But none of that addresses the vast depth and breadth of the negative aspects of the Internet. Control, propaganda, data stealing, etc. It's just one level below The Matrix because we're all just human compute environments for corporations, criminal enterprises, and the wealthy. The Internet connects us in the most primitive way, connecting up primate emotional capacity, which is very low compared to some other animals, and encouraging short form content.

The Internet has killed the way things used to be made, especially the arts. You can barely even buy things today. You just rent them continuously.

> 'Humans were the ones who scared me'

> "They were the angry villagers in Frankenstein - like the internet - these nameless faces [Burton makes monster roaring noises] and the monster always had the most emotion and most feeling even though they're looked upon as a certain way.

> "Every monster usually has some kind of pathos and some kind of humanity" that the humans lacked he added.

So "like the internet" means people on the internet, is it technically wrong to call comments, social media, etc. "the internet"? Yup, it doesn't mean it's not understood when we hear it, at least for me it's quite clear when people in real life tell me "I don't like to be on the internet" they mean this side of it.

I think it'd be a better discussion if you focused on what the article is about instead of your argument on semantics, you are verging quite into exactly "the people on the internet" by doing this.

I've been guilty of being somewhat that person when I was younger. Until I realised it doesn't lead anywhere, you just become a pedantic boring person, not dissimilar to these hollow debaters talking fast over people on the internet.

Imprecise communication still annoys me when I misunderstand what someone said because they used it but life is so much better when trying to understand what someone actually meant to say, and conversing about that. It leads places, or at least to some understanding. The other side is just self-stroking your ego to tell yourself you are "smarter", or "more intellectual" than someone else.

Could be. I tend to get depressed after positive interactions.

Is using Wikipedia rather than an encyclopedia worth the damages caused by online porn? Or the loss of privacy both through data farming and digital hacks? Is checking the weather worth any number of children or adults killing themselves in part due to content they see online or how they are treated online?

I'm obviously not saying we need to immediately burn the internet down, but if what you listed are the best benefits that may not be the worst argument to make.

I won’t go into more detail other than that. The dream of 13 year old midwestern me playing chess with some random person in South Africa in the early 90’s died long ago for me. It was truly awe inspiring while the naivety lasted though!

I now operate on a harm reduction principle. I truly feel the internet as we know it causes more harm than good these days.

It's become so bad that I've severely limited my use of the internet anymore. Too much of it actively makes my life worse. Avoiding it has improved things quite a lot. Lately, I've been thinking that I may even need to stop hanging out here on HN, which is the only "social media" I use anymore.

Few of them found it depressing.

But certainly some did. They didn't like the stink on their clothes or how it overpowered the taste at a restaurant, or how it affected teeth, or negative health effects. Yet even some of these needed to learn to smoke in order to fit in, to land a deal, or to get promoted.

Just because you don't find your internet use depressing, doesn't mean someone else - even someone actively using the internet every day - can't be depressed by it.

It is very hard to have a normal life without the internet these days. Alternatives which were once common, like getting a paper local newspaper with real reporters and useful advertisements - and weather predictions for your area! - have often disappeared or cut back, meaning that yes, if you want the local weather prediction without bugging someone else every day, you have to use the internet.

Try to find a good paper map, which were once commonplace and given out free at gas stations, now often requires going to a specialist store, forcing you online even to get driving directions for your next appointment. Not everyone thinks that's a good thing, and might even find it depressing.

For one who considers FOMO and the need to feel on top of things as a mental weakness, then yes, seeing how so many people lack the patience to wait a few hours to know the scores of their favorite team can be depressing.

The World Book is the only paper encyclopedia available these days, making Wikipedia the de facto encyclopedia for everyone, when there used to be multiple encyclopedias, each with a different slant and focus. Granted, you might have to go to a library to access three different encyclopedia sets, while Wikipedia is available within seconds, but if you prioritize both diversity and high curation standards instead of time, the internet might be depressing.