Internet's Negative Impact

The cluster discusses how the modern internet has become toxic, addictive, and a net negative due to mass adoption, social media, and algorithmic feeds, contrasting it with a nostalgically better pre-mainstream era and advocating for reduced usage or avoidance.

➡️ Stable 0.6x Politics & Society
5,541
Comments
20
Years Active
5
Top Authors
#878
Topic ID

Activity Over Time

2007
14
2008
52
2009
78
2010
126
2011
135
2012
171
2013
194
2014
111
2015
218
2016
245
2017
253
2018
309
2019
379
2020
370
2021
534
2022
532
2023
618
2024
566
2025
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2026
67

Keywords

SocialMedia HN statista.com BTW youtube.com YouTube SSH TV COULD TBF internet real life toilets world real normal people life real world escape don don

Sample Comments

Uehreka Apr 24, 2023 View on HN

The internet is currently quite useful, it could stand to be a lot less so. Don’t let your cynicism blind you to the fact that we do have a lot to lose.

alxmng Nov 11, 2020 View on HN

The Internet used to be an escape from real life. Now real life is an escape from the Internet :)

lovecg Oct 31, 2024 View on HN

This was mostly pre-internet days. Maybe the internet is just making everything worse.

tempodox Dec 9, 2018 View on HN

The Internet has changed the world and just ignoring it won't change it back. We won't be able to completely evade the tiresome phenomena you mention, either on the web or irl. I still have a faint hope we might be able to carve out a niche where we can use the web without falling prey to these things more than absolutely unavoidable. However, the masses have spoken and it seems glaringly obvious that they don't give a rodent's backside.

x87678r Sep 14, 2020 View on HN

Agreed, I'm starting to think the Internet is becoming a net negative in people's lives. Maybe if everyone reverted to 2G speeds for a few basic tasks and we can leave SocialMedia/Games/Video behind.

clipsy May 20, 2025 View on HN

"[A] world without internet" != "A world where everyone else still uses the internet constantly but I don't"

avgDev Aug 12, 2025 View on HN

When you step away from the internet things are much better. Internet is a toxic place.

int_19h Jan 21, 2019 View on HN

This is such a sad commentary on what the Internet has become.

roncesvalles Jun 4, 2024 View on HN

What if they gave the Internet and it wasn't addictive?

6DM Aug 24, 2019 View on HN

In this era, I am no longer convinced that the internet is such a good thing.