Why are people so busy playing with their smartphones?

[apokalypse]

recently i'm on Train travelling, upon duration of the trip saw few people interested in chatting especially females but it seems they always on the phone for the whole duration of the trip and some of them even on the smart phone while walking.

Saw people around me nearly all of them on the phone instead of talking to each other especially topics dealing with what happen in this world but they glue to their phone...are we disconnected? post this on facebook and few off them blasted me saying such thing as get a life.

it's damn sad we human beings are so disconnected not talking to each other and seeing each other as from outer space (some people call it strangers)...just damn sad we seeing each other as unknown and before smart phone it's damn easy talking to people.

at families party seeing my cousin on smart phone for whole duration of the party and once she finished gone off to her bed room watch some tv show...kids these days are so off, if my children like that i will get a hammer and smash the freaking phone.

[apokalypse]

so many ****s going these days and times getting tougher but people on their phone instead of talking about it...i always bring these up and it seems youngsters in their teens not interested in. this is one of other sad thing.

I was on the train where the seats all taken and it as so freaking quite, many of them on their phone and you could hear a bloody pin drop....or at some place some where every one have their own sits instead of seating close together.

[Michi]

I am getting what you're saying.
I actually don't see that people now-a-days are talking less to each other.
I myself believe, it's the way how the young generation interacts.
To judge others over "assumptions" can be a dangerous road. Do you know for certain what's on the minds of others?

But then again - maybe I am just a weirdo? :waving:

[Curiosity]

It is a big problem. However you have to consider that many people are looking at their phone for other reasons, legitimate texting.
I get texts from my wife when I'm shopping telling not to forget something or adding to the list. Or she looks at her list or is using the calculator. In large stores we lose track of each other and text to find our way.

Using these a a tool vs rudely texting while having open conversation with someone is, well ,rude. Walking while texting or playing games can be dangerous.

There should be boundaries, sure, but don't think everyone is being stupid with their smart phones etc.

[sleepydumpling]

its sad to see, an example at work in the canteen nearly everyone will eat first then straight onto the dumbphones or do both.
I often say to people " try looking up once in a while you might see something real."
its funny how a phone which is supposed to be for communication is having the opposite effect in some ways.
Just last week one of the lads I work with was moaning about carrying his dumbphone about with him up town
so I mentioned just leave it at home if it bothers you.
the sheer look of horror on his face was hilarious.

[Matt P]

I went into a restaurant a few weeks ago with my family. Sitting close to us was a family group of about 10 and, no joke, EVERY single one of them was staring at their phones. We were amazed and noticed it continued for their whole meal. We kept looking at them like they were zoo animals...freaks of nature. It was a disgusting display of what is coming with the zombie phones. Out at a family restaurant and they couldn't even put their phones down for a few minutes and enjoy the company and atmosphere!
I don't let my kids get their phones out at the dinner table (actually don't let my daughter-10- even have a phone...she has an ipod she can text and listen to music). I don't let them take them into stores or to text and walk. There's a time and place for phones. They DON'T have to be glued to your hip at all times. It's SO rude to talk on the phone in a restaurant or in a store, any time you force other people to listen to your conversation. My father is the worst and I will send him out of the restaurant. Have a little freakin patience and courtesy, I always say! Maybe I'm old school but I don't care. Millions of parents are raising zombie children but mine will not be among them.
Rant over. ;)

Matt

[Flash]

As I was starting to read your post, before your last sentence, this is what I thought: here a good parent, who dare putting his pants on and asking for what is real from his children.

Phones are forbidden at my table too. In restaurants or at home. The surprising thing is that my daughter has picked up on it, and if she talks to me and I am posting or texting, she gets annoyed and then angry, even when not at the table. Which is great, it allows for real full face to face conversations.

However, there is one exception, when at a restaurant and she ask me to take my phone. It is because she wants to text me about the people on the next tables, for gossip. Which can end up being quite funny. But we then both agreed to pursue our conversation with other means, temporarily.


I went into a restaurant a few weeks ago with my family. Sitting close to us was a family group of about 10 and, no joke, EVERY single one of them was staring at their phones. We were amazed and noticed it continued for their whole meal. We kept looking at them like they were zoo animals...freaks of nature. It was a disgusting display of what is coming with the zombie phones. Out at a family restaurant and they couldn't even put their phones down for a few minutes and enjoy the company and atmosphere!
I don't let my kids get their phones out at the dinner table (actually don't let my daughter-10- even have a phone...she has an ipod she can text and listen to music). I don't let them take them into stores or to text and walk. There's a time and place for phones. They DON'T have to be glued to your hip at all times. It's SO rude to talk on the phone in a restaurant or in a store, any time you force other people to listen to your conversation. My father is the worst and I will send him out of the restaurant. Have a little freakin patience and courtesy, I always say! Maybe I'm old school but I don't care. Millions of parents are raising zombie children but mine will not be among them.
Rant over. ;)

Matt

[Innocent Warrior]

This first struck me when I first picked my son up from high school. I had visions of kids milling in groups, chatting, teasing, being boisterous etc., but instead I arrived to find kids all sitting in a row, against the fence, on their phones and laptops. The contrast with what I had remembered high school to look like was so stark, they were all so subdued.

Apokalypse wrote;

kids these days are so off, if my children like that i will get a hammer and smash the freaking phone.

Not all kids these days are off, some have been raised not to give a second thought to what others think of them and their stuff. This problem is easily avoided, just don't buy them a smart phone. My son has an older style phone with keys, he's had kids say things like, "wtf is that supposed to be" etc. but my son doesn't care at all. And he's easier to spot amongst the hundreds of kids, all wearing the same uniform, if he's not there talking to his friends because they've already left, he's playing his guitar while waiting for me. :)

[Hervé]

From the Onion:


Relatives Gather From Across The Country To Stare Into Screens Together (http://www.theonion.com/article/relatives-gather-from-across-the-country-to-stare--34842)

NEWS IN BRIEF (http://www.theonion.com/features/news-in-brief) December 25, 2013
Vol 49 Issue 51 (http://www.theonion.com/issue/4951/) News (http://www.theonion.com/tag/news) · Holidays (http://www.theonion.com/tag/holidays)



http://i.onionstatic.com/onion/2468/9/16x9/800.jpg


OAK CREEK, WI—Turning on the television while unpacking tablets, iPhones, and laptops from their suitcases, members of the McPherson family communed from across the nation this holiday season for several straight days of staring into electronic screens while in the same room together, sources confirmed Friday.

“Nothing puts me in the Christmas spirit more than sitting down on the couch with my parents and siblings, turning on the TV, and then proceeding to either look at the screen or gaze down into my glowing tablet display for hours on end,” 28-year-old Andrew McPherson told reporters, adding that he always felt most connected to his relatives when they were both silently gazing into glowing screens of some kind.


“It’s just great to get home for a while and spend some quality time not speaking a single word to my relatives, whether that’s by sipping hot cocoa with my sister while we both check our emails, or by gathering the whole clan for a nice holiday meal where everyone is fixedly looking down at the text messages on their phones—’tis the season, you know?” McPherson noted he was sad, however, that Grandpa Sam would not be there to stare into screens with them this year.

[Flash]

Although it is quite right, all over people are stucked on their phone, I was amazed and surprised at Christmas family dinner this year. All the younger ones, between 16 and 26, nephews and nièces, were sitting at one large table, and nobody had their phone. They were talking together, guess about what: regular school of course, bits of work, feelings and MEDITATION SCHOOLS. And the best way to develop oneself. They must have been raised by parents (my brothers and sister) having the same principles as mine! lolllllllll

It is not desperate, as long as we, the parents, demand it.



recently i'm on Train travelling, upon duration of the trip saw few people interested in chatting especially females but it seems they always on the phone for the whole duration of the trip and some of them even on the smart phone while walking.

Saw people around me nearly all of them on the phone instead of talking to each other especially topics dealing with what happen in this world but they glue to their phone...are we disconnected? post this on facebook and few off them blasted me saying such thing as get a life.

it's damn sad we human beings are so disconnected not talking to each other and seeing each other as from outer space (some people call it strangers)...just damn sad we seeing each other as unknown and before smart phone it's damn easy talking to people.

at families party seeing my cousin on smart phone for whole duration of the party and once she finished gone off to her bed room watch some tv show...kids these days are so off, if my children like that i will get a hammer and smash the freaking phone.

[Lifebringer]

Everyone has a right to be who they are, wherever they want to be freely, even if it's on a game. What's the matter? Our people have a right to peace and if "real world of stigmas and stereotypes sucks, then so be it. Don't change the person, change the world.
I myself the other day said if natural situation comes where I['m in a coma, don't revive, let me get the heck out out of Dodge City, thank you very much.

[giovonni]

for now the new norm ...

comunicazione /congegno

http://41.media.tumblr.com/49ad79019745aad726ec6196f7579f64/tumblr_ngp1r0FJEa1qz6f9yo1_1280.jpg

[3(C)+me]

The things I have seen people do on cell phones. Driving into a divider pole and banging up the front end of a new car, two 30's somthings having lunch, on their devices, not a word was said between them for 45 minutes, some guy walking into a pole on the sidewalk, the list is long. They all have this glazed over look about them, one person was walking 3 dogs, they got off leash and she could not nor would not go after them because she was glued to her cell phone. I feel sorry for the dogs. They almost look drunk.

But the one thing that really gets me is people on their cell phones in the middle of a concert texting "hey I am at a concert listening to ..." (Neil Young playing an acoustic version of Harvest) blue screen where their should be darkness. People should be arrested for Sh#t like that, arrested and fined. Concerts are not as what they use to be.

Matt loved your rant.

[sigma6]

There is no doubt there is bunch of psychological factors involved, especially today, given the sophistication of corporations and how they target consumers... the key point apokalypse hit it right on...the give away is the exaggerated amount of time people spend on them... the fact that there are practical aspects to using a communication device is a "cover" ...a way of doing one thing while underlying there is another factor operating... these devices are overly influencing their owners...

Remember back in the "old days"? when the phone rang (and it really rang! ... (you can still hear "simulation" rings today... and they are still annoying...) back in the day... when that phone rang everyone jumped to run to answer it on command... the whole point of the ring was that it could not be ignored... movies capitalized on this ... check out old suspense flicks with "the ringing phone" ... it became a source of tension, suspense, even terror (thanks Hollywood...) the result... reality finally kicked in and designers picked up on this and literally toned it down, making more subtle, soothing alerts...

Today people are even 'put off' by their phones "ringing", choosing whether they even want to even bother answering... (now be honest!) i.e. to pick up the phone or let the answering machine (a robot) do it's job... and screen your calls for you... ;-)

I won't get more into it... but this is a definite 'social' phenomena... anything done in public has a "social element" to it... I imagine it has to do with dealing with anxiety, control issues, such as you interact with or block out, etc... also there is "preening"... being "seen" i.e. the "busy business man" syndrome... creating an impression of being "productive" "popular" "connected" etc, etc..

I imagine more etiquette will evolve, when we find out this generation will be physically unhealthier than their parents, things like that, could trigger a huge "rethink"... one thing about social phenomena, it always evolves and changes... meanwhile corporations are laughing all the way to the bank... exploiting their huge investments in human behavioural research... the same way video game companies are cashing in on the very real "addiction behaviour" of gamers, the way cigarette companies did, even the way Tim Hortons, and other coffee donut franchises do it (what is more addictive than caffeine and sugar?)


I leave you with a little definition:

bour·geois
bo͝orˈZHwä,ˈbo͝orZHwä
adjective
1. of or characteristic of the middle class, typically with reference to its perceived materialistic values or conventional attitudes.
"a rich, bored, bourgeois family"
synonyms: middle-class, propertied;


And a great book worth reading... i.e. this is nothing new... it's just a different spin... anxiety is part of the human condition... (we must learn to confront it, accept it, and learn how to work with it...)

Kierkegaard's Philosophy: Self Deception and Cowardice in the Present Age
again, I'm not dealing with the practical utility side of it... that's all fine and well... I am talking about how that creates a subconscious tendency to "express" other existential "psychological" factors operating in our lives...

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/517QJ%2BbXdpL._SX304_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg


http://www.amazon.ca/s/ref=nb_sb_noss/184-8462043-6882720?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=soren+kierkegaard+-+cowardice&sprefix=soren+kie%2Caps%2C185

http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/0452009081/sr=8-1/qid=1451150041/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&qid=1451150041&sr=8-1

Here you will find incredible insight into the human psyche...
Welcome to the world of existential philosophy... '; -)

[Savannah]

When I lived on Hawaii I noticed all the tourists were obsessed with taking pictures and selfies. They were disconnected from the beauty around them. They were not experiencing Hawaii, they wanted to show others they were on Hawaii and how great that was to all their face book friends. The beauty of nature was replaced with the good feeling of being admired , envied by others on social media for being happy and on vacation. So Hawaii was not what made them happy but being admired by others. It seems we are just watching another social engineering meme roll out in front of us. People are isolated and disconnected from each other and the world around them. On that note, I'm getting off this computer and walking my dog :happy dog:

[ghostrider]

This is the information age , the new feeling of gaining information will only speed up , for so long we were only allowed to know what people in charge told us ... one day technology will find its place ... and we will rediscover the human connection and its importance. .. people want to know, they want to be entertained, or escape from reality, technology is the new drug ... the ETs overcame technology they have arrived at growing their own food, building log cabins, working with thier hands not relying on anyone to do what they can do for themselves... we are spoiled and haven't learned the human connection is above all things the most important ... impulse technology is built in smartphones , and is used to keep you locked in, you that notice this are awake and too advanced , impulse technology has no affect on you , in fact it has the opposite effect ...

[FinallyNow]

Thank you for this thread. I do my best not to put energy into it these days. It would have been me years ago if the technology had been there. As it is, I re discovered what is important and thats fine for me. It's pretty normal for the youngest generations to have a disconnection from older ones anyway. This one just happens to be more noticeable prior to any actual interaction. It does make for some good imagery though as seen from the above. For me I think about all the time I was reading about what I thought was truth for years on a desktop. What if the same approximate percentage of those that appear buried are really taking in some things that make them think? It's likely it's just likely not a large percentage. Is it any larger than that of past generations? I wish I knew. All I have is my hopeful speculation. All I know is that nothing beats real conversation and connection and no phone and no website of any kind can replace it even by pale comparison.

[Wind]

I don't go much to downtown these days since I don't really like atmosphere nor the crowds (find the energy overwhelming as an empath), but as I went to see a movie I observed notice how some or very many people didn't really look where they were going, but instead were looking at their phones. That has increased a lot during the past few years. Of course I do love love technology and have my iPhone too and and I tend to be glued to the screens, but usually only at my home. I am a bit worried about cellphone radiation and try to avoid putting my "smart"phone to my ear as much as possible. I'm not very used to to using phones or technology outside while walking or doing stuff, I like to focus on the moment instead. In a way technology has brought us closer together globally, but also it has distanced us from each other, these days we live in both in reality and virtual reality. Where is this all heading to? A global unified community or a technological nightmare?

dRl8EIhrQjQ

[Hervé]

Man, Distracted by Electronic Device, Falls to Death at Sunset Cliffs: Lifeguards
(http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/Man-Dies-After-Falling-Off-Cliff-at-Sunset-Cliffs-Lifeguards-363534491.html#ixzz3vOdJ1pru)
By Samantha Tatro (http://www.nbcsandiego.com/results/?keywords=%22Samantha+Tatro%22&byline=y&sort=date)


http://www.sott.net/image/s14/291249/large/2F9CACB000000578_3374444_image.jpg (http://www.sott.net/image/s14/291249/full/2F9CACB000000578_3374444_image.jpg)
File photo: Sunset Cliffs, California


A man fell of a cliff at Sunset Cliffs and died, authorities confirmed to NBC 7. NBC 7's Omari Fleming reports live from the active scene. (Published Friday, Dec. 25, 2015)

A man distracted by his electronic device fell 60 feet to his death at San Diego's Sunset Cliffs on Christmas Day, San Diego Lifeguards confirmed to NBC 7 San Diego.

The incident happened at 4:50 p.m. Friday on the 900 block of Sunset Cliffs Boulevard when the man, in his 30s, tumbled off the side of a cliff.


"Witnesses stated seeing someone distracted by an electronic device and he just fell over the edge," said San Diego Lifeguard Bill Bender. "(He) wasn't watching where he was walking, he was looking down at the device in his hands." The details of what he was doing were unclear, Bender said. Lifeguards have not found a device yet and said the device could have been a camera or a phone.

When the man fell, three Good Samaritans found their way down the rocks to help rescue him and administered CPR. "They acted quickly, they found a way to get down the cliff," Bender said. "They put themselves at jeopardy...They administered CPR to the person in attempt to save a life."

A lifeguard on scene told NBC7 a teen who lived across the street was one of the people who raced out with a rope to help.

The man, in his 30s, was pronounced dead at the scene by medics. Bender warned people to be more aware of their surroundings.

"Just like driving and using a cell phone, you don't want to be walking and using a cell phone or be distracted or anything," Bender said. No further information was immediately available.

[Foxie Loxie]

Yes, it is very sad!

[East Sun]

to me, it's all part of the conditioning by 'them' ha;ha who are they? Well, we know them and know better.
Young people are impressionable and are being conditioned totally and it's so obvious to us. Why, because we've been there and most still are
'there'.
Msg. Look up! Think for your self at all times. Don't follow...........
Don't follow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[sirdipswitch]

Wuz in my favorite grocery. Saw Mom shopping...and pushing cart, when needed... daughter (about 17) Wuz talking on c-phone,,, stepping aside thoughtfully so Mom could do her shopping... finally I had enough.. told Daughter: "Get off that stupid phone and help your Mother!!! At least you can push the cart for her!!!" To both mine and Mom's surprise... she did! Mom thanked me... I chuckled... and we will enter our way. Later as I walked by check-out Daughter was unloading cart and Mon was just standing there holding it for her.

The way I look at it is that I'm too old to get hit... anymore!!! ccc:wizard:

[huyi82]

warning, this video may be disturbing for a few people but it's a warning for people who continue to not pay attention to their environments.

https://www.facebook.com/funkyouentertainment/videos/442007389257212/

also this video here is fitting for this topic and so true.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfUD0WhE264

there is agenda with these phones that is for sure.

[Matt P]

This first struck me when I first picked my son up from high school. I had visions of kids milling in groups, chatting, teasing, being boisterous etc., but instead I arrived to find kids all sitting in a row, against the fence, on their phones and laptops. The contrast with what I had remembered high school to look like was so stark, they were all so subdued.

Apokalypse wrote;

kids these days are so off, if my children like that i will get a hammer and smash the freaking phone.

Not all kids these days are off, some have been raised not to give a second thought to what others think of them and their stuff. This problem is easily avoided, just don't buy them a smart phone. My son has an older style phone with keys, he's had kids say things like, "wtf is that supposed to be" etc. but my son doesn't care at all. And he's easier to spot amongst the hundreds of kids, all wearing the same uniform, if he's not there talking to his friends because they've already left, he's playing his guitar while waiting for me. :)

Rachel, I've noticed similar scenes many times. I live in a residential neighborhood and there's a bus stop just down from my house. Frequently when I drive past I see several of the kids waiting for the bus. They are always on their phones and I wonder why the parents let their kids take their iphones and ipads to school. Yes, I see large pads they are taking to school. The sad part is there are 3 boys that are always there and I know they are best friends. I see them sitting together in a tight circle but not saying a word to each other because they are all staring at screens and I think how sad it is and they don't even know what they are missing.

Just noticed this interesting article in the washington post as soon as I left this page a little bit ago (crazy coincidence). We are obviously not the only ones with concerns...

Title: Techno-skeptics’ objection growing louder

https://www.washingtonpost.com/classic-apps/techno-skeptics-objection-growing-louder/2015/12/26/e83cf658-617a-11e5-8e9e-dce8a2a2a679_story.html

[apokalypse]

is there any thing wrong with this? i got blasted and attacked saying creppy and wierd...if you are single seeing some female you interested in and want to talk to them but they keep stared onto the screen. might be stranger but not everyone bad guys, they might have miss out on decent person especially myself or people on alternative/non-mainstream which they doing what they believe in "peace and happiness".

case of pick up chicks is so different in modern day with smart phone...back then in late 90's can remember me and my friends on the bus talked to females easily or even last decade where smart phone not that popular i can talked to them easily. these days is very different...

one of the thing is eldery keen for a chat...today i was sitting in shopping centre and nobody around me so i play with my phone, upon saw one man taking a sit next to me so i stopped playing with my phone and start conversation...i don't have that vibe but we had brief chat about Christmas- Arabic languages -shopping. One time i was at book store talked to a old guy about NDE and i had weird/strange feeling while talking to him.

[Carmody]

In the first quarter of 2016:

Oculus Rift (CV1) (https://www.oculus.com/en-us/rift/)

(CV1 means Consumer Version One, ie alpha 1.0)

If you thought that cell phones were the bane of human society and culture...well....

[huyi82]

In the first quarter of 2016:

Oculus Rift (CV1) (https://www.oculus.com/en-us/rift/)

(CV1 means Consumer Version One, ie alpha 1.0)

If you thought that cell phones were the bane of human society and culture...well....

strangely virtual reality is really taking off now, sony, samsung and htc have built their own consumer version of VR, i think when it gets to a point when they get inside our brains i think they will get complete control of us, we will become vegetables with no sense of awareness.

[Carmody]

The Buddhists have been trying to tell you..... that you are already in a virtual reality environment.

The oculus rift is attempting to make a 'mini me' recursion, essentially.

The echo is so strong, it is almost that...it repeats itself (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recursion) in the energy patterns.

Russian dolls, one might say. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matryoshka_doll)

http://phenomena.nationalgeographic.com/files/2012/10/Russian-Doll.jpg

'People' will go in, in order to 'get out' (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyNsXDKBWCc) To step into the new unlimited open vistas.... of an enclosed space. To get away from the continual conscious presence of the crushingly close space, the sardine can of the cities.

Unlimited VR space......in a box.

Kinda like how 'people' see the space they are in right now.

Cognitive reach as fencing, control structure, limits .... and the understanding or the lack of understanding of them.

When we were children, we might have seen our parents or the given environment, or some parts of it as omnipotent and unlimited. As we grew, we found out otherwise.

Don't freeze into a limited view as you grow. That is the trick. period. Continue to grow. We find that when we get into the so called physical adult phase of this thing we call a body, cognitive growth begins to slow.

Understand this... a growing world and growing universe and scope has not changed.

Rather, it is you, the carrier, the communications device..the avatar, the body... that has lost the growth impetus. Whatever you understand as a limit, a range, a scope, is false. All other things that have come before what you know now, have finalized in limits and range. This means that all before you (at this time) that you do not understand, is the same..that it will fall in the same way...it will fall to growth. The trick is to understand that your interpretive vehicle, your perception box, the body, is the letdown point, the limiter.

[Bassplayer1]

This is a great discussion Apokalypse - thank you! I completely agree. But then you see, its soooo convenient, to have generations of folk reared on being glued to a screen because it stunts their ability to converse - and what happens when we talk - we exchange thoughts and ideas, which means we start to explore the wider world together and question things around us! Well, 'they' the PTB don't want that!!! They want quiet, compliant people in which it doesn't occur to question anything. Also, whilst everyone has their heads down reading about Cher's latest comeback or who styles Hilary's hair, well goodness knows what legislation is being passed or decisions being made to the further enslavement of humanity whilst our attention is diverted by crap. Being fully present when another person is talking is the least we can do - look at it as a natural gift that costs nothing. Don't get me wrong, I love technology and gadgets just like anyone else, but smart devices for me are always about using it to listen to music, as a Kindle or checking emails when not in the company of others or in a store etc - NOT to replace interaction and bonding with others. Goodness me, us humans have a tough enough time having to live on a planet being destroyed on all levels by beings that don't care for us, the least we can do is be their for each other.

[TargeT]

In the first quarter of 2016:

Oculus Rift (CV1) (https://www.oculus.com/en-us/rift/)

(CV1 means Consumer Version One, ie alpha 1.0)

If you thought that cell phones were the bane of human society and culture...well....

Next year will be interesting for many reasons, but mostly these:

economic calamity is certain

The BIGGEST distraction EVER will be unleashed on consumers (VR)

it almost seems planned.... the way it's been dragging out release dates, now they have a convenient one given the current global situation.

My smartphone is also a part of a VR headset, it's amazing (and this is just a crappy version comparatively)
http://i2.wp.com/cdn.bgr.com/2014/09/bgr-samsung-gear-vr-2.jpg

[KiwiElf]

The number of people I've almost run over on pedestrian crossings, (because they didn't look at the the oncoming cars but were instead, glued to their cell phones and just stepped out onto the crossing), is alarming, especially in bigger cities. Cars cannot stop on a dime.

When I was a kid, we were taught at schools to LOOK BOTH ways, make eye contact with the nearest driver and make sure they were going to stop before walking onto a crossing.

What's more alarming is it's usually the driver who will be blamed.

I also get pretty tired of colliding with "cellphone" shoppers and cellphone "walkers" (although that sometimes has its amusing moments - and yes, I do laugh out loud and tell them to get off their phones and watch where they're walking).

[Hervé]

In some school of thoughts, there is a phenomenon that's called "dramatization" whereby someone's unconscious content is being re-enacted - live - into one's environment. Like the "Toilet Flushers (http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?59804-My-Almost-Zero-Success-At-Awakening-People-Advice-Needed&p=683950&viewfull=1#post683950)" where the unconscious content is the post-hypnotic command "tugged collar = go flush toilet" and the dramatization being the actual action accompanied with the "toilet needed to be flushed" justification/excuse/rationalization.


https://cdn4.dogonews.com/images/bf2b2f17-3377-4e24-9c70-e66252be97df/d0cd9a299025b637399ded0a978a5623.jpg


http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8439/7773349916_9f7faa01da.jpg


Accordingly, one may wonder why such a fascination with luminous screens has taken this planet by storm?

Would there be some sort of unconscious content of taking instructions from a luminous screen that's being "dramatized" all around?

If that's the case, then one wonders: Where? When? What for? Such unconscious content has been "implanted"?

Well, if "The Programming of a Planet" didn't occur during "Between Lives" and/or in "Between waking Hours" as touched in this thread (http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?52786-MATRIX-REVEALED-Analysis-Solutions) (<---) It sure seems like it's happening "During Lives," on this planet, globally, currently :(

[Mike]

i think its a combination of 2 things: the phones are getting more interesting and fun while the people around us are getting less interesting and fun.

you might say the phones are responsible for making people less interesting and fun, but i'd likely counter that the people were never that interesting or fun to begin with...now even less so. so now its a closed circle, a catch 22, so forth.

folks diets, lifestyle, pollutants etc have made us all a little less interesting. the jobs are insanely redundant and soul sucking. we've become bots. no one has anything even remotely exciting to say to anyone else...

..enter "smart phones"...

now we communicate even less, and when we do communicate its with abbreviations and moronic symbols. staccato writing. anything that requires you to think or work less, the better. simple speech=simple thinking=simple speech so on and so forth (see:Orwell)

so, we get dumber n dumber while the devices accommodate that dumbness, and also offer an escape from the redundancy that they helped create to begin with..and the awful redundancy that existed before they even arrived

"they" love creating catch-22's. that joseph heller was onto something..

P.s. I used my smart phone to post this.........

[Deborah (ahamkara)]

I feel that Simon Parke has eloquently sounded the alarm on the increasingly pervasive "AI" agenda. Automating every aspect of our waking consciousness is a deliberate step in a movement towards a technology driven computerized reality.

I am an elementary school teacher and I see an increasing number of young people who are unable to articulate complex thoughts. To train and to entrain consciousness is the most effective means of controlling the group reality.

Thank you to those contributing to this thread.
Peace.

[KiwiElf]

As someone once said, "...when computers start thinking, what happens to us?"

[3(C)+me]

Here is some of the reasons that I think this phenomenon is going on.
People, who are socially anxious find they can avoid dealing with the social mine fields of social interaction, ie, "do they like me or am I sounding stupid" by avoiding all of that. But also a person becomes emotional intellgent is dealing with individuals by practice (practice makes perfect) getting good at face to face and reading non-verbals and the give and take of having to listen to others and having others listen to you. In order to find people interesting you have to put in the effort of getting to know them and finding that connection, it's too much work.

It's an avoidance behavior, like being around a dinner table with everyone on their C Phones, you're there but not there at the same time. Its safe, I don't have to engage cuz I am on my cell phone.

People don't do boredom well either, after a second of being bored, bring out the CP.

Plus, it's marketing, it's cool to be on your PC cuz you are important or popular, it's the image. It's all about the image.
The FB page, see how cool I am drinking with my buddies with babes around. Here I am in Spain, Paris, I am a player.
I look this way so maybe I can fool myself into thinking I actually am this way.

Its addictive, some how the brain gets entrained with the signals and it's hard to pull away. Escapism while looking cool.

Oh, and another thing, we talk here about "creating your own reality" via imagination, visualization but if you having you c phone visualize for you then who's doing the creating of you own reality?

We are creating a generation of emotionally/socially deficient people.

[Curiosity]

There is a lot of negativity here about this subject, and granted there is a lot of negativity about this subject.
Wife and I both ride motorcycles and the scariest thing on the road for us is a motorist texting while driving. You can relate this to a deer jumping out of nowhere right in fron of us or black ice.

But lest take a look at some of the positives.

Good parenting can turn these devises in into tools of education, keeping kids away from trouble and most importantly, tools of discipline.

Way back in the mid 80s before cell phones I found that anything I tried to punish my daughter with wasn't working until I restricted from phone use.

Kids now days are using smart devises to do school work.

These devises connect us to real time information, give us quick access to web sites with invaluable knowledge.

When you see a group of kids with their faces on their devices, don't assume they are not communicating with each other, they are not only communicating with each other but with a group abroad. They could be sharing educational info or just interacting as a large group.

The list of positives far outweigh the negatives.

Granted there are times when you shouldn't be texting, like walking or driving, maybe at the dinner table when it's time for family discussion etc. but this is a self discipline or a parenting problem, not a device problem.

[KiwiElf]

Totally agree, the device (tool) is not the problem; education... and a good deal of common sense (or lack of it) is.

[Curiosity]

Be smart with the use of smart devises.

[6pounder]

It's important to understand that today's way of communicating with each other through the virtual space aka Skype face book or WhatsApp hearting something much more deeper then you think.

In the process of finding a mate a few major parts of our communication technics are needed. We need to use body language, tonality and words. Today's society skip the 2 most important by using the virtual space. Later on in those kids life they will struggle to communicate in order to find their love since attraction has its own rules.

If you put body language and vocal tonality asaid you eliminate 90% of your tools to attract the opposite sex.

It's something people have forgotten. If you look back at the days a way to attract a man or a woman was much more "elegant" then these days. Today's technology in matters of communication is being pushed towards this purpess.

I dropped the use of facebook and what's app and learned to live true life of communication. I am respected for who I am in my surrounding and not by the amount of likes or photos of abbs I upload to the social media.

[East Sun]

They are called smart for a reason--they are part of the big brother process used to control the masses.
My advice--avoid them totally.....

[Hym]

I've always called them smartass phones.

[rgray222]

A new wave of technology is ready to wash over society like a tsunami that has never been seen before. The desktop computer set the stage, the mobile laptop took it to a new level and now tablets and smartphones have made information and entertainment more portable, more comprehensive and more accessible than ever before. The addiction of young children, teenagers and young adults to games and portable electronic devices is by design.

The United States has been targeted to lead the way in this new age. China is a very short distance behind and will soon be on par with the US. The 330 pages of regulations passed by Obama and the EU in the new net neutrality bills (http://www.wsj.com/articles/fcc-net-neutrality-plan-calls-for-more-power-over-broadband-1414712501) assure that there will only be a handful of large players providing information. Small players and start-ups have been intentionally locked out of the system. The stage has been set for control and delivery of information.

People are communicating like they've never done before but at the same time, they are losing all their interpersonal skills. Communication is so common-place that much of it has become frivolous. Now that big brother has interjected himself into the equation exactly the same way he did with the 1935 Federal Power Act and the Public Utility Holding Company Act we will see the dynamic internet turn into an expensive and very regulated (controlled) information delivery system.


You have only seen the tip of the iceberg technology wise
The addiction aspect is preparation for the masses
Control of the internet is already in place
The internet is going down the same road as free or cheap energy
In the coming years there will be a strong negative backlash against technology

Brace yourself, the tsunami is not even visible from the shore but it's on the way and moving at a speed which will amaze everyone.

[apokalypse]

this has become a norm on mainstream right now...people accept as it is. What scary most is people going to start wearing those Virtual Reality on the street once it hit on the market. i think 2016 is that year for VR. Has anyone watched Bruce Willis movie Surrogates? can't believe what i saw..

my relative children already have tablet and all they do is play games, one parent considering buying those smart phone for the kids but i told them no...just get those old phones for making and received called but the parent insist getting the child smart phone.

i have smart phone but use it as mp3 player-GPS-researching for information while on the road and rarely glue to the screen or use it alot like those people who i saw.

[TargeT]

What scary most is people going to start wearing those Virtual Reality on the street once it hit on the market.

Nah, not for a while anyway.

VR is way to immersive for public consumption, you are completely cut off from your surroundings & as such you won't see VR head sets far from the home or a "designated area".

VR is just the first step though, AR (Augmented Reality) is next, and THOSE will be on everyone's head... though they should mostly just look like glasses by that point so it won't be too terrible looking ascetically; but watching people's mind squirrel off in the middle of a conversation might become very normal...

[Hervé]

...

On the other hand, when direct communication is re-established:


2,000-strong Kentucky mall brawl leads to shutdown, no arrests (https://www.rt.com/usa/327225-kentucky-mall-brawl-matthews/)

Published time: 28 Dec, 2015 07:24


https://cdn.rt.com/files/2015.12/original/5680ddb5c36188ba5b8b4601.jpg
© DAHBOO777 / YouTube


St. Matthews Mall in Kentucky became the scene of a massive brawl involving 2,000 people, forcing it to shut down and a big police presence to be set up around the perimeter. The chaos was apparently caused by a chain reaction, involving separate fights.

Police first began responding to reports of “disturbances” at 7pm ET on Saturday. But the officers assigned to the mall could not cope with the load.

According to the police, there was “a series of brawls” between people aged 13 to early 20s, which quickly grew to include up to 2,000 people, leaving “the entire mall” affected, NBC reports.

"As they were responding to those disturbances, others were breaking out. ... Disturbances started to feed on themselves,” police spokesman Dennis McDonald said. "They were just overwhelmed with the number of calls for service and reports of disorder."

The officers had to call for backup, and 50 more officers arrived from five different agencies.

What started as brawls quickly began to interfere with shop closures. By the time it was 8pm, shops had begun to close on police orders. But the brawls became so contagious they quickly turned into a melee: people were hanging onto steel grates, unwilling to let shopkeepers shut their businesses.

“This was a riot… it was crazy,” McDonald added. "I've been a police officer 33 years, and I haven't ever seen anything like this before… We always plan for worst-case scenario, but this exceeded that.”

Some stores ended up being used as safe havens for those that tried to escape the fighting.

There were also reports of gunshots ringing from inside, but they were not confirmed.

Police maintained a presence until 1am that morning, according to McDonald. "It took about an hour and a half, close to two hours, before things were calm. We’re all tired.”

Businesses in the surrounding area were also recommended to shut.

Surprisingly, for a brawl involving 2,000 people, there were only minor injuries. No arrests were made.

Authorities are still determining the cause of the chain reaction that started it all.

The mess was all but forgotten the following morning, and the mall opened at 11am as normal.

[Innocent Warrior]

TargeT wrote;

VR is just the first step though, AR (Augmented Reality) is next, and THOSE will be on everyone's head... though they should mostly just look like glasses by that point so it won't be too terrible looking ascetically; but watching people's mind squirrel off in the middle of a conversation might become very normal...


Intel: Chips in brains will control computers by 2020

By the year 2020, you won't need a keyboard and mouse to control your computer, say Intel Corp. researchers. Instead, users will open documents and surf the Web using nothing more than their brain waves.

Scientists at Intel's research lab in Pittsburgh are working to find ways to read and harness human brain waves so they can be used to operate computers, television sets and cell phones. The brain waves would be harnessed with Intel-developed sensors implanted in people's brains.

The scientists say the plan is not a scene from a sci-fi movie -- Big Brother won't be planting chips in your brain against your will. Researchers expect that consumers will want the freedom they will gain by using the implant.

"I think human beings are remarkable adaptive," said Andrew Chien, vice president of research and director of future technologies research at Intel Labs. "If you told people 20 years ago that they would be carrying computers all the time, they would have said, 'I don't want that. I don't need that.' Now you can't get them to stop [carrying devices]. There are a lot of things that have to be done first but I think [implanting chips into human brains] is well within the scope of possibility."

Full article. (http://www.computerworld.com/article/2521888/app-development/intel--chips-in-brains-will-control-computers-by-2020.html)

In a world steered by corporate elitists obsessed with power and control, I find that technology worrisome.

[Carmody]

Freebird? (^mall riot)

(Kingsman reference)

But in all seriousness, it's the proverbial itch that cannot be scratched. The trick is to steal their (instigating world conditions/pressures/misdirection that hover in the backdrop) thunder as the thunder pressure builds.

Their game is to build the pressure and provide the release and relief valve. Take it from them, trip them up on it.. when the time comes, as that is how they disarm movements. To realize this pressure pot game is being played and to move the energy into similes of a humane direction and difference, as that is the direction that people do indeed desire.

[sunpaw]

I love my smartphone(s).
*Hello from the other side* :)

[TargeT]

I love my smartphone(s).
*Hello from the other side* :)

not gonna lie, I'm with you.

[huyi82]

What scary most is people going to start wearing those Virtual Reality on the street once it hit on the market.

Nah, not for a while anyway.

VR is way to immersive for public consumption, you are completely cut off from your surroundings & as such you won't see VR head sets far from the home or a "designated area".

VR is just the first step though, AR (Augmented Reality) is next, and THOSE will be on everyone's head... though they should mostly just look like glasses by that point so it won't be too terrible looking ascetically; but watching people's mind squirrel off in the middle of a conversation might become very normal...

they already managed AR reality without the glasses!

http://motherboard.vice.com/read/amazon-is-developing-augmented-reality-without-the-dorky-headgear-tl

this is just one example.

[Violet]

I share some of the feelings expressed here. I am tolerant towards people who still have their phones. I stopped using mobile phones since,...oh well, I can't exactly remember.

It's very odd but when I put a mobile phone to my ear, a sharp pain makes its way along my jawline. It's very unpleasant, I can't be in a conversation longer than 2 minutes. If it extends, I'll make an excuse, just to be able to hang up.

And first I thought it was mobile phones by themselves. We used to have a wireless house phone that gave me the same pain. I bought an electromagnetic frequency device and measured all these devices.

I threw the cordless set out with the trash. Didn't sell it, as it would just transfer the problem to other people. And I use my mobile phone as an (expensive) alarm clock.

I have a wired fixed line now, which is wonderful. It's one of these oldies:

http://projectavalon.net/forum4/attachment.php?attachmentid=32447&cid=1&stc=1

And when I call people, or they call me I actually have to sit down and don't move. Just focus on that conversation. The cable is rather short. I'm still having trouble with running for pen and paper.

I do wish for all people that they would sincerely share each other's company. I'm surprised it needs reminding that it's very rude to be on the smartphone with whatever what, and have someone next to you...just standing, waiting for you to say something which might...maybe spark a conversation.

Especially children need to be protected from this harmful behaviour. There can be a balance between smart use of new technology and both good health and good manners. We just have to retrieve it. Or believe it in the first place.

People's reactions when I say I don't have a smartphone are usually of unbelief. Like it's not possible to live like that in these days, unless you live in a cave or something. I don't live in a cave. It is possible. And by the speed at which the use of these - who knows - well-intended devices is destroying our social skills, perhaps it is also necessary to at least revise its use thoroughly.

[rgray222]

Brain-Dead Teen, Only Capable Of Rolling Eyes And Texting, To Be Euthanized (http://www.theonion.com/video/brain-dead-teen-only-capable-of-rolling-eyes-and-t-27225?utm_source=Keywee&utm_medium=SocialMarketing&utm_campaign=LinkPreview%3A1%3ADefault&kwp_0=64396)

[KiwiElf]

Brain-Dead Teen, Only Capable Of Rolling Eyes And Texting, To Be Euthanized (http://www.theonion.com/video/brain-dead-teen-only-capable-of-rolling-eyes-and-t-27225?utm_source=Keywee&utm_medium=SocialMarketing&utm_campaign=LinkPreview%3A1%3ADefault&kwp_0=64396)


Hahahaha LMAO - yeah good idea - what future do they have?