Drunk ramblings @ 2 in the Morning

Let me start off by saying that I'm not really drunk...I just thought it fit the theme of the site lol. But it is late as Hell and I'm half awake and I have just been thinking...thinking about the internet...the way it's very quickly bleeding into our daily lives? Our reality? Isn't it bizzare? You can't go outside without worrying about some "influencer" (hate that word) asshole taking a picture of you/recording you without your consent to post on their shitty account and hope to get clout off of you...or how we have lunatic politicians constantly yelling about "cancel culture" when literally people are just trying to hold them (as the people in charge of the entire country) accountable, or the fact that if you're lucky and you sanitize and sell your existence well enough companies will pay you money to shove their products in our faces...isn't it all so bizzare? I think that's why it feels like everyone is insane these days, the worlds between the internet and reality are merging together. The lines have blurred. That's why I seek out very small and obscure websites like this. It's SO BAD that it has gotten to the point where we hear things like "companies are listening to us through our devices 24/7" and no one bats an eye because we're all so desensitized to these huge breaches of privacy and boundaries. And we have no one else but corporate America and capitalism to thank for unleashing pure insanity upon the human race. Good night.

//stumbles out of the pub//

rusty

I've recently been gifted a new smartphone (which I can't really give up using 'cause it has functions I need that a brick phone lacks) and the sheer amount of things I had to decline, uninstall and remove permissions from was frustrating and horrifying. Recently I've been moving away from music streaming services in favor of good old mp3s or actual CDs, and then as soon as I boot up regular in-built mp3 player of this phone... It gives me ads and recommendations like a full on streaming service? Just play my goddamn music I already have on the SD card, you don't need internet connection for that?

A certain incident made me recently realize that everything I said and did online was interconnected, easily trackable to my real identity and, to add insult to injury, filed under an advertising profile of what ads to shove in my face based on that identity. That, honestly, scared me. As you can see, I'm trying to be better about it (and I deleted most of my social network profiles apart from some I need tor work), but that doesn't feel enough.

And as I buy a concert ticket online - my family in the same household starts suddenly getting ads for that concert everyday, despite us not even talking about it and them being totally uninterested in the said band. Being regularly connected to the same Wi-Fi as me is enough, apparently.

I will say, though, I don't think America is the only one to blame here (saying this as a non-American). Feels like a collective mistake we humans are making, even if American capitalism somewhat takes the lead.

I do hope to live to see this way of things break, although there's no way of knowing if the next thing will be better or even worse.

milf_god

Yes that's exactly what I'm saying! Everything on the modern web these days is bugged and full of trackers when we're just trying to do the most simple and mundane things online just for the government and corporations to add more data on us to their secret consumer profiles they made for us. I also definitely agree this is not solely an American thing...which is exactly why I have fled to very quiet and obscure corners of the internet...like this pub! I love being online, I just really hate what it has become.

rusty

Same for me. I've been lamenting about the net not being what it used to be for literal years before accidentally stumbling upon the Yesterweb movement and so forth and then ending up here.

I'm also currently trying to follow through with the general idea of making my own weird cozy website ('cause another awful thing marketability of the Internet did is killing all the personality and customization imo) and I have to say, it's scary how much trouble and effort it costs me now when I could easily do it as a kid. All the more reasons to follow through, though, rewiring my brain back :D

milf_god

The Yesterweb movement is truly a ray of hope in the modern cyberhellscape. I've been working on my own website a lot too lately! To be honest this is the most fun I've had online in years! (though troublesome at times, but that's coding!)

bamdad

i think this will all wind down with the arrival of the scarcity civilisations - the recent goings on in the world just brought those closer than ever. also, no matter how bizarre it seems, it's like a non-biological natural selection period. at least i like to think of it this way..

milf_god

HMM...that is an interesting thought. Though, I have to say that this is my first time hearing about "scarcity civilizations". Is that just a type of way to live when you only focus on the basic necessities and responsibilities of life? Genuinely curious!

tatterdemalion

This is my kind of rant. Don't mind young ~inquiry, he is on a very interesting trip into esoteric spaces, which, unfortunately from my perspective but appropriate for him, lead through idealism and individualism.

milf_god

Hi Tat. Thanks for reading my post! I'm glad you understand where I was coming from and what I was trying to say :]

inquiry

Probably not one anyone wants to hear/read at this point, but it occurs to me no one - including corporate America or everyone's favorite whipping post (capitalism) - is holding a screen to our heads.

In fact, "capitalism" as some inexorable, evil force isn't even a thing apart from people incessantly saying it is. That aspect is way more a seeming phenomenon emergent "at scale" from the (mathematical) integral of each and every one of our self-centered, greedy impulses.

To me, that we use it as a scapegoat for our collective behavior instead of individually addressing the real issue deep within our self definitions only emphasizes the actual problem's true location....

That rather poorly said... I enjoyed your post. Lately I've been finding most if not all my problems to be rooted much more closely to within than without, which carried over into this reply, which likely sounds anything but welcoming... but I'm very happy you arrived here, and hope to read more from you sooner than later regardless the degree of real and/or poetic slosh!

(LATER: "In fact" should have been "To me".)

milf_god

Hello ~inquiry.

I am now fully awake so I can give a coherent answer. I definitely see where you are coming from and I do believe that it is important to hold individuals accountable for their behavior. Excuses like, "I-it's not my fault! The internet made me do it!" definitely does not work. I used to act out online as well when I was younger until I matured some more and finally came to my senses. So, to some degree, yes. It does come down the individual.

Though, with that being said, I think we have reached a point in history where it's hard to deny the hand capitalism plays in all of this mayhem. People act the way corporations see as "marketable"(whether it's good or bad behavior) because they know if they do it, they will eventually get famous and be rewarded for their behavior ($). Why? Because they bring traffic and attention to the social media platforms that they're on. As long as it brings high engagement, the algorithms and companies will push you into the Limelight and reward you with more money you could ever imagine. I am already thinking of a couple of famous "e-celebrities" right now, but I hope you see what I'm trying to say. At this point it is a "collective behavior", because so many people are acting this way it has been normalized in our modern society to a certain degree. Individuals do not exist in a vacuum, especially not in this day and age where everyone is connected through the internet. We are influenced by one another and the culture that surrounds us and commercialism plays a big part in that believe it or not (at least in America it does).

The main thing that separates the people of today vs yesterday is just how integral technology and the internet is in our lives now and our behavior because of it. No one is forced to be online, but a good 90% of the human race is (I'm making a rough estimate, but the point is almost everyone, especially in 1st world counties use the internet in 2022.) online and we use it for many many things. Work, school, etc. Very important things that one needs to survive in our modern world. Using the internet is almost 2nd nature to us now. To suggest one can and should just unplug to avoid being monitored and spied on by corporations and the government is borderline impossible to do at this point. Our devices should not be monitored and bugged by these people in the first place. And while I do have to admit that capitalism has made life more convenient I can think of a lot of very very bad consequences of capitalism (child labor in 3rd world countries, pollution, harsh working environments, contaminating waterways/water supply, etc., etc.) People criticize capitalism a lot for good reason! Not just to complain or blame someone else for their problems.

inquiry

Nicely thoughtful, and I can't disagree given in what I believe to be the context of your point of view.

Can't tell you how glad I am you've found this place, as I love reading you!

milf_god

Same to you!!

tetris

No one's holding a screen to our heads, except that in order to do simple things these days -- online shopping, browse the news, get simple answers to simple questions -- we have to dive through a sea of advertisements actively targeting and tracking us across all domains. This is the default.

It doesn't have to be like this, and sure, if we take the time to set up blockers, other barriers, and minimize our online footprints, you can mitigate a lot of it. But, the vast majority of online users aren't tech proficient enough to achieve this, nor know where even to begin, nor have the time after their increasingly more demanding jobs, nor have the willpower after their increasingly more-dependent dependents demanding their attention (due to, say, a deliberately underfunded/overpriced school/childcare system).

The system is so stacked, it's hard to cope without just giving in and letting it shred you by degrees each day, because it's easier than fighting against each and every injustice.

inquiry

Great points, as usual!

I'm maybe just a little nonplussed by the struggles of others with online phenomena for having given up the likes of Facebook and Twitter long ago, not having actively sought "news" in what's coming up on three years, and pretty good about avoiding sites I decide are too thick with advertising and/or Javascript fireworks.

tetris

Me too, but you and I are a very very small minority against a much larger and alarming trend

inquiry

Should we petition

m15o

to change the name of this place from "The Midnight Pub" to "The Bunker"? :-)

I've found I can barely change me, let along society. And that it/when one doesn't like the sight and/or sound of trees falling, it's best to avoid the woods because then all that falling arguably not even happening.

I know, I know.... "cop out"....

And yet is it ever really a cop out to not waste time/energy on/against what one concludes are ridiculously unfavorable odds?

tetris

True. Even if there's a 1% chance, you should still take it if it costs you nothing