Why do some people think that shunning technology somehow makes them better...

[mhsjax]

And we used to put peace signs on every page, or write sloppily, or double space to fill "two pages", or some other silly thing -- I don't even recall all the crap we did. Kids will be kids. Some will care; some won't.

I remember people who "couldn't take their nose out of a book..." There are always ways to avoid connection, and there always will be.

I think parents will care when the kids start bringing home bad grades because of this. And to me if someone is reading they usually don't try and have a conversation with you, I can't say that I have noticed the same about people playing games on their i Phone. but that is MY experience.

 

[bicker]

I think parents will care when the kids start bringing home bad grades because of this.

Just like my mother cared when I started bringing home bad grades because of the things I did, when I was a child. No difference.

 

[mhsjax]

Just like my mother cared when I started bringing home bad grades because of the things I did, when I was a child. No difference.

True, But we hopefully outgrew some of this stuff. I don't know if these kids will. Another example, I want your opinion on this. (I really do). Took kiddo in for his well check up. She is into sports medicine, has 6 HUGE, into sports kind of boys so she gets involved with sports medicine. She that her and a group of other Drs were discussing the number of blind side injuries to kids while playing football. An opthomologist chimed in that they are actually seeing this as a result of kids dong too much gaming, just focusing on what is exactly in front of them, it is destroying their peripheral vision and therefor not seeing what is beside them and some are getting seriously injured. Yes I know that happens in football, but they are seeing an increase. My kiddo has played a ton of video games and is now having problems with his peripheral vision. Funny, no one in either of our families has this problem. I am blind as a bat, but peripheral vision is great.

Anyway, just another thing a see happening because some (especially kids) are so addicted to this stuff.

Wow, off topic much. lol

 

[NY Disney fan]

My neighbor scoffed at me for getting a Kindle. We are both avid readers. She said she can't imagine getting a kindle because she needs to feel a book in her hands!! When she saw me reading a paper book she was like "what happened to your Kindle?" like oh you're new technology failed you???

 

[ckay87]

I get the gist of this thread. Personally, we Facebookers get tired.... really freaking tired.... of hearing what a "waste of time" it is or how "silly" it is. Sorry, but it's no different than all the time my mother and grandmother used to spend yakking on the phone. Actually, yea it's different. It's way faster and more efficient.

 

[OK!]

I also get the same "holier-than-thou" feeling from people who don't take over-the-counter medicine or see regular doctors. Me? I am all for better living through chemisty. I'd rather pop a pill and get over my headache quickly than sit and meditate about it and waste time.

A-freaking-MEN!

 

[mhsjax]

I get the gist of this thread. Personally, we Facebookers get tired.... really freaking tired.... of hearing what a "waste of time" it is or how "silly" it is. Sorry, but it's no different than all the time my mother and grandmother used to spend yakking on the phone. Actually, yea it's different. It's way faster and more efficient.

But there are those of us that actually like to hear the other persons voice. And to me it is different. the conversation on the computer isn't the same IMHO. Not everything should be about efficiency. Having a conversation with a relative or best friend isn't about efficiency, it is about connecting with someone. And how many times has it been said on here, that you just can't get the tome of a conversation on a computer. Sure sometimes it is great, but not for everyday conversations, at least not for me.

 

[bicker]

True, But we hopefully outgrew some of this stuff. I don't know if these kids will.

It is the nature of the older generation to look on the younger generation with concern regarding the different path the younger generation takes. I know my parents thought the same of my brothers and I, and I know my grandparents thought the same of my parents.

Another example, I want your opinion on this. (I really do).

At some point, cigarette smoking became the rage among teens, and that clearly has had impact on the first generation where that happened, and on subsequent generations. Lots of folks suffer from hearing impairments, these days, directly attributable to how younger folks engaged music for a time.

I am pretty sure if I invested some time, I can find even better examples of where similar situations happened in the past.

However, we survive. Some things get better, some things get worse, but the overall trend, in terms of our quality of life, has been consistently up. Some generations are more socially conscious than others. Some generations have a stronger work-ethic. Some generations better foster innovation. Some generations better foster compliance, control, safety and security.

Maybe the next generation will be more ecologically conscious, saving society from problems that we'd encounter otherwise.

 

[ckay87]

Also consider that children today just may become BETTER writers than we ever could. Sure, spelling and punctuation are taking a hit, BUT think about this. They have endless opportunities to write for an audience. That is a big deal. In fact, that is the very pupose of writing. But when we were young, the only audience most of us wrote for were our teachers, maybe a pen pal or our own diaries. Perhaps we wrote for a school paper or something, but most of us did not. The only impact our writings ever made were on a long-forgotten grade. Kids today are publishing stuff every day. They put sentences and ideas on (essentially) paper and put it out for many, many people to read instantly. They get feedback. They get daily opportunities to learn the impact of their written word and to perfect their skills accordingly, whether they mean to or not.

 

[mhsjax]

It is the nature of the older generation to look on the younger generation with concern regarding the different path the younger generation takes. I know my parents thought the same of my brothers and I, and I know my grandparents thought the same of my parents.

At some point, cigarette smoking became the rage among teens, and that clearly has had impact on the first generation where that happened, and on subsequent generations. Lots of folks suffer from hearing impairments, these days, directly attributable to how younger folks engaged music for a time.

I am pretty sure if I invested some time, I can find even better examples of where similar situations happened in the past.

However, we survive. Some things get better, some things get worse, but the overall trend, in terms of our quality of life, has been consistently up. Some generations are more socially conscious than others. Some generations have a stronger work-ethic. Some generations better foster innovation. Some generations better foster compliance, control, safety and security.

Maybe the next generation will be more ecologically conscious, saving society from problems that we'd encounter otherwise.

excellent points.

 

[ckay87]

But there are those of us that actually like to hear the other persons voice. And to me it is different. the conversation on the computer isn't the same IMHO. Not everything should be about efficiency. Having a conversation with a relative or best friend isn't about efficiency, it is about connecting with someone. And how many times has it been said on here, that you just can't get the tome of a conversation on a computer. Sure sometimes it is great, but not for everyday conversations, at least not for me.

Ok, but I'm not going to tell you you're "silly" or "wasting your time" talking on the phone. I just get sick of hearing how Facebook is a waste of time.

I enjoy it = not waste of time. Substitute your own name in there and there is no longer anything to debate.

 

[bicker]

Many people feel that the implicit demand for immediate attention, that the telephone represents, is itself a social malady, and that asynchronous communications is far superior at bringing families together in a way that the telephone never could -- more like how written letters did, but without the latency that would tend to make people feel so much more remote from each other.

For example, Facebook is helping us feel connected to Aunt Norma, while she's going through chemotherapy, without having to burden cousin Beci with over thirty separate telephone calls each day (my wife actually has over thirty first cousins on her mother's side), and gives us the opportunity to let Aunt Norma know we're thinking about her, every day.

I think some folks do choose to value voice communications more highly than things like Facebook, but that's only a personal preference.

 

[jrmasm]

But there are those of us that actually like to hear the other persons voice. And to me it is different. the conversation on the computer isn't the same IMHO. Not everything should be about efficiency. Having a conversation with a relative or best friend isn't about efficiency, it is about connecting with someone. And how many times has it been said on here, that you just can't get the tome of a conversation on a computer. Sure sometimes it is great, but not for everyday conversations, at least not for me.

Sounds like you think that people who have converations via Facebook or text never actually speak to people. Surely you don't really think that????

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Ok, but I'm not going to tell you you're "silly" or "wasting your time" talking on the phone. I just get sick of hearing how Facebook is a waste of time.

I enjoy it = not waste of time. Substitute your own name in there and there is no longer anything to debate.

Ok, I will say right now I am not on Facebook not because I think it is a "waste of time". I am not on it because I know I will waste my time.

It is totally about me and no one else. Now dh and I are discussing getting on Facebook, actually this past week.

He wants to see if he can get in touch with some old friends and our kids are on it.

 

[Scurvy]

Twitter is just dumb. I don't care what people are doing at any given moment and IMHO if people think that I care then they are the ones that feel superior.

This post tells me that you don't really know much about Twitter. Sure, there are probably people who use it to document every mundane moment of their lives but that isn't how most people use it. Scrolling through the first page of Tweets by those who I follow I see a couple of notices of new road construction that is tying up traffic in my city with suggestions of alternate routes. I also see that there has been a wreck with entrapments a mile from my house. There are a couple of links to reviews of products I'm interested in, a band has just announced that they're coming to a theater near me and tickets will be on sale soon, the Tennessee Aquarium is getting a new imax movie, plus there are several other snippets of news that I am interested in. Also, there are links to details about the sports and water decks on the new Disney Dream ship and a link to a virtual tour of Busch Gardens using Google streetview.

Twitter might not be useful for everyone, and there's certainly nothing wrong with deciding it's not something you are interested in. Calling it "dumb" because you don't like it or because you don't understand it is just silly.

Yes it was my post, but if you had read it correctly you would see that I didn't call anyone stupid. What I said is that there are those who pretend to feel superior because they don't want people to suspect them of being stupid. There is a difference, and if you aren't one of them, it wouldn't
pertain to you anyway. So, nobody called you stupid.

I understand the difference and I agree with you. I thought you explained it very well!

 

[Pigeon]

There's a great deal of technology that just doesn't make my life any better, so why should I squander money on it?

I use a cell phone for emergencies, so a Tracfone is fine. Texting is the dumbest means of communication yet devised. I know how to do it; I choose not to. If it floats your boat, fine, but I find it devoid of utility. I also think it can be quite damaging, particularly to the preteen and teenage set who do it compulsively at the expense of everything else in life.

I like everything about books. I don't like ebook readers. Ick. Not using them, but I've tried them.

I have a social networking account, but after investing some time in it, I've come to the conclusion that it is an uninteresting waste of time. I'd rather be doing something else.

Some tools are useful to me. Some are not. I'm not going to force myself to use those that don't improve my life. Just because something can be digital doesn't mean it should be.

 

[mhsjax]

Sounds like you think that people who have converations via Facebook or text never actually speak to people. Surely you don't really think that????

I never said that they don't speak on the phone. I was referring to the pp that stated it really wasn't different than her mother and aunt(I believe) talking on the phone. I have friends that use Facebook and they try to talk me into it. I waste enough time on here. I am expressing my opinion on this subject, it just may be different than the masses on this site. Sorry.

 

[mhsjax]

There's a great deal of technology that just doesn't make my life any better, so why should I squander money on it?

I use a cell phone for emergencies, so a Tracfone is fine. Texting is the dumbest means of communication yet devised. I know how to do it; I choose not to. If it floats your boat, fine, but I find it devoid of utility. I also think it can be quite damaging, particularly to the preteen and teenage set who do it compulsively at the expense of everything else in life.

I like everything about books. I don't like ebook readers. Ick. Not using them, but I've tried them.

I have a social networking account, but after investing some time in it, I've come to the conclusion that it is an uninteresting waste of time. I'd rather be doing something else.

Some tools are useful to me. Some are not. I'm not going to force myself to use those that don't improve my life. Just because something can be digital doesn't mean it should be.

exactly how I feel.

 

[mhsjax]

This all started because someone asked a simple question. I expressed my opinion based on what I see around me. Twitter maybe useful for some, but I overhere so many people that talk about what celeb they are following in twitter, or the first thing they ask you if you use twitter is "who are you following" Most of the time I here people talking about what celebs they are following and how these celebs have their accts blocked. and wow guess what they let me in. I see people sit there and debate about weather the i Phone is better or their Blackberry. Who has the newest who has the most expensive. This is the problem I have. Technology for a lot of people has become a status symbol. and Then there is me, I don't care what kind of phone you have, or if you have a Mac or PC Twitter, Facebook, Mysapce or whatever. My kids all have many of these things. I just don't understand why it is so important for people to brag about it and to be attached at the hip.

It wasn't so long ago that there was a big discussion over a person texting during dinner out, and most everyone here was moritifed that some people thought it was ok. This is the type of behavior that I see associated with technology. If you use it to better your life great. So do I. I am just not on it all the time, acting like I am better and more important than everyone else by being on my newest and latest i Phone. I am not saying that anyone here is that way, is is simply a response to the original question. Some people think they are way superior because they use Techno and some the other way around. I just happen to feel that a lot people are too impressed by their electronics

 

[bicker]

There's a great deal of technology that just doesn't make my life any better, so why should I squander money on it?

That's the key criterion. The same logic, increasingly, is leading some folks to get rid of older means of communications in favor of newer means. So, again, it works both ways. The problem occurs when people from the different sides need to communicate with each other. The preference of some folks for the older mechanisms doesn't obligate the other folks to support communications that way, nor does the preference of some folks for the newer mechanisms doesn't obligate the other folks to support communications that way. Impasse. What breaks the tie is which side "needs" to communicate with the other more. And the change is, as you would expect, going in one specific direction ... with the folks who prefer older mechanisms more and more finding themselves in the position of "need" and the folks who prefer newer mechanisms more and more finding themselves in a position of no longer "needing". And that explains why the folks who prefer older mechanisms more perhaps express anger or frustration more often than other folks, because they're having to change when they don't want to (while the folks who prefer newer mechanisms are only having to slow their rate of change -- that "hurts" less).

(Taking this next comment out of order...)

I'm not going to force myself to use those that don't improve my life. Just because something can be digital doesn't mean it should be.

Again, the bolded portion is critical. However, note the implication of what I said above: Even despite a predilection against some new technology, circumstances (specifically, the preferences of others) may make it advantageous for you to overcome your resistance. I can say, from personal experience, that the preference of some folks for older mechanisms of communication, most notably telephones, "forces" me to keep ours. Except for those of us who have very little outside contacts, there is probably no way to remain immune from compromise without finding ourselves, at one point or another, a fundamental part of a communication problem.

Texting is the dumbest means of communication yet devised.

I know, from personal experience, that TXTing has great value. You are simply wrong about what you're saying here. While I wouldn't question your preference to avoid TXTing yourself, a categorical assertion that something is a "dumb" preference is indefensible.

If it floats your boat, fine, but I find it devoid of utility.

That's better.

I also think it can be quite damaging, particularly to the preteen and teenage set who do it compulsively at the expense of everything else in life.

As I indicated above, pre-teens have always had things that they've been compulsive about.