Let me explain. So imagine this tv show with the plot taking place about like a few decades before the internet was invented. If I see that, I suddenly feel some sort of anxiety as in: “Damn, how did people even get information?”, like I suddenly imagine myself, there, as a child, and not having access to this seemlingly unlimited access to information that I currently have, and not to mention, entertainment content. So like, that feeling of feeling like I’m in the past (as in: I’m imagining myself being in the past), but not have access to the internet just gives me a very bad feeling. Idk how to describe it. As an introvert, I’d hate the pre-internet era.
For context, I’m Gen Z (I mean like birth year around 2000-2005), and I grew up reading a lot of Wikipedia and educational Youtube videos, and variety of news articles, and reading through a lot of internet forums. I hate imagining a world where I didn’t have that. Like Growing up 100 years ago, I would feel even more lonely and isolated, I’d probably have ended my own life out of boredom, if it weren’t for the endless amount of information I am able to obtain.
What is this weird feeling that I’m feeling?
Reverse-Nostalgia?
History-Phobia?
Techno-philia?
(Am I being weird? 🤔)
I think I just remembered one of my fears that I always have: The idea of censorship
With the internet, I can find foreign journalist’s publications to cross-check facts.
Before the internet, I don’t think foreign press critical of your country’s government, especially if it’s an authoritarian country, would’ve been permitted.
Sure there are website censorships too in the modern era. But I think getting a VPN is far easier than smuggling foreign books and newspapers, and word-of-mouth news is just a long telephone game.
back then you were also able to obtain foreign news via radio or some foreign newspapers. on airports and big train stations you could usually get foreign newspapers and magazines. also, it was expected of reporters to be as objective as possible most of the time. the shit fox and others pull nowadays was absolutely faux pas until like the 70s and was less bad until like mid 90s.
It was much the opposite! Yeah, we only had 3 or 4 news sources on TV, but they mostly said the same things. Being caught bullshitting, or having even a little bias, was unthinkable as trust was the only selling point as to what station you watched.
As to criticizing the government, catching politicians bullshitting was the national sport for journalists.
Bloom County was a great comic that covered American culture and politics from 1980-1989. You won’t get many of the references, but it’s a perfect snapshot of the 80s.
You’d find this on Shortwave radio. Without going into the science of it, with a Shortwave radio, you could hear news reports from the other side of the planet. I could easily regularly turn in the BBC when I was on the other side of the Atlantic.
The danger on this front is today’s surveillance society. If you had managed to smuggle in books or newspapers into your home, the only way they would have been found is if law enforcement would have entered your home and searched it enough. Realistically that would be a lot of effort to try to do that on a society. Its possible, certainly, but very difficult. Today, even with your VPN, a zero-day exploit or DNS hijack could let them watch in real-time everything you’re doing without even tipping you off.