-=> Richard Menedetter wrote to Orbitman <=-   
   Richard, I do see your points for sure. I see things a little different because   
   I am looking at this a little differently lately. Seeing content and hearing   
   young people discuss what they see, when I view the internet as a tool for   
   information the likes I've never had access to as a child. I see some of these   
   young poeople wasting this access away due to content being provided to them   
   that is far more stimulating than content they should be seeking. Cost to   
   product content like those really interesting documentaries is so much more   
   expensive than costs of many main stream media, and the return on investment is   
   the primary driver. Some educational content just doesn't provide the same   
   level of monetary return as sexually, and fashion, in-vogue products.    
      
    RM> Hi Orbitman!   
      
    RM> 09 Aug 2017 19:02, from Orbitman -> Bbsing Bbs:   
      
    Or> The general public is certainly dumbed down by the internet,   
    Or> especially since it's at one's fingertips.   
      
    RM> Is it dumbed down by the Internet or by the general public?   
   Its a bit of both. The mega corps are perverting it to make available mostly   
   content that is dumbing down its users, to insure they continue to gain   
   profits. Its like feeding your kids coolaid. You are feeding them water, and   
   other components, they can if they want remove the other components from the   
   water to purify it, if you showed them how, provided the tools, told them were   
   to get them, or showed them many other things, but since you profit a bit from   
   this coolaid action you don't have a desire to highlight how to provide just   
   the water. If they want it you charge them the cost in profits you would have   
   otherwise obtained if you sold them coolaid. Now you create a emerging markets   
   and profit from water purification packets, starting with just info, not real   
   tools, ...etc continuing to make a market for your next demographic you are   
   actually in control of.    
      
    RM> I think you are looking at it from the wrong side.   
      
    RM> Same with TV, if you constantly watch Big Brother or Fox News, it is   
    RM> your fault.   
    RM> You could watch a documentary about Particle Physics instead.   
    RM> If there is no market for Big Brother, they would not show it.   
   Some people have no idea there is other things out there. Documentaries are   
   usually paid for by the viewer whereas Fox News is free for everyone and widely   
   distributed.    
      
    RM> But that is NOT the fault of the TV, but of the general public.   
   TV is not to blame, but if you remove it some symptoms resulting from its use   
   also go away. Those who are allowed to broadcast on specific channels certainly   
   don't force you to watch, but you can't broadcast on their channels without   
   corps and govs coming at you, nor can you reshape their broadcast to be   
   healthier.    
    RM> Nobody forces the general public to look at Facebook.   
    RM> They could as well download an EBook from Descartes, or some scientific   
    RM> paper and read that.   
   Think back to the time of Descartes, and how scientists had been subverted by   
   mainstream media, so they would not publish or express scientific advancements   
   for fear of death by the mainstream organizations of their time. This is   
   similar to the kind of thing happening now, but it a way more sophisticated   
   way.    
      
    RM> It is NOT the Internets fault that people do not do that very often.   
    RM> They COULD do it, if they wanted to.   
   Some can, and do, but others just don't know how to.    
    RM> So the question we need to ask ourselves is why are they not motivated   
    RM> to do so?   
   RM this is a great question and why in part I got this discussion started.    
    Or> In my view, technology is supposed to "help" humans do their jobs   
    Or> faster and easier, NOT do their jobs for them. A computer is a tool,   
    Or> like a hammer or screwdriver.   
      
    RM> Exactly, and that tool was never better and more versatile than ever!   
    RM> You just need to make use of it!   
   Many tools are used in a way they shouldn't be used. There are many rules now   
   preventing all of us from circumventing the current design of these tools we   
   are using.    
      
    Or> Productivity is certainly affected to the negative...as most would   
    Or> rather be on social media than working.   
      
    RM> Is that the fault of "the Internet" or the fault of the people?   
      
   Ultimately we should blame people, not the internet. The internet is not   
   nature, its designed by people, groups of people, and redesigned, as well as   
   the tools used to design it. When we talk about the internet and people we are   
   talking about them together combined as creators of it and users of it. There   
   is a dominate group with far greater ability to create and control the   
   internet, tools, and flow of information right now compared with the mass of   
   people using it. This is similarly being echoed from current governments and   
   corps, how they desire to control the very thing that people want for good.   
   They don't care about it the way we users do because they see it as a profit   
   machine and they can afford all aspects of its output.    
      
    RM> CU, Ricsi   
      
    RM> --- GoldED+/LNX   
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