Re:The privacy wars are about to get a whole lot worse
by vertex-four on Thursday September 08, 2016 @05:11AM
(#12451407)
Note that the internet doesn't necessarily amount to public forums - there's many reasonable topic-specific semi-private groups all over the internet. Some of my best friends and even partners I've met through those, and I'd like to think we've made each other's lives better, or at least happier.
I respect that sentiment, and agree with it. However, I think that it's much harder to do what you're talking about online. I would go so far as to say that the tendency of the internet is to encourage the "hivemind" and other bad practices. See, e.g., the eternal September, endless takes on how to moderate forums, algorithmic content filtering, etc...
I think the internet works great for making transactions between total strangers possible. I can collaborate on an open-source project or buy some widget. But I think that to really connect with people or improve my community or to delve deep into ideas, IRL is where it's at.