General > General Technical Chat
I despise the modern phones and internet
pcprogrammer:
--- Quote ---Old man yells at cloud
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It made me laugh, but as eti, I believe, is in his early forties, it makes me feel very old being in my late fifties :-DD
But I agree with bigfoot22, that you can't really blame the technology. It is indeed just a tool, and people that abuse it, and go along with it.
--- Quote ---Thats what people these days are missing, time to think and reflect and ask yourself "Is it really a good idea what I'm doing?"
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Very true. People should do that more.
--- Quote ---I don't have a social media account.
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I hate to brake it for you, but what is this site? It is on the internet, there is some social interaction and you have an account here >:D
TimFox:
--- Quote from: jmelson on December 15, 2022, 03:36:11 pm ---
--- Quote from: Red Squirrel on December 15, 2022, 12:24:43 am ---I agree. I also hate how everything seems to revolve around needing a smartphone now too.
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Yes, I recently went to a concert, paid through Ticketmaster. The ONLY way to get in is with a smartphone, has to be either Ios or Android. Last time I was able to print tickets from my computer, but no longer allowed. I don't have either of these types of phones, so I had to use my wife's phone, download their app and use it to display the barcode at the door. Massive annoyance to have to type in username and password at the door, too.
Jon
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I hope that this is included in evidence in the antitrust investigation into the results of the Live Nation/Ticketmaster merger https://www.reuters.com/world/us/live-nation-ticketmaster-may-need-breakup-some-senators-say-2022-11-22/
Printing a barcoded ticket at home is a perfectly reasonable modern process, but requiring a smartphone for entry is not.
free_electron:
it's a mentality problem. "look at what i am doing now, how interesting i am ... weeee look at meee...."
That's why ll thise pintwitfacewhatsstokmessenger thingies are popular.
TimFox:
When cell phones first appeared, whenever I rode public transportation I would always hear other people's calls that inevitably started "Hi, I'm on the train."
Now, I seem to be the only person onboard not looking at a phone, but almost nobody is talking on theirs.
When "Apple picking" (stealing phones) was common, clueless young people would sit immediately next to a door and be shocked when a malefactor would snatch the phone from their hands and exit just before the door closed.
(I carry one in an interior pocket in case I need to call ahead or am running late.)
eti:
--- Quote from: bigfoot22 on December 15, 2022, 12:21:49 pm ---As for my contribution:
As someone who lives among the type of people the OP is talking about I can tell you its actually quite scary knowing that I cannot convince anyone anymore with any sound rational argument based in science that anything that they think is wrong. And I feel heartbroken knowing that the technology that I once championed is now being used as a method of brainwashing while also making it far more difficult to interact with people. Then again before that it was the television and before that it was the newspaper. So its nothing new. Technology has become a method of distancing people from each other for quite a while. For good reasons too quite a few people are nasty nasty individuals and technology becomes a safer way of interacting with others. But its also a double edged sword.
So don't diss on the guy he has a point. I wouldn't use the term Luddite though that implies that the OP doesn't do anything beside fumble with dirt. I wouldn't use the term Luddite to describe someone who actually owns a mobile phone even if it is old.
There is some truth in the fact that society has dwindled in intelligence as a result of the smartphones introduction however I feel that it may actually be only a half truth, maybe rather that the primeval urges of everybody has become surfaced as a result of the smartphone and now people are more proud to talk about their desires for money or power in whatever various forms that they adhere to much more readily now than they did in the past. Because they view it as expressing their individuality among other reasons.
At least in the 90s-early-00s you could have time to convince someone that whatever they are considering is a bad idea before these ideas become cemented like they are today but it still happened. These days it occurs far quicker and the brainwashing is much stronger. But its not impossible to convince them otherwise after the fact. You need patience and you need facts, lots of facts. Science based facts. Discuss basic chemistry and physics with them if you have to. While you are doing this you can weaken their argument. Like for example that Microwave ovens damage the DNA of food and cause all sorts of health related issues. You can convince them otherwise with facts.
As for my own personal use I've chosen to tame the technology rather than fully reject it but I would be in the same boat as the OP if it was me with a thread similar to this, I would be complaining till the cows come home because I need social interaction and social interaction is very rare these days. So don't diss on the guy for wanting a connection with other human beings.
I don't have a social media account. Simply don't make an account with these companies and it will die off if enough people leave. You can sideload quite a few apps on a phone without ever having to use google services or even login to them. For the others you can use a burner account with your android device and download the apps that you need then close the account once you are done.
[url]https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/24/ive-been-waiting-15-years-for-facebook-to-die-im-more-hopeful-than-ever[/url]
Just keep calm. That's the most important thing.
If you are truly upset about modern inventions then interact with the people in question and challenge their ideas promise them that you'll ring them once in a while and do so and talk with them over the phone as a friendly gesture. Say that "oh I had a social media account and I found this really bad piece of violent media on it and it made my stomach churn so I just don't use it anymore". Become an advocate for change by using your voice as a means of conveying your ideas. If you don't like how modern society has become change it. Ring random people up cold call them and introduce yourself politely. Say that you just felt like talking to someone like people used to do and see if they are ok and needed anything and talk with other people on the phone or in public.
Eventually these people will become convinced that you are a nice person and want to change their opinions on just about everything.
The bell telephone was invented and it created a massive division in society just as well as the smartphone did. Use that technology to your advantage. You have a much more personal connection with someone if you talk with them using voice than you do if you type out text on a screen for someone to read. Its much much easier for someone to scream at you via text than it is for them to scream at you over a live phone conversation. But it does still happen.
I remember back when I was a kid and my closest friend wanted to talk to me over the internet only. He didn't want to interact with me anymore or talk to me via the phone anymore. He became distant. It hurt pretty badly. He started down a path of becoming goth and started doing drugs. That was back in the early 00s. So this distancing of friends by technology is nothing new. But the technology of the time chose his fate for him it preyed on the fears that he was having at the time and used it to promote a certain lifestyle. In this case it was drugs and promiscuous sex. But the technology was just a conveyor for this lifestyle. It wasn't the originator. Humans were.
The facts are that if you don't like this modern society I can both understand and agree with you. But I also agree that the best course of action is to leave this society and join a community with like minded individuals. The Amish are always welcoming newcomers. So are the Hippies. Go and see how they live and interact with them if modern society becomes a burden. You don't have to join them fully you just need to live near to where they live. Just about everyone who lives near to them benefits.
Its not a 100% cure. Even the Amish have their problems. Some people are just honestly vile and some have lived a horrible life and have to face their demons. Others are nice.
The technology is just like everything else, a tool. In this case it has amplified and broadened the scope of what these horrible people are doing. The people still exist even if you took the technology away from everyone.
The only difference between modern society and an old one is that with the modern society much more people are involved in bad ideas but that is because there are simply more people. Gossip is outlawed in most amish sects purely because of the fact that word of mouth it too can become a conveyor of bad ideas. But at least it doesn't spread like wildfire amongst billions of people like it does today its much slower and leaves people time to think.
Thats what people these days are missing, time to think and reflect and ask yourself "Is it really a good idea what I'm doing?"
Hatred and lust move at a far greater speed than kindness and intelligence.
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Gosh, what a superb post. I agree wholeheartedly with absolutely every point you took time to make. Considered and wise. I’d often considered having six months with the Amish, having huge respect for most of their lifestyle (not the shunning part) and finding them to be everything you’ve said.
Also re “ Ring random people up cold call them and introduce yourself politely. Say that you just felt like talking to someone like people used to do ” - THIS IS ME! I’ll call up the eBayer I purchased from and thank them very much, ask them how they are and I always get a good response. I don’t use eBay much, but the last time I called a seller, he said “Gosh how nice, it’s so nice to know my customer is a human and to actually talk to you”
I’ll also go out and talk to my milk lady at 5-6am when she turns up. A very similar story with her - she says “it’s refreshing because I never see most of my customers” - mind you - most “normal” (?!) people are asleep then.
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