The internet is a great and wonderful tool, but it has seriously messed up some of our favorite things.
Like, yes, there's all the weird dark places on the web (lookin' at you, 4chan) and then there is the social aspects of modern life that it has completely taken over. Why interact with anybody face to face when you could just go on Facebook? Why do things for their own merit when you could do it for the 'gram?
u/belkemi1 asked:
Here were some of the answers.
Too Much Info
GiphyWhen I was 17 I had to hitchhike home from school. I met a guy who called himself "the breeze" and ended up spending the weekend with him. He was an old hippy who lived in a shack in the woods. I never found out his real name, and I don't remember how to get back there. But I remember the time we had together fondly.
If that happened now I would have gotten his name and added him on facebook and would probably get sick of seeing his annoying political rants and stuff. Even old hippies are on facebook now.
No More Stories
Urban legends. You could spend lots of time getting told an urban legend of an area your visiting and it totally creep you out, but if you just read about it online it doesn't have the same effect. Just creepy stuff in general. Except for Creepypasta, of course
Memes Are A Way Of Life
Discipline and attention span.
I feel like before the internet became a big part of my life, I could sit down and just practice a skill or enjoy a hobby (reading, playing instruments, drawing, etc.) Now I'd rather just browse memes and I can't even read a post that's more than three sentences long.
Capitalism
Newspapers
You could easily spend lots of time reading a daily paper and especially the Sunday paper. Now newspapers offer half the content for at least double the price.
Only Shop On The Web
Shopping malls, where I live at least. The centre of my town used to be filled with all kinds of stores. Now you see a lot of stores closing thanks to online shopping. Only supermarkets and food-related stores stay as well as a couple bigger clothing stores.
Overwhelmed
Finding local businesses. Back when all we had were phone books and yellow pages, I could find a business that provided almost item or service I needed, within about 30 seconds. Now? Search online, find 100 businesses that decided to include every keyword that might remotely be used in their business, and slog through the results for an hour.
The Only Joy, Robbed
Collecting stuff. I remember being a teen looking for rare Nirvana stuff whenever my family went on holiday. I loved finding the local used vinyl shop and just hoping to find that rare gem. Now? It's just a matter of how much money you have, and buy it on Ebay.
Cut To Unicorn Frappuccino
Food. It sounds ridiculous but when a restaurant hypes up a new food item or drink, it becomes so popular so fast that the employees at said establishment hate making/serving it and it becomes annoying to people if you even want to try it.
I miss the days of finding out when you go, or bringing someone with you to say "you gotta try this" and not feeling stupid or annoying for wanting to try something.
No More Mincing Words
People's ability to recognize that they are interacting with real people, not just usernames or mere words. Individuals are going to read what you wrote, even if you meant it in a throwaway fashion. You have no idea how you can impact someone else.
Viewing Habits
GiphyTelevision
- Now, some people try to watch new episodes of their favorite shows via live-streams on YouTube instead of through their TVs. This has ruined the viewership for many shows. Also, some people choose just to watch online clips of shows instead of actually watching them live.
- The Internet partially stole away TV viewers (as well as streaming services). Nowadays, many people such as myself only watch YouTube videos. I don't watch anything else. Barely anyone my age (at least where I'm from) sits down to watch TV that much anymore.