Sick of everyone stuck on phones?

zeebre12

I didnt know where to post this. Anyone sick of everyone stuck on their phones and stuck in technology in general. In the last few years I think its got really worse. Im only 23 but even when you go on a night out everyone is stuck on their phone every few minutes snapchatting and other. The internet is consuming every part of our lives, it really is sad. Even I was waiting at the train station today and there were 6 other people with their face stuck in their phones/ipad. Then on the bus everyone was the same. I could have had 6 heads, no one even batted an eyelid. Any time I go up to my cousins house up the road the whole family is stuck on some kind of a gadget the very minute they come in from school and work. They were all absorbed. The very minute they come home the internet goes on. I was there a half an hour and the youngest girl was stuck on her I pad and never lifted her head or talked to me. I just looked around at them and was like what is the world coming to? Id say its the same in most houses today. We had a gathering of cousins recently and all the children wanted the wifi password and they were stuck on an I pad for the night. If it was 10/15 years ago they would be playing and chatting to each other. Its the same where ever you go. What has the world become? No one seems to talk anymore. Stuck on F...kn technology I hate it and its only getting worse. Listening to the Ray D'Arcy show and he said the I phone is the most sought after gift for COMMUNION children. I miss when we didn't have smart phones/advanced technology.

TheQuietFella

You should travel on public transport!

Can we have mobile / lap top free buses and carriages!!!

Worse then smokers!

mosstin

zeebre12 wrote: »

I didnt know where to post this. Anyone sick of everyone stuck on their phones and stuck in technology in general. In the last few years I think its got really worse. Im only 23 but even when you go on a night out everyone is stuck on their phone every few minutes snapchatting and other. The internet is consuming every part of our lives, it really is sad. Even I was waiting at the train station today and there were 6 other people with their face stuck in their phones/ipad. Then on the bus everyone was the same. I could have had 6 heads, no one even batted an eyelid. Any time I go up to my cousins house up the road the whole family is stuck on some kind of a gadget the very minute they come in from school and work. They were all absorbed. The very minute they come home the internet goes on. I was there a half an hour and the youngest girl was stuck on her I pad and never lifted her head or talked to me. I just looked around at them and was like what is the world coming to? Id say its the same in most houses today. We had a gathering of cousins recently and all the children wanted the wifi password and they were stuck on an I pad for the night. If it was 10/15 years ago they would be playing and chatting to each other. Its the same where ever you go. What has the world become? No one seems to talk anymore. Stuck on F...kn technology I hate it and its only getting worse. Listening to the Ray D'Arcy show and he said the I phone is the most sought after gift for COMMUNION children. I miss when we didn't have smart phones/advanced technology.

Yeah, I miss paragraphs.

Hombre Lobo

I agree OP.

Sent from my iPhone

Alf Veedersane

TheQuietFella wrote: »

You should travel on public transport!

Can we have mobile / lap top free buses and carriages!!!

Worse then smokers!

You should just have said the people are worse than Hitler and be done with it.

Johnboy1951

zeebre12, you need to associate with older folk to get a break from all that digital noise

NIMAN

I found myself agreeing with you....right up until you mentioned you heard on the Ray D'Arcy Show.

You sir are the problem!

But seriously, you are right. Its the norm unfortunately. I'm glad I did all my socialising in a time when people didn't have phones, and had to speak to each other.

Ubbquittious

It's highly tempting to procure one of those highly illegal signal jamming devices

eeguy

People seem to have a rosy nostalgic view that we all talked to each other before mobile phones.

We actually didn't. I remember many bus rides staring out the window and watching others do likewise. I remember people buying newspapers and comics to keep occupied. My parents were delighted when the Gameboy was released as it gave us something to do when we were travelling.

tomwaterford

Tbh id rather be msging my friends on snapchat/whatsapp or reading something interesting on public transprt than be engaging in pointless small talk about the weather etc



Is it any different than when people used bring a book/magazine/paper to read long ago??

endacl

I'm not stuck on my phone. Luckily enough, I could post this from my laptop.

In other news, d'you know what really bugs me when I'm sitting in my car? People sitting in cars. That's what!

the_syco

zeebre12 wrote: »

Any time I go up to my cousins house up the road the whole family is stuck on some kind of a gadget the very minute they come in from school and work. They were all absorbed. The very minute they come home the internet goes on. I was there a half an hour and the youngest girl was stuck on her I pad and never lifted her head or talked to me.

Sounds like people would rather look at their phone than talk to you?

Ubbquittious wrote: »

It's highly tempting to procure one of those highly illegal signal jamming devices

Just don't get into a car accident, or no ambulance will ever get called for you... oh, and ensure no-one within a 50 meter radius of you needs to talk to the Samaritans, ring the police, or any of the other emergency services; because you want to be a killjoy!

OldMrBrennan83

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jacksie66

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dreamers75

People are communicating in a different way to the old times.

I would suggest getting with it and moving on.

eeguy

dreamers75 wrote: »

People are communicating in a different way to the old times.

I would suggest getting with it and moving on.

People are communicating MORE than ever before. I'm over 3000 miles from my friends and family and talk to them every day. Much rather talk to them than with the general public.

The internet is a fantastic thing and anyone who says otherwise has taken it so much for granted they can't remember how ridiculous life was like without it.

4068ac1elhodqr

Wait until cheap, immersive 360 VR (with mixed AR) becomes commonplace, you'll be lucky to see anyone's eyeballs at all.
By 2020 it could well replace all other communications, web and technology interfacing, if so desired.

SterlingArcher

The rise in use of social media has been linked to drastic increases in severe anxiety, depression and also a detachment from living in any given moment.

Hey don't take my word for it. Facebook has openly admitted using users as subjects for tests. But their motivation is more to benefit them to say after Christmas target who is most body conscious with weight loss advertising yadda yadda.

eeguy

SterlingArcher wrote: »

The rise in use of social media has been linked to drastic increases in severe anxiety, depression and also a detachment from living in any given moment.

Hey don't take my word for it. Facebook has openly admitted using users as subjects for tests. But their motivation is more to benefit them to say after Christmas target who is most body conscious with weight loss advertising yadda yadda.

Has it? Or has social media just made these more recognizable?
Is there any statistics that correlate this?

Ireland's suicide rate has been fairly static for the last 15 years, which would indicate that this not to be the case. Also we had 10 years of recession, which I'd imagine would contribute far more to these issues than the presence of social media.
Source: http://www.nsrf.ie/statistics/suicide/

TheQuietFella

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

You should just have said the people are worse than Hitler and be done with it.

Adolf had a touch of class about him. Just massively misunderstood!

bmwguy

3 different scenarios

1 traveling on bus/train. No problem here with people using electronics. You are all strangers and people used to read a book or newspaper. They are probably still doing the same. Not really a social situation so I think it's ok. Once they keep to themselves

2 like you said a family gathering and everyone just wants the Wi-Fi password. I am in the unusual position in Dublin where my house has a terrible phone signal and the first thing lots of people do when they get here is whip out their phone and upon seeing poor signal, ask me for Wi-Fi code and browse the internet or try to show me a video or something. Not a good situation and not ok. Went out for a beer with a friend recently, he said he just needed a few hours out of the house, just 2 of us went, his idea. He is involved in a GAA team and spent most of the time on the WhatsApp group. Such a boring night. When I am in company i dont feel the need to use my phone.

3 which is my situation and I am getting a bit fed up of it and I might look at ways to stop it. When i am on my own at home and watching tv I am constantly picking up my phone to go through internet and social media apps. Never ending cycle of switching between boards, newspaper sites, Twitter, Facebook, my emails, WhatsApp etc. I actually don't mind WhatsApp but once phone is in my hand it's hard to put down. Watching a great tv show or movie and missing half of it. I am.not affecting anyone else but am affecting myself. Also browsing internet for an hour or more before getting up in the morning. Definitely addicted. Has to stop.

Alf Veedersane

TheQuietFella wrote: »

Adolf had a touch of class about him. Just massively misunderstood!

Because his Facebook page was private so no one knew the real Adolf.

dbagman

zeebre12 wrote:

I miss when we didn't have smart phones/advanced technology.

At 23 you're hardly old enough to remember it. I got my first phone at about 13. 33 now. As did most kids my age at the time. You would have been 3 at the time mobile phone use exploded.

Wanderer78

I make it my business to regularly switch off my phone and not have it in my possession for long periods of time, they are very intrusive devices. I do believe it is unhealthy for society as a whole and for individuals to 'be connected' continuously as it encourages uninformed irrational decisions and behaviour. I also find it interesting that things such as social media, tend to be anti social in nature, don't you think?

OldMrBrennan83

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corcaigh07

I find the enjoyment of big concerts have been massively affected by phones. If you are not near the front, it can be difficult to find an eye line to the stage.

That "moment" has to be recorded now, not enjoyed.

Wanderer78

Patww79 wrote:

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I'd disagree there, I do believe we are subdividing as a species and being encouraged to do so, which leads to complex social problems, amongst other things, noam chomsky calls this 'atomisation' and id have to agree with him.

Ubbquittious

the_syco wrote: »

Sounds like people would rather look at their phone than talk to you?


Just don't get into a car accident, or no ambulance will ever get called for you... oh, and ensure no-one within a 50 meter radius of you needs to talk to the Samaritans, ring the police, or any of the other emergency services; because you want to be a killjoy!

Just for use on trains really. I rarely travel by train anymore but the fella roaring into the phone at the top of his voice in the so-called quiet carriage used to drive me mad

via4

I agree. I spend too much time on my phone at home when I could be reading or doing something productive. When I am out meeting a friend for lunch or on a night out I don't take the phone out of the bag. It annoys me when people sit on their phones on nights out talk to the people round you not sit on the phone texting. People think a stranger striking up a conversation in a public place is weird these days ( how sad) I enjoy when people I don't know speak to me I end up hearing some interesting stories. I like looking around and seeing the world through my eyes not a phone. The world is getting very black mirror.

OldMrBrennan83

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SterlingArcher

eeguy wrote: »

Has it? Or has social media just made these more recognizable?
Is there any statistics that correlate this?

Ireland's suicide rate has been fairly static for the last 15 years, which would indicate that this not to be the case. Also we had 10 years of recession, which I'd imagine would contribute far more to these issues than the presence of social media.
Source: http://www.nsrf.ie/statistics/suicide/

I never mentioned suicide?

https://www.google.ie/amp/s/www.forbes.com/sites/amitchowdhry/2016/04/30/study-links-heavy-facebook-and-social-media-usage-to-depression/amp/

More recognizable or harder to escape? it depends on how you look at it.

Anyway veering slightly off topic. Personally it's not my bag but if people wanna live their whole lives in phones so be it.

via4

Patww79 wrote: »

What exactly is the difference between reading your phone and reading a book, apart from thinking it's more high brow?

When I'm on my phone I go on instagram and just mess about on it not being productive. When I read I feel at least I'm doing something better with my time that's all.

The fact this thread is tredning on the front page of this site, despite being posted in an obscure subforum, says something - a lot of people must feel the same way and clicked on the thread to read it.

I'm 27 and I completely agree with you. When I'm on a bus and I see everyone just looking at their phone, it's hard to explain fully why but it just annoys me so much. There was never a time when strangers all sat and chatted to each other wilfully and happily on public transport or elsewhere, but the image of everyone on their individual little device, self-absorbed, usually with their much vainer levels of grooming than in the past (ultimately the product of social media existing) is something that jars with me. The world is so so different now than it was in 2005, a time when phones existed, so it's not the existence of mobile phones outright, but the existence of smartphones, social media and fast internet. The days when phones existed but before fast internet seemed like a sweet-spot technology wise - the convenience of being able to contact friends and organise things without spending hours on the internet per day. Then again, that's as far back as I can really remember so maybe things were even better overall in the slower days before mobiles when you'd arrange to meet someone somewhere and you would both just have to show up.

People don't use their imagination as much anymore because during those times when, in the past, they would have sat and daydreamed, reflected, planned etc. they now just open their smartphone when they feel the slightest bit bored, awkward, etc. and are engaged with that instead of processing their thoughts. All else being equal this must be the case.

Smartphones and other technology have spoiled us hugely in a sense. We have so much access to information, entertainment and such that it is understandbale that kids will want to use ipads etc. instead of playing - I know for a fact if I was a young kid growing up today I would have loved having the technology they have. I think the problems surface as the kids get a bit older, maybe 10 and up - social-media induced jealousy,inferiority, depression, cyberbullying, too much access to information, wasting their youths on a device, growing up too fast in relation to sex etc.

It's all sad to see in my opinion, the speeding up of life, increasing pace of change, nothing left to the imagination anymore, bombardment of information, constant engagement with others, having in your mind information about the lives of people you otherwise long would have forgotten, apps like tinder changing the dynamics of how young men and women behave and so on.. It's clear this technology hasn't made people happier either.

Also, as regarding virtual reality as one poster mentioned - god help us. Does anyone *really* want this? Like, we're all going to be forced to live in a word with VR just because some scientists wanted high social status and developed this technology to attain it. Like, Bravo lads but you're actually decreasing our living standards ..

zeebre12

Its not specific phones. Its only in the last few years with social media and fast internet that everyone is stuck on phones. Years ago when mobiles existed people wernt absorbed and stuck on them every few minutes. Even when my brother comes homes from college for the weekend he spends most of the time on the phone. Its smart phones and technology. 10/15 years ago people were not stuck on social media every 5 minutes. It is really sad how times have gone

zeebre12

NIMAN wrote: »

I found myself agreeing with you....right up until you mentioned you heard on the Ray D'Arcy Show.

You sir are the problem!

But seriously, you are right. Its the norm unfortunately. I'm glad I did all my socialising in a time when people didn't have phones, and had to speak to each other.

I was in the real world in the living room with my parents and it was on TV

zeebre12

the_syco wrote: »

Sounds like people would rather look at their phone than talk to you?


Just don't get into a car accident, or no ambulance will ever get called for you... oh, and ensure no-one within a 50 meter radius of you needs to talk to the Samaritans, ring the police, or any of the other emergency services; because you want to be a killjoy!

You see nothing wrong with a family dynamic like this everyone stuck on there phones for the evening. Its just the way the world is gone. You get a few words out of them but they are so absorbed into their smart phones they wouldnt realise if the house was on fire. And they would talk to me if I met them out somewhere and they were not stuck on technology. Its sad how the world is gone

languagenerd

tomwaterford wrote: »

Is it any different than when people used bring a book/magazine/paper to read long ago??

On public transport, no. In other situations though, it would be extremely rude to take out your book or magazine, but we now think nothing of whipping the phone out. If someone came to your house for a party/dinner and sat there reading a book, or asked you for a stack of magazines or sth, you'd more than likely be insulted - but everyone does it with their phone now. You wouldn't take out a book or paper or a games console in the pub with your friends, but we all take out our phones. I know people who think nothing of reading long articles or blogposts when they're sitting beside friends in a bar or restaurant. It is affecting human interaction in those situations.

Like another poster, I also definitely overuse my phone at home as well and, while it doesn't affect anyone but me, I think it is lowering my quality of life. Scrolling aimlessly through Twitter (dangerous because you never get to the bottom of the feed), Instagram, news sites, boards, Facebook, emails... and suddenly an hour has passed. I am trying to cut back, but is hard when everyone's online - you never know when you might get a notification.

The technology is amazing, but I don't know if we're prepared for the more negative consequences.

Yourself isit

tomwaterford wrote: »

Tbh id rather be msging my friends on snapchat/whatsapp or reading something interesting on public transprt than be engaging in pointless small talk about the weather etc



Is it any different than when people used bring a book/magazine/paper to read long ago??

No difference. In fact I tend to read books or a newspaper on my phone.

In social occasions it's annoying when people use their phone of course. It's like reading a newspaper when someone is talking to you.

OldMrBrennan83

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stevek93

I'm guilty of it big time. Lucky I was born in early 90s so most of my childhood was outdoors. God help kids now who are glued to their devices and don't know any better.