mentalflux

mentalflux t1_j304ijf wrote

Honestly I kind of prefer it this way. Hear me out.

The original "social media" was destined to fail. People need real face-to-face contact, or failing that at least a video or phone call to meet their social needs. Facebook with its feeds of posts and comments, Twitter and even Instagram all fail to really satisfy the human need for meaningful communication. The old special interest forums (for things like car enthusiasts, DIYers, gardeners, etc.) even did it better, because at least you could count on having a reasonably meaningful exchange and then get out without it trying to cannibalize your whole social life.

I much prefer the new social media as it is, being content recommendation feeds. It's all about being entertained and/or being informed, and doing so efficiently with content that is likely to be worth watching for you. There's no longer any pretense that you're going to be enjoying a human connection through social media. It's straight content injected into the veins. And when we need to socialize, we can do it properly in person like we were meant to. This system just feels more honest and clean to me.

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mentalflux t1_j1jj7eu wrote

I see four companies, not five. I agree that they sound very promising! It's so nice to be able to see all the groundwork for AI finally paying off (yes, I know it's not AI, it's just a catch-all, get used to it people). There's a lot of new tech stuff you hear about that gets super hyped up but ends up not having much practical benefit, but the AI revolution is the real deal.

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mentalflux t1_j0mvtx2 wrote

AI will not do everything humans do but better. Before we get to that point, humans will use the power of AI to enhance themselves to improve their own biological capabilities, and if necessary will merge with AI to become a kind of cyborg.

I cannot imagine humans letting AI have all the fun that comes from this technological revolution. We will want to benefit from it ourselves as much as possible.

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mentalflux t1_j0m4byq wrote

This is one of the most myopic takes I've heard in a while.

As we speak, there are scientific problems being worked on that are so difficult, so complex, and that have such a high payoff if they are figured out, that they can completely change how humans interact with the universe. Think near-light-speed travel, near-unlimited energy generation, geoengineering of planets, life extension, human enhancement (imagine if you could fly as easily as a bird), genetic engineering, cryogenics, nanobots, super-light high-strength materials, and the list goes on.

Even with the help of AI, we will still be working on problems like these for centuries to come. As we solve them, we will expand human life in many ways which we can hardly imagine today. We will explore and inhabit farther reaches of the universe, increase our biological and techno-biological capabilities, learn more about the nature of existence, create new lifeforms and conscious entities, likely meet foreign lifeforms in some corner of the universe, and reinvent concepts such as art, communication and connection (brain-to-brain conversations sound fascinating).

To think everyone's existence will be limited to sitting at home, collecting a UBI check, doing little hobby projects and masturbating is ridiculous. Sure, might that be a reality for some people for some short period of time in our vast future? It's possible. Will we all be forced to live that way? Nope. And is that the full extent of the destiny of the human race? Absolutely not.

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mentalflux t1_j0cgxpb wrote

Climate change is a very difficult problem and will cause many deaths, but it won't kill us all. Your title is clickbait and your post is catastrophizing.

When faced with a difficult problem, a smart person does not throw their hands up and moan and wail. They look the problem in the face and take steps to overcome it. Rational problem solving combined with a strong desire to survive is the light that will lead us forward, just like it always has.

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