Societal addiction to phones
- Thread starter Dave1027
- Start date
Being in touch with people and sharing details of your life is only the secondary purpose of the (software you'll find on your) phone. Human contact cannot compete with its true nature:I must be old fashioned (or maybe just old) as I don't have a smart phone. I don't need to be in constant touch with people, and I certainly don't want to share every minute and detail of my life with others. If you want me, call me at home or drop me an email. If I'm not available, leave a message and I'll call or write you back. I do keep a cheap flip phone in my car for emergencies but have not given the number to anyone but my wife.
I am amazed by the number of people with their nose stuck in their i-thingy. Human contact is being lost, and with it the essence of life.
Imagine a large group of us standing around in the real world. It's paradise. We've built quite a place, here. Then someone builds a large grey prison with exactly enough cells for each and every one of us. The cells have no doors and no locks; but the inside of each cell is covered with messages, images and other data that is exactly and precisely what you want to hear. Everyone moves quickly into the cells and begins sliding perilously into the attraction that truly hooks them: A constant supply of dopamine brought about by constant stimulus and the constant feeding of their self-righteous outrage towards "them" and an affinity for the constantly-reinforced presence of "us".
The phones deliver the apps. The apps provide you with unending stimuli. The stimuli give you dopamine and you never ever have to stop. Soon enough your poor brain finds stillness and silence unbearable.
Tech companies can hardly keep up with demand. They're not doing anything to humanity; simply ruthlessly revealing.
Yep, people find them mesmerizing. Just as moths are mesmerized by the ultra violet light of a bug zapper.
The world lived a different reality as the platforms were very limited and controlled to get news/information/opinions/knowledge/communication out.
Now it’s a free for all where anyone can make content for anyone to consume. Some good is the poorest to richest have similar access. People live in straw huts and no electricity but have smartphones.
All intentional/known of course. We already see it now, but imagine as time goes on; it will only get worse. Definitely an addiction; got to keep feeding that dopamine! I see it even with my 7 year old son. If I let him watch kids YT shorts for 10 minutes and stop it; he acts like a ravenous fiend looking for his next fix 
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OTOH out of surgery, in pain, check my investments
Then text folks that unfortunately I’m still alive
Don’t worry wife is driving
Then text folks that unfortunately I’m still alive
Don’t worry wife is driving
I personally despise the cell phone/android electronic devises,dont even have one or ever see them in my future, people (I call them lightbulb heads) are totally addicted to them like a baby with a pacifier, just wait for a EMP attack and nothing will work, then we will be observing total anarchy.
Let’s be real here for a second, you guys were glued to the TV growing up and if you could take it with you, you would have.
The generations that grew up before you, also thought you were crazy for staring into a box all day long.
Nothing is new under the sun, just old guys complaining about the same things over and over.
The generations that grew up before you, also thought you were crazy for staring into a box all day long.
Nothing is new under the sun, just old guys complaining about the same things over and over.
SammyChevelleTypeS3
$50 site donor 2023
You are correct about many of us old guys complaining. That we do. LoL
As I get older I finally realize the answer to a question the wife and I used to always ask.... "why are do the older people seem so angry and fussy?" It is because most are hurting and in constant pain. Plus cant do much anymore. That is hard to accept as one gets older. It is just another part of life that most of us are/were not ready for until it hits you.
But , many of us spent our days outside running and playing in the fresh air. We were on a baseball diamonds , football fields , or flying kites and having kite fights. Or we were riding our modified bicycles. Building wooden scooters with scrap wood and skates we took the wheels off of, or Jumping ramps , etc. We ran thru the woods hunting what ever we could pop with our pellet and bb guns. Here , we also spent lots of our days along the banks and in the Mississippi river. Fishing and shrimping. We also spent time in that river swimming and paddling our tiny boats. It was great fun until one us of got injured. STILL I wish the young of today could experience the great outdoors more.
Usually the mothers had to scream and threaten us to come inside when it got dark. We did not have all the high tech toys of today. Many of us made toys and things to play with. When it came to the Tv , ha. Those days there was none of this "Tv in every room" like today. So if one wanted to watch Tv , you had to sit there and watch whatever the dad put on the Tv. Here is one hard for some to believe. All Tvs turned off programing at midnight. The Tv would have a black and white test screen while the national anthem played. What a different time. You are correct. Certain generations for the past 30 years or so have grown up zombies sitting in front of Tv and playing video games while spending less and less time out side in the fresh air and sun light.
Phones are very powerful devices these days. Camera, computer (even programmable), full internet at your fingertips, light, recorder, sound system and more
It’s kind of silly to say you hate them
It’s kind of silly to say you hate them
There is no denying the youth of the past spent a lot more time outdoors. I know I did as well. It was either that, or stay at home and essentially do nothing.
My point is that the youth of the past looked for entertainment just the same as the youth of today. It was simply the lack of entertainment at home that drove them outdoors.
And I’m sure the elderly of your youth, probably complained that all the youngsters of your time did, was play outdoors and had too many toys, instead of working and contributing to the family, like they had to.
TV always forbidden while dining. NO excuse for sporting events! We are the same. I mean now with all the options for "recording" it's easy.
SammyChevelleTypeS3
$50 site donor 2023
I grew up in a big mixed up Cajun / Italian family! It was great. We were lucky that we all lived close together. Everyone converged at my Cajun grandparent house each Sunday. All the aunts , uncles and cousins. My two grandmothers got along famously and even cooked together each Sunday. Everyone had a big noon meal there. All the kids ran wild in the yard playing and cutting up while the old men smoked on the porch and watched us. The women all were inside together. Nearly everyone stayed all day. Whoever made it to evening had supper there too. About 07:00pm we all gathered around the first color Tv in the family to watch the western Bonanza. Oh what times.
None of us had a care in the world back then. I know I was blessed as not many families grew up close like we did.
None of us had a care in the world back then. I know I was blessed as not many families grew up close like we did.
Not a big problem for me. I seldom have both my phone and readers on me at the same time. The struggle is real lol
I hate computers. People stare at BITOG all day.
Don't ask me how I know...
Don't ask me how I know...
SammyChevelleTypeS3
$50 site donor 2023
Ha ha ha. Imagine that! People stare at BITOG all day long.
Anyway:
I'm more overwhelmed by them than anything else. Just like anything new. We all learn best by using things. As I age though my patience is getting much worse for new things.
I had a very strange thing occur last night. A while back the wife gave me a little ONNI brand tablet to try to get me off my table top PC that I use in my "man cave." Well , as I said a small cheapo. I been getting used to it some. So it went 99.9% dead battery last night. First time ever let it do that. I put it on charge. Woke up about 03:30am and it was still black out screen. I turned it off and on and WEIRD things began. The tablet went wild with some alarm beeping. I am closing door trying not to wake up wife. The screen was all black. Then all of this Chinese writing started scrolling across the screen and I could not stop it or turn it off. I figured "oh well , it is going wild before going dead I guess." Put it away and closed it up in "man cave." Got up to see wife off to work. Came in and looked at it. Now it seems to be 100% fine and working again. What the heck went on with all that strange writing and scrolling in Chinese was I have no idea?
Anyway:
I'm more overwhelmed by them than anything else. Just like anything new. We all learn best by using things. As I age though my patience is getting much worse for new things.
I had a very strange thing occur last night. A while back the wife gave me a little ONNI brand tablet to try to get me off my table top PC that I use in my "man cave." Well , as I said a small cheapo. I been getting used to it some. So it went 99.9% dead battery last night. First time ever let it do that. I put it on charge. Woke up about 03:30am and it was still black out screen. I turned it off and on and WEIRD things began. The tablet went wild with some alarm beeping. I am closing door trying not to wake up wife. The screen was all black. Then all of this Chinese writing started scrolling across the screen and I could not stop it or turn it off. I figured "oh well , it is going wild before going dead I guess." Put it away and closed it up in "man cave." Got up to see wife off to work. Came in and looked at it. Now it seems to be 100% fine and working again. What the heck went on with all that strange writing and scrolling in Chinese was I have no idea?
