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Comment on "Our Wire Mothers" - It's important for us to be careful that our technology does not supplant the human need for socialization.

Candelestine@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

Oh, he nailed it. Surrogate connection, that’s what we’re getting. And since it’s clearly distinct from the real thing in several ways, it’s only logical that it would be a poor substitute for irl connections. Where you can actually hug someone.

I know this isn’t a novel idea, but the wire-mother analogy is a particularly effective way to communicate it, and this is the first I’m seeing it.

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JustinHanagan@kbin.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
Absolutely. The essay does actually address that towards the end (the two paragraphs just after the black and white photo).

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- BraveSirZaphod@kbin.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  Having been the gay teenager in a rural southern town, I can absolutely affirm that being able to connect with other gay guys online was massively helpful to me.
  
  At the same time, now that I'm in a much better place, I can also affirm how much worse it is than actual real-life connection with a real community, and I do think that that's something that's quite a lot harder to access nowadays since so much social activity has shifted online.
  
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- Semi-Hemi-Demigod@kbin.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  
  A gay teenager stuck in rural Alabama. A woman born into a controlled religious society. A New York sports fan in Boston.
  
  One of these things is not like the other, unless Boston is killing New York fans regularly. (Which wouldn't surprise me. My sister's a Red Sox fan.)
  
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  - Candelestine@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
    Quite true. I interpreted that as an intentional introduction of a slight amount of levity, because the topic was so dark and saddening. As usual with humor, it was not intended to be taken in earnest. I do not believe the author thinks sports rivalries are as egregious as the other two.
    
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  - JustinHanagan@kbin.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
    I personally wouldn't judge any Yankees fan living in Boston who chooses to remain closeted about their allegiances and only discusses sports online.
    
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pavnilschanda@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
This is true. Even amongst humans, there’s a concept called “surrogate partners”, who work with sex therapists who help patients deal with barriers in intimate relationships.

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