There's No Such Thing As Offline?!? | Idea Channel | PBS Digital Studios

[@Teaj383]

I think you are offline when you are asleep, which reminds me... it's 2 AM. Goodnight, internet.

[@twistedtachyon5877]

Goodnight. This response brought to you by the internet. The internet: time is a social construct.

[@Owlettehoo]

Whenever talking with people online, I act differently than when I'm talking to them in person. I never realized this because they're both different parts of myself; they're similar, the online me just says what I think more often and is more outgoing than the offline me.

[@peterdietrich8810]

You go offline if you die.

[@0Xachar]

I really appreciate how close to your community you are. I have yet to see a channel that interacts so much with it's audience in such a thought-provoking manner. This is internet education right here. Great job.

[@e7venjedi]

Ok that was SUPER thought-provoking. Like... more than usual. I can feel my paradigm shifting... Hold onto to your butts.

[@SupLuiKir]

Can I let go now? it's been a month.

[@e7venjedi]

· 0xFFF1 If you're not feeling dizzy anymore, that's usually the sign you can ;-)

[@archiecook55]

I think once you go online, you will from that point on always be online. Even if you aren't always connected to the internet or using your phone/computer. Your presence will still exist after you log off, available to anyone who is also online to access at any time.

[@starscreamdestroyertitledw370]

I always find it crazy when people make videos of the Internet in this way and not include, serial experiments lain. Which is a 1998 anime and it is very close to this subject of being online always. If you're interested in this concept of the internet I cannot recommend this anime enough. and great vid

[@Head_Turnah]

+Star scream destroyer Titled world fastest Glad I'm not the only one who thought that. Although I feel like it comes off a bit pretentious when driving the whole "connection between the internet and real life" theme.

[@starscreamdestroyertitledw370]

+Maya Laku yep! ;)

[@ramdomperson5201]

Love the homestar runner reference at the end! God I loved that.

[@PsychopathUltimate]

You know this guy went on this five minute rant on how lines are beginning to blur between online and offline and all the while the only thing I can think of is the fact that only a third of the world's populace is on the internet, if we can't live without it then how do they do it?

[@PsychopathUltimate]

Dawn Chance Haha, yeah, no. Online = using the internet, not being publicized on the internet.

[@chillinchum]

PsychopathUltimate Maybe it's just that many of us are now refusing to put the cell phone down, even when we go afk, meet with real life friends, there so many instances where those friends are still twittering/facebooking. It's an addiction, frankly, and I don't like what it could do to us in the future if we don't use some self control. To counter the idea of our info and profiles being online, that info is always up on the site they are hosted at, unless the site goes down, in which case, you can't connect to it. That info, that "reflection" or whatever word you would like to use, is always online, except when it's not. The only part of being "online" I would ever care about is:"Am I currently afk, or can I not get myself away from the computer/phone to get work done right now?" We should all seriously consider taking time every day, besides sleep or work, where we put all the connected devices away, and do something else, for our mental health. Though, based on obesity trends, I don't see that happening anytime soon......addiction is one of the biggest threats we face today, if we didn't have addictions, I think we would actually get on about solving other issues. I suppose I didn't really answer your question, but I feel it's moot, the question is wrong, we should be asking if we can live with only the internet, and I absolutely believe we cannot, not without supporting our actual needs.

[@PsychopathUltimate]

chillin chum "Maybe it's just that many of us are now refusing to put the cell phone down, even when we go afk, meet with real life friends, there so many instances where those friends are still twittering/facebooking." Doesn't matter; if you're not using the internet then there is such a thing as being offline. "It's an addiction, frankly, and I don't like what it could do to us in the future if we don't use some self control." No... just... no. The internet is a tool, nothing more. "To counter the idea of our info and profiles being online, that info is always up on the site they are hosted at, unless the site goes down, in which case, you can't connect to it. That info, that "reflection" or whatever word you would like to use, is always online, except when it's not." Who gives a shit? You are replying to me aren't you? You do realize that I made the argument that not using the internet = being offline, right? "Being publicized on the internet =/= being online" is what I said, you do remember that, right? "We should all seriously consider taking time every day, besides sleep or work, where we put all the connected devices away, and do something else, for our mental health." How the fuck does the mere use of a tool negatively impact your mental health again? "Though, based on obesity trends, I don't see that happening anytime soon..." Correlation does not equate to causation, fucktard. "addiction is one of the biggest threats we face today, if we didn't have addictions, I think we would actually get on about solving other issues." Okay, numbnuts, what's your proposed method of exterminating addiction altogether? What's that? Human nature? Can't do it? I thought as much. "I suppose I didn't really answer your question, but I feel it's moot, the question is wrong," How can a question be wrong? If you're not going to address what I'm saying then why even bother replying to me, fucktard? "we should be asking if we can live with only the internet," Um... no. The answer you're looking for is "no". "and I absolutely believe we cannot, not without supporting our actual needs." Congratulations, you have the deductive reasoning skills of a kindergarten student. Here's your gold sticker.

[@chillinchum]

PsychopathUltimate maybe I'll just make a full video explaining all if this on its own topic, it does seem though I did get carried away on this tangent, my bad. Your responses to what I said though haven't really said anything new to me. The internet is a tool, but it can be used for good or ill, and if ones life is being negatively affected by using it to the point it overrides other important things one must do, and affect their relationships, that's very likely to be an addiction, though other possibliies exist like working from home on the computer. Internet addiction is in fact a real thing that is being treated in some countries, you may want to look that up if you doubt me there. Even when its not addictive, a person should spend some time every now and again with no noise going through the head with data that has to do with work, life, social media, etc. I'm not sure if the science has confirmed it or not, I just know by trying out what I've been suggested to do, and it clears up the head, that's important to me, maybe not to you, let's not hang up too much on a point that's hard to discuss, just understand I've find something that could be very important for mental health, but can't prove it in a KZbin comment. I made a simple comment about obsetity, without elaborating. See, obesitity has a number a factors, but one of the biggest things is that the food we tend to eat, is malnourishing, and that's putting it in a nice way, but since it gives us such a great reaction when we do eat it, we seem to keep eating the same junk even when we know it's bad for us!! If that's not addictive behaviour, I don't know what is. I myself am going through a process to get rid of the same problem within myself, and its not the first addiction I've tackled either, I know what addiction looks like first hand. What I was saying, therefore, was because we in north america seem to not be able to get over this kind of addiction, should we really expect ourselves to be able to resist the addictiveness of the almightly internet? I'll reiterate that the internet is a tool, I just don't like that we might have very real problems down the road due to addiction, whatever we might be addicted to, addictions ruin lives, if you didn't know. But before you swipe away the idea that human nature can't change and that this is an unsolvable problem, it isn't, in fact, I have my own plan to deal with it, of course I can't do it alone, and part of my plan is finding other concerned people, but since you don't think it can be done, I guess I'll never ask you if you wanted to be a part of that solution (not that I would ask random people anyway). I am glad you understand that last point I previously made, though I just noticed too now, that it seems so silly that such an obvious point should be said, but we are actually a few of the semi intelligent ones here, everywhere else I go this last point would be news to some people, its really sad actually. And now that I've explained all that, I apologise for not elaborating properly on my thoughts, I need to get better at doing that so it doesn't create confusion. (sure, you didn't think you were confused about what I said, but what I said wasn't the full picture, and it still isn't, I would need to write a book about this sort of thing, or at least a several page essay.)

[@PsychopathUltimate]

chillin chum It's obvious you didn't pay attention to anything I said. This rings especially at this tidbit I found: "Your responses to what I said though haven't really said anything new to me." To be frank, nobody gives a shit if it sounds new to you, the only thing anybody cares about is if you can rebuke it or not which you apparently can't. Moron. I will address this, however: "But before you swipe away the idea that human nature can't change and that this is an unsolvable problem, it isn't, in fact, I have my own plan to deal with it, of course I can't do it alone, and part of my plan is finding other concerned people, but since you don't think it can be done, I guess I'll never ask you if you wanted to be a part of that solution (not that I would ask random people anyway)." Why should I believe that you have any kind of plan to solve the problem when you can't just say what it is? I asked you to present such a solution and you've failed to do so and have instead given me the Great Wall of Red Herrings.

[@11thNite]

Un-grokkable spaghetti mountain of world wide connections. That is award winning writing right there. I am not even kidding.

[@RespectYourViews]

A device is online if it is sending and receiving packets within a given time frame. A person is online if they are "controlling" an online device. While it is possible to be online 24/7, i'd wager that most of us are offline at least some of the time. At the very least I would hope that people are offline while they sleep. Fit bit devices could possibly be online while a person sleeps, but it would be a stretch to suggest the person controlled that device. I don;t think forum posts, KZbin comments or anything that digitally persists counts as BEING online, except at the time they are posted. Afterwards, they are merely evidence of having BEEN online.

[@tomyurkovic]

Thank you for incorporating The Cheat at the end. Glorious nostalgia.

[@MrKingKeyboard]

I find it important to examine HOW we behave online, particularly on social networks. Like-minded individuals seem to lump together, supporting, encouraging and protecting one another. In a way, they form a second family in their particular section of the Internet. What's more human than that? Furthermore, the Internet connects people from across continents, broadening our collective worldview. At this point, I'd argue that to be "off-line" is only being close-minded.

[@Les00799]

We can never be truly offline or in other words "unreachable"- at least most of us. When it comes to emails, text messages, notifications, and the like, they are always waiting in our in-boxes when we come back.

[@robby2289]

What the FUCK was that ending LOL I LOVE IT

[@superkleinpaste]

I don't think I will consider myself 'constantly online' until I can actually access it without a peripheral device beyond my body, i.e. putting a connection in my head that I can access with thought. BUT, Mr. Mike, this video did make me realize that I (we?) probably need a word for standing there on the line (contactable but not active), and use on/off-line only for extremes of actively chatting or actively leaving your phone at home while you go to the forest.

[@Dogmicspane]

I don't think there's an offline or an online. There just a line. It's like saying that the basic idea of communication between, say, a telegraph, the internet, and talking face-to-face with someone is significantly different. All you're doing is exchanging ideas in different ways. What I'm trying to say is, talking uses vibrations, and the internet uses electric impulses. The communication isn't changing, just the method of doing so. I feel that the terms "online" and "offline" can be useful when referring specifically to if you're connected to the internet or not, but in the grand scheme of things, it's just a telephone with a UI- and many, many more uses.

[@MInquisition]

I think there is no offline and online. You're still always part of the system, whether it's your email or even your KZbin account. And for being "offline" isn't really disconnecting yourself from these, but rather not being able to access them where you are at that given moment. It's like a wall outlet, and all the wires it has. The only way to really be "offline" is if the entire internet, or circuit, shut down, since it's always there. But it's a matter of where you can access it, and if that spot is enabled. (wifi spots / routers, wall outlets / circuit breakers)

[@MsElizabethEspinoza]

I really like this channel. Oh, and I think unless someone has never used the internet or a cellphone, then we are never truly offline.

[@kriminkillr21]

Being passively online is having the propensity to quickly send or receive data via the internet while being actively online includes being passively online as well as actively entering, transmitting, or understanding data received over the internet.

[@finalstation]

This video is from 2013 and I just found the idea channel a year a half. 🤯

[@clairespivak2953]

Mike, combine the idea of "no such thing as offline" with the desert island scenario with hilarity ensuing. Go!

[@RobbieMelvin]

If you have ever have to deal with lack of connectivity this line between online and offline becomes painfully clear. Yes today it seems like Everyone is on board with the idea of extending connectivity to all the people, all the time...but this is not at all a simple goal to accomplish. Particularly since we are always pushing the boundaries of where we need connectivity.

[@SoulOfficer]

i like how in every instance,there is a cat,representing the internet :3

[@JoeyTurco]

I draw the line between online and offline because of the idea of consequences. In the "offline" world you have consequences for your actions, but online there are none. Most don't transfer over to the offline world either. In one sense you are two separate people doing radically different things because one of you is offline and one is online. We are tool users by heart and the internet is one such tool that we use. It changes how we act, and filters what we see and say.

[@bkarikan]

My description of offline/online: You're offline anytime attention is directed to your internal monologue or any process of interaction that fundamentally originates from 'self' with the physical/social/creative planes. You're online anytime your attention is directed to the massive gyre of info-audio-imagery and you are participating (passively or actively) with the many input/outut devices we've created (television, radio, computers, internet, cellphone, tablets, neural implant)

[@MattPiatt]

The reference to homestar runner in the harlem shake portion is pure gold!

[@victoriawallace9155]

I watch you voluntarily! I wish my teachers showed me you guys during school!

[@mopeyhat6361]

Someone else still remembers Homestar Runner. I love you.

[@SourMoonBlues]

I absolutely lost it when The Cheat started raging with the glow stick

[@trogmorisen]

When most people talk about being online, they actually mean they are available or interacting on the internet. When someone says they are online or offline, most other people understand this. So now matter how much people are arguing the semantics, it is a useful idea that people use, and they do use it. Thus there is no need to give it up.

[@Icariusnatarius]

Most people think that arguing about words is just arguing about words. If you know how language functions and how we use it, it comes to more than oversimplification. Many terms are contingent, which leaves room for debate. This debate is not about the meaning of the word, but rather about what it represents. Talking about definition of 'offline' or 'online' is only way to grasp the situation. If you're not human, then that's a different story, but this is how we roll in here.

[@drewblanton5663]

Actually, I find the idea of always being online to be comforting. I mean that to me it means even when I'm physically alone I can always turn to somebody for help if I need it.

[@BillyTheCaterpillar]

By posting this video, which speculates on all things on and off line, you have effectively ensured that everything is online.

[@CrossWolf2]

I define being online as being a part of a network. And with that you could say that the person carrying a flash drive with information from business to business is online, he is a transporter of information. He is not a technological piece of network, but he is the conduit for that information. Whether or not we are never offline, as long as we are carriers of information we are always online, with or without technology.

[@staplefields2294]

As was mentioned at 0:55 to 1:04, it was originally thought of as the computers within the network were online, not the person operating it. But within the past decade, not only has the availability and practicality of computers increased, but so has the amount of personalisation that one can represent themselves with when on the web, has too. So as people take their computers with them into their daily lives, and they feel a greater, more personal "online" presence.

[@jeffcarver5857]

One definition of online could be actively using a connection to the internet. Alternately, one could define online as having part/some of one's self and/or things constantly accessible via network.

[@catStone92]

ok I know this is already kinda old, but I'm learning software engeneering and in some classes we study how to make interfaces. part of making interfaces is finding a metaphor for the user, to make it easier for the user to use. It's therefore natural that the internet is filled with metaphors

[@raizella14159]

The internet always affects us. But there is a distinction between when one is able to access everything in the world through the internet, and when one can't do that irregardless of whether one can still send text messages to lamps. The general terminology for that distinction is online and offline. I believe, there is such a thing as offline, since I hold that offline does not necessarily imply that one is completely disconnected from the internet but rather unable to access all of it.

[@GirlWithTheRedGlasse]

I definitely see how this barrier between offline and online is breaking down. Most of my conversations today involve things I've seen online. Perhaps too often my friends and I will say, "So there was is post on tumblr.."

[@Rampala]

To that end, I do agree with Mike. I might be away from my phone or a computer or asleep, but my Facebook posts are still garnering likes, my KZbin comments are still being replied to... so your online presence never disappears, even if physically you do! I guess that's why everyone still has MySpace accounts they never use. I'm with you that the type of connection that occurs in online via offline dating is different, and in some ways it's more ideal for the very shy or socially awkward.

[@sammysamsamsammy]

I love that they included the Cheat in the Harlem Shake part. Idea Channel just gets more and more awesome.

[@Bill0102]

I'm amazed by the quality of this. I had the pleasure of reading something similar, and it was a revelation. "The Art of Meaningful Relationships in the 21st Century" by Leo Flint

[@miketv2331]

the 2nd sentence in the description gives 2 (of many) very valid reasons why there IS (and always will be) a such thing as offline. Remember: just because you aren't participating, that doesn't mean it isn't valid.

[@Raidori768]

I love that you said "ungrockable" in reference to the scifi classic "Stranger in a Strange Land"

[@sagelands]

Wait... in reference to thinking "that would make a great animated GIF!" ...if we THINK about being online... we are online? Also, I'm amazed you took my request about the Harlem Shake!! It was more of a joke, and I hate the Harlem Shake, but watching you do it suddenly made it EPIC!! I LOVE THE IDEA CHANNEL!!!

[@Rulerofwax24]

I like this a lot. I agree with this much more than I agree with Mike's view that you can never be offline. It is just that most of the time, you aren't offline, but can be (for you, camping, or when no internet is accessible).

[@darcytrafalgar3340]

Your graphics guy went all out on this one, give him a raise!

[@TheSassi14]

I am always online, just as I am always at work (in sense of my job). I do think about both, even when I am not currently on it because it influences my life. There are so many other things, where you can't tell where the line is exactly (bright - dark; high - low...) and being on- or offline is no exception.

[@HeyItsAlyssa94]

I feel like I am always online. Not because I spend 12 hours on the Internet, but because I never seem to be away from it. I agree, this is the future, and we should get used to it.

[@evangelionmann]

The question isn't if we are online or offline anymore. the question is whether or not we are CONSCIOUSLY or UNCONSCIOUSLY online. Our identity is CONSTANTLY available online and our money once digitized is accessed every time we use a credit card. The difference between on- and off-line at this point isn't whether we are logged on or not, but rather, whether we are CONSCIOUS of the fact that we are using or are connected to the internet.

[@publicinterestcomedy]

We're always curating our identity, online or offline. However, it seems like the online portion is way more curated. There still seems to be a lot more opportunity offline to say something embarrassing that I can't take back (or delete, or hide from my timeline). Slip ups like that could give you a more whole idea of who I am than my carefully created online identities. So, until we can rewind time and physically unsay something, there may be a difference between Online Mike and Offline Mike.

[@ascdancer]

The pictures...oh, my gosh, the pictures and gifs....they make this perfect!

[@MissDellaney]

Mike, I think you're awesome and I want your job. D: Well, I don't literally want your specific job. I don't want to replace you. I just want to be cool and do the kind of thing you do when I grow up. In other words, you're my hero~

[@JoeyPalma]

The online-offline problem reminds me of when people say "traffic is bad"

[@gmaltruista724]

I like to think that as soon as I "logged into" the internet, that is to say, first used it, I became part of a system. For some time I had no information - personal or "contributed" - whatsoever online, but the fact that I could NOW browse the web whenever made me part of a "club". Kinda like being born: You are now "Living". Sure, I will sleep, but I´ll wake. I can interact with people or just become a hermit... But I am still alive. Therefore, I am always online. I think.

[@Krogan1412]

Two things sand is itchy and online is referring to a network. To explain you can get a game off of steam (a networked system) and then play said game offline (alone or not networked) in single player mode. So if you define online as networked with others then it exists if you define it as availability to access to the network, whether internet or not, then we as a people are almost constantly online, because others can contact us one way or another.

[@cj-seejay-cj-seejay]

I agree that technology has not damaged our interpersonal relationships, but I do think being physically in the presence of someone is fundamental to understanding who they are. One of my friends had an extended online relationship with a guy, with constant emails, phone calls, etc. for years. But when he finally drove across the country to meet her, he was like a stranger in person. And very weird. It was soooooo awk. I realized how much about ourselves we communicate nonverbally.

[@NAMESARESTUPID]

LMAO the moment he said how do u know if u are truly offline? my internet modem crashed :P

[@Arffer117]

that shake was awesome

[@MPDEAR6060]

Yes 'Grok', love me some heinlein. Literally every time you getme with you wicked references. OMGG I LOVE references

[@DawningFrost]

One could argue that "online" is a state of mind--that the actions performed and activities engaged in while in this (Internet) state of mind constitute our online persona, and those which we divorce from this virtual personage make up our offline identity. The difficulty arises from the fact that that it is an objective concept with an entirely subjective definition.

[@keenanpatterson1030]

I the way you described being online, much of humanity has been online for thousands of years. The Internet is mostly a set of record and a means of accessing them. If online is interacting with records, whether we are actively accessing them or not, we've been doing it since someone pressed a stylus into a clay tablet. We're online the moment we know someone who can read. Even if interactivity is the important characteristic of the Internet, it has analogs in older technology.

[@tiffanywalkera]

Agreed. Even services that once were independent and predate the web, now are part of the infrastructure that creates the "online" experience (VoIP for telecommunication and e-commerce are examples)

[@ishouldhavetried]

Our entities are never offline. Like records or Info in databases. As you said, things like drivers license and banks are offline, and if they can be accessed at anytime, they are always "online". However, there are times where we as ourselves are offline. If I log off my Facebook, Tumblr,etc and turn off all of my electronics, and do something, like fish, garden, fix a car, etc., People can contact me, but they show up later after the fact in notifications and texts or missed calls. Im offline.

[@jessielefey]

For me, as a Canadian with our ridiculous stupid internet access, "online" is when what I'm doing is adding to my cap, and "offline" isn't. When I had unlimited access, the line was a whole lot fuzzier to me because there was less deliberate "shutting off" rather than "vacating", But for me, saying that someone can access my facebook whether I'm there or not feels like saying people used to be always on the phone because their name was in a phone book,

[@bgirl23344]

umm...yes for your harlem shake video! outstanding work sir! I was a part of the harlem shake commercial for dallas texas and I believe you totally annihilated our performance! mad dance props to you my dear!! i will post the version from dallas!

[@gingernorton]

One way you can interpret this question into an answer, is to look at the examples of technology we now include as parts of our lives, even in the background. Take for example crossing at traffic lights. There is a camera, the camera is recording, and those recordings are stored in a database. Now an image of you is part of a database for further analysis. Therefore you are forever online as long as that database is active.

[@evannahgray]

Just because some of you don't understand what he's saying doesn't mean he's wrong. I got what he was saying, and he really does have a point.

[@duesouthfreak]

I didn't realize that The Cheat worked on Idea Channel, life makes so much more sense now!

[@WatchDeggySF]

I LOVE THESE VIDEOS! THEY DESERVE MORE VIEWS EVERYONE MUST WATCH!

[@Dahoihoihoi]

It's kind of hard to define 'online', like you said, because we're always 'online'. I think the better idea is to classify levels of attention to the internet; I am 'logged off', I am 'afk', I am 'available', I am 'talking to you'. These would be harder to pull off but Facebook already has 'online', 'offline', 'connected by mobile' and 'typing' flags for different people. It seems that we are heading towards a gradient value between offline and online, instead of a simple boolean value.

[@Otterwulf]

I say that calling using offline when not at a computer is about like saying that a man who props his fishing pole up on some rocks and kicks back is no longer fishing. We are only ever really active or inactive in relation to the internet, never truly "offline."

[@chaostails1]

I only know of one person that is completely offline. My father. He lives out in the middle of nowhere in Idaho on a cattle ranch. He has a home telephone connected to the wall and an old analog television. He's never used a computer in his life. I don't think he ever will.

[@MaliaSoul]

Great video and idea!...in my view we are never offline...just like we are never off the 'grid'. We all live ON the grid...If we rely on the Gov. for anything and have a cell phone...then we are on the GRID.

[@indiggy57]

Maybe the reason why we behave differently online is because that is our true selves. As Oscar Wilde said, "Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask and he will tell you the truth."

[@lougert]

I literally just finished writing a paper critically evaluating Sherry Turkle's books about online behavior. If only I'd seen this video earlier. XD

[@Megapolitano]

We DO need to help spread things, so it won't become lost, and that's why the internet is so great for mankind. Never before knowledge have been easier. Keep in mind the only Roman novel we keep complete, The Golden Ass, is kept today not because it was good or noteworhy, but because it was a best-seller.

[@DgtlRnn042]

Google Earth, Wikipedia, Facebook, Twitter, Et. all Even if you think you're offline... you're not. However, the distinction is not completely meaningless, because as you said it's the language we know. I still use AFK, but even that has a different meaning. I think most people will agree that even though we may always be accessing, using or otherwise "appearing" on the internet, "Online" is reserved for chatting, updating your Facebook, or otherwise being more directly accessible.

[@MrIcePho3nix]

As someone who can't afford a smartphone's data plan, I completely agree. If I am not able to receive that interaction, ie if someone posts on my wall or I get an email and I'm not sitting at my computer, I would consider myself offline.

[@VGCKenny]

Recently in my English Class we read an article by George Orwell called "Politics and the English Language." In it, Orwell writes about how the English language, especially written English, is turning into this kind of mess. One of the things he talks about are "dying metaphors," in which metaphors are losing meaning and becoming just phrases. This, I think, applies really well to the term "Online" the way you're arguing it.

[@TheLostSorcerer]

My friends and I have come up with our own way of distinguishing Online/Offline/Disconnected. You are Online if you are actively at a computer or internet connected device using the web. You are Offline if you are not actively using the web but could go Online relatively easily. You are Disconnected from the web only if you actively avoid it. For us this was a weekend camping trip where we agreed ahead of time that we would not bring web technology. We only had our phones for emergencies

[@alifenn]

Online, in my opinion, is just a collective database. You may be directly adding or using the data from it, be it yourself or a device doing it for you. You can be offline when you are not, but information about you will no doubt still be retained so in essence you are still online as information if not personally.

[@AJBrayWrites]

BRAIN CRUNCHES! Total cerebral-elliptical here...love the work out!

[@LadyElric617]

Excellent use of The Cheat in the Harlem Shake. Between that and your AFK reference I find myself severely nostalgic for the old internet days. Strange. Especially considering "old internet days" really wasn't that long ago.

[@yurigenin6382]

The terms "online" and "offline" can be used in two ways. The first and more immediate way is: are you at your (media device) or are you "afk"? The second and broader way is:are you part of the internet society? The first one is simple.The second one is identical to the question: are you part of the (x) society?

[@virgil.alonso]

love the slow dramatic zoom

[@225caboose]

Here's an idea: It doesn't get better; you do. Idea source: Bullying - It Doesn't Get Better by DarkSquidge

[@guitarguyjones]

Meatspace is one of my favorite words, and not just because it's dirty sounding. I think it's really a perfect word for describing physical reality when used in opposition to digital reality. It's like a mind/body dichotomy thing, I guess.

[@bermlee]

As a dad of preschool children putting less and less restrictions on "screen time," I find that this distinction based on a rectangle of pixels has already eroded. Much of my boys' imaginative play "offline" involve them saying "we're designing a new game."

[@ceresbane]

Until online becomes free universally, the line will never be gone.

[@nicklafontaine5509]

You really like that "Forced to watch" thing with the gif, and Nicolas Cage.

[@General12th]

+Nick LaFontaine I wish I was forced to watch this in school. :(

[@DHBlaze]

I say a good way to put things into perspective is how people them selves react online and offline. I find as teenagers roam the web they feel a sense of being "faceless". This in turn allows them to act more freely and almost more dangerously as compared to their "offline" lives where danger can feel more clear and distinct to them. However as we grow up and even start to rely on online to keep connections with people that feeling fades and the line is blurred. This is simply my view on things

[@ytroadfox]

Having an online presence and being able to access online content are two very different ideas that use the same word.

[@sethbrodbeck5701]

I think internet accessibility might be a better metaphor than the online/offline distinction. While you may theoretically be online at any given point, you may be able to draw a line over whether or not you currently have access to the internet (whether via computer, smart phone, or looking over someone's shoulder). This also takes into account that certain populations do not have access to the internet on a routine basis, and so may not be online on any firm basis.

[@tiagotiagot]

Offline does exist, but indeed the distinction is getting more and more blurred, and Online is growing more and more.

[@kevinocta9716]

I'm subscribed to all the channels you've ever mention, and they are awesome! But here is what I think sets Idea Channel apart. While I'm sure that you-tubers in this science community would, at least in some way, love to generate discussions about the topic of their videos, I think the Idea Channel might do this sometimes better, or more consistently. Every video is an open discussion. I appreciate that, and I'm sure all of your other subscribers do all well!!... Keep the videos coming!

[@christopheraziz502]

Assuming we are never offline because so many things make us online is like assuming a pile is already a heap because nothing proves it is a pile.

[@danjenkinsdesign]

Damn... my point may not have been spot on. While making the cookies my phone beeped at me, and now here I am, replying to you. Oh, the vicious cycle!!!!!

[@Gruncival]

We installed those lights so you could turn the lights on, or off, The Cheat. Not so that you could throw crazy techno dance raves.