Virtual lifestyles is a social experiment stuffed with contradictions. It will probably attach folks whilst alienating them; embody distinction whilst policing alternate; span massive distances however really feel small.
Humanity’s transition to lifestyles on-line is disorienting, however most likely now not with out comparability. In keeping with the researcher danah boyd, folks confronted equivalent demanding situations within the transition to town lifestyles, which means that the historical past of urbanization can be offering classes for humankind’s newer mass virtual migration.
And if the foundations and techniques of towns have change into clearer through the years, perhaps there’s hope that the similar may also be mentioned for lifestyles on-line.
Boyd’s paintings is the focal point of a up to date episode of The Atlantic’s podcast Learn how to Know What’s Actual, with co-hosts Megan Garber and Andrea Valdez. This week, Radio Atlantic is showcasing that episode, with an creation via host Hanna Rosin.
Pay attention to the episode right here:
The next is a transcript of the episode:
[Music]
Hanna Rosin: I’m Hanna Rosin. That is Radio Atlantic, and these days we’re going to do one thing particular. I’m going to introduce you to our newest season of The Atlantic How To podcast. This season is known as Learn how to Know What’s Actual. And with me these days within the studio is without doubt one of the hosts of the brand new season, Atlantic workforce author Megan Garber. Hello, Megan!
Megan Garber: Hello. Satisfied to be right here.
Rosin: So, Megan, I’m going to inform you a tale.
Garber: K. Oh, sure, please.
Rosin: The opposite day, I used to be sitting in an enormous, city meals corridor, and I used to be sitting there with my spouse. It was once like Saturday or Sunday. It was once very crowded. And he or she’s telling me a surprisingly, like, heated tale about someone who she were given right into a struggle with.
And it’s like, she’s getting roughly like increasingly more heated up and it’s like: F-bomb! F-bomb! F-bomb! She has a noisy voice anyway, and someone—a complete stranger—sits down on the desk subsequent to us along with her youngsters, who have been youngsters, now not youngsters.
Garber: Uh-oh.
Rosin: And he or she appears to be like over, and he or she says, “May just you forestall cursing?”
Garber: Ooh.
Rosin: Precisely. And I spent per week serious about this. Like, what are the foundations in that scenario?
Garber: (Laughs.) Yeah. Ooh.
Rosin: This can be a massive, city atmosphere. Like, you are meant to come into touch with strangers. The principles of find out how to behave are utterly unclear. My spouse can inform no matter tale she needs in no matter means she needs.
And, like, here’s the mother coming in and making this request. And it was once simply very difficult, I all of sudden discovered, to navigate this crashing of strangers into each and every different.
Garber: Oh, sure. And will I ask: What did you do in that second? Did you reply to the lady? Did, or did your spouse—
Rosin: God, I imply, should you met my spouse, you could possibly know the solution to this query. (Laughs.) She was once like, Hell no, and you’ll be able to transfer over there if you wish to, as a result of it is a public— and I used to be, like, simply hiding underneath the desk.
Garber: (Laughs.) That’s proper. I’m going to head get some water. K. Bye.
Rosin: Precisely. That’s how that tale ended. Anyway, Megan. The explanation I’m telling you this tale is as it seems that navigating towns and all of those difficult dynamics that occur in towns is so much nearer to navigating a web-based area than numerous folks understand.
Garber: Sure, precisely. And I feel that’s additionally partially as a result of, you understand, the internet is in many ways so new, so extraordinary, proper? However in different ways, the demanding situations it items—regardless of the entire new generation—are demanding situations that individuals have confronted ahead of, proper? They’re sociological demanding situations, in point of fact, in roughly basic techniques—questions on how folks see each and every different, or miss out on each and every different, or make area for each and every different, or can’t make area for each and every different.
And so I like this concept of historical past as nearly giving slightly little bit of context and most likely slightly little bit of hope, too, in relation to how we will be able to navigate those in point of fact large, new questions which can be, in many ways, very previous questions, too.
Rosin: How does this particular episode are compatible with the broader purpose of this season?
Garber: Such a lot of this season in point of fact is ready making those connections between issues that would possibly appear separate in the beginning. So, you understand: delusion and truth, the internet and the bodily worlds, towns and the internet.
My co-host, Andrea Valdez, and I sought after to in point of fact put the internet, and the entire questions it brings up, into a brand new roughly context and viewpoint. And spoiler: We don’t seem to be going to totally solution find out how to know what’s actual. However we’re hoping that we will be able to assist to explain the place the truth is likely one of the issues that would possibly now not appear totally actual.
Rosin: So, listeners, right here’s Episode 2 of the most recent season of How To: “Learn how to Are living in a Virtual Town.”
Rosin: In order that was once Episode 2 of the brand new season of The Atlantic’s How To podcast.
Hyperlinks to subscribe are within the display notes for this episode, or you’ll be able to seek your podcast app for Learn how to Know What’s Actual.
This episode of Radio Atlantic was once produced via Kevin Townsend, edited via Claudine Ebeid, and engineered via Rob Smierciak. Claudine Ebeid is the chief manufacturer of Atlantic audio, and Andrea Valdez is our managing editor. I’m Hanna Rosin. Thanks for listening.