UK residents - The amazing Charlie Brooker just started off his new series of The Black Mirror with an episode on social-media and death. It's pretty awesome! http://www.channel4.com/programmes/black-mirror/4od
I have several friends that live in other cities, so Facebook is how I can keep in touch with them. That is the ONLY reason I have for using it. Were it not for that, I'd delete my account in a heartbeat.
I have several friends that live in other cities, so Facebook is how I can keep in touch with them. That is the ONLY reason I have for using it. Were it not for that, I'd delete my account in a heartbeat.
I read your article and have some comments to make:
1) It seems you value or at least use Facebook, which is just as much staring mindlessly at a screen than staring at a smartphone screen. At least with a phone call you're still hearing the other person's voice instead of looking at a pretty avatar. Also, reading your utter distaste of phones, I wonder how you got around to meet with people before Facebook came along. 2) Corporate avarice: Let's be honest: corporate avarice has been around the very day phones were invented. Even earlier, at the very base of capitalism. Today's world is pretty much all about money and money-related issues, but blaming just phones is a bit narrow-minded. 3) Endless waste: This is part of most Western consumerist cultures. But shouldn't overproduction of food in the United States be called a 'waste' as well? Also, it is YOU who decides to upgrade your phone. If you somehow feel an urge to upgrade your phone every year to stay in fashion, I'd rather think it's a problem with your mindset and falling for the trap of consumerism instead of staying critical about what you spend your money on. 4) Endless work: Fortunately phones have this nice function of switching them off. Again, it's the user's own decision how to use their phone and which place to give it in their life. Conclusion: You make some very good points, but I also think you are being a bit too black and white. Phones don't necessarily have to be the threat you make them out to be. To be honest, I consider social networks bigger threats than phones, certainly with all of the information we're willing to throw around on websites such as Facebook for everyone to see. TL;DR: Ultimately the use of a phone depends on the owner. It is they who decide what to do with them. Let people regulate their social lives on their own.
I have several friends that live in other cities, so Facebook is how I can keep in touch with them. That is the ONLY reason I have for using it. Were it not for that, I'd delete my account in a heartbeat.
I read your article and have some comments to make:
1) It seems you value or at least use Facebook, which is just as much staring mindlessly at a screen than staring at a smartphone screen. At least with a phone call you're still hearing the other person's voice instead of looking at a pretty avatar. Also, reading your utter distaste of phones, I wonder how you got around to meet with people before Facebook came along. 2) Corporate avarice: Let's be honest: corporate avarice has been around the very day phones were invented. Even earlier, at the very base of capitalism. Today's world is pretty much all about money and money-related issues, but blaming just phones is a bit narrow-minded. 3) Endless waste: This is part of most Western consumerist cultures. But shouldn't overproduction of food in the United States be called a 'waste' as well? Also, it is YOU who decides to upgrade your phone. If you somehow feel an urge to upgrade your phone every year to stay in fashion, I'd rather think it's a problem with your mindset and falling for the trap of consumerism instead of staying critical about what you spend your money on. 4) Endless work: Fortunately phones have this nice function of switching them off. Again, it's the user's own decision how to use their phone and which place to give it in their life. Conclusion: You make some very good points, but I also think you are being a bit too black and white. Phones don't necessarily have to be the threat you make them out to be. To be honest, I consider social networks bigger threats than phones, certainly with all of the information we're willing to throw around on websites such as Facebook for everyone to see. TL;DR: Ultimately the use of a phone depends on the owner. It is they who decide what to do with them. Let people regulate their social lives on their own.
@Kitteh_On_A_Cloud: well, @Dr_Atomic was talking about smartphones. A lot of the objections you make to not having a SMARTphone, can be tackled by just having a mobile phone. You know, a thing which can make phonecalls and type sms-messages, with a black-and-white screen to top it of. I have a Nokia 1100 for instance, and am very happy with it. Even bought a second-hand one when my first broke down and wasn't available new anymore.
Those battery lifes still rock. I always use an old phone on trips and festivals for instance. But then I'd also really miss the handy features of (mediocre at best) smartphone. Being able to check the trains, where I am or talk to almost everyone through WhatsApp can be quite handy. As for the social thing: like I've said, just don't use 'em in someone else's face. That's just rude.
I love my smartphone, it has my calendar, my contacts, my twitter feed that keeps me up to date with my favorite game developers, bookmarks to Wookieepedia, Bulbapedia, Witcherpedia and whatever other Pedia I can find, my email and some very frustrating Angry Birds levels. It's not the smartphone, it's the owner that's often the problem. The people who come to visit, only to constantly play with their phone, or who answer everything with "Oh really, then check this out" and whip out a youtube movie. Yes, there's a hundred million variations on the same phone, most are completely superfluous. But hell, look at wine, cars, computers, etc. It's a general theme, not inherent to smartphones but to society. Your boss harassing you over the phone is an indication of a dick boss or a workoholic owner. Don't want to talk to your boss outside of work; don't answer the phone. There's a really handy ignore button. If he gets mad, tell him you were making sweet love at the time, that usually ends a conversation quickly (or if it doesn't, get another boss).
As long as people aren't being a dick about owning one, I don't see how they're a problem. It's just a computerphone.
I registered for facebook 7 years ago and then never used it. I only started using it in the last couple of months to track down school mates and family. It's so hard to find people when they move around, but facebook seems to eliminate that problem to a degree.
I'm also going back to my home town for the easter show next month and will be meeting quite a few friends from school as we've organised to have as many people go back there. Otherwise, I don't use it and probably check it once a week or once a fortnight.
It really comes down to what you use it for. I see it as a database to track down people. Otherwise, I have no other use for it.
With smart phones, I have one of the most basic Nokia phones you could buy. It doesn't play music, doesn't take photos, doesn't have a removable memory card, doesn't have internet. Send me a photo? Don't bother, because I can't view it. It's just a phone that makes/receives phone calls and very basic text messages. That's all it's used for.
Although I concede @Drugar 's point...that is, communication technology is only as useful or annoying as the user of said technology makes it, it is clear how ubiquitously abused it is and how most mass communication forums have devolved into pablum
The level of civility in the ancient bbs beginnings was very high by virtue of the predictably intelligent nature of the participants. You had to have a little something on the ball to connect to each other in the first place. This is no longer the case. Any precocious 7 year old or housebound miscreant can give it a go with a point and a click. The more homogeneous and trite the ability to foist one's anonymous opinion onto the world becomes, the more it shows.
Thankfully, there are still places like this forum that are the exception to the rule.
Now I am off to read YouTube comments to balance things out.
I don't get the hate for Facebook, I find it very useful for organising events and get-togethers. Much less hassle than calling each person by phone (and if you're inviting people you don't meet very often, you probably don't know their schedule and what times they can be reached), and easier to keep track of than e-mail since all the replies will be on the same page rather than in different mails.
Which is why I haven't had one for the past 3 years. But I feel really out of the loop on... everything.
Well, everything that isn't on Twitter.
Also, I can't enter any contests.
Yup.
A recommendation is that , just do there what you think you should do , don't delay it no more ( talk with someone about something ? ) , and it will get up to "fed up" level easily may be. It did for me. I don't want no facebook now.
Which is why I haven't had one for the past 3 years. But I feel really out of the loop on... everything.
Well, everything that isn't on Twitter.
Also, I can't enter any contests.
Yup.
A recommendation is that , just do there what you think you should do , don't delay it no more ( talk with someone about something ? ) , and it will get up to "fed up" level easily may be. It did for me. I don't want no facebook now.
Yea the person you are quoting hasn't been on here since February...
Which is why I haven't had one for the past 3 years. But I feel really out of the loop on... everything.
Well, everything that isn't on Twitter.
Also, I can't enter any contests.
Yup.
A recommendation is that , just do there what you think you should do , don't delay it no more ( talk with someone about something ? ) , and it will get up to "fed up" level easily may be. It did for me. I don't want no facebook now.
Yea the person you are quoting hasn't been on here since February...
Whats with all the thread necros?
it is really annoying having old jolly resurrect all these threads from a year ago. could the mods auto close threads that are so many months old to prevent necros?
edit: even bhalldog was around in most of these threads. you can see that user deleted.
Which is why I haven't had one for the past 3 years. But I feel really out of the loop on... everything.
Well, everything that isn't on Twitter.
Also, I can't enter any contests.
Yup.
A recommendation is that , just do there what you think you should do , don't delay it no more ( talk with someone about something ? ) , and it will get up to "fed up" level easily may be. It did for me. I don't want no facebook now.
Yea the person you are quoting hasn't been on here since February...
Whats with all the thread necros?
@elminster Thread necromancy is high whenever a major patch or a new EE comes out. For some reason the new members can't let the dead ones stay dead
Anyway I really like this kind of necromancy. Brings some of the long forgotten and interesting topics back to life for a time before the animate thread spell dies out.
Well, I don't have that many friends, and I'm not really an outgoing person either. I'm too busy with my studies anyway, and I don't like being dependent on others. Also, the bigger your social circle gets, the less time you have and the more time you'll spend on keeping into contact. I'm perfectly happy on my own. I don't trust many people either and have become increasingly cynical when it comes to humankind. So, nah, just a couple of close friends and family will do.
Comments
I also loathe smartphones with the passion of a thousand burning suns. I personally pledge never to buy one.
1) It seems you value or at least use Facebook, which is just as much staring mindlessly at a screen than staring at a smartphone screen. At least with a phone call you're still hearing the other person's voice instead of looking at a pretty avatar. Also, reading your utter distaste of phones, I wonder how you got around to meet with people before Facebook came along.
2) Corporate avarice: Let's be honest: corporate avarice has been around the very day phones were invented. Even earlier, at the very base of capitalism. Today's world is pretty much all about money and money-related issues, but blaming just phones is a bit narrow-minded.
3) Endless waste: This is part of most Western consumerist cultures. But shouldn't overproduction of food in the United States be called a 'waste' as well? Also, it is YOU who decides to upgrade your phone. If you somehow feel an urge to upgrade your phone every year to stay in fashion, I'd rather think it's a problem with your mindset and falling for the trap of consumerism instead of staying critical about what you spend your money on.
4) Endless work: Fortunately phones have this nice function of switching them off. Again, it's the user's own decision how to use their phone and which place to give it in their life.
Conclusion: You make some very good points, but I also think you are being a bit too black and white. Phones don't necessarily have to be the threat you make them out to be. To be honest, I consider social networks bigger threats than phones, certainly with all of the information we're willing to throw around on websites such as Facebook for everyone to see.
TL;DR: Ultimately the use of a phone depends on the owner. It is they who decide what to do with them. Let people regulate their social lives on their own.
1) It seems you value or at least use Facebook, which is just as much staring mindlessly at a screen than staring at a smartphone screen. At least with a phone call you're still hearing the other person's voice instead of looking at a pretty avatar. Also, reading your utter distaste of phones, I wonder how you got around to meet with people before Facebook came along.
2) Corporate avarice: Let's be honest: corporate avarice has been around the very day phones were invented. Even earlier, at the very base of capitalism. Today's world is pretty much all about money and money-related issues, but blaming just phones is a bit narrow-minded.
3) Endless waste: This is part of most Western consumerist cultures. But shouldn't overproduction of food in the United States be called a 'waste' as well? Also, it is YOU who decides to upgrade your phone. If you somehow feel an urge to upgrade your phone every year to stay in fashion, I'd rather think it's a problem with your mindset and falling for the trap of consumerism instead of staying critical about what you spend your money on.
4) Endless work: Fortunately phones have this nice function of switching them off. Again, it's the user's own decision how to use their phone and which place to give it in their life.
Conclusion: You make some very good points, but I also think you are being a bit too black and white. Phones don't necessarily have to be the threat you make them out to be. To be honest, I consider social networks bigger threats than phones, certainly with all of the information we're willing to throw around on websites such as Facebook for everyone to see.
TL;DR: Ultimately the use of a phone depends on the owner. It is they who decide what to do with them. Let people regulate their social lives on their own.
I don't "socialize" like a lot of people do every day or every hour, I don't play the silly games on there or do the app thing either.
It's not the smartphone, it's the owner that's often the problem. The people who come to visit, only to constantly play with their phone, or who answer everything with "Oh really, then check this out" and whip out a youtube movie.
Yes, there's a hundred million variations on the same phone, most are completely superfluous. But hell, look at wine, cars, computers, etc. It's a general theme, not inherent to smartphones but to society.
Your boss harassing you over the phone is an indication of a dick boss or a workoholic owner. Don't want to talk to your boss outside of work; don't answer the phone. There's a really handy ignore button. If he gets mad, tell him you were making sweet love at the time, that usually ends a conversation quickly (or if it doesn't, get another boss).
As long as people aren't being a dick about owning one, I don't see how they're a problem. It's just a computerphone.
I'm also going back to my home town for the easter show next month and will be meeting quite a few friends from school as we've organised to have as many people go back there. Otherwise, I don't use it and probably check it once a week or once a fortnight.
It really comes down to what you use it for. I see it as a database to track down people. Otherwise, I have no other use for it.
With smart phones, I have one of the most basic Nokia phones you could buy. It doesn't play music, doesn't take photos, doesn't have a removable memory card, doesn't have internet. Send me a photo? Don't bother, because I can't view it. It's just a phone that makes/receives phone calls and very basic text messages. That's all it's used for.
The level of civility in the ancient bbs beginnings was very high by virtue of the predictably intelligent nature of the participants. You had to have a little something on the ball to connect to each other in the first place. This is no longer the case. Any precocious 7 year old or housebound miscreant can give it a go with a point and a click. The more homogeneous and trite the ability to foist one's anonymous opinion onto the world becomes, the more it shows.
Thankfully, there are still places like this forum that are the exception to the rule.
Now I am off to read YouTube comments to balance things out.
Whats with all the thread necros?
edit: even bhalldog was around in most of these threads. you can see that user deleted.
Anyway I really like this kind of necromancy. Brings some of the long forgotten and interesting topics back to life for a time before the animate thread spell dies out.