Lets not pretend that anything web startup related really changes the future that much. Is twitter really improving peoples lives and happiness? Probably the reverse. Has Reddit proven itself as a net gain for us, or have billions of hours of productivity been squandered laughing at the latest meme or lolcat.

I actually joined HN a few years ago, but decided to leave my old account. I would probably stop looking at when people joined as some measure of their worth if I were you.

As for your last statement. I like playing on computers. I love building fun things. But I would be equally happy if the internet didn't exist, and I was fulfilling that 'building' desire someplace else. I don't "need" it to be happy.