this post was submitted on 18 Oct 2024
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Piracy: ꜱᴀɪʟ ᴛʜᴇ ʜɪɢʜ ꜱᴇᴀꜱ

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

Zoomer here. The problem is really much worse than the meme suggests, and it isn't really a generational gap at all.

The computer power user is a dying breed.

Today's average computer user on windows, macos, or (heaven forbid) chromeos, knows nothing about software. They don't even know what software is. They can't install a program except through an app store. If you ask them which browser they use, they'll probably say "google." Furthermore, many perfectly functional people don't use any computer except their phone.

The tendency toward user-friendly systems is fundamentally a good thing, in my opinion. It has advanced the democratisation of computing and its advantages. But on the flip side, it has left a huge swath of the general public totally reliant on systems they neither control nor understand in the slightest.

I use Arch, btw. I put my own computer together - I bought and assembled the hardware components, I performed a minimal, headless installation of my operating system, and I meticulously scripted every personalisation of my window manager (I use dwm).

To me, computing comes easily, as second nature. I used so many systems from such a young age that I simply intuit the design language of user interfaces, whether I've used them or not. To me, they seem painstakingly designed to make this easy. Yet, because of my computer literacy, I am often called upon as tech support for my family and friends, from zoomers to boomers, and most of them seem like helpless infants when it comes to technology.

This is because the average user doesn't have to know or care what their system really does or how it really works. So, by the path of least resistance, a user learns the bare minimum to get what they want from their system. I'm not sure of anything that could change this reality.

As I said, it's not a bad thing that most of the population can now access the advantages computing delivers. But I do see this state of affairs as brittle and concerning, where people depend utterly on software they don't understand. This is often propriety software made by profit-driven corporations. The average user doesn't know or care that they don't actually control their software - because they don't need to. They don't know or care that their data is being tracked and sold, that their computer will update itself without permission or install programs they can't vet, and that alternatives to this exist.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago

FR, younger generations don't have to fix anything / solve any problems on their PC; any problem they're likely to run into is an abstracted error within Google Docs, within their browser.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

From someone who went from graduating late 2010s clicking on a download link on yt in 2018 to where I am now, can't say for everyone, but I know I used to be somewhat similar to the first one (minus any mentions on social media). Now I do either torrents or if I DDL, make sure to go to sites on the megathread to lessen the chances of accidentally getting a bad file/torrent.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

I see a lot of Millennials using G-drive instead of torrent, actually.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 weeks ago

Yeah, Google Drive is huge because it just works and millennials are more comfortable going to a Google owned platform than doing something that seems sketchier.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 month ago

I was barely aware of the existence of pirate streaming services until they started cracking down on them. I torrent everything and run my own media server. (Millennial)

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I just don't use torrents anymore, I use xdcc. I used to torrent, but there is so much ransomware, ISP threats, malware, ect. I still use torrents for official things like Linux Isos or Gimp though. Gen z here

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago

Gen X here. I agree torrents are for legit uses only

Usenet is the best for piracy

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

generation "doesn't want to deal with petabytes of hard drive bullshit just to watch a show"

/side eyes dvd collection

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

Just download, seed for a while, and when you need to clear out space check what media you actually want to keep.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 month ago (1 children)

How could I possibly know a streaming site is illegal?

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago

Streaming sites are illegal? How could I have known that??

[–] [email protected] 38 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Teach those that dont know and continue to seed. 🏴‍☠️🛶

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago

The only correct answer

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

Now do generation Alpha :]

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