Anyone else annoyed at how connected our society has become? (A rant)

[g0ku4life]

Let me start by saying I am all for technological advancements, if they are used ethically. I have an IT degree and I support technology providing us with assistance and entertainment in our lives, if it's used properly. Nowadays I think personal privacy online and increased use of techno-babble in everyday language is a major concern.

Personally, I liked using social networking sites like Facebook since 2006, but in recent years with increased use of Twitter/FB/etc, it's really just annoying and a little scary to think how connected everything is nowadays. I think personal privacy is a major concern and tons of people are very careless by advertising all of their personal info on social media.

Using FB to keep in touch with old friends was fun back in the day, but now I rarely use it since you can literally share nearly every site you visit, every picture you view, and not to mention the Sponsored Ads that get crammed down your throat and it is annoying to filter through all that garbage. I never used Twitter for that very reason, and even YouTube is just over-saturated with crap and ads these days since tons of children and a large percentage of adults own iPhones.

Actual fact: The Apple store in my town is the busiest business location as far as customer traffic is concerned. Every day at nearly every hour, that store is just packed with people. It kind of looks like a lot of mindless drones standing around looking at whatever the latest fad happens to be. I walk by it everyday and it's kind of sad really.

Probably the main thing that bothers me, is my wife and I went out to eat maybe 4 months ago. While we were eating I just happened to realize that no one around us was really talking unless it was about some techno-babble. One table had a group of 4-5 kids with their mother's (3 of them) and all 3 were just browsing Facebook and were only commenting on posts that people made or whatnot, while not paying any attention to their kids who were trying to get their attention for something. Another family behind us, father, mother, and two children were behind us. The kids were just being kids, laughing and talking, while their mother had her face buried in her iPhone talking about posts people made (and completely ignoring her 2 kids) while the father was just ignoring all 3 of them altogether unless it was to tell the kids to be quiet. The kids were trying to ask their mom something but she was too busy on her phone looking at random crap, and the dad would only say things like be quiet to their kids or mindlessly agree with his wife on some post she mumbled about. Keep in mind this restaurant is a burger joint. Not fast food, but just a typical sit-down and enjoy your burger kind of place.

It was just a really awkward experience and honestly, a little disturbing, and really made me realize how socially inept our society is becoming and how it might impact future generations. Already a lot of English professors in major colleges around the country are expressing their concern that grammatical skills are being reduced by the increased prevalence of social networking, texting, etc. in our everyday lives. This was even stated in the city where I live, which is a major college town. In fact, when I got married last year, the pastor who officiated my wedding said it was refreshing to see someone who did not communicate in "texting language" in their emails. It sort of surprised me then, but I realized what he was talking about after that restaurant experience. The last time we went out to eat with my in-laws a month ago or so, a similar experience occurred with everyone just using their phones and not partaking in any sort of conversation other than commenting on whatever they were looking at online.


After that I really started noticing people on the street just using their phones at all times while walking. I walk to and from work everyday and even in the busy downtown section of town, people are burying their faces in their phones while walking, crossing the street, etc. and do not watch where they are going and are completely oblivious to their surroundings. One person was actually clipped by a car near my work a week ago because they were jaywalking while using their phone and had no idea the car was coming, according to a few people who saw it happen. She had a very minor injury, but still it could have been avoided entirely.

I'm really just ranting, but with our judicial system using Facebook posts as evidence in a court of law as well, I really wish everybody and everything weren't as connected as they are now. Also, like all technological advancements, it will only get more prevalent. All I can say is my child will not have any iPhone or whatever until they are near graduating high school so they will actually grow up knowing how to socially interact with people and family, rather than sitting around like some mindless zombie.

[oldbuddy]

Good luck with your goal, but your kids are going to be exposed to it every day at school and you will just make them feel deprived, not to mention they will end up being outcasts. I would rather teach them to use it responsibly and possibly even have an effect on their friends.

[lvstephanie]

Wat u mean @ txt'ing lng? AFAIK, grammar & spelling r good enuff... 

JK (errr... just kidding), I sort of agree with you about both of your major points: about how careless people are with their data as well as how fixated we've become on technology for our social interactions that we blind ourselves to the off-line world.

I've noticed some friends on FB have begun having automatic posts about where they are as they connect to different WIFI hotspots... I don't think they realize that they are actually advertising for the company that is hosting the WIFI network they are connecting to by having these automatic posts. This could even get dangerous if they don't also make their posts private by making it easy for stalkers and other predators use those posts to track a person's movement (and usually people that have those automatic posts don't know how to make their account more private).

Also, I've also noticed how people are interacting less amongst themselves off-line when gathering in a group. I witnessed at a local bar one night when a large table filled up with at least a dozen of 20-30 year olds, and very few were actually verbally talking with each other; all of their communication seemed to be by texting and FB / Twitter posts. Also people sometime become rude because of their phones... They'll be conversing with someone and then their phone chimes for some notification and they'll just go onto their phone and interact with some other person without pardoning themselves with the first person they were talking with. And usually it's about something that wasn't so important that they had to respond immediately and interrupt their original conversation.

But I also agree with OldBuddy that preventing their use of technology until after high school probably won't work. They will still be exposed to it, and they may even get into some sites that you would disapprove of even more... If having a Facebook account becomes taboo and they know you have an account and can check up on them, they may find some other site that you don't know about (and which may be less wholesome and / or less monitored), or may create a fake "catfish" account to hide their activities just so that they can have an on-line presence. Plus, if you allow them to have an on-line presence, you can a) track them more easily to make sure they are doing what they should be and b) you also can use it as a form of punishment by taking away their phone / computer access for a week in addition to grounding them.

[BlackSheepNY]

I'm really just ranting, but with our judicial system using Facebook posts as evidence in a court of law as well, I really wish everybody and everything weren't as connected as they are now. Also, like all technological advancements, it will only get more prevalent. All I can say is my child will not have any iPhone or whatever until they are near graduating high school so they will actually grow up knowing how to socially interact with people and family, rather than sitting around like some mindless zombie.

It's very easy to say that when you don't have children... YET.  While my daughter didn't have an "iPhone," I made sure she had a cell phone when she went to High School.  You will find out when you have your first precious one that the value of their life and well-being is of utmost importance to you.  I trusted no one (but family) with my children, and especially not the school system.  There were many times when my daughter felt very uncomfortable just walking home from the bus stop because of weirdos following her.  She always called me from that cell phone and I stayed with her on the phone until she was home safely.  Believe me, because of the nuts in the world alone, you will WANT your kid to have a cell phone so that they can call you or 911 if the need arises.

There's good and bad in everything and everyone in this world.  Technology is a GOOD thing, except when the unscrupulous (like our government) TWIST it and use it to THEIR advantage.  This is why people like Edward Snowden come forward.  He was right to do what he did because so many people out there using these new technologies haven't got a clue what they open themselves up to in the process.  Because of his leaking of this information, he's educated many people who had no idea what was going on, and with every new invasion on our privacy comes a new and better way to PROTECT that privacy.  Once you've been made aware of these things, you won't ever be asleep at the wheel again.

[ghunter]

Sometimes you have to roll with society when it come to your kids.

[kilophkadamas]

If there's a problem with techonology its that we dont know how to live without it. Too much of something is never good.

[dkanofsky]

Unfortunately technology has made many of us a bunch of mindless automatons.

[msmoneybags48]

Technology has really changed the way people live nowadays.  I remember when you would get a letter and it was handwritten.  I remember when the closest I would get to a computer would be next to impossible.  When I formerly worked as a Clerk for a not-for-profit Social Service agency, I had to work on an electric typewriter and a word processor.  Phones would either be landline or cellphone, and even that was limited to calls only.  Now it is a rare occurrence if a person doesn't have a computer.  My cellphone now has 1,000 minutes, 1,000 texts and 30 MB RAM of Internet.  But when it comes to family, sometimes you have to make time for them.

[Mojoshog]

Have to agree that it's gotten a little out of hand.

[SherylsShado]

  I love technology and how easy it is to stay connected to everyone.  I would not want to go back to the days without it.  I hate writing and receiving hand-written letters.  I love being able to share photos on-line just seconds after taking them.  I love making money on-line.  I can do so much more to help save dogs & cats lives by net-working on-line than I ever could without a computer.  Not annoyed here at all!!

[kleenex40]

I agree ,people need to put down there ipod,ipad,phone,exc when eating or having family time(you really dont need it any more than a coupal of hrs a day anyway)people dont even knw how to talk to there own familys anymore