On my own output, I have to say that Silicon Valley disrupted me out of social relations with the world.
Facebook and Twitter were for so long vibrant venues of discussion. People wanted to answer your thoughts, brilliant armchair-philosophical discussions were had on my #facebook page, for almost a decade.
Then #enshittification took over. And I’d grown accustomed to being able to call on similar minds at the magic of #socialmedia
I was happy to give up my social circles. I didn’t need them.
@gimulnautti In the long run all social media (including IRC and anything that created a simulacrum of belonging) will leave anyone lonely and the relations hollow - unless people also meet IRL (in real life) or, at the very least, create something that matters as a group. Even then, something that exists in the real world matters more than something that's "virtual".
@tg9541 Indeed. And how to mitigate this for future generations, probably remains to be solved by those future generations.
I had plenty of IRL friends through those digitial connections until family and age slowly disconnected me, with social media providing a ”simulacrum” of still being connected.
@gimulnautti professional relations, in organizations big or small, is another emergence from the human "social drive" that social media turn into profit (without returning a salary, of course). Some companies are aware of that, balancing education campaigns for "work-life-balance" with on-premises perks like gyms. Retirement can come like a wall but I've witnessed people build a circle of friends after retirement (e.g., around nature conservation). It's clear that balance is goal directed.
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