How Corporate Money Ruined the Internet

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  • Опубликовано: 9 окт 2022
  • Thanks to Keeps for sponsoring this video! Head to keeps.com/wisecrack to get 50% off your first order of Keeps hair loss treatment.
    How the Internet became a hotbed of loneliness
    The internet started as an imagined egalitarian community where people could forge meaningful connections. So how did it become… all this? Let’s find out in this Wisecrack Edition: Is the Internet Making Us Lonely
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    === Watch More Episodes! ===
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    Written by Rachel Van Nes
    Hosted by Michael Burns
    Directed by Evan Yee
    Edited by Henry Arrambide
    Produced by Olivia Redden and Griffin Davis
    Music courtesy of Epidemic Sound
    #Internet #Wisecrack
    © 2022 Wisecrack / Omnia Media, Inc. / Enthusiast Gaming

Комментарии • 634

  • @WisecrackEDU
    @WisecrackEDU  Год назад +30

    Thanks to Keeps for sponsoring this video! Head to keeps.com/wisecrack to get 50% off your first order of Keeps hair loss treatment.

    • @dominickjasso5500
      @dominickjasso5500 Год назад +2

      Comparison is the thief of joy

    • @giladpellaeon1691
      @giladpellaeon1691 Год назад +3

      Still preferred MySpace to Facebook though, you always had a friend in Tom.

    • @CrowdedIsolation11
      @CrowdedIsolation11 Год назад

      Egalitarian not equalitarian

    • @CrowdedIsolation11
      @CrowdedIsolation11 Год назад +1

      Love the chamnel

    • @WisecrackEDU
      @WisecrackEDU  Год назад +5

      @@CrowdedIsolation11 That one was a quote and we looked into it. But I thought the same thing at first.

  • @Matas05
    @Matas05 Год назад +529

    Def lonely watching this video about how the internet makes me lonely, on the internet.

    • @CamSiv996
      @CamSiv996 Год назад +10

      Feels like an irony, isn't it? We have time to learn from isolation with technology like watching videos.

    • @mattdavid716
      @mattdavid716 Год назад +20

      I’m here with you, except I’m not, because we’re alone

    • @theradiantdehd3997
      @theradiantdehd3997 Год назад +7

      Me too. We can all be lonely while watching this internet video about how the internet makes us lonely while on the internet together.

    • @TheVeillin
      @TheVeillin Год назад +2

      Same 😂 that’s okay tho bud

    • @YarrBr0
      @YarrBr0 Год назад +3

      hi I am here to say I am alone right here on the Internet with the rest of you watching this internet video about the Internet and how it makes us more alone

  • @cannibalfan01
    @cannibalfan01 Год назад +89

    There's also the vanishing of "third places" spaces that aren't work or home like town/city squares, community centers etc compunded by the expansion of the suburbs and people living farther and farther from where their job is located.

    • @WisecrackEDU
      @WisecrackEDU  Год назад +27

      Great call. It seems like the pandemic destroyed those "third places" even more, at least in America. Now for many people their workplace, their home, and their local bar are all in the same place, namely, their small apartment.

  • @gregtiwald
    @gregtiwald Год назад +68

    It's capitalism. The problem is capitalism. Specifically advanced by neoliberalism, the alienation we already feel is made worse when we can't afford to participate in society because our wages go entirely to rent and food

    • @gregtiwald
      @gregtiwald Год назад

      Made worse by the atomization and hyper individualism of neoliberalism where everything is a transaction

    • @WisecrackEDU
      @WisecrackEDU  Год назад +27

      You said it, not us . . .

    • @mrjades4764
      @mrjades4764 8 месяцев назад +2

      Spot on

    • @mrjades4764
      @mrjades4764 8 месяцев назад +2

      @@WisecrackEDUyeah but you mentioned Hegel, which leads me to believe you know what you’re talking about 😛

    • @EarlofSedgewick
      @EarlofSedgewick 6 месяцев назад

      I don't think you understand what neoliberalism actually is, nor the writings of Adam Smith. Rent-seeking behaviour, which you rightly identify as being a massive problem (and encompasses things like monopolies), is the antithesis of what actual neoliberals want.

  • @Sk8rToon
    @Sk8rToon Год назад +438

    I’m an only child. Never did communal sports or play dates growing up. Live alone as an adult. My social life actually went up during the beginning of the pandemic since all my co-workers were freaking out about being alone or only with their families so we had virtual happy hours or played among us, etc.
    Now? Back to me myself & I.
    Watching all these studies in how bad the pandemic was to everyone’s psyche for being alone… makes me wonder about my entire life

    • @honeycrispTV
      @honeycrispTV Год назад +29

      I'll be your friend tho

    • @seeyafornow2642
      @seeyafornow2642 Год назад +16

      how do you perceive this? if you dont mind me asking, do you have a small but quality network of friends or companions you converse with often and in times of need? overall spending a lot of time alone, imho, is not a negative thing. however, as humans i feel we do need companionship, be it platonic or romantic or any other. i keep wondering about this myself as a person who is ambiverted and often struggles with defining all of it. kinda thought aloud but have a nice day!

    • @QuestioningYourSanity
      @QuestioningYourSanity Год назад +12

      I can definitely relate to this. Had a small group friends from HS, lost touch with all of them. Now I have no idea how to make new ones.

    • @LuisSierra42
      @LuisSierra42 Год назад +12

      I remember the pandemic time with nostalgia now but not because i got to hang out with people virtually but simply because now i had the perfect excuse to stay at home all the time without feeling guilty

    • @TheVeillin
      @TheVeillin Год назад +7

      I’m in a similar situation. I hear so much about the negative effects on peoples mental health and psyche but my life didn’t change much at all from covid.

  • @km1dash6
    @km1dash6 Год назад +237

    When you look at the past when people would write letters to one another, it wasn't a substitute for face-to-face communication. I have letters my grandparents sent to one another saying how much they miss each other. Texting, phone calls, etc., aren't a substitute for in person interactions.
    When I saw Wall-E, what really stuck out to me was how most people are constantly talking to someone over the phone or on a video screen. These people were desperate for connection and communication, but that's because they were deprived of it. I think we have a similar problem now. We need friendship, approval, etc., and social media gives us just enough to keep us addicted but not enough to cure our loneliness

    • @BluetheRaccoon
      @BluetheRaccoon Год назад +7

      I saw that movie in theatres, right at the beginning of smartphones. I knew they were right in many ways then, and I do my best not to think about it now.

    • @WisecrackEDU
      @WisecrackEDU  Год назад +64

      Wall-E really is a classic in terms of how well it exemplifies the things you're pointing out. And it definitely shows how lots of the things we use to try and simulate in-person social interactions end up feeling a bit hollow in comparison.

    • @mandisaw
      @mandisaw Год назад +9

      It's more that interactions only have as much depth as you [work to] invest them with. Even back in the old days of anime/sci-fi clubs, Usenet, BBS, and mailing lists, you could either just stay on the periphery, lurking, or actually engage and talk to folks. Just showing basic interest & empathy for people goes way further to establish trust and friendships than clicking "like/❤" and scrolling past. In-person can make this easier, but it's always gonna come down to genuine engagement.

    • @Darkloid21
      @Darkloid21 Год назад +6

      @@mandisaw Not really. You can genuinely engage and invest in a conversation but end up talking past each other. Talking to others doesn't mean connecting. And just because you share an interest doesn't mean you have anything in common. Basic interest and empathy gets you nothing, you need something else.

    • @Mr.Coffee576
      @Mr.Coffee576 Год назад +2

      There was definitely a lot of heart put into these letters by the people who wrote them, just because they didnt have the luxury of advanced technology that we have today.

  • @twincast2005
    @twincast2005 Год назад +8

    Come to think of it, one of the reasons why I miss '00s internet is that I was actually part of communities, namely LiveJournal and a handful of internet forums. Damn those corporate vultures.

  • @lancetan7699
    @lancetan7699 Год назад +92

    Loneliness being contagious is the most ironic thing I have heard in a while. Loved the video.

    • @YarrBr0
      @YarrBr0 Год назад +2

      Paradoxical? Oxymoronic?

    • @LinkEX
      @LinkEX Год назад +1

      @@YarrBr0 Paradoxical yes.
      However, I'm not sure it qualifies as oxymoronic when expressed as a statement ("Loneliness _is_ moronic").
      The contradiction needs to be a trait _within_ the defined term, I think.
      So for it to be an Oxymoron, the attribute needs to be part of the term itself (e.g. "contagious loneliness")

    • @ight001
      @ight001 Год назад

      @@YarrBr0 It's an oxymoron, because to be contagious you require interaction, and to be lonely is to lack interaction/connection.
      It's not ironic, since if one person stops interacting with the other, they both become more lonely instead of more connected.
      It's not a paradox, there is a straight forward connection that does not cancel out the original process. As more individuals stop interacting with each other, you don't have a rise in interaction/connection cancelling out the original loneliness.

    • @John-PaulHunt-pv6ol
      @John-PaulHunt-pv6ol 8 дней назад

      I've been alone now for almost 30 years and I haven't changed my thinking on anything as I still hate people and their materialistic ways.

  • @1wayroad935
    @1wayroad935 Год назад +32

    Twitter has brought nothing but pain and suffering

  • @vitoria.no.c
    @vitoria.no.c Год назад +34

    I’m just gonna sit here and ruminate on “consciousness isn’t created alone.”

  • @edsta8925
    @edsta8925 Год назад +56

    Somehow the internet made me less lonely.
    I work from home so I am naturally lonely at times since my partner works long hours and my friends all moved further away so I don't see them as often.
    I started to watch streamers on twitch and found myself enjoying the content of streamers who happen to live in the same city as I do.
    Over the years I ended up becoming recognised amongst them and the viewers where we have interesting and meaningful convo's since the community was pretty mature and not emote spamming children.
    Eventually the relatively small community of streamers and viewers I joined found an excuse to meet up so I went myself had a lot of fun and ended up being invited to one of their houses for a small get together where I met even more familiar names from the community so now those internet friends have become real friends I can see in the flesh despite my isolated lifestyle

    • @zelotepg
      @zelotepg Год назад +1

      I'm happy that you could use the internet as it was intented for. As said in the video, I too had great sense of community with my pals in the mmorpg and others games community, but I'm not a big fan of other types of social media, maybe RUclips a little? 😂

  • @cmilla111
    @cmilla111 Год назад +20

    World of Warcraft definitely had more of an impact on me than I would have guessed. I didn't develop any real life relationships, but there is just something about familiarity. Playing with the same people regularly and working towards something is a unique and special feeling, whether that is soccer, video games or even your job that you hate. When I logged back into WoW a few years after leaving, I was shocked to see how many people missed me. I must have had an impact on them as well, and it always feels good to be missed.

  • @senoir.
    @senoir. Год назад +22

    "Meta, Metamates, Me" has got to be the goofiest thing I've heard for a company

    • @WisecrackEDU
      @WisecrackEDU  Год назад +16

      If you have any idea what it means please let us know.

    • @TH3B1TT3RP1LL
      @TH3B1TT3RP1LL Год назад

      It's a ripoff of the old Navy saying
      Ship, shipmates, self

    • @senoir.
      @senoir. Год назад

      @@TH3B1TT3RP1LL oh wow i never knew this!😭 thanks for sharing!

  • @truhhhhhhhokIII3
    @truhhhhhhhokIII3 Год назад +28

    This is why i love skateboarding, its the most community based yet individualistic physical recreational activity / artform (with a side order of being able to be rated as a sport as well)

    • @MichaelOBurns
      @MichaelOBurns Год назад +1

      hell yes, agreed on all counts.

    • @truhhhhhhhokIII3
      @truhhhhhhhokIII3 Год назад

      @@MichaelOBurns your videos are the best🔥 would love a mini tangent on anything skateboard related but i know it wont pull mega views so im extremely happy to know you even understand and agree with my sentiment xD keep it up we love you!

  • @raymondtrabulsy7294
    @raymondtrabulsy7294 Год назад +15

    I had a MySpace page. The friends ranking was a great way to learn how little you mattered to the people who claimed you as a friend.

  • @Xarfax321
    @Xarfax321 Год назад +63

    “I am tired of this world, these people. I am tired of being caught in the tangle of their lives.” - Dr Manhattan. One of the Watchmen-quotes I really feel connected with.

    • @honeycrispTV
      @honeycrispTV Год назад +14

      You might say Dr. Manhattan was feeling...blue

    • @LuisSierra42
      @LuisSierra42 Год назад

      I think about that quote every day

  • @sometwat
    @sometwat Год назад +13

    Here's a tip for y'all, once you learn to appreciate the silence, you will subconsciously learn to hate the company of others.

    • @ZentaBon
      @ZentaBon Год назад +2

      For me I learned that our brain adapts to conditions over time. Even shit conditions become normal and comforting. It costs a lot of energy to be upset long term, so it's an evolutionary adaptation to save brain energy. If someone is surviving then in the eyes of natural selection doesn't matter if the conditions are not ideal for the person.
      That said, it's ok to not want to interact. I'm like this. I've been introverted and disinterested in interacting with my peers my whole life. I couldn't stand people my age, and still barely can. Took years to find a small group of friends.

  • @albertbehm1818
    @albertbehm1818 Год назад +12

    I always hear stories from my mom and older strangers about their childhood and the things they got into. Very cool stories and I grew up thinking I was gonna have cool stories like that too. Now nothing happens, everyone is addicted to their phones and fears/doesn't know how to have conversations with random people, this makes it harder to make friends. I try to put my phone down as much as I can and do what I want, however I often do it alone because nobody else is around.

    • @xbmcme9768
      @xbmcme9768 Год назад +5

      That's probably the worst part of this. Just when I've mustered up the courage and motivation to try to make friends, everyone else is glued on their cell phones. I find the best way to make friends is to go an event with a specific activity, like gaming, hiking, surfing, etc. It means 2 things; those people aren't going to be on their phones (although you will be surprised) and you're all doing the same thing and have at LEAST that 1 thing in common to talk about.

    • @ZentaBon
      @ZentaBon Год назад +3

      @@xbmcme9768 ugh yep. When spending time with people it's so hard to find people who don't use their phones. I struggle with this.

  • @ericjome7284
    @ericjome7284 Год назад +61

    My Mother used to tell me, "If you want friends, you've got to be friendly." You have to go out, find people, spend time with them. If you are lonely and you don't want to be, the first step is out your door. Try talking to strangers by asking them about themselves and doing what they like to do.

    • @venicec3310
      @venicec3310 Год назад +2

      Funny how such a simple logic still works the best no matter how hard we complicate things

    • @LuisSierra42
      @LuisSierra42 Год назад +19

      strangers are scary and rude

    • @ericjome7284
      @ericjome7284 Год назад +7

      @@LuisSierra42 yes they are, but if you work on it and spend time with them, they aren't strangers anymore.
      Lots of people are out of practice.

    • @PlywoodFraternity
      @PlywoodFraternity Год назад +3

      I mean that is really genuinely good advice but this video is not individual lonely people. It’s about the societal implications and consequences of chronic loneliness. So that advice in this context is kinda like walking into a cancer ward full of patients who lived next to a refinery their whole lives and telling the patients they should drink more water because being hydrated aids in healing.

    • @sboinkthelegday3892
      @sboinkthelegday3892 Год назад

      It's very appropriate, reminding you how you toss more fuel into the fire. US style indifferent "care", like promotion of therapy as a fix-all, brands people who DON'T feel alienated as DELUSIONAL, for seeing a community that CARES about them when none exist. But that would MEAN that the therapy itself is not a valid form of care that capitlism PROVIDED us. This is a kafkaesque nightmare, this way how the reliable system of crediting EVERY SERVICE with a number in "profit" is suddenly turned around to vilify EVERY SERVICE, as "only seeking profit". Which is always self-fulfilling accusation because if it DOES work, it WILL be profitable.
      It is not jsut simple logic, it is tautology, a closed logical loop. And how do you talk to strangers? You DEMAND attention, like move around telling cashiers to not only serve, but also waste time at the water cooler acting "friendly", only to forget you like a passing internet comment. Nobody has time to report what's going on for every passerby to gossip about, and there's yellow journalism for that if you DO anything worth remembering. Having to extend yourself to all that so that your Walmart customers can feel self-important about "humanizing the workplace" also takes away form your ability to get out of work and focus on your loved ones, or even THINK about them instead of the drooling faces right in front of you who "are always right": the customers. Or "proletariat" in their own words.

  • @gwgux
    @gwgux Год назад +10

    This is some definite food for thought. Back in the 90s, social media was more communal with pockets of discussion forums popping up around various topics (gaming being a big example of this, but there were others out there too). Back then you could talk to people with similar interests as you do without being bombarded by ads every two seconds and even back then, some people even ended up getting married after having met on a discussion board. Before MMO games were a reality (this was during the slow dial up days), gaming communities were close nit where everyone would get to know each other and recognize what they brought to the community by being there. If a high school kid wasn't fitting in at school, this was their way to connect to others and feel like they could at least be a part of something even if they couldn't get along with anyone IRL.
    The big corporate social networks destroyed this. When everyone jumped on their platforms, it ripped the communities apart. When the place people congregate around isn't built by the community, for the community, there isn't a community. This is where MMO games can shine. Even though the game itself is made by a company for profit, the guilds and pocket communities of gamers that come together on their own, are made by those gamers for those gamers. It's like of like a return to the old discussion boards for gamers by gamers, but just in a different format. There's a lot than be argued for and against this (ex: still using a corporation's platform with may be riddled with micro transactions, vs the benefits of a fan made website for the game), but it's a step in the right direction at least.
    People just need to have a space to be...people. Themselves. Away from work, sometimes as a momentary break away from other people (even people they like), etc. The Internet can allow all those things to happen. If stopping by a bar to unwind on the way home after a late shift of hell at work isn't your thing, then MMOs and other things online may help you. The thing is though, you still need to take that step yourself. You are still capable of fighting back against the corporate socials and forming your own communities online on whatever platform you want and whatever format you want. The tech is there and surprisingly affordable and widely available. You don't need to be the next Facebook, or the next Twitter, etc., you just need to be yourself. Communal buy in, or maybe just a handful of people put up the servers and maintain them, what ever works for you. It's your community and therefore, your rules.

  • @demorbe-official
    @demorbe-official Год назад +41

    I was a victim of this. Loneliness really sucks I was in a situation that I was sucked int and stuck with internet addictions all I could interact with was my phone consuming content pushed to me by the algorithm.
    So I decide to use that loneliness to open up a RUclips channel and also engaged in a sports club and for now at least I see some huge progress and life is getting better

  • @ericf9479
    @ericf9479 Год назад +5

    Great video. Loneliness hasn't really been a problem for me , i struggle with urges to self isolate, simultaneously having urges to reach out

  • @JamesDecker7
    @JamesDecker7 Год назад +56

    This message is for everyone out there!
    You have value merely because you exist. You deserve to be treated with love and respect. You are perfectly normal being imperfect. Please never give up! Never surrender. Make the world a better place and share love.

    • @brindlekintales
      @brindlekintales Год назад +2

      I love your message, it made my day, thanks!

    • @taranjotsinghbala2999
      @taranjotsinghbala2999 Год назад +2

      I was having a bad day, but your comment really struck me. Thankyou!

    • @valenciasaintilus9573
      @valenciasaintilus9573 Год назад +3

      “ you have value merely because you exist” lol Jordan Peterson would beg to differ.

    • @JamesDecker7
      @JamesDecker7 Год назад +2

      @@valenciasaintilus9573 That’s fine, I disagree with him on quite a bit, and sometimes agree with him. But I actually bet he would agree with me on that point. He speaks to it a lot when he goes off against communism.

    • @banquetoftheleviathan1404
      @banquetoftheleviathan1404 Год назад +1

      I don’t deserve love, that’s entitlement. I’m lucky to receive it but we have to be careful with this everyone deserves love mess cuz thats what the incels are preaching

  • @allyson87
    @allyson87 Год назад +5

    Start of video me: Unfettered capitalism and destabilized communities made us lonely. Like many of our social issues, the downfall started in the 70s/80s. The internet just accelerated the process and shined a light in the problem
    Halfway through: glad we’re on the same page

  • @JBBost
    @JBBost Год назад +12

    I recently went through this video first-hand! On the final year of my master's and even with doing my undergrad at 30, I still felt so much more isolated during grad school and Facebook was just like making everything so much worse. Finally, I hit up therapy, learned some anxiety tricks, and made a few friends in the program. Still, this has been such an isolating experience and I am so ready to move to city and find my people!

  • @xbmcme9768
    @xbmcme9768 Год назад +2

    Man, I will never forget jumping into the early chatrooms of the 90s as a young teenager with MSN Messenger and AOL. People were still jerks, but often, I would have good conversations. Most chatrooms only had tens of people, so it was easy to carry a conversation and there was no "agenda". Now, these chatrooms have been replaced with massive rooms of communities, *ahem* echo chambers, all trying to sell you something. The longer chats replaced with fleeting messages, some of which I can't actually tell if a person wrote or just a bad bot trying to keep you on the platform. For everything, there is a season. And the golden era of the internet is long gone.

  • @CarSVernon
    @CarSVernon Год назад +2

    im old and i actually miss the 'old' internet, i miss anon message boards/forums without having to have social media to chat about things you like

  • @BluetheRaccoon
    @BluetheRaccoon Год назад +68

    As someone who wasn't diagnosed as autistic until adulthood, you've really explained and helped me better understand why I've only seldom ever not felt lonely.

    • @methos4866
      @methos4866 Год назад +7

      Got diagnosed a couple of months ago at 29 and it's been a hell of a trip thus far. I always blamed myself for not being very social thinking i was at fault.

    • @DrumWild
      @DrumWild Год назад +1

      I was diagnosed in late 2017, when I turned 53. Getting news that late made it all feel like a life wasted. But it sure does explain everything.

    • @PROPAROXITONO
      @PROPAROXITONO Год назад +1

      haha, I would say the same. I was diagnosed 2 months ago (I'm 35 yo). It was really difficult for me to feel lonely. In fact, I miss the "isolation" from the pandemic. I don't want a new pandemic to have isolation, of course, but I was very much ok with it (the isolation, not the pandemic) and had a great excuse to be alone (just with my wife and dog) in my house.

    • @cda6590
      @cda6590 Год назад +2

      @@PROPAROXITONO bro if you got a wife and a dog I don't even know what you're doing on the internet watching videos about loneliness to begin with.

    • @BJ-zd2or
      @BJ-zd2or Год назад +4

      I'm autistic too bro. Your not alone. I'm sorry you had to go through this, society needs to change or hoping you find social interaction that accepts you and makes you happy unconditionally. We need that. I hope that you are alright though.

  • @Spiral.Dynamics
    @Spiral.Dynamics Год назад +6

    Whenever I see someone doing things alone, like bowling, I always feel bad for them and wonder where their family and friends are.

  • @sinnsage
    @sinnsage Год назад +8

    brilliant as usual. i keep trying to explain to people how capitalism literally destroys *everything*. you should make a compilation or playlist of your videos that is just based on that

    • @WisecrackEDU
      @WisecrackEDU  Год назад +2

      Not a bad idea!

    • @justaname2422
      @justaname2422 Год назад +2

      I think a big part of it is for a lot people they see all the pieces that make up the puzzle that is "capitalism is virus destroying humanity" but putting it together is hard, and when it does get put together for them it's incredibly scary because this is how it's been for so long.

  • @pokepress
    @pokepress Год назад +9

    Collaborative online work is also a good way to combat loneliness, especially when the collaboration is in real time. I think this is why small-group podcasting continues to rise in popularity.

  • @Sardonicus
    @Sardonicus Год назад +24

    I mean, I don't engage in social media as much. I'm 35 and I go out of the house alone all the time, and I rarely see anyone out my own age (but that's another matter). One thing I noticed sitting in coffee places, bars or wherever, is that it's only the boomers and some Gen X that are socializing, anyone Millennial or younger, if they're out at all, are usually out alone with their face buried in their phone.
    Many will complain about being lonely, but you offer to hang out and they're always "too busy". Some of it, sure, is related to side-hustling, or that they're new parents with new houses a decade behind schedule and are swamped, but some of it is the impossibility to get them unplugged for 10 damn minutes to grab some coffee or something. They can't break away from the social media crack. It's like pulling teeth from a chicken to get anyone to just hang out, like ever.
    So many of them absolutely refuse to do the one thing that could potentially help with their loneliness.
    Once or twice a year, I take a motorcycle trip to meet up with a bunch of other people to hang out and ride. Every single one of them is over 55 other than myself. Only half of them are retired, the other half still have jobs, and they still turn out. I've tried to get other people closer to my age from these same forums we're on to come out, but they never will, even when they have the free time and opportunity.
    And I think a very big part of it, is the shallow "connectedness" with internet people gives them a false sense of their need for friends or interaction. It's also been shown that internet interaction does not compare to or replace face-to-face interaction.

    • @brindlekintales
      @brindlekintales Год назад +4

      > It's also been shown that internet interaction does not compare to or replace face-to-face interaction.
      That explains why, as an activist for the homeless for more than 4 decades, I have wound up having friends who all live on the streets. They're the only group of people for whom the Internet does not play a large role in their lives, and still base their world on face-to-face interaction.

    • @9000ck
      @9000ck Год назад +8

      'Some of it, sure, is related to side-hustling, or that they're new parents with new houses a decade behind schedule and are swamped, but some of it is the impossibility to get them unplugged for 10 damn minutes to grab some coffee or something.' you get to the nub of it here; its economic. Your parents and grandparents had a better quality of life; they worked fewer hours, they were not constantly on call for work, they did regular hours not gig economy shit, they had holidays you know, actual trips to beach towns and lakes and mountains, they could afford to buy houses on one income. The reason young people don't go out is because they are exhausted. They are exhausted because they have been thoroughly exploited. But they are too distracted and atomised to cause political change.

    • @brindlekintales
      @brindlekintales Год назад +8

      > The reason young people don't go out is because they are exhausted. They are exhausted because they have been thoroughly exploited. But they are too distracted and atomised to cause political change.
      Nailed it, thank you! Though I'm not a youngster by any means: I'm 72! However, I fell into the low income status years ago and have remained there ever since, so the benefits of being a baby boomer are limited for me. The gregariousness of most people has died off slowly over the past few decades, and no matter how hard you try to make new friends, it rarely pays off anymore. This is NOT a problem of any individual, but a symptom of a severely fragmented society.

    • @banquetoftheleviathan1404
      @banquetoftheleviathan1404 Год назад

      Meeting people my age is the kicker for me. I already was sorta nestled in the dnb/festival community but the ones my age are turning into fuck ups and i have no bidness hangin with youngins, specially since i look young for my age and keep exclusively only getting hit on by young women. Feels inappropriate to continue to put myself in that situation. I feel like i should be hanging with people closer to my age and financial situation.

    • @brindlekintales
      @brindlekintales Год назад

      @@banquetoftheleviathan1404 What IS your financial situation?

  • @naftalibendavid
    @naftalibendavid Год назад +4

    Community requires commitment. In 1989, I saw Sting in a giant stadium with at least 10K other people who all sang “So lonely!” together. Then I went home by myself without fully grasping the irony. I was too much of a workaholic to think that I needed to go make friends. Even before the internet, plenty of folks were lonely little workers unsure about what was wrong or what to do.

  • @alexiswelsh5821
    @alexiswelsh5821 Год назад +5

    I remember MySpace. I was too young for it, but my babysitter and my mom both had it.

  • @billmozart7288
    @billmozart7288 Год назад +5

    This might be your and the team's best work yet

    • @WisecrackEDU
      @WisecrackEDU  Год назад +3

      Thanks so much Bill, really appreciate it.

  • @blazearmoru
    @blazearmoru Год назад +8

    The internet makes us lonely because it gives us more options making everyone more picky, rude, and overall less accommodating. Then the socially wealthy get more socially wealthy, the poor the poorer because an economy of attention is much more scarce than an economy of wealth. The problem is too much freedom. We're collectively throwing each other under the bus. This is a problem of commons, a prisoner's dilemma without the iteration part.
    This isn't the case if you're stuck in a physical OR digital location with other people and you have to accept each other as they are without the option of throwing them away for a new batch. If you can't just swipe left or right on people and have to confront them, and yourself, as who they and you really are then suddenly, less lonely.
    Freedom is the problem. Commitment is the solution. The problem is that people given the freedom to fuck themselves over will take every opportunity to.

  • @MrDirtydaves
    @MrDirtydaves Год назад +5

    Not gonna lie, this video hits hard for me. I remember before I had a smart phone and while I was lonely then from time to time, I feel much lonelier with my phone and social media.

  • @blackbaseballfield1
    @blackbaseballfield1 Год назад +11

    Amazing content yet again. Love all y'all at Wisecrack. Hope all is well

  • @forthrightgambitia1032
    @forthrightgambitia1032 Год назад +4

    The early internet in the late 90s still had a massive community aspect, as the companies involved mainly stuck to the actual infrastructure of the internet, private companies were mainly interested in discrete websites for their business and advertising was relatively crude. The early 2000s were the tipping point, and the late 2000s were when it came all-encompassing.

    • @LancesArmorStriking
      @LancesArmorStriking Год назад +1

      The spam comment really just proves your comment even more, lol

    • @LancesArmorStriking
      @LancesArmorStriking Год назад

      Also, yeah. I was only barely around for the late 2000s internet but it felt... cozier? Smaller? Still huge and bustling, but it felt like everyone was "in on the joke" that this is the internet, a crazy place unlike real life at all
      God, I miss 2008.

  • @austinhernandez2716
    @austinhernandez2716 Год назад +45

    Jokes on you, I grew up before social media and I've always been lonely.

    • @BluetheRaccoon
      @BluetheRaccoon Год назад +1

      All of my childhood was before social media, but almost none of my adulthood. Are you neurodivergent?

    • @ZentaBon
      @ZentaBon Год назад

      Wait till you learn about the disinformation issue. So much bullying, hatred, vitriol and division on social media. I get it, a lot of it is justified but...does being correct actually justify being an asshole to strangers? When you're right or have a point and try and resolve arguments irl by being a nasty jerk...it is seen as abusive. Why isn't it seen as abusive when it's done online?
      I talk to people irl I don't agree with, still getting that fight or flight response but...I learned it's more important to build bridges than missile silos. I'm tired of hatred and division. This is my way of protesting all that hatred.

    • @NoActuallyGo-KCUF-Yourself
      @NoActuallyGo-KCUF-Yourself Год назад

      I've always hated people, so I seek solitude whenever possible, and I have no friends either online or off.
      I was already an adult before the Internet was commonly available, and so- called social media wasn't really a thing until I was too old to give a shit about whatever "you kids today" are doing.
      Now I am looking out from my secluded hole at the rest of the world collapsing, and I sincerely feel sorry for all of you.

  • @b.o.e.t.h.i.u.s
    @b.o.e.t.h.i.u.s Год назад

    Excellent videos. Glad to see this channel has so many followers.

  • @seeyafornow2642
    @seeyafornow2642 Год назад +7

    I also dislike how we are constantly connected. connectedness is never a bad thing for humans but with the phone in our hands 24/7 (i wish i was exaggerating here ahhh) its this constant pressure of replying, being up to date, checking in, updating whatever you have to. i see people all around me constantly connected over any app to 10 of their friends, acquaintances and honestly sometimes we just need to disconnect to actually be present. we shouldnt feel pressured to be in touch all the time. some moments are just to be with yourself and your surroundings and those the moments we look back to. atleast i do. and as someone without social media except youtube, it is extremely freeing.

    • @trippysk8er723
      @trippysk8er723 Год назад

      Living in the present can be refreshing

    • @miaferrari958
      @miaferrari958 Год назад

      I also feel like it ends up "cheapening" interactions.
      I was reading Dreamcatcher and there was this part where one character gave another one a call after a very long time and I realized, I can't relate to that; to the significance of receiving a call from an old friend and having an actual conversation, because I'm actually in contact with everyone, all the time... but talking about nothing really.

    • @seeyafornow2642
      @seeyafornow2642 Год назад

      @@miaferrari958 are you referring to those small talk type everyday conversations. i do agree, in depth and long conversations are beautiful and feel like treasure. do tell me how our phones cheapen the interaction though, i am not quite sure i understand that.

    • @miaferrari958
      @miaferrari958 Год назад

      @@seeyafornow2642 I don't know, maybe it's just my experience, but I feel like I end up communicating with friends through memes, or short messages instead of having actual, long, personal conversations.

  • @sentientsponge8570
    @sentientsponge8570 Год назад +1

    Thanks for the video! When I finally write that book in the subject I’ll send you guys a copy

  • @steven2183
    @steven2183 11 месяцев назад +2

    Given current events, you could make a followup video called "How corporate money continues to ruin the internet"

  • @Austinkungfuacademy
    @Austinkungfuacademy Год назад +1

    This is one of my favorite episodes you guys put out. I'm watching this multiple times, it's dense! You packed a lot of excellent information in this, particularly, useful language to justify communal gatherings from the standpoint of political power and mental health improvement. Thank you.

  • @TheLandscaper0115
    @TheLandscaper0115 Год назад

    Great video. Always very informative and funny. Keep up the great work.

  • @Chetthew21
    @Chetthew21 Год назад +9

    This was a fantastic watch. I went in with the concept of loneliness and being alone as separate, and am out the other side once again cursing late stage capitalism. Will the constant absorption of human lives to transform it all into revenue ever end?

  • @andydimezza2229
    @andydimezza2229 Год назад +9

    Loneliness brought on by the intersections of capitalism and individualism makes total sense and puts a lot of my recent life into a good perspective. I left my job to be a stay at home dad and moved to a new area at the same time.
    Most other families where I am have both parents working and during the day there aren’t many options for social interaction with other adults other than in places where I’m spending money, like stores, day cares, etc… we’re friendly, but conversation is usually limited in these settings. The other families that DO have stay at home parents are all from our Catholic Church because they are home schooling them. Though I get some time with them, those parents are pretty extreme in their individualism, hate for democrats, and their 2nd amendment rights. They tend not to be too inviting or fun to be around.
    In order to get some adult social interactions in this new area I took a job as a school bus driver that also does charter buses for adults. The job allows me to take my kid on most routes. I never thought about this before, but most of my past social interactions happened because of school or work. It’s interesting to see how the most effective way to make new friends is directly related to my financial / work status or how much I demonstrate my love for God, America, and Guns.
    That being said, I acknowledge that I am incredibly fortunate that I am able to be home with our kids while they are still too young for school. My desire is to be in an economic climate where more families have that option. Then maybe there can be some socializing and maybe even positive social change sans money spending.

  • @FallopianDismay
    @FallopianDismay Год назад

    Really enjoyed this one! Thanks!

  • @JemLeavitt
    @JemLeavitt Год назад +1

    Great video. Important and well done, would recommend. 👍👍

  • @EdyGlockenspiel
    @EdyGlockenspiel Год назад +4

    I wish I had friends to share this with.

  • @omri9982
    @omri9982 Год назад +1

    Great video, this really needs to be talked about more in society.

  • @charafeddinemouqtadi8760
    @charafeddinemouqtadi8760 Год назад +17

    I learned to like the solitude. Gives me rest and more time for my own interests and no drama. I have some friends with good taste to go to events with me

    • @tieember9596
      @tieember9596 Год назад

      I'm sure you do, and you're a pathetic fucking loser, lmfao
      Enjoy your hobbies

  • @lightningcomet7307
    @lightningcomet7307 Год назад

    Excellent video, guys. Thanks!

  • @jamesbuchanan1913
    @jamesbuchanan1913 Год назад +5

    I sometimes have a dream where you run a school in groups of 12 kids or so. And all those kids get a communal grade. This would teach kids to deal with each other and rely on one another.
    I'm also wondering do we as individuals still have any value to provide groups. Like I feel preindustrial you could go to any village and say volunteer to help someone pull a plow and earn favor, but with cheap fossil fuel human labor is just so devalued. We are valued more as consumers than producers, even when we have little money to consume with.

    • @Rithmy
      @Rithmy Год назад +2

      communal grades are a bad idea. Abolish grades in general. Take your time and write individual reports about each kid. And you can add some communal reports if you want to.

    • @planetarysolidarity
      @planetarysolidarity Год назад

      Japanese schools are pretty much already like this. Elementary classes are actually a bit large so teachers can rearrange kids so that each one gets the opportunity to teach and to learn. Of course, they have assistants so the adult to kid ratio is good. Basically, Japanese Elementary school is about teaching people how to consider others. Then, in junior high, the brutal competition for elite universities begins. But, the earlier lessons remain.

  • @rathalomaniac6212
    @rathalomaniac6212 Год назад +4

    Watching Dunkey makes me feel like I have an internet friend even though I've never even spoken to the man.

  • @Evilnor7
    @Evilnor7 Год назад +1

    I can definitely say that online gaming was my social life for 10+ years. It definitely staved off lonliness while I was in grad school, and I even met my current husband in the game. Even with single-player games, I was able to find dedicated forum communities to interact with, which was fun while it lasted.

  • @sarayusarayu832
    @sarayusarayu832 Год назад

    Excellent video!

  • @lindso_b
    @lindso_b Год назад +1

    Love that you used that Dunkey clip lol.

  • @troywalkertheprogressivean8433
    @troywalkertheprogressivean8433 Год назад +2

    People were apathetic before the internet. Poverty is the biggest factor in hindering meaningful relationships.

  • @dariogomes3598
    @dariogomes3598 Год назад

    Ty for the wisdom

  • @lintaobohan
    @lintaobohan Год назад +3

    “Even if a small group of people had the courage to meet death, we today would not say that each individual had the courage to do that, for what the individual fears more than death is reflection's judgment upon him, reflection's objection to his wanting to venture something as an individual. The individual does not belong to God, to himself, to the beloved, to his art, to his scholarship; no, just as a serf belongs to an estate, so the individual realizes that in every respect he belongs to an abstraction in which reflection subordinates him." - Søren Kierkegaard

  • @squid1712
    @squid1712 Год назад +3

    'I love to talk to my internet friends'

  • @lauren1779
    @lauren1779 11 месяцев назад +2

    I use the term marketing media rather than social media

  • @mayormccheese6171
    @mayormccheese6171 Год назад +2

    Congrats to the Wisecrack team for avoiding giving any mention to the breakdown of organized religion, a pillar that has been successfully creating community for at least the last thousand years.

  • @IrrationalHieroglyph
    @IrrationalHieroglyph Год назад

    As always, I learned more from your videos. Thanks :)

  • @mrjades4764
    @mrjades4764 8 месяцев назад +1

    It’s not the tools we use, but the motives that drive us, which determine the emotional impact achieving our goal will create. The profit motive is soul sucking.

  • @siphumeleledlodlo5930
    @siphumeleledlodlo5930 Год назад +6

    Me to a stranger, in the hopes of starting a conversation:
    "So, do you know that loneliness can potentially lead to Alzheimer's disease?"

  • @muttgooch
    @muttgooch Год назад +2

    I'm able to be alone, not lonely, and to have social circles but in 2016 I started to lean into being more alone due to anxiety and I've leaned heavily on the internet for entertainment and news in response. But I've grown accustomed and like having a small circle of friends a being a homebody.

  • @nykki21
    @nykki21 Год назад +2

    What I got from this is that we haves to prioritize humanity. Everything else is a symptom

  • @looneyshadow1
    @looneyshadow1 Год назад +3

    a bald man selling you hair products has to be like a personal trainer with beer belly

  • @thaddeuscox6624
    @thaddeuscox6624 Год назад

    Quick request: please leave the quoted text on the screen for a bit longer for screenshots.
    Thank you for another super relevant and well presented analysis!

  • @cup.o.joe...
    @cup.o.joe... 8 месяцев назад +1

    I once got a lot of hate because I mentioned how dumb and frustrating is people's need for online validation, and how following online trends not only didn't foster community but stimies individual growth and social life.

  • @malako777A
    @malako777A Год назад +1

    i am becoming a PRO at the art of jumping the merchandising part of the video straight to the content. 👍

  • @undercoverduck
    @undercoverduck Год назад +1

    Amazing video

  • @TH3B1TT3RP1LL
    @TH3B1TT3RP1LL Год назад

    Do Palo Alto! It's awesome and Malcolm Harris deserves a shout-out

  • @vitoria.no.c
    @vitoria.no.c Год назад +2

    11:00 one can definitely see this change in how society was organized starting from the election of Reagan just by looking at the language of ads.

  • @Secret_Takodachi
    @Secret_Takodachi 8 месяцев назад

    Watching this while waking up from a nap after my morning workout really makes me appreciate how important it is to have a daily activity that involves chatting with strangers and getting your blood pumping. ❤ I connect to humans IRL. I can't imagine how sad & lonely a person trying to connect to others only online must feel. Then again they're choosing to continue to engage with a system that doesn't work so hard to feel bad for someone who refuses to change their behavior when they recognize it isn't productive/helpful/fulfilling.

  • @covle9180
    @covle9180 Год назад

    I love the little dark nuggets in between.

  • @hallamshire
    @hallamshire Год назад +1

    I would add that we have demolished or built over community gathering spaces that are non-alcohl related.
    The past year I've been lonely and wanting to go out and make more friends but as an adult, I didn't know where to go to meet out people (other than the bar and my social anxiety is too high there). I remember in college that so many of my friends were just folks I met in communal gathering spaces. There were free things to do and I met others that were interested in similar things.
    Fast forward, I joined a dance class and I have met some people that might be friends... but building those relationships is long and hard work.

  • @liverandlearn448
    @liverandlearn448 11 месяцев назад

    A few years ago I came up with the term "Technohermit" where the more time you spend on 'socializing' over the internet, the more disconnected you become from society.

  • @solfeo8905
    @solfeo8905 Год назад

    I might add more later since I need to do some chores before but the ~17:55 example from the ‘Dunkey’ video (which I might’ve seen)..that ‘Dunkey’ is that frivolous w/a maybe prepubescent kinds of reminds me of something mentioned in the ‘Bob’s burger’ video about how (apparently more so in the past) community members ‘ raised roaming children in a way..but given the lack of accountability viable via anonymity the internet kind of ‘distorts that’ or can even be detrimental to a child

  • @MrBerniemcgovern
    @MrBerniemcgovern Год назад

    Such truth! Love is like a spinja.

  • @WeabooMilk
    @WeabooMilk Год назад

    Didn't expect to see Videogamedunkey footage in a Wisecrack video

  • @Kazuma11290
    @Kazuma11290 Год назад +4

    Being solitary is so much better than being lonely.

  • @benjamin5724
    @benjamin5724 Год назад

    I really enjoyed this video.

  • @CainsChannel
    @CainsChannel Год назад +1

    Remember when you could make friends on RUclips back in the day and add someone as a friend? There was also an option to send people personal messages and get to know them. All of that is gone now. That option now is "business inquiries:" with a link to the person's email address.

  • @historiadelaciencia6860
    @historiadelaciencia6860 Год назад

    Just got a Bumble ad before this video.

  • @TAP7a
    @TAP7a Год назад +3

    Every American theorists who blames TV and video games for social isolation without talking about urban design, suburbia and car dependency is missing a huge piece of the puzzle
    If they blame social media alone though that’s fair enough; shit’s crack but for friendship

    • @TAP7a
      @TAP7a Год назад +1

      Also, almost everything bad about the modern age in the Anglosphere can be traced back to either the neoliberal regimes of Reagan, Thatcher and other ghouls of the 80s or Rupert Murdoch

  • @kriz2432
    @kriz2432 Год назад

    Down with the Money System!! Up with LOVE!!

  • @NoActuallyGo-KCUF-Yourself
    @NoActuallyGo-KCUF-Yourself Год назад +1

    I only feel lonely when other people are around. I know I have nothing they want. And they know I am not interested in anything that they are.
    It's like feeling more hungry while in a grocery store with no money.
    When I'm alone, I know I'm alone and that's it. There is no stress of worrying about what one of these other apes is going to do to ruin my day.

  • @JohnDoe-ds1uy
    @JohnDoe-ds1uy Год назад +1

    There's another angle I don't think was mentioned here: time vs stuff. Never in my life have I had more recreational things to do than free time to do it. I haven't dated in 12yrs. Mostly because all it would do is suck what little time I have left over after work. I have several hobbies and, if all but one were stolen or I was no longer allowed to do, I STILL would struggle to keep up with that one thing. No woman is going to complete with that and it will just end up costing more money that I don't have (even if its just gas money to meet up) than I have.

  • @jeddafakee91
    @jeddafakee91 Год назад

    My hair really is growing back with the monixodil foam in the front... a year of fanasteride however did nothing for me

  • @nishidohellhillsruler6731
    @nishidohellhillsruler6731 Год назад +5

    To be honest, my experiences on Twitter and MMOs had drove me away from other people, mostly because the way people behave online, pretty much unlike how they behave when they know I can find where they live, it's simply awful; and knowing that anybody around me could be one of those filthy beasts without a soul, makes me weary of people and like it's just safer to keep them away. And don't get me started on how the things I have seen on 4chan make me feel about whether or not humanity deserves to exist at all or not.

    • @Rithmy
      @Rithmy Год назад

      What you saw is just one tiny portion of extreme people. Please don't generalize such a border experience.

    • @nishidohellhillsruler6731
      @nishidohellhillsruler6731 Год назад +1

      @@Rithmy Don't tell me how to live.

    • @Rithmy
      @Rithmy Год назад

      @@nishidohellhillsruler6731
      So why are you allowed to tell me what to do? Lets face it. We are both allowed to say our opinions. I was very polite.
      If your beliefs are being irrational i will tell you that.

    • @nishidohellhillsruler6731
      @nishidohellhillsruler6731 Год назад +1

      @@Rithmy The difference is that I'm not invading your life trying to make you feel like your feelings aren't valid by being a self righteous little bug. I'm not trying to make you be like me, I'm just telling you not tell me how to live.

    • @Rithmy
      @Rithmy Год назад

      @@nishidohellhillsruler6731
      I did not do that. I just made a comment under your comment. And you did the same. You made a public comment. Answering it is not an invasion.
      I never said your feeling is wrong. I said it is one part of the whole universe. Your experience is valid. But it is not the whole of reality. I say this because your comments sound like it would be a common thing to meet people outside that are as awfull as online.
      " I'm not trying to make you be like me, I'm just telling you not tell me how to live."
      No. I don't want to be like you. You might be someone that is too afraid to talk to people about their lives. I am not. If i see a person in distress i will try to be there. You can reject me all you want, but the fact that you interact with me tells me that you recognize me as being there. Everything else is just facade. We know nothing about each other. We only have empty words. The only thing that is there that i see you and you see me . And i think that is all it needs to start a healing process. I come from a place of compassion. NOT from a place of pity. But again: Words are empty.

  • @whodatboi2567
    @whodatboi2567 Год назад

    I'd imagine it's similar to the negative effects of wealth inequality i.e. it's creates a greater awareness of lacking connection due to exposure thus exacerbating feelings of loneliness.

  • @nopelindoputraperkasa5869
    @nopelindoputraperkasa5869 Год назад

    Thank you for sharing the best information.. great. ! Very inspiring and inspiring.. great.. greetings from traditional Indonesian gold seekers ❤️🇮🇩⚒️❤️👍👍

  • @TheCommonS3Nse
    @TheCommonS3Nse Год назад +1

    I love the message of this video. I have long held that our loss of connection with our community has been driving many of the social problems we see today.
    My policy solution to this problem is to have a UBI linked to community service. For example, you volunteer a minimum of 8 hours per month, you get a $500 UBI. I think it would get people positively involved in their communities, and it would help people financially so they don’t have to spend all of their waking hours working, opening up more time for friends and family.

  • @Alaskan-Armadillo
    @Alaskan-Armadillo 9 месяцев назад

    I appreciate the point that lonliness is an individual and a social problem

  • @jeronimotamayolopera4834
    @jeronimotamayolopera4834 Год назад +2

    PEOPLE MAKE ME FEELL ALONE.

  • @fernandoi8958
    @fernandoi8958 Год назад +2

    I wish I had the will to bowl alone. I mostly don't feel like doing anything alone, unless it's survival related things...

    • @lbjcb5
      @lbjcb5 Год назад

      Maybe you could talk to someone. Dial 988 to chat right away with a person waiting to talk about whatever is on your mind. ❤