The screens ensured that day and night, people hear about “statistics proving that people today had more food, more clothes, better houses, better recreations—that they lived longer, worked shorter hours, were bigger, healthier, stronger, happier, more intelligent, better educated, than the people of fifty years ago.” - This was something that I read from a 1984 book analysis on the telescreen. I’ve been saying since 2018 ish, something is off. Perhaps it’s been longer, maybe it was more subtle I just didn’t acknowledge. The kids aren’t all right…
The "people have said this about all media in the past" stuff bothers me because unique among all of them the Smart Phone made it easier to access social media and make a virtual reconstruction of "hanging out". Reading a book does not simulate the experience of having a conversation with a group of friends, nor does TV really. The phone does.
Not that 'm a bar fly but I do have a load dive bar I hang in at times although I'm feeling as though I've "ages out" at 81 while most of the folks that hang out here are substantially younger than me. Phones and bar behavior are interesting to me and for those concerned, easily observable. First is the guy who isn't having sex with anyone. He comes in, sits on a bar stool, looks at he phone once and places it face down on the bar. He'll pick it up with each new beer, take a look and put it down. That's it. There are some older women who will exhibit the same behavior. They're usually in the 50's, not unattractive, but clearly sad. Then the 20 something girls come in ands at the bar. There is the one that never lets her phone leave her hand. Miss Popularity doesn't talk much but is constantly texting letting the other girls know that she has a multitude of friends that are not the people she's with. the others will look at their phones occasionally, smile, maybe send a brief text message and lay it down in the bar, face down. then there three or four 40s girls who'll grab a table, take out their bejeweled phones and rarely pick them up again preferring to drink as many margaritas in the shortest possible time. Then there is the lone girl whose boyfriend is the bartender. Her phone lays face down on the bar, but is rarely inspected for activity. There are many variations of these folks that I'm at a loss to describe but those with phones all have one thing common. They lack a large degree of control in their lives. They are dependent on others who may or may not text them. Those that come in and keep their phones in their pockets or hand bags, totes, etc. are having lots of sex and care less about others.
It's quite a coincidence that suicide rates skyrocketed over 77% for 10 yr olds since 2009, ever since the launch of the iPhone with the self-facing camera and the simultaneous release of the like button.
The wireless radiation is also destroying children's brains (along with blue light):
(there have been over 10,000 independent studies showing harm from wireless radiation, yet ignored by US media as they only take into account how much the phone heats up skin tissue, and discount any non-thermal (biological) effect of dna damage.)
It is clear that smartphones (and the algorithm-driven apps that go with them) have a dark side, no doubt about that. For all ages. And unfortunately, there is no quick and easy ready-made solution to this collective action problem. At the same time, I will still caution the reader that we need to keep all of this in perspective and not work ourselves into a frenzied moral panic about it either.
The screens ensured that day and night, people hear about “statistics proving that people today had more food, more clothes, better houses, better recreations—that they lived longer, worked shorter hours, were bigger, healthier, stronger, happier, more intelligent, better educated, than the people of fifty years ago.” - This was something that I read from a 1984 book analysis on the telescreen. I’ve been saying since 2018 ish, something is off. Perhaps it’s been longer, maybe it was more subtle I just didn’t acknowledge. The kids aren’t all right…
The "people have said this about all media in the past" stuff bothers me because unique among all of them the Smart Phone made it easier to access social media and make a virtual reconstruction of "hanging out". Reading a book does not simulate the experience of having a conversation with a group of friends, nor does TV really. The phone does.
Not that 'm a bar fly but I do have a load dive bar I hang in at times although I'm feeling as though I've "ages out" at 81 while most of the folks that hang out here are substantially younger than me. Phones and bar behavior are interesting to me and for those concerned, easily observable. First is the guy who isn't having sex with anyone. He comes in, sits on a bar stool, looks at he phone once and places it face down on the bar. He'll pick it up with each new beer, take a look and put it down. That's it. There are some older women who will exhibit the same behavior. They're usually in the 50's, not unattractive, but clearly sad. Then the 20 something girls come in ands at the bar. There is the one that never lets her phone leave her hand. Miss Popularity doesn't talk much but is constantly texting letting the other girls know that she has a multitude of friends that are not the people she's with. the others will look at their phones occasionally, smile, maybe send a brief text message and lay it down in the bar, face down. then there three or four 40s girls who'll grab a table, take out their bejeweled phones and rarely pick them up again preferring to drink as many margaritas in the shortest possible time. Then there is the lone girl whose boyfriend is the bartender. Her phone lays face down on the bar, but is rarely inspected for activity. There are many variations of these folks that I'm at a loss to describe but those with phones all have one thing common. They lack a large degree of control in their lives. They are dependent on others who may or may not text them. Those that come in and keep their phones in their pockets or hand bags, totes, etc. are having lots of sex and care less about others.
Great read, hope to see more here!
It's quite a coincidence that suicide rates skyrocketed over 77% for 10 yr olds since 2009, ever since the launch of the iPhone with the self-facing camera and the simultaneous release of the like button.
The wireless radiation is also destroying children's brains (along with blue light):
https://romanshapoval.substack.com/p/techmyth
(there have been over 10,000 independent studies showing harm from wireless radiation, yet ignored by US media as they only take into account how much the phone heats up skin tissue, and discount any non-thermal (biological) effect of dna damage.)
It is clear that smartphones (and the algorithm-driven apps that go with them) have a dark side, no doubt about that. For all ages. And unfortunately, there is no quick and easy ready-made solution to this collective action problem. At the same time, I will still caution the reader that we need to keep all of this in perspective and not work ourselves into a frenzied moral panic about it either.