Lifestyle tips

Delta9:
Well, social media was supposed to make us less lonely and more connected too. AI today is like Facebook in 2004. It's just a niche thing now, but the implications of it will be widely felt in a couple of decades if not way sooner.

We already have low birth rates in western society. A meaningful percentage of younger males have already given up on dating, procreating, and even working (life in general). And we have an epidemic of low testosterone among men.
So go ahead and call it a nothing burger if you want to. For most women, at this point, it really is. But I stand by my assertion that this will have a subtle, but very meaningful net impact on men in a negative way. Almost like a new type of porn addiction.

Glad to see this post finally getting some debate going.

Delta9:
Well, social media was supposed to make us less lonely and more connected too. AI today is like Facebook in 2004. It's just a niche thing now, but the implications of it will be widely felt in a couple of decades if not way sooner.

We already have low birth rates in western society. A meaningful percentage of younger males have already given up on dating, procreating, and even working (life in general). And we have an epidemic of low testosterone among men.
So go ahead and call it a nothing burger if you want to. For most women, at this point, it really is. But I stand by my assertion that this will have a subtle, but very meaningful net impact on men in a negative way. Almost like a new type of porn addiction.

Glad to see this post finally getting some debate going.

Munchies:
This isn't a debate so much as it is clearing up misinformation.

Social media is a double-edged sword. It causes harm, but there are also many people who have been helped by social media. That said, it's not, for the most part, being used as a replacement for IRL interactions.

smartinsights.com/social-media-marketing/social-media-strategy/new-global-social-media-research/

As you can see here, as of last month, the average social media user spent about 2 hours and 20 minutes a day online. Yes, there are chronically online people, but that's not most.

Yes, testosterone is declining globally, but that is because people are living longer. Testosterone declines with age. There are other factors, but age is the most prevalent factor:

urologytimes.com/view/testosterone-levels-show-steady-decrease-among-young-us-men

As for why birth rates are on the decline there are many factors. I'd say the main reason is economic. Children are expensive, and big families are even more expensive. Add onto the fact that there are lower child mortality rates and that developed countries have more robust child labor laws compared to developing countries, and you'll understand that for lower-income people, having kids is a luxury most cannot afford.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4255510/

In fact, you will hear this complaint more than any other. Even happily married couples who want kids will delay having them until they can afford them.

Of course, there's a conversation to be had about how women are delaying having kids to pursue education and fiscal stability, but men are doing the exact same thing. It's a complex, multi-faceted issue. But I can assure you it isn't because men are denied wives.

Also, having a porn addiction is a mental health issue. Pointing and saying, "Look at these sad saps," helps no one. There are a lot of reasons people become addicted to something, but the main reason is that addiction is a coping mechanism that gets out of control. It's a deeply personal issue that deserves grace and compassion. Of course, if that addiction leads to others being harmed, that's a different situation. But I wouldn't go so far as to say it's partially responsible for the collapse of civilization.

Delta9:
What social media has really done is make it more overtly obvious than ever before that the game is completely and hopelessly rigged against most of us in so many areas of life including financial/work and personal/romantic relationships that the idea of giving up and not caring to try anymore has become not only acceptable, but encouraged in a growing portion of the population.
All this leads to changing values, with less emphasis being put on relationships, families, jobs, home ownership, health, and even self autonomy. If those things are unattainable, then why try or place value on them?
You can try to find data that contradicts whether these things are really happening, and it's not that much harder than it's ever been.
BUT, I think that many people feel or perceive that it's true, which leads them to behave accordingly.

Morbidly A Beast:
It sucks because there’s def space to say atomization is totally a thing and it’s kinda just an accepted aspect of our lives these days without going into some conspiracy against white people or “western civilization” as if it’s not felt by everyone regardless of race gender it’s part of modern life. Yeah there might have been a time where it was easier to meet new people but it’s just as easy as it was back then if not easier with groups and such you can meet online. just people are generally more “shut in” doesn’t help that there was a global pandemic recently so a lot of people are kinda still in that mode a bit. Also there’s always a bit of projection I feel like whenever topics like this come up, like are you saying these things because you’re lazy and don’t ever touch grass and just feel entitled and dumb founded people aren’t just showing up at your door or are you getting at a symptom of something more, you know? I’m not directing this at anyone in particular, no you as in YOU I’m confusion

Lbd4:
Someone recommended the character ai psychologist as an opportunity to clarify their own feeling about this fetish. I talked to it about my own kinks and it was trying to convince me to gain weight and eat a lot even though those aren’t solid goals I have for myself. It was pretty convincing. I think you have to want the thing that’s on offer.
There’s also enough of an uncanny valley that you never forget that there’s no body the words are being filtered through. I’m intrigued by AI. I think when we get scared by these things and retreat to our caves mumbling ‘fire bad’ we give up power to the curious and flexible. They are tools not overlords…don’t relinquish your brain to it.

Lbd4:
Someone recommended the character ai psychologist as an opportunity to clarify their own feeling about this fetish. I talked to it about my own kinks and it was trying to convince me to gain weight and eat a lot even though those aren’t solid goals I have for myself. It was pretty convincing. I think you have to want the thing that’s on offer.
There’s also enough of an uncanny valley that you never forget that there’s no body the words are being filtered through. I’m intrigued by AI. I think when we get scared by these things and retreat to our caves mumbling ‘fire bad’ we give up power to the curious and flexible. They are tools not overlords…don’t relinquish your brain to it.