I’m convinced there are two appropriate ways of using the internet:
Interacting with people that you personally know and have spent time with in real space. This is just keeping in touch, and might even be used to visit with them in real space in the future.
Interacting with strangers, but only under the assumption that they are not given permission to meaningfully impact your emotional or mental state. If they say something stupid or hurtful, it must be allowed to roll off of you, because they might be a troll actively trying to harm you, or they might be an AI programmed to harm you. Neither is worth allowing to get under one’s skin, or to even inflate one’s sense of self, either. One wouldn’t get meaningfully pissed at a video game NPC for being mean, or proud of oneself for them liking you.
Online relationships may supplement ones that are based in the real world, but allowing them to act as if they are real relationships is like giving bees aspartame and wondering why the hive is all fucked up.
I’m convinced there are two appropriate ways of using the internet:
Interacting with people that you personally know and have spent time with in real space. This is just keeping in touch, and might even be used to visit with them in real space in the future.
Interacting with strangers, but only under the assumption that they are not given permission to meaningfully impact your emotional or mental state. If they say something stupid or hurtful, it must be allowed to roll off of you, because they might be a troll actively trying to harm you, or they might be an AI programmed to harm you. Neither is worth allowing to get under one’s skin, or to even inflate one’s sense of self, either. One wouldn’t get meaningfully pissed at a video game NPC for being mean, or proud of oneself for them liking you.
Online relationships may supplement ones that are based in the real world, but allowing them to act as if they are real relationships is like giving bees aspartame and wondering why the hive is all fucked up.