Just watched a youtube video from Louis Rossmann, who seems like guy that I agree with on a lot of issues. This particular video happened to be about AI chatbots and their use as virtual significant others. I had heard some rumblings about these programs in the past but this was the first time I have really heard a lot about them. As evidenced in my blog posts, things like internet addiction and parasocial relationships are quite interesting to me due to my personal experience. Personally I never reached the point of thinking youtubers were my friends, but I can see how with more convincing chatbots I could have been sucked in, being a total loser as a teenager with nothing to do in the summers. I hate to sound like a neo-luddite (that's actually a lie, the concept is cool) but it feels like we've reached "peak tech" and it's all downhill into a dystopia from this point on. I can sit on my ass at home and, from my phone, order food, watch as many movies and pornos as I want, talk to my AI chatbot "girlfriend", and watch youtubers that talk to me like we're friends, without ever actually interacting with another human being or even living thing (no, shitposting in the comments section does not count as "actually interacting"). It's like people saw Wall-E and took it as inspiration. The modern conveniences and "copes" to deal with the isolating reality of modern life seem like they have reached a breaking point. We as individuals have to make a choice - we can continue down the rabbit hole of instant gratification, convenience, and isolation, OR we can choose to break away from the "system" and return to the reality of personal relationships and bonds. Consider this - years from now when you're an old, will you be able to tell the stories of the adventures you had when you were younger, or will it all be a blur of youtube, porn, and "artificial experiences" that have left you isolated and longing for the chance to do it all over again? The plague of becoming "chronically online" creeps up, slowly destroying any social life and real connections you have. These tools only promise the next generation of tools to addict us to digital technology and expose us to more advertising, more of other peoples' opinions, and cut us off from even the potential of a real life social circle (how many posts have you seen on reddit and the like desperate for ideas to make friends and meet people?). Get yourself off the couch and go outside. Maybe go for a walk or a hike. Text or call a friend or family member you haven't spoken to in a while. I just talked to a guy I was friends with in high school - we hadn't talked much since starting college but it was good to know he's doing well and now it won't be weird to continue talking into the future - we still share a lot of the same interests we did in 11th grade. Keeping these connections alive is essential to having a real life social circle, especially if you were never great with social skills as a teen like me - really value any connections you have and do all you can to prevent the withering of relationships with people you can actually give a physical high five to.

Maybe the Luddite movement had some truth. After all, the machinery they fought against did create the monster of 19th-century industry and urbanization and was the catalyst for where we are now. Where will we be in another 200 years?

Oh yeah, I almost forgot: here's the video in question: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZ-r-UOAqZU If there's anyone actually reading this, sorry for the unhinged rambling, there's probably more coming. Let me know what you think.