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by hippie_queen 1653 days ago
Even though I love my friends, I just don't like being available or able to be contacted all the time. I kinda miss the era of basic SMS and, for real-time chatting, MSN Messenger (or IRC). Nowadays, it feels like I can never truly "log off".

That said, I have no genuinely good reason why I haven't tried going back to a similar personal setup. Maybe it's time to see how it would work out.
1 comments
lolsal 1653 days ago
You don't need technology to solve this problem for you - you can choose not to be available.
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rco8786 1653 days ago
You're thinking about it backwards. Technology created this problem. Choosing to not be available is effectively making yourself a social pariah if your social circle is otherwise highly available.
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lolsal 1653 days ago
> Technology created this problem.

...No. Your adoption of technology/social media into every facet of your life created this problem.

I work in tech and I am not available when I'm not working. I don't participate in social media, but my social life is thriving during a pandemic.

> Choosing to not be available is effectively making yourself a social pariah if your social circle is otherwise highly available.

This sounds like a problem between you and your social circle. My circle doesn't make me feel like a pariah due to my availability. I suspect it has to do with me setting expectations and exercising discipline. You can do the same thing (though you might have to make changes to your social circle).

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rco8786 1653 days ago
> No. Your adoption of technology/social media into every facet of your life created this problem.

No, society's adoption created this problem, not an individual.

> This sounds like a problem between you and your social circle.

Now we're getting somewhere, we agree it's a problem. Congratulations that your particular social circle doesn't have this problem. But millions upon millions of them do.

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lolsal 1653 days ago
> No, society's adoption created this problem, not an individual.

I don't intend on dismissing your point with my next comment, only to offer it as an anecdotal data point: I don't have this problem, but I live in a society.

> Now we're getting somewhere, we agree it's a problem.

I'm saying it's your problem, not a societal or technological problem.

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rco8786 1653 days ago
Come on. Dismissing widespread problems as "not my problem, your problem" because it doesn't happen to affect you is so weak.
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lolsal 1653 days ago
in a child comment:

> Come on. Dismissing widespread problems as "not my problem, your problem" because it doesn't happen to affect you is so weak.

I think I didn't articulate my last comment well because you seem to misunderstand me.

I'm not saying it's not a problem and I'm not dismissing it at all. I'm saying it's not a problem that requires a societal or technological solution. I'm using my own experience as evidence for this. You can opt-out of all of this junk. I have; many others have. You already have all the tools you need to make this problem go away for yourself. Do you disagree? If so, what technological innovation, or societal evolution do you think would help you address this problem?

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