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Comment by vouaobrasil | Hacker News Reader

The trend of AI companions is another step towards humans putting less value on real human connections, which only further erodes real-life communities. Many people (more than before) will succumb to being too deeply immersed in virtual worlds, and it will only increase the pathology of society to a degree not before seen.

These AI companies are incredibly irresponsible and contemptible.

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Yea. I don't even know what to do tbh.

I'm right between GenZ and Millennial. There is something crazy going on with GenZ IMO. It is like pulling teeth to go out and do anything with GenZ friends. Maybe my millennial friends are more bored so its easier to do stuff but it just blows my mind. I hate to get all "phone bad" but it seems scrolling and doing absolutely nothing is the default setting for so many people. I feel like this stuff certainly won't make it any better.

I'm also between GenZ and Millennial. I don't have many (any?) GenZ friends, but I feel like I say "no" to social events the most out of my peers (and have for a while). I frankly don't know how to juggle it all: between maintaining important relationships (two partners, calling family regularly, keeping up with close friends), household stuff (cooking, cleaning, laundry, administrative overhead), exercise/my own hobbies (going to the gym once a week), I feel like I barely have time to do... Anything, let alone have downtime to myself.

I have (single) peers and friends who maintain wall-to-wall social calendars, so I've assumed for a while that the difference is just the amount of engagement multiple romantic entanglements takes, but maybe I'm missing something.

I'd love to "do nothing" much more than I can (read a book, work on a project, tidy my basement, learn a new skill...)

I think it's the opposite. You can't be hyper-social in a thousand hour long sushi packed train ride. Urbanization suppresses real human connections. That creates demand for mock/fake environments that simulate "parking lot" environments where it would not be too inconsiderate to be social. All the successful examples of these parasocial contents eventually grow communities around them.

(Not that I think this particular one goes anywhere, no way.)

That's a wild impression of what living in a city is like

someone who has never lived in a walkable city..

Sorry, but you just made my point. Urban train rides are already an effect of advancing technology. Being packed like sushi simply wouldn't happen if we hadn't become addicted to advancing technology. That's a central tenet of technology which only occured around the 19th century. AI is the next stage and the apex of this process which alienate people from each other.

Maybe it's not such a bad thing. People who go outside will be more intentionally looking to socialize and you'll feel less pressure to keep to yourself.

Actually, it is a bad thing. Because people who have a slight difficulty with socializing, probably because of too much screen time, will be sucked into virtual words with AI companions and not have the chance to learn to life a fulfilling life. Not sure what you mean about "pressure to keep to yourself" because I think a normal person shouldn't feel any pressure when going outside, whether to socialize or not.

>Not sure what you mean about "pressure to keep to yourself" because I think a normal person shouldn't feel any pressure when going outside, whether to socialize or not.

Actually that's exactly what I'm talking about. If you don't want people to feel pressure to socialize then you need to create a social norm of keeping to yourself. It would be nice for that to go away.

> If you don't want people to feel pressure to socialize then you need to create a social norm of keeping to yourself.

This is the norm for any "outside locale" which does not assume socialization. For example, taking a walk on neighborhood sidewalks, visiting to a park, going to a local library.

> It would be nice for that to go away.

Pressure such as this originates from within. So to help that pressure go away, one must first embrace that socialization is a choice.

Alternatively these AI companions are the operating system for the fleshlights of men who won't figure out and get rid of the ick they've got.

If you've got beliefs and you insist on mouthing off on things women find offensive, they won't touch you. It's not a mystery.

It's not an alternative. It's a very tiny effect affecting a small subpopulation. The issue of changing the entire social structure to further eradicate community is vastly larger and more important than a few weird guys, sorry to say.

It's not that complex. Women decided to say no to the ick. Men have decided the manosphere is more important to them than making an attempt. It's easier to complain than it is to change. Too bad so sad.

> the ick

An ever changing and contradictory anti-concept.

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