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Comment by Forgeties79 | Hacker News Reader

Without the internet I wouldn’t haven’t met some of my best friends or discovered my passion for filmmaking. I’d also probably be still using a lot of questionable language and espousing some pretty whacky ideas like I did in high school. Honestly the internet improved my life. I get what you’re saying but it’s sort of an old take and lacks nuance IMO.

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> I’d also probably be still using a lot of questionable language

All sorts of cultures, online and off, involve members policing the ingroup for transgressions against the internal culture.

Language isn't "questionable", its usage is. There's no such thing as a bad word.

The culture of the internet (and, as a subset, that of 2022 mass social media in the english-speaking world, which is itself a subset of internet mass social media) is mostly not because of the internet, but because of the participants and the state of the wider world. The internet isn't responsible for wokeness, it's just the medium through which this particular human culture phenomenon travels.

>it’s just the medium through which this particular human culture phenomenon travels. That’s exactly what I’m saying. The internet exposed me to other ways of thinking and more diverse people. I’m not sure what all that other stuff is about.

We can acknowledge that the internet has done great things for people while simultaneously acknowledging that it is deeply altering the fabric of society.

I’d never disagree it’s altering the fabric of society. But I’m not sure I’m prepared to say it’s a net negative, which the comment above me definitely implied.

I could totally relate. who couldn't? Didn't that lack nuance? I'm only just past 40, and I don't take the current for granted either btw. I guess it depends what your counting in your net. Maybe we lost something.

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