if you could uninvent something , what would it be?

[Spinneret]

Photo filters

 

[oceanmarina]

Selfie sticks

 

[luvnwdwgal]

Smart phones

 

[disneychrista]

"Influencers"

 

[BrianL]

Smart phones

Yeah, I might say social media, but it goes hand-in-hand with smartphones. That combination turned out to be Pandora's box.

 

[MillauFr]

Car dependent communities.

 

[jalapeno_pretzel]

Can I uninvent more than one thing?

guns
tanks
grenades
nuclear / chemical / biological weapons
land mines
any other modern weapon of war
pfas chemicals
livestock factory farms
slaughterhouses
high heel shoes
plastic bags
single-use plastic anything

 

[rotlex]

Social media. IMO it is destroying society and people. The world has become a cesspool of useless garbage since its inception.

 

[tvguy]

Car dependent communities.

Are we car dependent because car dependent communities were built, or were car dependent communities build in reaction to people moving out of the city to the suburbs and buying cars?
Here we had a pretty decent public street car system but by 1947 is shutdown due to a number of factors including a decline in ridership. We have a nice Light Rail system now, but the catch 22 is not enough people use it to cover the cost, and every time they raise the fares, the ridership drops even more.
And if work from home continues, you might be able to work from another part of the world if you have reliable internet.

 

[ronandannette]

Social media. IMO it is destroying society and people. The world has become a cesspool of useless garbage since its inception.

Definitely social media.

 

[jalapeno_pretzel]

Social media. IMO it is destroying society and people. The world has become a cesspool of useless garbage since its inception.

Definitely social media.

Message boards are considered social media. So you are participating in something you would prefer didn't exist?

 

[rotlex]

Message boards are considered social media. So you are participating in something you would prefer didn't exist?

While message boards are a type of social media to me at least there is a definite difference between a place like this and Facebook, Twitter etc.

Message boards of some type have been around since the Usenet days. The difference is, for some reason, the instant almost live feeds and open nature of say Facebook and Twitter seems to spew so much more garbage and hate.

 

[jalapeno_pretzel]

The difference is, for some reason, the instant almost live feeds and open nature of say Facebook and Twitter seems to spew so much more garbage and hate.

Plus the algorithms that create an echo chamber for the user by showing them exactly what they've already come to believe.

 

[ronandannette]

Message boards are considered social media. So you are participating in something you would prefer didn't exist?

Yes, I suppose so. Although I’ve not seen this particular one wreak havoc like the others I’m thinking of, maybe it does have some negative influnence in some users lives. As hobbies go (and that’s how I think of the CB), I’d gladly have it never have existed if that would also erase the more toxic elements of social media from history.

 

[jalapeno_pretzel]

Yes, I suppose so. Although I’ve not seen this particular one wreak havoc like the others I’m thinking of, maybe it does have some negative influnence in some users lives. As hobbies go (and that’s how I think of the CB), I’d gladly have it never have existed if that would also erase the more toxic elements of social media from history.

It would be great if someone could figure out how to keep the positive things about social media but get rid of the toxic stuff. I feel like I can't quit it altogether because social media platforms are how I get information about stuff going on at my kids' school, neighborhood activities, etc.

I also LOVE seeing friends and family vacation pictures, whether it's a local staycation or somewhere far away ... it's fun and gives me ideas about future travel. But, I can also see how that could really negatively impact someone who isn't able to travel much, or has a difficult family situation, or something.

 

[WDWEPCOT]

Mine would be atomic bombs and energy
And if I could do two it would be genocide an uninvent the hatred the mass hysteria that leads to genocide - too many people have died for no other reason than hatred

 

[BrianL]

Message boards are considered social media. So you are participating in something you would prefer didn't exist?

That's why I mentioned smart phones in tandem with social media. When it was just message boards, even early Facebook, etc. it didn't have the reach that it has now. It changed from something that you had to go to - sit down at the computer and seek - to something that is constantly with us, glued to our hands and pushing us for attention every second. That's when it morphed from a casual distraction to a scourge on existence.

 

[MillauFr]

Are we car dependent because car dependent communities were built, or were car dependent communities build in reaction to people moving out of the city to the suburbs and buying cars?
Here we had a pretty decent public street car system but by 1947 is shutdown due to a number of factors including a decline in ridership. We have a nice Light Rail system now, but the catch 22 is not enough people use it to cover the cost, and every time they raise the fares, the ridership drops even more.
And if work from home continues, you might be able to work from another part of the world if you have reliable internet.

Auto companies bought many of the trolley systems and then shut them down to increase vehicle sales.

 

[tvguy]

Auto companies bought many of the trolley systems and then shut them down to increase vehicle sales.

Actually, here that is partly true. GM wanted to sell more buses. So at least here, the trolleys went away and were replaced by buses.

 

[NannyBeBe]

Video games. I volunteer at a school and three family members are teachers. We can all testify that so many kids are not interested in learning. All they want to do is get home and play video games all day and night.