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Theory: human relationships can be hard, very hard, and any technology that confuses one into thinking he can enjoy his time without the 'burden' of human interactions is pushing this issue deeper.

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I think of this theory like how lead poisoning works, where the lead can pass through the blood–brain barrier and substitute in (poorly) for calcium, causing all sorts of toxicity effects. Or how drinking sea water can fool your throat for a second into thinking you've taken care of your thirst.

Online social interactions are plentiful and easy and often don't as quickly or sharply trigger social anxiety. But they are a toxic replacement if you don't get any real interaction with your fellow humans.

The other day I raised my hand to high five a stranger in a dance event and she didn’t notice and passed the other way. I remarked how I haven’t felt something like that in awhile. Imagine if you had to watch everyone left swipe you in tinder or reject your resume personally.

at least lead has no intent, but western culture (and now even more than western) is all about making things easier and easier. That's the only metric. It's turning us into sick vegetables. And we pay for it.

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