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? 🤔)

  • count_dongulus@lemmy.world
    6·
    11 hours ago

    It’s a bit strange to think about, but our brains seem to have adapted to information accessibility today by more readily remembering how to find the information instead of the information itself. (See Betsy Sparrow et al)

    If you lived back then, chances are you’d just straight up remember more things without needing to go look them up again. But, you might also just remember what book you found it in.

    I have wondered if this is part of the reason why ancient orators were apparently capable of reciting hours of dialog from memory. They simply had to. Libraries and books weren’t generally accessible. They had to rely on memory, and thus became very trained on it.

    • partial_accumen@lemmy.world
      2·
      10 hours ago

      If you lived back then, chances are you’d just straight up remember more things without needing to go look them up again. But, you might also just remember what book you found it in.

      Its more the second than the first, knowing where to get info:

      • Want to know the industrial products of Turkey? Almanac.
      • Who said “Give me a lever long enough and I can move the world” Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations book.
      • Synonyms for the word “apology”, thesaurus book. Basic history of the Navajo people, Encyclopedia.
      • Definition (or spelling!) of “analgesic” - Merriam Webster Dictionary.
      • What happened in town on March 3rd 1967 - Microfilm/microfiche at the library
      • What model of refrigerator is the most reliable? - Consumer Reports magazine backissues at the library

      I have wondered if this is part of the reason why ancient orators were apparently capable of reciting hours of dialog from memory.

      I’d be curious for this answer too. However I think this is more of the “benefits of a classical education” which meant that teaching materials were limited, and you may find your entire class for the year is memorizing famous speeches from men that society deemed worthy.