[delayed]

> The internet was about connection, but the way I see it, it’s become a great way for bad actors to...

There seems to be a profound confusion somewhere in here that people come with an evil bit and we're going to toggle technology so that those people can't use it and everyone else can.

Y'know, racists use cars to drive to their racist conventions or whatever. On publicly funded roads. Possibly with time freed up by a strong welfare system. Just because people someone doesn't like use or made something has little relevance to the value of the thing. Horrible people make wonderful things in horrible ways all the time, history is rife with it [0].

Getting off most social media does seem like a win though.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritz_Haber is a great example, this man is arguably greatly responsible for billions of people being alive today. Which is absolutely stunning in context of the rest of his Wikipedia page.

The “good” news is that, if LLMs really do reach AGI, and if we still live under this same economic system that ruined the Internet, there won’t be this decades-long grieving process. It will be a short one, if we’re aware of it at all.

I'm not a doomer, but when it comes to the internet, I only see things getting worse.

• pembrook

  today at 9:51 AM

  The lack of self awareness on this site is endlessly amusing to me.

  “I’m not a KKK member, but I do enjoy wearing bedsheets while riding horses and burning crosses on my front lawn.”

  • the_af

    today at 9:56 AM

    Are you implying the same people that are pessimistic about the internet are also AI hypers or tech entrepreneurs? Because HN isn't monolithic, it's entirely possible -- in fact, likely -- that these are two distinct sets of people who both read HN. I know I'm pessimistic about much of what the hype people like.

    Edit: or if you meant the grandparent claims not to be a doomer but is pessimistic about something, I don't see the contradiction. It's more like "I don't generally like sweet things, but this cake is nice". Where's the contradiction?

The internet isn’t the web/social media.

People don’t complain about roads & gutters because there’s idiots on them that drive. Idiots that drive get the deserved blame.

Words matter. The internet rocks but social media sucks, apps suck, elected representatives suck.

• tomgp

  today at 9:36 AM

  I see where you're coming from but I don't think the analogy really works because most peoples experience of the internet is entirely 100% mediated by facebook, google, ticktok etc. It's would be like the road network if you needed to rely on a drunk driver to deliver you to your destination.

• jrimbault

  today at 9:24 AM

  > People don’t complain about roads & gutters because there’s idiots on that drive.

  We do complain about roads and infrastructure, and try to improve them so the inevitable idiot's impact is lessened.

I think they hate the commercialized Internet, and I do too.

• 59nadir

  today at 10:06 AM

  It's becoming an increasingly bad time to be hosting anything on your own, having to worry about whichever 0-day the clankers are going to find and/or exploit within minutes of it being patched. I'm not sure even nginx is safe in all of this. I used to think there was software that should be basically safe but I'm not sure hosting anything (open-source) yourself anymore (i.e. directly participating in the Internet on a personal level) is a good idea.

  Having to go through 3rd party services (and rely on them to stay on top of things) to participate is not fun.

well said

The term "actor" should be reserved for thespians.

• lexicality

  today at 9:40 AM

  most actors have never even visited Thespia