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Has the internet made you a happier person?

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NO!
The internet could be a source of all of mankind's knowledge, but what has bubbled to the top has made it the source of all of mankind's stupidity and ignorance. For example, anti-vaxers, flat-earthers, global warming deniers, a very stupid president, to name a few.
 
Before the Internet, I only connected to BBS sites which kinda sucked compared to the internet. So, yea, the internet has made me happier.
 
Yes! Why yes.
1. I now have friends!
2. I don't have to talk ... on the phone with customers.
3. Email. We spent an unbelievable amount of money with FedEx for large engineering drawings; blue line prints of course. I don't miss the ammonia.
4. Shopping without meeting or talking to a sales person. Mouser et al are wonderful.
 
MtnMan said:
NO!
The internet could be a source of all of mankind's knowledge, but what has bubbled to the top has made it the source of all of mankind's stupidity and ignorance. For example, anti-vaxers, flat-earthers, global warming deniers, a very stupid president, to name a few.
Click to expand...

I have never met any of these types of people in real life.
 
Probably not. The internet is just another thing that can be utilized to waste time in life.... Except probably on a more massive scale.

At least with videogames I would eventually get pissed off from losing too many times and quit for a while.
 
s0me0nesmind1 said:
Probably not. The internet is just another thing that can be utilized to waste time in life.... Except probably on a more massive scale.

At least with videogames I would eventually get pissed off from losing too many times and quit for a while.
Click to expand...
problem is now..you can't pause the fucking game.
 
I'll be completely honest..forums got me addicted and made me happy. Then I took 14 years off from forums to play world of warcraft.
 
The internet is a double edge sword. It's a valuable resource and communication tool, and it's incredible how you can find information or provide information with little to no effort. It's also a great business opportunity as you can provide services of sorts and if they grow you can make money.

On the other hand, if you consume too much of it, you can get information overload. Especially things like news. This world is going to crap, and sometimes ignorance is bliss, but with the internet we find things out instantly, like terrorist attacks, or stupid government decisions, or pretty much everything. If you dwell too much on these things it can be bad for mental health. It just all adds up. In general most news is negative, because of just how bad stuff is these days. Sometimes it's better to just be isolated from that stuff, especially from things you can't do anything about anyway.

Midget porn makes it all worth it though.
 
I still go in panic mode if the internet is down. I don't want to be living on the house on the prairie...even though i love that show.
 
Mayne said:
Has the internet made you a happier person?
Click to expand...

Yes. I remember being bored a lot as a kid. The Internet is full of endless infotainment these days.

In the past, I've talked about how AT has helped me curate a number of hobbies over the years, from cooking to cars, and the Internet in general is no different. There's so much to learn & do, and also so much to get distracted with. Bored? Hop on Youtube. Existential crisis? Hop on Imgur. I think the Internet fills a lot of gaps that we had in our lives before everything got connected.

Does it make people less happy? I mean, there is the addictive part of technology. It's clearly spelled out in this book I read recently:

https://www.amazon.com/Hooked-How-Build-Habit-Forming-Products-ebook/dp/B00LMGLXTS

It's literally a guide book for using technology to manipulate the human psyche for addiction. There's a 4-phase cycle called the Hook Model:

1. Trigger
2. Action
3. Investment
4. Variable reward

All of the most addictive sites & apps out there use this model (which explains why we're all stuck on ATOT), from social media sites to mobile games, which especially attract & hook younger people. I've heard smartphones called "dopamine casinos", which I think is pretty fitting. So there's the negative side of the Internet too, aside from sites with awful content that eat away at your humanity.

But has the Internet made me a happier person? I'd say yes, definitely. Right now, I'm building a DIY arcade cabinet with plans I found online. Tonight, I'm baking up some cookies with a recipe I found online. I'm fixing three computers on my workbench at the moment for my job, and while they're installing, I'm posting here on ATOT to circumvent boredom. I'd probably just be twiddling my thumbs otherwise. Happier? Yes. I think the Internet is awesome!
 
Yes. I remember the days of checking the football scores by watching the crawl on the bottom of the Headline News Channel.
 
Red Squirrel said:
On the other hand, if you consume too much of it, you can get information overload. Especially things like news. This world is going to crap, and sometimes ignorance is bliss, but with the internet we find things out instantly, like terrorist attacks, or stupid government decisions, or pretty much everything. If you dwell too much on these things it can be bad for mental health. It just all adds up. In general most news is negative, because of just how bad stuff is these days. Sometimes it's better to just be isolated from that stuff, especially from things you can't do anything about anyway.
Click to expand...
Said by people everywhere since before recorded history began.
 
If it weren't for the internet I would still be mailing my bills in with the USPS and having to buy stamps all the time...so...there's that. Oh yeah and online banking is cool too..
 
Oh man online banking is something I take for granted these days. I remember having to go to the bank's ATM to check my balance, do transfers, and update my bank book. Now I can do all that online and don't even need a bank book anymore. Also have every bill set to preauthorized payment so never have to worry about missing one.

Except my server provider, for whatever stupid reason they don't have an auto pay feature, so I have a reminder on my phone and I just pay like 6 months in advance to be safe.
 
Just talked to my buddy whose teaching at a UNI in Vietnam. Had a long convo on the pros/cons of living there. Couldn't had done that 20 years ago. It's pretty amazing. He's living in a 3 bedroom home that is paid for by the school. Life is good.
 
Red Squirrel said:
The internet is a double edge sword. It's a valuable resource and communication tool, and it's incredible how you can find information or provide information with little to no effort. It's also a great business opportunity as you can provide services of sorts and if they grow you can make money.

On the other hand, if you consume too much of it, you can get information overload. Especially things like news. This world is going to crap, and sometimes ignorance is bliss, but with the internet we find things out instantly, like terrorist attacks, or stupid government decisions, or pretty much everything. If you dwell too much on these things it can be bad for mental health. It just all adds up. In general most news is negative, because of just how bad stuff is these days. Sometimes it's better to just be isolated from that stuff, especially from things you can't do anything about anyway.

Midget porn makes it all worth it though.
Click to expand...

I block the news. That's would be FB feeds. Google searches. I use StayFocused. I can't control any of it. So why worry about it.
 
I wish I had had the internet sooner as it was lonely just being my mother and I living out in rural country with no neighbors or other kids. She worked three jobs to support us too, so she was rarely home other than to sleep and eat. I would spend countless hours just playing Nintendo when there was nothing to watch on tv, which was usually.

This was back around 89-95 before we finally got dial up and Windows 95. I know the internet would have made me happier in those depressing years as I would have felt far less alone. Which is what happened when we finally did get dial up and I got into Beseen chat rooms. Looking forward to today, I depend upon it even more. Being able to reach out to support groups and other transwomen around the world going through what I am is a gift when you're still so isolated locally.
 
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