Thread: People and Youth are too Unaware thanks to Gadgets and Phones and Texting. Unbelievable!

Originally Posted by voByJunior2013

yeah, it's like the current youth going to concerts. I don't understand why they all take their iphones or smartphones and are all raised hands trying to video record it. That's stupid. really. They're not actually enjoying the concert freely. They are busy with the gadgets recording it. I always find that stupid.
The concert is supposed to be an experience you enjoy LIVE. that's what they're called live. But in stead these people focus their energy on the video recording.

Uggghhh this is one of my biggest pet peeves. It's hard enough as a really short person going to a standing concert and not being able to see anything; it's even worse when everyone in front of you is just standing there with their cell phones in the air. At the last concert I went to, the people around me were all literally just standing there recording every song on their phones and not singing or dancing or anything--meanwhile my sister and I were going crazy the whole time, haha. I don't have a crappy video recording of that concert but I have the memory of having fun and I think that's much more valuable.

That said, in response to this topic in general: I know I am probably too addicted to technology. I'm guilty of bringing my iPod with me almost everywhere; of course, this is partly because I have anxiety problems and it helps distract me and calm me down. But I also spend way too much time on the internet and I should get outside more. I'm hoping to get better at that.

On that note, my smartphone has just gone completely blank after two years of usage. The software in those things is far too bloated; they just crash all the time. I found it quite incredible that YouTube would constantly make my phone crash, given that it's a Google website running on a Google browser on a god damn Google operating system. If they can't make that work then they're truly hopeless. I've gone back to my 10-year old phone, which has never failed to do anything. Those things were simple, robust, and did the job without ever losing their shit.

haha in Lebanon, everyone is obsessed with Samsung galaxies

Originally Posted by Athylus

Lmao! That would be so awesome

Sersly thou, I was thinking about a nokia device tho, but a newer one obv.

They are awesome, but boring . Maybe lumia, but if not touch, asha. It's like they don't do any one except those 2

Originally Posted by Brigid

Uggghhh this is one of my biggest pet peeves. It's hard enough as a really short person going to a standing concert and not being able to see anything; it's even worse when everyone in front of you is just standing there with their cell phones in the air. At the last concert I went to, the people around me were all literally just standing there recording every song on their phones and not singing or dancing or anything--meanwhile my sister and I were going crazy the whole time, haha. I don't have a crappy video recording of that concert but I have the memory of having fun and I think that's much more valuable.

That said, in response to this topic in general: I know I am probably too addicted to technology. I'm guilty of bringing my iPod with me almost everywhere; of course, this is partly because I have anxiety problems and it helps distract me and calm me down. But I also spend way too much time on the internet and I should get outside more. I'm hoping to get better at that.

I have the same problem! I have anxiety problems as long as I can remember, and the phone does help. But, in Lebanon, it is justified since everyone is a punk. All the good people immigrated! almost 2 thirds immigrated from Lebanon. 12 million immigrated and 4 million yet

Yeah, I never really got why other humans are so obsessed with their mobiles. It is almost like it is a freaking body part to them; cannot go anywhere without it, and cannot let it go for five minutes. Not a day goes by that I do not hear that annoying whistling sound at least once. Though I also own a cheap mobile, I pretty much always keep it in mine pocket. I only make calls or send text messages if it is necessary. And I am often annoyed when others call me for no particular reason or send me irrelevant text messages. Or, one of mine major pet peeves is when somebody calls or texts someone in the same house, room, or facility as them (just go talk to that person!). [Shrugs] Then again, I am a pretty anti-social human, so that is probably just me. If I was more into casual interaction, perhaps I would be just like the rest.

I also own some other portable electronics, such as a Nintendo 3DS, but I never take them out of the house unless I am leaving town, and I never, ever show off mine electronics in public. In mine opinion, that is just asking to get robbed. Though I often listen to music behind closed doors, in public I am constantly alert, often to the point of paranoia. I do not make calls in public unless I absolutely have to, and when I do, it is with mine back to the wall.

I will admit, I do use the internet rather frequently, though it is usually just for research and keeping up with the news. The only websites I socialise in nowadays are Dream Views and two other communities--and frankly, I do not really go to said communities looking for friends. Every now and then, however, I do make it a point to keep away from the computer and video games and do something else, usually reading a book (one made of paper).

In the end, however, I do not really care if others wish to bury their noses in their gadgets, blissfully unaware of their surroundings. Won't be mine fault if they get mugged (and yes, I have seen it happen--in some of the most unlikely places). It is only when humans endanger not only themselves, but others with their electronics, that it bothers me (like texting whilst driving). I do not want to get flattened in the pavement because somebody was too busy texting their "BFF" or browsing Facebook to watch the blasted road. Whenever I hear about a teen or someone dying or getting hurt in an automobile incident because he or she could not put their damn toy away, I do not feel much, if any, compassion. [Shrugs] I know that probably sounds cold, but hey, you reap what you sow.

That all being said, I absolutely LOVE technology; it is truly an amazing phenomenon. I cannot imagine a life without it. Unfortunately, it is just not used responsibly by everybody.

Personally my phone is pretty important to me. Whenever I'm on the bus or just somewhere and got nothing to do, I can pull it up and surf the web while listening to music. It's not like people were having deep conversations on the train and in busses before the advent of mobile phones. We simply read newspapers instead.

I'd like to point out that "back in the day" people would do the exact same thing, but with walkmans. Before than, newspapers.

Yea for the whole using your phone on the bus, there's two good reasons to do that.
1. Wandering eyes could start fights
2. I have more often been less alert while not on my phone and instead going brain dead since there was nothing to do.

I don't like when people use phones while walking since it really can cause accidents with them walking unaware into the path of a car, and not hearing the car honking because their headphones are noise canceling and at 100% volume.


Then cell phones can help a little in getting you out of tough situations, like it is pretty hard to walk up to a guy and mug him when he's clearly on the phone with someone....

Overall I love technology and the fact that it is portable really can help in certain situations, like one time I needed to do something on my graphing calculator that I didn't know the command for, so I just looked up the users manual on my phone and was able to find the command right away instead of having to make a note so I'd remember to look up the command when I get back home.

Im a 16 year old teen and i do normally have my earphones in a lot and i guess i can say that i have a music addiction (if thats possible) but unlike most people, instead of letting music control me, i took my love for it to my advantage, and now i am a guitarist, and i can turn music into whatever i want. I agree that people are turning into zombies with their phones nowadays, i wish my generation wasnt so dependent on technology. You know, i hear and see what it was like living in the 80s and 90s, with kids and teens always being in the streets having fun e.t.c.. makes me really wonder what it would be like to live back then, but without many things from todays generation, i wouldnt be the person i am so i am thankful for the present and hope to be living in it for a long time

I do think parents should let their kids live in the non-tech world for a while. They should be out in the streets playing basketball or hide and seek or whatever.

I am extremely glad I was probably in the one of the last generations to do that (in the 1st world, anyway). Sliding down flooded gutters on hills (ruining several pants), exploring drains, riding bikes, playing basketball or downball or soccer, climbing trees.... that shit was fun.

Now, I think, kids are inside playing videogames on the internet, or occasionally have LAN parties, but this does not use up their almost infinite energy.
This causes massive problems with anxiety and depression. Along with what other people have mentioned about not just being by oneself.
It's like any drug habit or vice. There are problems we should face and come to terms with, and if you avoid them with distractions, they only become worse and worse.
So this also causes crippling existential issues and therefore depression/anxiety.

This rant by Louis CK is pretty much how I feel about it


I also have a dumb phone. I absolutely enjoy reading about/seeing awesome new technology, but then I think about whether I really have any use for it.

If I got an iPhone or iPad or Galaxy or whatever, what would I do on it? Facebook, Reddit, some shitty flash games.... Maybe occasionally look something important up on it.
It's just not worth it.

That said, and as I was saying before, there are a tonne of things that are used for this exact same escape mechanism - drugs (including cigarettes), music, video games, movies/tv shows, internet forums, social media sites, news, sex, porn, self-harm (really, though, all these things are self-harm when used excessively)....

But everyone has their own path and tolerance levels. So maybe technology hasn't really changed that. I'm not sure.
It does make escapism that much easier.... If you're socially anxious, instead of slowly getting used to talking to people on the bus or train or wherever, you can just go on the internet or listen to music. However, either are probably just as likely to lead to a significant event in your day-to-day life, even if only slightly significant. I mena I've found some incredible things online, it's definitely changed me as a person, but there's a lot of bullshit useless stuff too, much more of that.

But talking to people on the bus is the same. One time I talked to a guy who went on for 40 fucking minutes about some optometrist who charged him a lot for his glasses. Great, I really care so much....
But you also occasionally meet very interesting people if you take the opportunity. And some of those people become important to you.
Or maybe they'll shape your life or opinions in some way.

I guess you just gotta balance, like anything else. If you find yourself talking about useless crap to everyone, go improve your knowledge or find something cool online. If you realise you've just spent days or week or years participating in useless karma-whoring (fuck you, reddit) conversations which do not benefit your or anyone else, or consuming useless information.... then go out and do something new and talk to some people.

Disclaimer: I've been drinking myself to sleep every night for months to avoid dealing with shit. But I guess that gives me some experience with what I'm saying as well.

hi guys. It's funny. These days ive been riding the bus. ANd every single College and Highschool girl comes from the outside into the bus with the phone talking OR immediately pulls it out and texts and does stuff on it. So every girl is looking down at their thing. It's weird. ANd i know for a fact the foreign girls who do it or put the ipod earphones in, they are afraid and dont want anyone to talk to them. I've noticed this.

Immigrant Hispanic women(who don't speak english) are also addicted to the cellphone. Much less to the texting but they are constantly on the cellphone while on the bus. They can't be alone or something. Even if they have kids with them, they prefer to talk on the phone rather than talk to their kids or play with them. They constantly need to talk to someone.

Originally Posted by tommo

consuming useless information

This right here, it's pretty much the core of your post. Reddit is a great example of this, especially if you just track the standard front page, or something like it. 99% of the information will just be a funny picture or short anecdote. Occasionally you get interesting news on there, but you'd get those news anyway, if you visited actual news sites. When I use my phone, I'm usually either chatting with friends, checking /v/ on 4chan, or subreddits with actual good discussions or news I wouldn't get anywhere else.

When I sit in lectures, I see a ton of people just scrolling through 9gag and the front page of Reddit on their laptops, opening every single image macro, .gif and picture of a cat. That truly constitutes "consuming useless information" and a fuck ton of people are doing it, nearly all the time, wherever they go.

I definitely recognize this, and I think it looks pretty sad.
I also happen to be from Sweden, a country where people are said to be fairly reserved, and that's quite true in many ways.
Of course there do exist a number of very outgoing people here as well, but in general it's sort of a social rule to not start chatting with random strangers unless you have a very good excuse to do so, and the whole media thing with laptops and cell-phones makes this even pronounced.
Sometimes I feel like I will be considered weird if I try to start a conversation with someone, especially if they hold tightly onto their cell-phones or whatever they occupy themsleves with at that moment.