I've always been interested in the subject of how deeply the internet is going to effect us, and future generations. Even 5-10 years ago, I felt it was going to have the biggest impact on humanity since . . . well, maybe ever.
I could see it everywhere, including here. For example, in PARF, where I was always amazed at how many people could post there literally from morning to night, almost non-stop, dozens of posts a day, month after month (some for years). Trying so passionately to "win" crazy, meaningless arguments. The inability to see the meaninglessness of it, and the fervor, time, and emotional energy devoted to it, seemed very unhealthy to me.
But that's just a car parts BBS. The current generation has it much worse, with all the various forms of social media, group chats, etc. etc.
Most of us here are older, and grew up in the analog age, so there's a limit to which we're affected by the Internet. But for the "iGeneration," I do wonder what the ultimate impact of the Internet - and the Smartphone which puts the Internet in our hands 24/7, will be. Good or bad, I think it will be profound.
Here's the most comprehensive analysis I've seen so far. I thought it was interesting. Thoughts?
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/09/has-the-smartphone-destroyed-a-generation/534198/