# Do you feel "out of touch" with most people/modern society? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 18, 2023, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-feel-out-of-touch-with-most-people-modern-society/982846 "2023-04-18T14:04:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2023, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-feel-out-of-touch-with-most-people-modern-society/982846/41 "2023-04-18T18:02:33Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > You are over-emphasizing the distinction that one of the computers is smaller than the other one. And you are under emphasizing the distinction that one of the computers stays home, where the info need not be accessed/responded to immediately. I prefer to be unattached and (except in the case of extremely rare emergency) unreachable. Vive la difference! ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2023, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-feel-out-of-touch-with-most-people-modern-society/982846/42 "2023-04-18T18:09:50Z")
Yeah, I kinda agree. Everywhere you go people are interacting with their phones and not with people or the actual environment they are in. Every scenic viewpoint is cluttered with people holding selfie sticks and holding their phones trying to take that perfect Instagram-worthy shot so they can reap those endorphins of all their followers liking what they are doing (rather than enjoying the viewpoint with their own senses). Social media kudos and acceptance are like crack to many. People cannot even sit in the Dr office or wait in a line without playing with their phone. On the plus side, riding public transit now is much quieter than before, as everyone is transfixed on their phone. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2023, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-feel-out-of-touch-with-most-people-modern-society/982846/43 "2023-04-18T18:21:54Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > On the plus side, riding public transit now is much quieter than before, as everyone is transfixed on their phone. [Plus ça change…](https://www.sadanduseless.com/evil-iphones/) ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2023, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-feel-out-of-touch-with-most-people-modern-society/982846/44 "2023-04-18T19:03:38Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > People cannot even sit in the Dr office or wait in a line without playing with their phone. Why in the world should someone just sit or stand staring forward like a drone while waiting for something? That’s the perfect useage case for a cell phone. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2023, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-feel-out-of-touch-with-most-people-modern-society/982846/45 "2023-04-18T19:04:54Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > People cannot even sit in the Dr office or wait in a line without playing with their phone. On the plus side, riding public transit now is much quieter than before, as everyone is transfixed on their phone. People really hate being bored. Research indicates that most people will voluntarily give themselves electric shocks rather than sit in a room doing nothing. I had my MIL over from Florida and any downtime we had was her reading her Kindle while me and **Spouse Weasel** surfed Reddit. We did watch some TV I guess, but she wasn’t into it. It felt like, I never see this woman and we are finally in one room together and we’re just staring at our respective devices. There’s something wrong with this picture, but I couldn’t really fight it, either. She was clearly doing what she preferred in the moment, and I have significant Internet addiction issues, more than the average person, so I didn’t want to pull myself away. But I hate it, almost as much as I hate that I overeat. It’s not the lifestyle I want to live. We limit my son’s screen time (he’s three) and unless stopwatch and calculator apps count as screentime, we do pretty well with that. But it’s like trying to raise a kid not to smoke when you smoke two packs a day. As far as being out of touch, I’ve always been hopelessly uncool. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2023, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-feel-out-of-touch-with-most-people-modern-society/982846/46 "2023-04-18T19:10:09Z")
What did people do in those situations before smart phones came along? Did their heads explode or something? Like I said, I am out of touch on this one. > [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > It felt like, I never see this woman and we are finally in one room together and we’re just staring at our respective devices. I had this situation a couple weekends ago when my daughter came home for a visit. She spent most of the weekend on the couch staring at her phone, which she could have done just as well without the 400 mile drive. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2023, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-feel-out-of-touch-with-most-people-modern-society/982846/47 "2023-04-18T19:13:10Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > Did their heads explode or something? Far worse. They were _bored._ ---
**Author:** ![Thing.Fish](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thing.fish/32/9168_2.png) [@Thing.Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing.Fish)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2023, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-feel-out-of-touch-with-most-people-modern-society/982846/48 "2023-04-18T19:16:39Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > What did people do in those situations before smart phones came along? Did their heads explode or something? We used to have to carry large bulky objects called “books” around. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2023, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-feel-out-of-touch-with-most-people-modern-society/982846/49 "2023-04-18T19:17:20Z")
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > > [@snowthx](#): > > > > Did their heads explode or something? > > Far worse. They were _bored._ > **[Before the Internet](https://xkcd.com/1348/)** > > We watched DAYTIME TV. Do you realize how soul-crushing it was? I'd rather eat an iPad than go back to watching daytime TV. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2023, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-feel-out-of-touch-with-most-people-modern-society/982846/50 "2023-04-18T19:40:19Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > What did people do in those situations before smart phones came along? Sitting in a doctor’s office, I would read about subjects that didn’t interest me in very old magazines. I would rather attempt to read a VCR instruction manual in German than do nothing. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2023, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-feel-out-of-touch-with-most-people-modern-society/982846/51 "2023-04-18T19:43:46Z")
> [@Thing.Fish](#): > > We used to have to carry large bulky objects called “books” around. I have close to 900 text-based books on my phone right now. On my tablet I have around 700,000 pages of comics and manga. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2023, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-feel-out-of-touch-with-most-people-modern-society/982846/52 "2023-04-18T19:48:16Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > I would rather attempt to read a VCR instruction manual in German than do nothing. That reminds me of how many times I used to read shampoo bottles and the backs of cotton ball bags or whatever I could find in the bathroom. Those were different times. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2023, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-feel-out-of-touch-with-most-people-modern-society/982846/53 "2023-04-18T19:49:29Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > my wife and I own 2 newer, mid-level model Subarus. There is one way you are more “in touch” with most of society: About two cars per household. My wife and I have one 4 wheeled vehicle that sits most of the week since we walk or ride bikes to work. That’s definitely out of touch or out of the norm for most of US society. We might be changing though. We now have a 14 year old living with us that will want to drive soon. Our 11 year old Subaru (bought new in 2012) with 100,000 miles will be a perfect vehicle for a teen. We camp quite a bit but are getting tired of sleeping on the ground/setting up a tent in the dark so might get a pickup (we used to sleep in the back of a pickup before I sold it). ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2023, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-feel-out-of-touch-with-most-people-modern-society/982846/54 "2023-04-18T19:49:34Z")
No, I do not. I have little interest in celebrity culture and television, and more interest in academic subjects than most people. This personal preference in no way makes me feel separate from others, nor better nor worse than them. ---
**Author:** ![Keith1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6de8d8/32.png) [@Keith1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keith1)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2023, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-feel-out-of-touch-with-most-people-modern-society/982846/55 "2023-04-18T20:53:14Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > having a cell phone with me got me to the hospital where they were taken hours before I would have otherwise heard. Since then I’ve made a point to ensure that I’m never without my phone. Rather than be overly specific and type out every possible scenario, I assumed people would get my drift. I was alluding to those that can’t walk down the street, shop for groceries, pump gas etc., etc. without having their phone out either texting or speaking. Having a phone on hand for emergencies & such is an entirely different matter. Last week I was in a store in the line for a cashier. The man waiting in front of me was on his phone, apparently unable to do without it while he made a single purchase (he was holding 1 item). I expect he thought the cashier was being intrusive when she interrupted his phone conversation with; “How would you like to pay for that?”. Doesn’t take a neurologist to guess what the cashier thought of him. > [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > you think modern phones have 3 inch screens? Unworthy of response, but always amusing to see how protective & defensive people can get. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2023, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-feel-out-of-touch-with-most-people-modern-society/982846/56 "2023-04-18T20:56:03Z")
> [@Keith1](#): > > Rather than be overly specific and type out every possible scenario, I assumed people would get my drift. I was alluding to those that can’t walk down the street, shop for groceries, pump gas etc., etc. without having their phone out either texting or speaking. Having a phone on hand for emergencies & such is an entirely different matter. I apologize. I realized that probability after I posted, and now you confirmed. We’re in agreement. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2023, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-feel-out-of-touch-with-most-people-modern-society/982846/57 "2023-04-18T21:00:52Z")
> [@Keith1](#): > > Rather than be overly specific and type out every possible scenario, I assumed people would get my drift. I was alluding to those that can’t walk down the street, shop for groceries, pump gas etc., etc. without having their phone out either texting or speaking. … Passing through airports on a recent trip, I came up with a new rule “if I ruled the world.” If someone is walking along in a crowded place looking at a phone they are holding in front of them, any passer by should be entitled to slap that phone out of their hand. If they are FaceTiming someone with the volume audible, maybe you should be entitled to slap them as well. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2023, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-feel-out-of-touch-with-most-people-modern-society/982846/58 "2023-04-18T21:05:46Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > -I have very little interest in modern technology. I would be happy with a cordless home phone with answering machine, and a home PC with internet access and email. I’m an engineer, so new technology is always subject to an assessment of what it does for me versus the cost (not just dollars). I describe myself as an early appreciator but a late adopter. When something new (like smartphones) is introduced, I absolutely understand how they work and how to use them, but I wait until the early adopters complain the kinks out before plunging in, thus minimizing the “cost”. > [@Dinsdale](#): > > my daily paper has a daily section specifically on sports, but not a daily section on the arts. Is your paper a small-town paper? My paper has both an arts section and a sports section. Today’s stories: 1) A long in-depth article on the Source Family, a 70’s cult that has gotten Hollywood interested; 2) A review of the theatrical production of “Ava”, a play about Ava Gardner, 3) A review of Sunday night at Coachella; 4) An article on DeSantis versus Disney; 5) an article on the reopening of an iconic local video store; and 6) a full page article on the 40th anniversary of _Flashdance_. Pretty diverse for a Tuesday ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2023, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-feel-out-of-touch-with-most-people-modern-society/982846/59 "2023-04-18T21:06:36Z")
> [@Keith1](#): > > Unworthy of response, but always amusing to see how protective & defensive people can get. Not being defensive, just relying on something known as “facts”. The average smartphone display [is 6.3 inches](https://omdia.tech.informa.com/OM022757/Display-Dynamics--January-2022-Average-smartphone-display-size-stays-at-63-inches-while-the-resolution-can-be-potentially-enhanced), not 3. ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2023, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-feel-out-of-touch-with-most-people-modern-society/982846/60 "2023-04-18T21:20:36Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > People cannot even sit in the Dr office or wait in a line without playing with their phone. It’s times like this that a smart phone is a godsend. Why wouldn’t you use your phone to entertain yourself while waiting for something? Complaints about people using their phones while at a concert or something engaging I understand. Complaining that people are using their phones in a waiting room? Seriously? Does it bother you if someone is reading a book while waiting in line? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-feel-out-of-touch-with-most-people-modern-society/982846.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-feel-out-of-touch-with-most-people-modern-society/982846.md?page=4)