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A real doctor watches The Social Dilemma

Neonatal RRT

Neonatal RRT

Well-Known Member
V.I.P Member
So,...I am on this forum. I also find that I am logging on to this forum,...a lot. Why? One part of my brain is like, "My people,...I can relate,...I can share." Altruistic thoughts. The other part of my brain is like, "Why am I constantly logging on?" "What do I get from this?" "Why am I sitting here in my robe in the middle of the afternoon on my day off of work,...when I could be doing so many other things?" ZDoggMD is an actual physician, and started a channel that frankly, started out to be absolutely funny. Darth Vader as a physician is hilarious. However, he has other videos that are very sober and informative from the view of a caring, relatable physician. So, here, he views The Social Dilemma together with us, and provides some insight from a medical professional.
 
There's a big difference though between this forum, and typical social media sites.

This forum very specifically exists to help people learn about and deal with the unique aspects of being on the spectrum, and the problems which those traits often create. You can ask questions here... even difficult ones... and get info that can help you out. It's not designed to form a habit... I doubt most that use this forum will check it every 5 minutes or some nonsense like that.

Something like Facebook, on the other hand, exists purely to funnel ads at you, while surveying your online behavior tendencies to make those ads more efficient. It exists for no other reason. It's not meant to help you... it's meant to help ultra-wealthy corporations profit ever more. And it uses habit-forming tactics to make that happen, shoving those ads in your face as frequently as possible. I knew all of this even without a documentary... it's honestly kinda obvious, when looked at carefully.
 
I understand this forum is not the same format as Facebook, Twitter, etc. Perhaps, my behavior is more MY problem than the format. My typical behavior would be to repeatedly go back an read my own e-mails, texts, posts, etc.,....again,...and again,...and again. I will log onto this site several times per day. I don't know if I am expecting some sort of "dopamine hit" if someone responds,...not sure what that is. OCD-like behavior? This forum, as you pointed out is not a Facebook-style social media format. However, it does funnel adds,...literally 1/4 of my page, right now, is adds,...refreshing all the time,...resetting my curser as I type. Drives me a bit nuts sometimes. It does give you "Karma" points and "likes" and "agree" and "winner", and so on. I am not sure if these are little "dopamine hits" or not. Having said this, I do get something out of this forum,...you folks,...and a relatively safe place to express our thoughts.

At any rate, there was a thread posted a few days ago about someone deciding whether or not to open a Facebook account. Obviously, it was a mixed review, and apart from the profit-motive of social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and the like,...The Social Dilemma presents a handful of the potential dangers of algorithm-driven media. I thought it was interesting. Keep in mind, I never had a computer until I was well into my mid-30's and not on social media until my mid-40s,...and now in my mid-50's, it is still not intuitive for me, at all.
 
Neonatal RRT said:
I understand this forum is not the same format as Facebook, Twitter, etc. Perhaps, my behavior is more MY problem than the format. My typical behavior would be to repeatedly go back an read my own e-mails, texts, posts, etc.,....again,...and again,...and again. I will log onto this site several times per day. I don't know if I am expecting some sort of "dopamine hit" if someone responds,...not sure what that is. OCD-like behavior? This forum, as you pointed out is not a Facebook-style social media format. However, it does funnel adds,...literally 1/4 of my page, right now, is adds,...refreshing all the time,...resetting my curser as I type. Drives me a bit nuts sometimes. It does give you "Karma" points and "likes" and "agree" and "winner", and so on. I am not sure if these are little "dopamine hits" or not. Having said this, I do get something out of this forum,...you folks,...and a relatively safe place to express our thoughts.

At any rate, there was a thread posted a few days ago about someone deciding whether or not to open a Facebook account. Obviously, it was a mixed review, and apart from the profit-motive of social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and the like,...The Social Dilemma presents a handful of the potential dangers of algorithm-driven media. I thought it was interesting. Keep in mind, I never had a computer until I was well into my mid-30's and not on social media until my mid-40s,...and now in my mid-50's, it is still not intuitive for me, at all.
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Adblocker. You need an adblocker. I dont see a single ad on here, or.... anywhere. Anywhere at all. Not even video ads on Youtube. They dont even load. I've got multiple layers of blockers and security running on this browser, so nothing gets through.

Look up Adblock Plus, and Ublock Origin. That's a good start. And for the love of puppies, if you're using Edge as your browser, get rid of it, it is part of the problem. Get Chrome instead, and use Google to look for those two adblockers for it, they appear as "extensions". Easy to find, easy to install, the process is just a couple of clicks, and they're free. Granted Chrome isnt exactly a perfect browser, but it does its job without wanting too much out of the user.

Not only will your internet experience be less irritating, it'll be FASTER, requiring less time to do whatever it is you're already doing, because sites will load faster, and you wont have to spend time dodging all of the stupid ad nonsense. Also: It is a lot safer.

Honestly I could never use the internet without them. Internet ads even on more "innocent" sites have gotten so intrusive and stupid that the whole blasted thing just becomes an intolerable mess to me.
 
Being a loner, and that one person l enjoy seeing isn't that free, this site helps dissect my anxiety issues. Being on the spectrum really means a roller coaster ride thru the haunted house at Disneyland. Because l don't always react to what l am going thru then it slams me all at once. Lately l now worry about a almost car accident where the court would have assigned me maybe 20% negliance even though the other car went across two lanes of traffic including in front of me. Then someone said things to me that hurt my feelings and l said something back but didn't react until two or more days later. This forum keeps me honest with my feelings. This forum helps with delayed reactions.
 
Being an "Owl" I stay up all night and take that time to do things on-line.
I use it for reading, looking things up, playing games, e-mail and any business that needs to be done.
After I finish, if I have time, I always check in here like a routine to the end of my day.

I've become accustomed to a lot of people who have been on the forum for a long time and I enjoy
what newbies might have to add.
There is always something interesting or helpful and I never stop learning.
I enjoy the people here as it is for a specific purpose and I feel comfortable with others
that are on the spectrum.
 
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