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"Twitter is not a real place, it's just a social network"

The idea that what happens on the internet is unimportant compared to what happens "in real life" hadn't made sense for over a decade now.

The internet is real life.

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This is so utterly wrong it hurts. The internet is real life the same way that evening news is real life. It’s a self-referential funhouse mirror that’s useful exactly for understanding what people who post on the internet think, and “people who post on the internet” is a tiny, profoundly idiosyncratic group. Conflating their opinions with “real life” is a powerful solvent for rationality, empathy, and mental health.

Depending on demographics, including stage of life, many people talk to their real life friends online more than than they do in person.

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