The Internet Might Not Be So Depressing

generic-man writes "In a follow-up to a controversial 1998 study linking Internet use to worsened depression and social difficulties, Carnegie Mellon University professor Robert Kraut now says that the symptoms of depression started to recede after a while. The New York Times (free registration required) has the story in today's Circuits section." We covered this way back in the day as well.

Comments

Re:Refreshing

[volsung]

Ah, the wonders of communication. In an abstract sense, communication sounds like a wonderful thing. "Oh! The Internet shall usher in a new era of understanding and cooperation. We shall all sign campfire songs and feel a kindred spirit with our fellow humans."

Then you find out what your fellow humans actually think. Wow. Scary. Depression and anger are a natural outcome of this process.

I'm reminded of the alien race from the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy who were telepathic, but couldn't stand being able to hear the thoughts of their neighbors. The aliens became avid fans of mind-crushingly loud rock music in order to drown out the thoughts of others.

Becoming more post-mainstream?

[iabervon]

It's certainly possible that, in 1998, the internet (or, more specifically, online conversation) was depressing, because so many of the people were new to it. Imagine: you are in a society where there are millions of people around, and you haven't met anyone yet. Many of them seem to know each other already. None of the people you know from elsewhere are around. If you were the only person in your state to have a phone, and you spent your time dialing random numbers, you'd probably be depressed.

Three years later, everyone you know from real life is online, you've met a bunch of people online and interacted with them enough to become friends. Now the internet is convenient and social, and not depressing.

Life! Don't talk to me about life.

[Raymond Luxury Yacht]

"Wearily on I go, pain and misery my only companions. And vast intelligence, of course. And infinite sorrow. I despise you all."

Ahhh... now I see... Marvin was just an AOL user.

DMCA

[mikeee]

I find the internet more depressing all the time...

Professional Traps

[Alien54]

There is a certain trap that people in certain professions fall into. The thing you work with everyday will taint your viewpoint.

In police departments, especially large cities, often police officers are rotated out of criminal investigations units on a regular basis. They get transfered to a lighter duty unit, like traffic, or something, so that they have contact with real poeple, and get to have a chance to unwind from dealing with criminal types all the time.

I am sure that the psychs have the same issue. Their view gets tainted, and they see evidence of mental disease all around them, even when it is not true. This also tends to be self re-enforcing, because it is good for business.

You could even speculate about something like the prevalence of mental illness in the mental health profession. You could have something like a "paranoid hypochondriac", which would be someone with the illness of seeing illnesses all the time in everyone else. Instead of worrying about themselves being sick all the time, they would worry all the time about other people being sick. A paranoid version of hypochondria. This would naturally fit in well in the medical and mental health community.

Not depressed

[briggsb]

It certainly wasn't depressing for this guy.

It's NA-TU-RAL !!!

[da5idnetlimit.com]

Ain't you depressed when you learn you have been fragged 214 times in a row by a 12 year old living 6000 miles from you, so you can't even spank him for not showing the respect he should have had for your elderly fingers and cracking reflexes ?!?

8)