Did the internet make American society worse? Would the political climate have been the same without it?

[yseJ]

No we don’t. We have access to a lot of misinformation in regards to social and political issues

Yes we do. It's just up to us to filter information and separate bullshyt from reality.

Most people, for example, have enough common sense to know that Nigerian prince scams are indeed scams.

That's filtering information for you. That's what early internet was. Trust no one and filter shyt yourself.


What isn't filtering information is that your email provider automatically categorizing scam so you never have experience with it. And when some scam/spam emails get through, because you were curated by some entity who controlled the information, you might not recognize scam and fall for it.


Internet gives the voice to literally everyone. That's not an inherently bad thing.

 

[yseJ]

Id say most peoples information on social/political issues pre-widespread internet came from -

social interaction (very limited depth because its usually just your surroundings)
textbooks
tv and radio shows

we have so many more places to get info on the internet, from all sides and make our own conclusion. yes, there will be misinformation.

the problem is moreso that average person doesnt want to think critically and sift through garbage but rather wants things fed to them the same way the tv media feeds you. thats where the misinformation grifters come in

 

[ViShawn]

Not the internet but rather the insidious nature of social media.

 

[ItsPeople]

I hate how it’s boiled down to about 5 main sites.

I miss niche forums. You’d have a website you go to for cars, women, weed etc. You can still find all those things but it doesn’t hit the same when its all under the same umbrella.

Those days ain’t ever coming back

 

[DaHNIC82]

It's great for the people who use it for educational and business purposes, but most people don't. And we ain't even into A.I. yet.


I think this is why America has gotten worse for the most part. People socialized more in person instead of staying behind a screen. Bitter Hoes, incels, and MAGA didn't have a real voice to reach out to the dumb masses. In just 15 years, we have seen the likes of PUA, Sotomayor, *****, Tate, fresh n fit, divestors, MAGA, and Rogan.

It wasn't like this in the early 2000s. I think China does have some merit in blocking content

Maybe it can all change as time goes on and future generations see how big a loser these platforms are.

You exposed the bad and Ugly side of it.

 

[hostsamurai]

Duh. Now village idiots can be heard, they can coalesce around each other as gurus and be paid handsomely for spouting off pure bullshyt because they are speaking what certain people want to hear.

 

[Geek Nasty]

Duh. Now village idiots can be heard, they can coalesce around each other as gurus and be paid handsomely for spouting off pure bullshyt because they are speaking what certain people want to hear.

I saw this happening during the Bush administration. Racists discovered each other online and validating each other and started forming up.

Now any fool can find a circle of likeminded fools who convince themselves they're right (see flat earthers)

 

[cyndaquil]

Social media has definitely. The type of people that it attracts into the spotlight are usually the worst kind. Narcissists scammers, self absorbed people want everyone to see them. Hence why if they push the online culture and narrative it is usually degeneracy. Anything to make money and be seen. The old man at the gym in there early morning who got 50 years of wisdom ain't getting heard even though he got a lot of good shyt to say.