‹ BackHN Continuity

Thread

When did Google get so weird?

2011 points · 1123 comments · sancho-panza

  1. edent · · focus · HN ↗
    Most people in the world are profoundly lonely. They'll take whatever parasocial relationships they can get - reaction videos, podcasts of people chatting, Eliza simulating concern.

    Google wants to relentlessly monetise your sadness.

    The only way out is to try and make connections with real people.

    Case in point, why didn't you text your friends to ask them if they remembered those old memes? Why was your first thought to ask a computer rather than a person?

    It's like when you're in the pub and and someone asks "who was that guy who was in the movie where…?" you can either chat with your friends and have a good time or be a buzzkill who opens up IMDB and says "Humphrey Bogart".

    1. belowavgiq · · focus · HN ↗
      Irrelevant nitpick, but it's definitely not "most". I'd argue it's only this common in some English speaking countries and maybe a few other Western ones. The looks I get from American friends when I tell them that yes I do see my (local) friends nearly every day, are quite funny.
      1. JumpCrisscross · · focus · HN ↗
        > it's definitely not "most"

        EDIT: Correct.

        About a fifth of Americans report having zero friends; another fifth report feeling lonely sometimes [1].

        [1] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.theglobalstatistics.com&#x2F;us-loneliness-statistics&#x2F;#:~:text=The%202024%20U.S.,loneliness%2C%20with%2014.0%25" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.theglobalstatistics.com&#x2F;us-loneliness-statistics...

        1. danilafe · · focus · HN ↗
          Not to be overly pedantic, but isn&#x27;t that not &quot;most&quot;, out of even Americans?
          1. JumpCrisscross · · focus · HN ↗
            &gt; isn&#x27;t that not &quot;most&quot;, out of even Americans?

            Yes. Edited for clarity.

            The only American demo that is majority lonely is Gen Z (two thirds).

            1. belowavgiq · · focus · HN ↗
              Yup, and this is my age range. I guess I should have specified, knowing the average age on HN is... just a little higher to say the least. But to a progressively lower extent it applies to older generations as well.
Open on Hacker News to reply ↗

Unofficial Hacker News client; not affiliated with Y Combinator.