this post was submitted on 29 Jul 2025
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Showerthoughts

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A "Showerthought" is a simple term used to describe the thoughts that pop into your head while you're doing everyday things like taking a shower, driving, or just daydreaming. The most popular seem to be lighthearted clever little truths, hidden in daily life.

Here are some examples to inspire your own showerthoughts:

Rules

  1. All posts must be showerthoughts
  2. The entire showerthought must be in the title
  3. No politics
    • If your topic is in a grey area, please phrase it to emphasize the fascinating aspects, not the dramatic aspects. You can do this by avoiding overly politicized terms such as "capitalism" and "communism". If you must make comparisons, you can say something is different without saying something is better/worse.
    • A good place for politics is c/politicaldiscussion
  4. Posts must be original/unique
  5. Adhere to Lemmy's Code of Conduct and the TOS

If you made it this far, showerthoughts is accepting new mods. This community is generally tame so its not a lot of work, but having a few more mods would help reports get addressed a little sooner.

Whats it like to be a mod? Reports just show up as messages in your Lemmy inbox, and if a different mod has already addressed the report, the message goes away and you never worry about it.

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I feel like the people I interact with irl don't even know how to boot from a USB. People here probably know how to do some form of coding or at least navigate a directory through the command line. Stg I would bet money on the average person not even being able to create a Lemmy account without assistance.

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I lived in a tech echo chamber until I was in my 30s. This is because my dad is a baby boomer computer engineer who was working with computers since the 70s and we always had a computer at home (no consoles, just computers). First was a c64, we even briefly had a c128 (that didn't work) and then we got a 386 followed by pentium machines and we first hooked up to the internet in the 90s... and before the internet we went on dial up BBSes run by ultra nerds.

My dad still keeps up with tech and is probably better with computers than many recent CS graduates. It wasn't until I worked in tech support that I realized... Holy shit! There are people who have no idea their computers have directories! As in, if the shortcut isn't on their desktop, then their program might as well not exist.

Also one thing I learned that if you tell someone to go to a site and you spell the URL to them, then 99.9% of the time they will Google it, because they don't know what an address bar is.

I used to think those 'how to use a computer' courses in college were a giant waste of time (and an easy A for people like us) but I realize that these people could absolutely benefit from something like that.

And that is when I was working with people who had laptops mostly. When I worked in mobile tech support... fuck me! Do you realize that for a sizable chunk of the population the only computer they have is their smart phone? Those people are far, far worse. When I worked in mobility we were not allowed to hang up on clients for any reason (it was grounds for immediate termination) but at least a few times a week I had to deal with a client who did not know how to hang up their phone! No joke. They were accustomed to the other person hanging up and they didn't know how to do it!

This is doubly frustrating when those people are using flip phones rhat have a clear hang up button on them.

So yeah, acknowledging we are in a bubble is a good thing. But it isn't a bad thing to hang out with fellow tech nerds either.

[–] Nangijala@feddit.dk 34 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Don't worry, my fair tech-literate maiden. I, a tech-dyslexic, am here to bring down the collective IQ and make the chamber echo less. You can thank me later, for adding some much needed intellectual diversity to the mix.

[–] JigglySackles@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Welcome welcome! I doubt you're bringing the collective IQ down, just reshaping it. Can't judge a fish by how it climbs a tree, so I appreciate we have other perspectives here.

[–] Nangijala@feddit.dk 4 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Most areas where I excell are largely useless to the general public, but if ever you're in need of a you-tailored list of movie recommendations, hit me up. I have a pretty good track record of recommending movies to people.

[–] JigglySackles@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Ooo, can I take you up on that here? I am picky sometimes but when I find something I love I tend to really love it.

[–] Nangijala@feddit.dk 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Sure! If you tell me a little bit about your tastes and interests I'll probably be able to throw something at you that you may or may not have seen before, but probably do like!

What are some of your favourite movies, games, books etc? What are some of your hobbies and interests? What subject(s) lights a flame in you and makes you passionate? Could be anything from entertainment, to career to lifestyle etc. I don't need much more than the broad strokes and only share what you're comfortable with, of course. Then I'll look through my letterboxd and see what I can find. Haven't watched every movie ever - far from it, but have watched quite a lot of films and know random shit about many films I have never seen as well. Some genres I'm more well versed in than others, but can probably still point you in some kind of direction that will work for you. 😊

[–] JigglySackles@lemmy.world 1 points 32 minutes ago

Right on, sounds like fun! I'll PM you instead of putting it all on here. :)

[–] aesthelete@lemmy.world 19 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (4 children)

This is true but I ultimately don't care.

Is there any social media site that isn't an echo chamber? They're designed that way on purpose in most cases.

There are enough forums catering to idiots. I appreciate the better moderation, tech savviness, and lack of tolerance for right wing BS on Lemmy.

[–] Fleur_@aussie.zone 2 points 1 day ago

Me too. Personally I've had experiences where I'll say "I filtered x instances because I don't like them" and had people complain that I'm creating an echo chamber (for just myself I guess?). I wanted to poke fun at those people by saying Lemmy is already a tech literate echo chamber.

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[–] SektorC@discuss.tchncs.de 4 points 22 hours ago

I am not a programmer, not a geek, but just the ability to recognize problems and then find and implement the solution gives me the aura of an omniscient wizard. Simple things like: We have an automatic drying machine for work clothes here, but we haven't been able to use it for YEARS! A Google search, manual found. We now have the third coffee machine. They always break because of the chalky water. When we descale, the display still lights up: If I really go through the instructions in the manual step by step, it suddenly works. And that's before we get to any multiple screens or Excel problems with the sum function.

If you can interpret your car's manual, you're a hero. If you can also get hold of the vehicle's repair manual, then you're a wizard. And if you understand the sum function in Excel, then you are a danger to your supervisor.

[–] Alloi@lemmy.world 8 points 1 day ago

you are 100% correct, however, the longer im here, the more tech literate i become, the easier it becomes for me to explain it to others, and thus, the fediverse grows. word of mouth to those willing to take the plunge.

you cant force people to learn something, but being able to sell it convincingly helps, especially if you know what you are talking about, and arent abbrasive or judgemental.

linux community / privacy communities rock here.

also general conversation feels more honest and constructive. instead of the whole "WeLl AcTuAlLy!" type of shit you get on reddit. it happens, but nowhere nearly as much.

also, way less censorship. comparing feeds from lemmy to reddit, is like apples to oranges.

this feels like a much more human space to me.

[–] LovableSidekick@lemmy.world 6 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Definitely very echoey in here.

Hello?

^Hello?^

[–] tektite@slrpnk.net 1 points 23 hours ago

Hello?

#Hello?

[–] m3t00@lemmy.world 1 points 17 hours ago

not sure how most do anything. echo? most need a button says 'click here'. can drag a horse to water...

The way I look at it is, the more echo chambers you are in and out of, the more complete of a picture you can get as a whole.

Yes, Lemmy is a certain kind of echo chamber. But you can't really be part of an online community these days that doesn't tend toward becoming one.

You just have to diversify to keep the thread. And Lemmy is a very important part of that diversification for me.

[–] volvoxvsmarla@sopuli.xyz 3 points 23 hours ago

Me being like "what does it mean to boot from a USB 👁️👄👁️"

Fr though, the account thing is not too far off. When I made my first account (when the Reddit thing happened, it was on lemm.ee) I absolutely didn't understand jack shit and what I was doing. I was very ready to throw in the towel. I didn't understand how to add communities, how to search for communities, anything. I still have problems grasping the whole server thing. (Or what a server is.)

So a lot of times I feel excluded here, or at least like an unallowed invader, or a feral maniac just running around, throwing stuff at a wall and looking for what sticks. But that's ok. I'm happy I'm still here and one day I might even know what a command line is.

[–] iAvicenna@lemmy.world 7 points 1 day ago (3 children)
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[–] InfiniteHench@lemmy.world 2 points 22 hours ago

So was Twitter way back in the day (I’m talking ~ 2006 when I still worked in tech news). In a similar way, I think it’s up to us ~~canaries~~ early adopters to help them learn.

There was a time when no one knew how to @ someone and the pound sign was still known as the pound sign. People learned (and yes, platforms got much better and more polished). They can learn again. But we teachers need patience and kindness when helping them.

[–] y0kai@lemmy.dbzer0.com 11 points 1 day ago

Better than the generally illiterate echo chambers in other parts of my daily life.

[–] Kolanaki@pawb.social 2 points 22 hours ago

I would bet money on the average person not even being able to create a Lemmy account without assistance.

I would, too. Because I've literally seen Reddit users complain that it's too hard when it's just as easy as signing up for Reddit outside of a few instances that make you jump through hoops to sign up.

[–] DrivebyHaiku@lemmy.ca 5 points 1 day ago (3 children)

On the topic of echo chambers - At what point did we decide that a bunch of people over a wide geographical area with similar interests and a common code of standards/preferences of civility... Is a bad thing?

It's kind of how social clubs exist irl.

[–] Fleur_@aussie.zone 2 points 1 day ago

I didn't say it was bad I just said it existed. I wanted to take a jab at all the people I see here who are adamantly against a tailored social media experience by saying that fact that you're here means you're already in an echo chamber.

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[–] Bloomcole@lemmy.world 7 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Probably true but the amount of tech posts fade into insignificance compared to the 60 - 70% Trump/Musk did/says this stupid thing posts.
I know, and it's been going on for years.
Not everyone is american or wants to read about them 20 times per day.

[–] nuachtan@lemmy.world 5 points 1 day ago

not everyone who IS American wants to read it all the tome either.

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[–] JandroDelSol@lemmy.world 5 points 1 day ago (4 children)

i don't claim to have much computer knowledge, but people look at me like I have two heads when I suggest using a YouTube client without ads or download Blokada. Hell, the amount of people who don't use Firefox (or a fork of it) and uBlock Origing are insane

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[–] iridebikes@lemmy.world 50 points 1 day ago (5 children)

The average person can't even download the right authenticator app when prompted. The average person can't type their password the same way two times in a password change field. The average person does not know how to plug monitors and peripherals into a docking station.

Whatever you think the average skill level is? It's lower than that. By a lot.

[–] AeroGlen@lemmy.world 2 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

Once upon a time I worked for a company where I would be called with requests like "I can't work because my computer is broken". I would go and ask "Where is your computer" and the employee would point to her monitor. I would then press the power button on the monitor and they looked at me like I was a magician. I would point to the actually PC under the desk and say "btw THIS is your computer" and they would stare with confusion and disbelief.

[–] iridebikes@lemmy.world 0 points 6 hours ago

Ha! That's funny because I have a department here with some real... Non thinkers who do the same stuff. They'll come in, one monitor doesn't come on. Normal computer stuff. Especially with docking stations. I power cycle the monitor and it comes right on. They swear they did that and that I must just have the magic touch. I even ask them before I walk over whether theyve done that and they are adamant that they did.

I just dont get it. Surely my value in this world is not limited to making sure people get the right authenticator app and pressing monitor power buttons. Smdh.

[–] Iheartcheese@lemmy.world 23 points 1 day ago (2 children)

I work electronics in walmart and you would be shocked at the questions I get on things like laptops from collage age kids. A very frequent one is 'if it isn't touchscreen then how do you work it'. One of my favorite ever was a girl who went down the line asking can you type on them because i need to be able to type. Every time I told her you can type on all laptops but she just kept asking.

I know a huge part of it is some kind of 'location bias' because the kids who know something about computers are shopping online or at microcenter or something.

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[–] GrackleBirb@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

It's been like this in some online communities since mIRC was popular. mIRC was not user friendly and people had to know how to access it, change servers, use commands. This seemed simple to me back then but most of my friends could not be bothered.

With Meta's slop, TikTok, and Reddit being so easy people rarely step outside those bubbles anymore.

[–] sefra1@lemmy.zip 1 points 22 hours ago

In my opinion, IRC is much easier to join than any meta slop, generally speaking you can just /connect check the /list and /join a popular room.

Meanwhile to join meta you need to first make an email, then create an account, fill a bunch of forms (and then I always get automatically banned after acc creation without posting anything lol)

[–] JackbyDev@programming.dev 3 points 1 day ago

The average person probably couldn't figure it out because they don't care to. If you tell someone "Make a Lemmy account"ntheyll be confused. If you tell someone "Make an account at https://lemmy.world/" they'll figure it out. It's like if you give someone a puzzle but it's boring and they don't care to solve it, they're probably not gonna take the time to solve it.

[–] Squizzy@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago

The reason I am still with .world is because I cant be arsed to figure out how to kove instance or remember hownI set it up.

I can copy command line prompts from forums and chatgpt to my newly linted linux pc...that I dont really use because I cant figure shit out.

[–] Agent641@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago

Where's the meme of the wojack at the party standing in the corner saying "They don't even know how to boot from USB"

[–] lucullus@discuss.tchncs.de 56 points 2 days ago (20 children)

Relevant xkcd: Average familiarity

You severly overestimate the average persons tech literacy even when you try to correct for it. Booting from USB is already a really advanced topic.

Though creating a lemmy account is not that complex. Typically all you have to do is fill out a form on the websiten instructions included. The problem there is not the tech literacyn but the willingness of the people to even interact with systems they don't know, like finding a home instance or understanding the concept of the fediverse. Most people could create a lemmy account, though also most people wouldn't.

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