'd have it for a bit, then I wouldn't have it for longer. It was never that big of a deal. I have never had a smartphone. The first time I had internet in years was when Covid hit. Because we couldn't go to the gym anymore, we used our extra money from that to get the internet.

Because its so fresh in my mind, I can't help but notice the changes, both positive and negative the internet brings. Some good things:

-I no longer have to buy a cookbook to explore regional cuisines. I can look it up online.
-I can associate(virtually) with people other than those I live with daily. Pre internet, I could go several days without talking to an 'outsider'.
-Its easier to get information on stuff. Its been a blessing when it comes to religious studies.
-Its extremely valuable as a homeschooling tool.

But, nothing is all good or all bad. The internet has had a negative affect on the household as well, and I can't help but be very aware(some days more than others). Some bad things are:

-My memory and attention span have gotten worse. No question.
-Its contributed to a family member's "I wanna be famous" urges to a point its becoming disruptive. Its contributed to another member's anger(and sometimes paranoia) problem.
-Its easy to waste time on, and essentially at times we would have been active, we're all stuck with the lights of screens adorning our faces.
-It puts you in situations to get scammed more frequently.

For those who remember life before internet, or those who are aware of how sometimes its a double edged sword, what are some problems you've faced regarding internet usage? Did you solve them? If so, how?

My schooling was in pre-computer and pre-internet age. My school leaving exams were all paper based forbade even calculators and asked us to bring log tables for doing mathematical calculations. I read paper books, wrote on paper and drew on paper only. It was only from college that we had had a slow transformation to computers and finally with the internet. I have written codes in Fortran, then C and C++ and now Matlab and Python. I work today extensively in word, excel, powerpoint...use google classroom and digital whiteboards to hold online classes and run research simulations in multi-core High Performance workstations and super computers. On the other hand, I still write my notes and research insights on paper, write on chalkboard to complement PPT in offline classes etc. I also play (less now) mmorpg video games. Though I use facebook less (and no twitter, snapchat etc.), I use whatsapp extensively as chat interface with my friends, relatives and co-workers. I have shifted my book reading almost entirely from paper books to kindle software along with a tablet with touch interface where I can highlight and create notes without ruining the book (as would be the case for a paper book).
That is how I have integrated the two worlds. For me at least it has been beneficial...or rather I have always asked " What can I use from this new technology that I can use to my advantage?" and taken only that aspect into my life and practice.

 

[The Hammer]

I meant family member. I was meaning my oldest son.

Yeah, I assumed as much. I was being jokingly sarcastic. Although the internet has not helped me in those avenues.