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Comment by pests | Hacker News Reader

> I'm currently the type of person that is always plugged into noise (music, podcast, YT). It is rare that I sit in silence.

Not directed towards you, but this brings up a thought I often ponder. I have friends and people around me who are plugged in 24/7. I don't really think they spend any time, what so ever, on internal thought or introspection / reflection. I think it really affects them. The "default mode network" as its neuroscience has coined it. No time to analyze the past or correlate cause with effect. Lives surrendered to notifications and scrolling the same 3 feeds, day in and day out. I don't even know what to say to them sometimes.

On the flip side, I do accept people for who they are. If this is what they want, and they enjoy it, then whatever. But it can be frustrating trying to communicate or interact with them.

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There's an orthogonal aspect to it: control. I know I need some amount of noise to stay grounded and look outwards instead of collapsing into infinite reflection regression - but I also need control over that noise. That is, it needs to be my noise. Living in noise introduced by people around me is not reinvigorating, it's draining and depressing.

I couldn't agree more. Especially noise introduced by people around me. Drains me.

I'm not on a high horse either, I do succumb to modern temptations. I have a YouTube addiction, but its all educational / a topic I'm learning / a hobby / etc. I just got my Recap and somehow I have watched 4500 different channels this year, that's saying nothing of # of videos or watchtime. I was pretty shocked.

Still though, I purposefully make time to be alone and just daydream or relax and ponder. I don't use my phone while driving (besides maps etc). I try to put my phone away when others are around (unless we're sharing memes or photos or you know, actively using our phones together). I'm not a snob, go ahead and reply to your significant other while we're eating dinner - that's understandable. When I watch movies or TV (that I care about, I do keep old scifi on in the background while on the PC or doing stuff around the house) I am actively watching and do not touch my phone, and if I do need to I pause first.

The worst part? When you know someone is on their phone 24/7, phone in hand at all times, and you can't get them to respond to your calls or texts.

I feel like I'm bragging or showing off or something but I'm really not, just interested in how people interact with their devices, and their life.

haha this is so true about ppl not able to respond to calls while they are literally on the phone ALL the time

Wrote about this - https://www.unsungnovelty.org/posts/04/2025/you-dont-need-ai...

> I do accept people for who they are. If this is what they want, and they enjoy it, then whatever.

You do you, but you're not obliged to accept someone for who they are if who they are is a brainless wastoid. I recommend minimizing the time wasted on zombies in favor of seeking out people who still value their brains.

The terminally online don't seem to like being reminded that they're the terminally online.

Unfortunately the infestation only seems to grow.

Depending on how you categorize people into being a "brainless wastoid", that could potentially shrink some people's interactions with other humans to literal 0...

I see this type of sentiment reflected all over the internet as well, avoiding people because they don't fit whatever type of mold, I think this type of mentality is terrible. Not saying you gotta go out and find someone who has 14 hours of screen on time a day and hang out with them, but even just lumping people into the category of "brainless wastoid" feels to me very much like bordering on dehumanization.

> avoiding people because they don't fit whatever type of mold

You are the average of the people you spend your time with. To spend time with thoughtless people is to drag yourself down.

> bordering on dehumanization

No, this isn't dehumanization at all. I'm well aware of the self-destruction that humans are capable of.

the term "brainless wastoid" doesnt come across as dehumanization to you? thats strange. I think we are okay with taking people without brain activity off life support, so it certainly screams dehumanization to me.

> You are the average of the people you spend your time with. To spend time with thoughtless people is to drag yourself down.

this is a popular thing to say, that PROBABLY shouldn't be taken THIS literally, if i spend time with an idiot relative on a holiday, am i suddenly a dumber person? Is it suddenly your obligation to avoid certain gatherings because you know some of the people there aren't gonna meet your minimum standards of intelligence? If your child ends up not really being all that smart.. just hard abandon them? How literal should this statement be taken?

> the term "brainless wastoid" doesnt come across as dehumanization to you? thats strange.

Insulting a human doesn't deny their humanity. I encourage you to take humans off a pedestal. Humans are just animals with a superiority complex.

> Humans are just animals with a superiority complex.

I feel you are just attempting to avoid defending your actual stances tbh.

I actually AGREE that humans are not that special... however, that applies to literally every single human. what you are doing is isolating groups of humans, which is something drastically different.

We can be not special on a grand scale, but we still must all live together.

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